For a number of reasons, I haven’t been able to attend Land of Illusion personally for two or three years. One advantage to visiting a haunt annually is that you can identify changes or improvements fairly easily. The more time between visits, you become more reliant on memory for comparison. Having been to Land of Illusion countless times, I feel like I know these haunts by heart, which made this year’s visit even better as a number of changes were made (at some time over the past few years) that enhanced the experience in a way I always hoped they would. As a reminder, Land of Illusion is best experienced as an entire night’s outing. Typically, there is some form of staged entertainment each night, whether it be a DJ, a band, etc. There’s also a full bar and several food vendors on site. The large, canopied firepit ensures there’s a place to sit and get warm between haunts. Even if you go just for the haunts back to back, still expect to be there 2-3 hours, by why rush?
Since Land of Illusion is a multiple-attraction haunt, let’s break it down by each haunt.
Temple of Terror
Actors – 2
Environment - 4
Overall - 3
First, we headed to Temple of Terror. Over the years it seems this haunt had a mild case of identity crisis. Is it catacombs? No wait – it’s mining shaft that leads to a tomb. Without a real “story”, it was always hard to determine what exactly was going on…it was just dark and full of mummified corpses. Well, now it’s taken on a definitive Egyptian theme. There’s hieroglyphics everywhere and even the big bad animatronic halfway through is sporting gauze wrapped around him. Seeing some consistency was welcome. The layout felt mostly the same, including the majority of the scenes – however, it was noticeably darker throughout. A lot darker. There were some points that it literally became a blackout maze and this worked fantastically. At other times, slow strobe lights disorient you. All of these lighting effects (or lack of light) cause you to slow down and feel your way around. The walls have “rocks” jutting out of them so be careful; I took a pretty mean impact to my shoulder. Now, let’s talk about actors. Without question, the weakest element of the haunt. Not only did they seem to be low in numbers, but they didn’t really do anything. Occasionally they would appear from the darkness, but any form of communication was uttered in very hushed tone. One was even friendly and welcoming. I love when the cave ghouls are hospitable! With numerous points of darkness it should be an actors ultimate playground to scare the utter living shit out everyone and so many opportunities were missed. It was unfortunate. However, the build, while not all that much changed, has been enhanced for the better with practical effects.
Phobia
Actors – 3
Environment - 3
Overall – 3.5
When Phobia first opened, it was pitched as a collective experience of common fears. While that statement wasn’t wrong, it was a bit lackluster due to so much void in between scenes. I’m happy to report that now, there is SO much more content making this haunt feel much more complete. The general flow is the same – a series of dark mazes leading to each scene. The newer scenes work quite well, though they are still small and narrow (this is due to the makeup of the structure). Standout scenes include a seance with everyone’s favorite – too many babydolls perched above your head, a trippy alien area with lots of cool, bubbling tubes, as well as a dentist scene (my personal favorite). I couldn’t help but laugh at the tank of “Covid-19” sitting in the corner (too soon?). The actor count was still on the lean side in Phobia but then again, it’s not the most spacious haunt so it’s understandable. This one isn’t going to win any awards for decorations, but it’s vastly improved from it’s first version. I can’t wonder how much can ultimately be done with this haunt due is shipping container structure. I believe there would be a lot more potential if it could afford more open areas.
Middletown Haunted Trail
Actors – 4
Environment – 4
Overall - 4
Arguably the showcase haunt of Land of Illusion, Middletown Haunted Trail’s lengthy span offers a wide variety of themes. Actor count is not a challenge here – they’re everywhere! Some of the scenes are starting to show their age, most noticeably the alien hangar. These poor guys seem to be having trouble rising and descending into their pools in their old age. They aren’t timed together and one seemed stuck at an awkward 45 degree slant. The immediately following toxic waste area is also feeling flat as ever so it may be time to bring in the hazmat team. Gone is the redneck trailer village. While I enjoy random major appliances scattered along the way as much as the next person, it has been replaced with a crisp looking coven village, complete with numerous inviting witches. It looks great and is well decorated. Well done with this area! On the flip side, the saddest looking area was without a doubt the crypt (?) with the coffins. It felt entirely too spacious as if it was Mortuary Murray’s going out of business closeout sale. Aside from coffins there was very little other visual filler and it just doesn’t work. Other familiar areas remain including the cave area (now complete with dense fog which is an added bonus) as well as the underground laboratory where utter chaos reigns (the actors were good and all over the place, but they didn’t really interact with us). The last leg with the butcher shop and cafeteria were as gory as ever. I was also pleased to see the return of “chainsaw hell” as I refer to it – 5 or so actors all armed with chainsaws taking stabs at you together. I always liked this years ago and they backed off in recent years. Overall, the actors were pretty good. Lots of energy and interaction!
Killer Klowns
Actors – 5
Environment – 4
Overall – 4
From a build standpoint, Killer Klowns had no noticeable changes. It’s heavy on the neon paint and blacklights, not dark at all but has some fun gags along the way. Now, if you’re terrified of clowns, you’ll hate it regardless because there are some really freaky looking clown props throughout the entire haunt. The chain-link fence maze still resides in the middle and by now you’d think I’d know how to get out of it – nope. It also doesn’t help that our “helpful” hosts do their best to keep you from going in the right direction. The real showcase here are the actors. The actors MADE THE HAUNT. This troupe was dialed to 11! Aside from their abnormal obsession with wanting to play with our intestines, they were aggressive, invasive and deranged. One guy even nibbled on my ear a few times. It was kind of weird but whatever works. The girl clowns generally played a “cute but batshit crazy” role while the guys were absolute psychopaths. If I didn’t know I was in a staged haunt, I would fear for my safety. They messed with us the ENTIRE way through. Even at the end, they seriously had us confused on how to get out. It was close to being “seriously….where’s the door?”. As a group, the Klowns without a doubt were the best actors in the park and that’s exactly what this haunt needs.
Dysphoria
So….this isn’t a haunt exactly. I suppose it’s best described as a literal maze. You go in and it’s up to you to get yourself out. Initially, it looked like it was just a big room with obstacles consisting of stacked tractor tires. I wont lie, my first reaction was, “Ok, this is lame”. However, as we got further in, it became apparent that this maze is bigger than it initially appeared. I couldn’t tell you how long it took us to get out, but by the end I was fairly disoriented. There’s not a lot to look at – tires, concrete walls and area dividers. Everything looks the same. Multiple walkways are presented to you and you may just find yourself saying, “wait…didn’t we just come from there? We’ve already been here!” ….and hence the name, Dysphoria. There are actors inside. They weren’t presented in a “scare you” way, they were more there to distract us from our navigational senses. Sometimes it was clear they were leading us in the wrong direction, but towards the end I was questioning whether they were telling the truth on where to go, knowing I wouldn’t believe them and go the wrong way. In the end, I existed having actually enjoyed it. It was refreshing to be able to take it at our own pace and figure our own way out. Honestly, I wouldn’t mind seeing this one expand.
Dr. Psycho’s Haunted Estate
Actors – 5
Environment – 5
Overall – 5
I’ve always been transparent that I like Dr. Pschyo’s the most. Well for a TON of reasons, I am keeping my opinion. Dr Psycho’s is AWESOME now. 80% of it appears to be revamped since my last visit and it’s 100% for the better. First off, the flow makes so much more sense now. The entire haunt is one big lead up to meeting Dr. Psycho. I always though it was strange in the past that he was encountered half way through like a secondary character. Furthermore, the new layout is amazing. The entrance now is themed as an actual patient intake area with a reception desk. Padded rooms follow with high-energy patients literally bouncing off the walls and a guard tower sits outside on the lookout for escapees. The collective scenes are much more cohesive to the premise of it being a facility for human experimentation. Inside the house, we were greeted by Dr Psycho’s suspiciously normal-behaving wife, along with previous experiments on the loose. Other scenes that were cool, but random (the babydoll girl, the bedroom littered with pill bottles and medical equipment) have been cleared out to keep with this new, stronger theme. Back downstairs, we finally met the good doctor who engaged in dialogue with us for a surprising length of time. He then legit ate a live worm. Didn’t see that coming. I guess it’s protein? The three primary actors we encountered – Dr Psycho and two patients that followed us around the entire time – were fantastic. The supporting actors also did a great job. Overall, Dr. Psycho’s was the highlight of the night for me. The re-design, actors and solid them are a perfect combination. If the haunt were a bit larger, it could stand up by itself outside of the park in my opinion. Well done!
Since Land of Illusion is a multiple-attraction haunt, let’s break it down by each haunt.
Temple of Terror
Actors – 2
Environment - 4
Overall - 3
First, we headed to Temple of Terror. Over the years it seems this haunt had a mild case of identity crisis. Is it catacombs? No wait – it’s mining shaft that leads to a tomb. Without a real “story”, it was always hard to determine what exactly was going on…it was just dark and full of mummified corpses. Well, now it’s taken on a definitive Egyptian theme. There’s hieroglyphics everywhere and even the big bad animatronic halfway through is sporting gauze wrapped around him. Seeing some consistency was welcome. The layout felt mostly the same, including the majority of the scenes – however, it was noticeably darker throughout. A lot darker. There were some points that it literally became a blackout maze and this worked fantastically. At other times, slow strobe lights disorient you. All of these lighting effects (or lack of light) cause you to slow down and feel your way around. The walls have “rocks” jutting out of them so be careful; I took a pretty mean impact to my shoulder. Now, let’s talk about actors. Without question, the weakest element of the haunt. Not only did they seem to be low in numbers, but they didn’t really do anything. Occasionally they would appear from the darkness, but any form of communication was uttered in very hushed tone. One was even friendly and welcoming. I love when the cave ghouls are hospitable! With numerous points of darkness it should be an actors ultimate playground to scare the utter living shit out everyone and so many opportunities were missed. It was unfortunate. However, the build, while not all that much changed, has been enhanced for the better with practical effects.
Phobia
Actors – 3
Environment - 3
Overall – 3.5
When Phobia first opened, it was pitched as a collective experience of common fears. While that statement wasn’t wrong, it was a bit lackluster due to so much void in between scenes. I’m happy to report that now, there is SO much more content making this haunt feel much more complete. The general flow is the same – a series of dark mazes leading to each scene. The newer scenes work quite well, though they are still small and narrow (this is due to the makeup of the structure). Standout scenes include a seance with everyone’s favorite – too many babydolls perched above your head, a trippy alien area with lots of cool, bubbling tubes, as well as a dentist scene (my personal favorite). I couldn’t help but laugh at the tank of “Covid-19” sitting in the corner (too soon?). The actor count was still on the lean side in Phobia but then again, it’s not the most spacious haunt so it’s understandable. This one isn’t going to win any awards for decorations, but it’s vastly improved from it’s first version. I can’t wonder how much can ultimately be done with this haunt due is shipping container structure. I believe there would be a lot more potential if it could afford more open areas.
Middletown Haunted Trail
Actors – 4
Environment – 4
Overall - 4
Arguably the showcase haunt of Land of Illusion, Middletown Haunted Trail’s lengthy span offers a wide variety of themes. Actor count is not a challenge here – they’re everywhere! Some of the scenes are starting to show their age, most noticeably the alien hangar. These poor guys seem to be having trouble rising and descending into their pools in their old age. They aren’t timed together and one seemed stuck at an awkward 45 degree slant. The immediately following toxic waste area is also feeling flat as ever so it may be time to bring in the hazmat team. Gone is the redneck trailer village. While I enjoy random major appliances scattered along the way as much as the next person, it has been replaced with a crisp looking coven village, complete with numerous inviting witches. It looks great and is well decorated. Well done with this area! On the flip side, the saddest looking area was without a doubt the crypt (?) with the coffins. It felt entirely too spacious as if it was Mortuary Murray’s going out of business closeout sale. Aside from coffins there was very little other visual filler and it just doesn’t work. Other familiar areas remain including the cave area (now complete with dense fog which is an added bonus) as well as the underground laboratory where utter chaos reigns (the actors were good and all over the place, but they didn’t really interact with us). The last leg with the butcher shop and cafeteria were as gory as ever. I was also pleased to see the return of “chainsaw hell” as I refer to it – 5 or so actors all armed with chainsaws taking stabs at you together. I always liked this years ago and they backed off in recent years. Overall, the actors were pretty good. Lots of energy and interaction!
Killer Klowns
Actors – 5
Environment – 4
Overall – 4
From a build standpoint, Killer Klowns had no noticeable changes. It’s heavy on the neon paint and blacklights, not dark at all but has some fun gags along the way. Now, if you’re terrified of clowns, you’ll hate it regardless because there are some really freaky looking clown props throughout the entire haunt. The chain-link fence maze still resides in the middle and by now you’d think I’d know how to get out of it – nope. It also doesn’t help that our “helpful” hosts do their best to keep you from going in the right direction. The real showcase here are the actors. The actors MADE THE HAUNT. This troupe was dialed to 11! Aside from their abnormal obsession with wanting to play with our intestines, they were aggressive, invasive and deranged. One guy even nibbled on my ear a few times. It was kind of weird but whatever works. The girl clowns generally played a “cute but batshit crazy” role while the guys were absolute psychopaths. If I didn’t know I was in a staged haunt, I would fear for my safety. They messed with us the ENTIRE way through. Even at the end, they seriously had us confused on how to get out. It was close to being “seriously….where’s the door?”. As a group, the Klowns without a doubt were the best actors in the park and that’s exactly what this haunt needs.
Dysphoria
So….this isn’t a haunt exactly. I suppose it’s best described as a literal maze. You go in and it’s up to you to get yourself out. Initially, it looked like it was just a big room with obstacles consisting of stacked tractor tires. I wont lie, my first reaction was, “Ok, this is lame”. However, as we got further in, it became apparent that this maze is bigger than it initially appeared. I couldn’t tell you how long it took us to get out, but by the end I was fairly disoriented. There’s not a lot to look at – tires, concrete walls and area dividers. Everything looks the same. Multiple walkways are presented to you and you may just find yourself saying, “wait…didn’t we just come from there? We’ve already been here!” ….and hence the name, Dysphoria. There are actors inside. They weren’t presented in a “scare you” way, they were more there to distract us from our navigational senses. Sometimes it was clear they were leading us in the wrong direction, but towards the end I was questioning whether they were telling the truth on where to go, knowing I wouldn’t believe them and go the wrong way. In the end, I existed having actually enjoyed it. It was refreshing to be able to take it at our own pace and figure our own way out. Honestly, I wouldn’t mind seeing this one expand.
Dr. Psycho’s Haunted Estate
Actors – 5
Environment – 5
Overall – 5
I’ve always been transparent that I like Dr. Pschyo’s the most. Well for a TON of reasons, I am keeping my opinion. Dr Psycho’s is AWESOME now. 80% of it appears to be revamped since my last visit and it’s 100% for the better. First off, the flow makes so much more sense now. The entire haunt is one big lead up to meeting Dr. Psycho. I always though it was strange in the past that he was encountered half way through like a secondary character. Furthermore, the new layout is amazing. The entrance now is themed as an actual patient intake area with a reception desk. Padded rooms follow with high-energy patients literally bouncing off the walls and a guard tower sits outside on the lookout for escapees. The collective scenes are much more cohesive to the premise of it being a facility for human experimentation. Inside the house, we were greeted by Dr Psycho’s suspiciously normal-behaving wife, along with previous experiments on the loose. Other scenes that were cool, but random (the babydoll girl, the bedroom littered with pill bottles and medical equipment) have been cleared out to keep with this new, stronger theme. Back downstairs, we finally met the good doctor who engaged in dialogue with us for a surprising length of time. He then legit ate a live worm. Didn’t see that coming. I guess it’s protein? The three primary actors we encountered – Dr Psycho and two patients that followed us around the entire time – were fantastic. The supporting actors also did a great job. Overall, Dr. Psycho’s was the highlight of the night for me. The re-design, actors and solid them are a perfect combination. If the haunt were a bit larger, it could stand up by itself outside of the park in my opinion. Well done!
A little tidbit of haunt review behind-the-scenes: Every year we have to prioritize the haunts we go to. It may be based on location, quality, hours/dates of operation, or a number of other things. Some areas have so many haunts we just don't have time to visit all of them every year. Then sometimes we have to skip really good haunts because they're too far away from others and the timing won't work for squeezing them in. So after a few trips where we left Land of Illusion fairly unimpressed, there were a few years where it was hard to prioritize them over some of the other haunts in the region. This year we had a good spot to schedule them in again, and after this visit- their place on the priority list will undoubtedly be higher in the future.
Approaching the facility is the same as I remember. Clean parking lot (and the only haunt we visit where you have to pay to park), and a really nicely themed entrance building. Once inside you see how spread out things are, and how unlike most other haunts this is. Land of Illusion is like a haunted theme park where you can spend an entire evening. There are 6 different haunted attractions, a huge central midway area with a fire pit and a concert stage, a couple of food stands, a bar, some of the nicest haunt restrooms that have ever existed, and plenty of roaming actors and entertainment. You can easily spend hours at a time here, and it seems that most people do.
At this point in the visit, nothing seemed very different from prior years. It wasn't until we stepped inside the Temple of Terror that we found things were very different. Dark, creepy, well-themed, and more actors than I've ever encountered in there before. This was the best that the Temple has ever been! After escaping the Temple and letting it sink in how good it was, I was much more excited to try the other attractions. I wasn't disappointed.
Phobia- Easily 10x better than it used to be. So many quality scenes and actors inside, and very few of the endless dark tunnels it originally had.
Middletown Haunted Trail- The staple attraction of Land of Illusion. Absolutely enormous attraction with a huge number of props, actors, and effects.
Killer Klowns- While the set seemed mostly unchanged from the last visit, the actors absolutely crushed it. Super entertaining.
Dysphoria- This one wasn't my favorite, but I did enjoy it more than the zombie paintball that used to be there.
Dr Psycho's- WOW. Seems like some significant changes were made throughout, and this was one of my favorites for the night.
I think the biggest standout from the night was the number and quality of the actors they had working. While there were some big changes to the sets in some of the attractions, the actors were the standouts throughout them all and they made it an extremely memorable experience.
This was easily my favorite visit to Land of Illusion. While I've always been impressed by the scale and potential of the place, it never quite broke its way into my top-tier of haunts. This year changed that. With its 6 attractions in one park, Land of Illusion's closest comparison would be a theme park haunt such as Kings Island's. And while Land of Illusion may not have roller coasters on site, their haunted attractions are on another level. Great work!
Approaching the facility is the same as I remember. Clean parking lot (and the only haunt we visit where you have to pay to park), and a really nicely themed entrance building. Once inside you see how spread out things are, and how unlike most other haunts this is. Land of Illusion is like a haunted theme park where you can spend an entire evening. There are 6 different haunted attractions, a huge central midway area with a fire pit and a concert stage, a couple of food stands, a bar, some of the nicest haunt restrooms that have ever existed, and plenty of roaming actors and entertainment. You can easily spend hours at a time here, and it seems that most people do.
At this point in the visit, nothing seemed very different from prior years. It wasn't until we stepped inside the Temple of Terror that we found things were very different. Dark, creepy, well-themed, and more actors than I've ever encountered in there before. This was the best that the Temple has ever been! After escaping the Temple and letting it sink in how good it was, I was much more excited to try the other attractions. I wasn't disappointed.
Phobia- Easily 10x better than it used to be. So many quality scenes and actors inside, and very few of the endless dark tunnels it originally had.
Middletown Haunted Trail- The staple attraction of Land of Illusion. Absolutely enormous attraction with a huge number of props, actors, and effects.
Killer Klowns- While the set seemed mostly unchanged from the last visit, the actors absolutely crushed it. Super entertaining.
Dysphoria- This one wasn't my favorite, but I did enjoy it more than the zombie paintball that used to be there.
Dr Psycho's- WOW. Seems like some significant changes were made throughout, and this was one of my favorites for the night.
I think the biggest standout from the night was the number and quality of the actors they had working. While there were some big changes to the sets in some of the attractions, the actors were the standouts throughout them all and they made it an extremely memorable experience.
This was easily my favorite visit to Land of Illusion. While I've always been impressed by the scale and potential of the place, it never quite broke its way into my top-tier of haunts. This year changed that. With its 6 attractions in one park, Land of Illusion's closest comparison would be a theme park haunt such as Kings Island's. And while Land of Illusion may not have roller coasters on site, their haunted attractions are on another level. Great work!
Land of Illusion was a great start to the haunt season! This is the first time I have been in about ten years and it was much better than I anticipated. The grounds are well built for the capacity they experience and the crowd is manageable with the layout. I appreciate the real bathrooms, snack bar and drinks. I loved the giant fire pit in the center tying all the attractions together.
First up was Temple of Terror, which was well designed and followed theme throughout. The actors in the temple were less enthusiastic than the other attractions, but still entertaining. I just remember feeling blind and confused. We then made our way to Phobia. The snake scene was memorable for me. Pretty sure I was bitten!
Hiking through the haunted trail, I was impressed by the standing busses and the witch coven. The best part of Killer Klowns was the acting. Clown haunts don’t normally make me uncomfortable, but clowns running the chain link maze were terrifying. The new set up, Dysphoria, was interesting. It wasn’t a favorite with my group, but I had a lot of fun with it. I started to feel the anxiety kick in after the first few doors. Dr Psycho’s was awesome and the actors in that haunt are dedicated to their characters.
While the ticket prices are pretty high and there is open smoking on the premises, Land of Illusion overall is a great experience that uses multiple angles to play on different fears. Plus, there were plenty of actors packed in all corners this year, which is a positive change from haunts past.
First up was Temple of Terror, which was well designed and followed theme throughout. The actors in the temple were less enthusiastic than the other attractions, but still entertaining. I just remember feeling blind and confused. We then made our way to Phobia. The snake scene was memorable for me. Pretty sure I was bitten!
Hiking through the haunted trail, I was impressed by the standing busses and the witch coven. The best part of Killer Klowns was the acting. Clown haunts don’t normally make me uncomfortable, but clowns running the chain link maze were terrifying. The new set up, Dysphoria, was interesting. It wasn’t a favorite with my group, but I had a lot of fun with it. I started to feel the anxiety kick in after the first few doors. Dr Psycho’s was awesome and the actors in that haunt are dedicated to their characters.
While the ticket prices are pretty high and there is open smoking on the premises, Land of Illusion overall is a great experience that uses multiple angles to play on different fears. Plus, there were plenty of actors packed in all corners this year, which is a positive change from haunts past.
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Land of Illusion, a haunt known for its annual improvements and extensive offerings, left us thoroughly impressed with its recent changes. This sprawling haunted theme park offers a complete night of entertainment, featuring a variety of attractions, a central midway area, food vendors, and even a concert stage. While the overall atmosphere seemed familiar, the Temple of Terror surprised with its darker and more coherent Egyptian theme, and Phobia significantly improved with additional content, even if actors were slightly lacking. The Middletown Haunted Trail continued to shine with its diverse scenes and numerous actors, while Killer Klowns stood out thanks to its outstanding, immersive actors. The new addition, Dysphoria, provided a disorienting maze-like experience, and Dr. Psycho's Haunted Estate stole the show with its revamped layout, dedicated actors, and strong theming. Land of Illusion's focus on quality actors throughout its attractions made this visit unforgettable, solidifying its place among the top-tier haunts. Despite higher ticket prices and open smoking areas, the park's multi-faceted approach to fear and increased actor presence made it a standout haunt experience.
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