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I prefer THIS Central Park! |
Todd - House of Trepidation (HOT) revolves around the lore of Dr. Belle and I'm pleased to say that the story is strong throughout this attraction. While it's not perfect, HOT exemplifies what years of experience can produce with high attention to detail while maintaining a theme. A full "history" is available on the HOT website, though this haunt does a great job of telling the story without it.
Upon entering, we were instantly impressed with what is referred to as "Central Park" - an extended queue area full of eye candy for haunt fanatics. Complete with horse carriage, wishing fountain and a graveyard hillside, this area looks gorgeous not only with its premium construction but with dynamic light accents as well. Typically displays of this caliber are reserved for multi-haunt complexes, serving as a central entrance for the various attractions. While HOT does have 3 segments, they are consecutive and therefore "Central Park" is simply something to be admired and serve as a preview for the environmental quality to come. I only wish my front yard looked like this through the fall season. Ok, I'm lying. I wish it looked like that all year-round.
The haunt starts in the home of Dr. Belle. I was immediately impressed by this opening scene - a small foyer with rickety steps leading to a second story where Dr. Belle himself looks down on you in an unsettling manner. The first actor is introduced and sets up the the story of which you are about to experience. The interior of this "house" spares no expense to details. Walls appear to be crumbling, leaving their skeletal construction visible with a few victims left to rot within them. Another nice touch is that although HOT is housed within a large commercial building, the sets are constructed so there is the perception of a ceiling; looking up doesn't present you with a bunch of steel rafters. A lot of real, old items are integrated into the house to bring out an authentic look. This execution reminded me a lot of Stillwell Manor. As much as I wanted to slow down and take it all in, the actors popping out from secret doors were fairly relentless. One could argue there were a few too many of these false panels, they are effective non-the-less for jump scares.
Further in, you'll pass through the doctor's office, laboratories, surgical areas, etc. These areas were status quo for a hospital themed haunt - the typical dilapidated equipment throughout mixed with odd experimentation. I found myself a bit confused in this section because we encountered a number of actors who kept alluding that the doctor was waiting for us ahead. We would move on a bit further, encounter another person who warned us of the same thing - and then before we knew it, we were done. Did we see the doctor and not realize it? It felt like a big lead up to what came across as a flat finale.
Beyond that you'll end with Condemned which is essentially a domain where the doctor's victims and failed experiments are to spend their eternity (I mentally compared it to the room of lost souls in Beetlejuice). This area was more of a dark haunt; less to look at and more about finding your way through. Light was either positioned against you making it hard to see (especially with the added fog) or not present at all. It really came across as a vapid space without structure. We really had to take our time navigating through to avoid running into a wall (which I still failed at). At the tail end, there is a final clown scene which is pretty demented and dark. Unfortunately, that was the only sole clown room after which the haunt is over, which made me feel a bit let down and confused as it didn't fit with any other part of that haunt.
The actors' presentation was a mixed bag. Those who had speaking roles lending to the story looked great. Costuming, make up and acting were very good. As you approach the second area, the nurse we encountered who serves as a pacing guide for the queue did an excellent job with her banter and looked dreadfully great doing it. My favorite, however, was the person providing entry to Condemned, the final segment. She came across as a voodoo priestess with a half-skull head that looked amazing. The frustrating aspect in regards to the actors was that those without a major role were on the other side of the spectrum in terms of detail. A number of them, I noticed, were in simple costumes wearing ill-fitting masks (long hair was clearly visible coming out of the back, for example). To be fair, their intention is to lurk in the shadows and catch you off guard before disappearing again, but with everything else being so highly detailed, these appearances stuck out like a sore thumb for me.
I was pleasantly surprised with House of Trepidation. Much of the environment is professionally crafted and tells a story that doesn't get lost in the presentation. It's surely one of the stronger haunts for maintaining a narrative throughout and with the stand out actors keeping it all going, you're definitely in for a good time.
Note: Nightmare on Edgewood has moved into the same property as HOT so it's worth your time to visit both while you're there!
Upon entering, we were instantly impressed with what is referred to as "Central Park" - an extended queue area full of eye candy for haunt fanatics. Complete with horse carriage, wishing fountain and a graveyard hillside, this area looks gorgeous not only with its premium construction but with dynamic light accents as well. Typically displays of this caliber are reserved for multi-haunt complexes, serving as a central entrance for the various attractions. While HOT does have 3 segments, they are consecutive and therefore "Central Park" is simply something to be admired and serve as a preview for the environmental quality to come. I only wish my front yard looked like this through the fall season. Ok, I'm lying. I wish it looked like that all year-round.
The haunt starts in the home of Dr. Belle. I was immediately impressed by this opening scene - a small foyer with rickety steps leading to a second story where Dr. Belle himself looks down on you in an unsettling manner. The first actor is introduced and sets up the the story of which you are about to experience. The interior of this "house" spares no expense to details. Walls appear to be crumbling, leaving their skeletal construction visible with a few victims left to rot within them. Another nice touch is that although HOT is housed within a large commercial building, the sets are constructed so there is the perception of a ceiling; looking up doesn't present you with a bunch of steel rafters. A lot of real, old items are integrated into the house to bring out an authentic look. This execution reminded me a lot of Stillwell Manor. As much as I wanted to slow down and take it all in, the actors popping out from secret doors were fairly relentless. One could argue there were a few too many of these false panels, they are effective non-the-less for jump scares.
Further in, you'll pass through the doctor's office, laboratories, surgical areas, etc. These areas were status quo for a hospital themed haunt - the typical dilapidated equipment throughout mixed with odd experimentation. I found myself a bit confused in this section because we encountered a number of actors who kept alluding that the doctor was waiting for us ahead. We would move on a bit further, encounter another person who warned us of the same thing - and then before we knew it, we were done. Did we see the doctor and not realize it? It felt like a big lead up to what came across as a flat finale.
Beyond that you'll end with Condemned which is essentially a domain where the doctor's victims and failed experiments are to spend their eternity (I mentally compared it to the room of lost souls in Beetlejuice). This area was more of a dark haunt; less to look at and more about finding your way through. Light was either positioned against you making it hard to see (especially with the added fog) or not present at all. It really came across as a vapid space without structure. We really had to take our time navigating through to avoid running into a wall (which I still failed at). At the tail end, there is a final clown scene which is pretty demented and dark. Unfortunately, that was the only sole clown room after which the haunt is over, which made me feel a bit let down and confused as it didn't fit with any other part of that haunt.
The actors' presentation was a mixed bag. Those who had speaking roles lending to the story looked great. Costuming, make up and acting were very good. As you approach the second area, the nurse we encountered who serves as a pacing guide for the queue did an excellent job with her banter and looked dreadfully great doing it. My favorite, however, was the person providing entry to Condemned, the final segment. She came across as a voodoo priestess with a half-skull head that looked amazing. The frustrating aspect in regards to the actors was that those without a major role were on the other side of the spectrum in terms of detail. A number of them, I noticed, were in simple costumes wearing ill-fitting masks (long hair was clearly visible coming out of the back, for example). To be fair, their intention is to lurk in the shadows and catch you off guard before disappearing again, but with everything else being so highly detailed, these appearances stuck out like a sore thumb for me.
I was pleasantly surprised with House of Trepidation. Much of the environment is professionally crafted and tells a story that doesn't get lost in the presentation. It's surely one of the stronger haunts for maintaining a narrative throughout and with the stand out actors keeping it all going, you're definitely in for a good time.
Note: Nightmare on Edgewood has moved into the same property as HOT so it's worth your time to visit both while you're there!
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Someone needs to take Dr Belle's medical license! |
Paul - For the last few years, every time we make a visit anywhere near Indianapolis we have people (and other haunts) tell us we need to visit House of Trepidation. This year we finally made it a priority and it's easy to see why they have so many fans.
House of Trepidation (or HoT) is a somewhat new haunt on the south side of Indianapolis. They have only been around for 5 years in their current state, but the brains behind the operation (not the literal ones behind the building that the zombies eat) have been pivotal in the success of some of Indy's longest-running haunts. After many years of lending their expertise to other haunts, they decided it was time to put their talents together to start work on HoT.
Being that this is only the fifth year of operation at HoT, I was very impressed with what they've accomplished. We have visited haunts that have been running for 20+ years that don't put on even half the show HoT does. The sets are well made and do a fantastic job of hiding that you're actually inside of a large warehouse type building, a lot of the actors put on very good performances and had some very unique costumes, and they have some methods of scaring you that I haven't seen before.
After purchasing your ticket for HoT (and you should really get a ticket to Nightmare on Edgewood since they're in the same building and you get a combo price), you walk inside the door and are immediately in the courtyard of Dr Belle's house. This is a beautifully constructed area and you're even allowed to take pictures in the area. Once you put your phones away, you enter into the house itself and are greeted by a fantastic actor who gives you an overview of what's about to happen. From that point on you'll encounter scene after scene of the Dr's chaotic nightmare. Once you finally exit the Dr's house, you then enter into an area reserved for Dr Belle's patients... and they're NOT happy to see you getting ahead of them in the wait to see him. The final area is kind of a pathway of fears that leads you through several different scenes that touch on the fears of a huge majority of people!
I came away impressed with HoT. The expanse of the haunt, the quality of the sets, the enthusiasm of the actors... all very good. And this year you can even pick up a combo ticket to visit HoT and Nightmare on Edgewood since they now operate both haunts out of the same gigantic building! It's a great deal for two great haunts.
House of Trepidation (or HoT) is a somewhat new haunt on the south side of Indianapolis. They have only been around for 5 years in their current state, but the brains behind the operation (not the literal ones behind the building that the zombies eat) have been pivotal in the success of some of Indy's longest-running haunts. After many years of lending their expertise to other haunts, they decided it was time to put their talents together to start work on HoT.
Being that this is only the fifth year of operation at HoT, I was very impressed with what they've accomplished. We have visited haunts that have been running for 20+ years that don't put on even half the show HoT does. The sets are well made and do a fantastic job of hiding that you're actually inside of a large warehouse type building, a lot of the actors put on very good performances and had some very unique costumes, and they have some methods of scaring you that I haven't seen before.
After purchasing your ticket for HoT (and you should really get a ticket to Nightmare on Edgewood since they're in the same building and you get a combo price), you walk inside the door and are immediately in the courtyard of Dr Belle's house. This is a beautifully constructed area and you're even allowed to take pictures in the area. Once you put your phones away, you enter into the house itself and are greeted by a fantastic actor who gives you an overview of what's about to happen. From that point on you'll encounter scene after scene of the Dr's chaotic nightmare. Once you finally exit the Dr's house, you then enter into an area reserved for Dr Belle's patients... and they're NOT happy to see you getting ahead of them in the wait to see him. The final area is kind of a pathway of fears that leads you through several different scenes that touch on the fears of a huge majority of people!
I came away impressed with HoT. The expanse of the haunt, the quality of the sets, the enthusiasm of the actors... all very good. And this year you can even pick up a combo ticket to visit HoT and Nightmare on Edgewood since they now operate both haunts out of the same gigantic building! It's a great deal for two great haunts.
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The decor here [entering Dr. Belle's house] is fantastic. Very dark and moody. It makes my Halloween-heart happy! |
Teresa - This was my first year going through House of Trepidation. This is a relatively new (open since 2015) passion project of some very experienced haunters and master builders in the haunted house industry. It is located south of Indianapolis and now shares its building with new-to-the-haunt-neighborhood, Nightmare on Edgewood, which is just moving into this location this year. We also visited Nightmare on Edgewood on this trip (which is one of the longest-running Indianapolis "staple-haunts", now in this new location). This is one hell of an opportunity, as now you can see both haunts in one place, and there are combo tickets available for that purpose. I don't know why you wouldn't see both! Check out their website for coupons and special events!
House of Trepidation consists of three separate sections, all having to do with the infamous, Dr. Eugene Irving Belle. There is a great backstory for him on their website. In a nutshell, as doctors go, he was a quack. He performed unorthodox experiments on his patients, many of whom died, and when he lost his wife to the influenza epidemic in 1918, he went completely mad. There are plenty of true stories like this throughout history. Most of those you don't get to explore in such a personal way. You start off approaching the good Doctor and Mrs. Belle's home. The decor here is fantastic. Very dark and moody. It makes my Halloween heart so happy! Then you enter and go through the rooms of the house, meeting all kinds of restless spirits. There are some great performances along the way. The variety of rooms, props, animatronics and even the creaky floors are so creepy! Then you enter Crossroads of Carnage. This is the area where the doctor performed his experiments. Be prepared for some horrible scenes and unhappy patients as you wander this dark maze of medical depravity. I hope you aren't scared of doctors and nurses! If you survive that, you find yourself in Condemned. As Dr. Belle's patients' conditions worsened, and the doctor's experiments became more insane, they had to be hidden away from the public (along with their corpses when they eventually died). The doctor began hiding them on the premises. Be careful you aren't one of them! They do a good job at building the scenes for these places, so you forget you're in a giant warehouse. There are some images that will stick with you, and some of the actors are quite memorable as well! The slender man was especially good! I'm looking forward to seeing what this creative team comes up with next!
House of Trepidation consists of three separate sections, all having to do with the infamous, Dr. Eugene Irving Belle. There is a great backstory for him on their website. In a nutshell, as doctors go, he was a quack. He performed unorthodox experiments on his patients, many of whom died, and when he lost his wife to the influenza epidemic in 1918, he went completely mad. There are plenty of true stories like this throughout history. Most of those you don't get to explore in such a personal way. You start off approaching the good Doctor and Mrs. Belle's home. The decor here is fantastic. Very dark and moody. It makes my Halloween heart so happy! Then you enter and go through the rooms of the house, meeting all kinds of restless spirits. There are some great performances along the way. The variety of rooms, props, animatronics and even the creaky floors are so creepy! Then you enter Crossroads of Carnage. This is the area where the doctor performed his experiments. Be prepared for some horrible scenes and unhappy patients as you wander this dark maze of medical depravity. I hope you aren't scared of doctors and nurses! If you survive that, you find yourself in Condemned. As Dr. Belle's patients' conditions worsened, and the doctor's experiments became more insane, they had to be hidden away from the public (along with their corpses when they eventually died). The doctor began hiding them on the premises. Be careful you aren't one of them! They do a good job at building the scenes for these places, so you forget you're in a giant warehouse. There are some images that will stick with you, and some of the actors are quite memorable as well! The slender man was especially good! I'm looking forward to seeing what this creative team comes up with next!