I'm the last person who should be reviewing a haunted anything as I can't handle even the most…read moreinnocuous ghost stories enjoyed by tots (e.g. was totally freaked out by Wallace & Gromit in The Curse of the Were-Rabbit). So, the physicality of enclosures designed to terrify adults is just not something that interests me. However, I couldn't be more enthused about this bit of local flavor: Every October, a family in the sleepy town of Roselle sets up three big tents in their front yard and crafts within them a truly excellent Halloween experience for the community. We'd been noticing the tents for a while, but only started investigating them last year. I figured it was going to be the usual cutesy Halloween stuff, but no. The level of creepiness and goriness was such that I couldn't handle actually entering the tents, so I mostly looked on as my partner Wolf R. had a good time checking everything out. But even he got a little surprise at the end: While looking into the coffin in the last tent, he was spooked by a large vampire swinging down from above, and a second later, he was further startled by a person dressed in all black, including a black face mask, creeping up behind him. I'd have laughed if I wasn't so busy making sure nothing was creeping up behind me. This year I felt a bit more bold and decided to follow a whole group of little kids into the leftmost tent, themed like a haunted carnival with evil clowns. This ain't so bad, I thought, enjoying the creative clowns and even snapping a pic. And then, I don't even understand what it was, but the odd noises and spinning lights they'd set up conspired to get under my skin and I felt like I was going to totally lose it if I didn't retreat *immediately*. My god. The middle tent was the gory cannibalistic one, with zombies and body parts and -- well, I won't spoil it for you. It was so gross that I couldn't actually look at it long enough to take a picture. And this year, the last tent was themed like a haunted hotel with black lights. Nothing jumped out at my partner this time but he still loved it. As it turns out, the haunted house also promotes a good cause: They collect non-perishable food for the Bloomingdale Food Pantry. The family also accepts donations if you'd like to chip in to their haunted house efforts. I'm just hoping they'll do a set of friendly winter wondertents one of these Decembers :) Hours: According to the listing on this page (http://www.wlsam.com/calendar/default.asp?DATE=10/11/2012), they're open 6-10PM Thursdays through Sundays in October, with extended hours in the last week of October.

This homemade haunted house (front of a yard) was very impressive! My kids and I had a blast…read more Definitely worth the visit.

The Groupon price was what made it worth it. The wait-line actor (Anarchy) was the best part of the…read moreHouse for me. The place was supposed to be very interactive, but I think most of the interaction is the stuff you can add on for an extra price. I think the "shot" might have been an interactive thing, so try it! Overall, they had some good actors and some terrible actors. I don't want to give anything away, so no specifics. But I would say overall, it's light to moderately scary for the average goer. Haunt lovers will probably be bored. Still probably not child friendly. We had some 6-9 year old kids in our group that were in tears by the end. The wait time was short (25min) for us, but we got there around 8:00pm. The haunt itself was another 25 minutes. They did a good job of separating the groups, which I appreciated and they had enough actors in the rooms.

I purchased the Living Social deal for 4 VIP passes to this house and we got in right away. Also,…read moretonight was Nightmare on Chicago Street, so they may have been prepared with extra people. I was also the first one in our group the whole way. So all these factors could have definitely affected my experience. On that note, I thought the house was pretty good overall. They really put a lot of effort into the scenes and props. There were also lots of actors working tonight and I was really on edge the whole way through. Don't want to give away too much about that, but I really did scream a lot. The length of time to go through was also decent. I think it took about a half-hour. On the negative side, there was one part where there was an actor who kept touching my face creepily because I said something about how I didn't want to be touched. So that sucked for me personally. I generally like the no touching monsters and they won't touch you rule of haunted houses. Also, the end was really anti-climactic. They could have done something crazy, like the chainsaw guy. That's a classic. In summary, my experience was mostly good. No waiting and being the first to get scared the whole time really made for a great night. Still, not the best I've been to but would still recommend giving it a whirl. Get groupons or living social deals though. They definitely make a big difference.

We still love ya Disturbia! Nice updates since our last visit. Love the Doll room. Also your ER…read moreaccepted our PPO. Keep up the great work!

Awesome!! Best of the best! So much going on that every corner you jump! Definitely coming back!…read moreThe staff working outside is also amazing! You DEFINITELY need to check it out!!!!

This place was awesome! I lived and went to universal horror nights in Orlando for five years…read more Trying to find a haunted house that even comes close to Universal quality has been a challenge. Massacre haunted house has amazing visual affects, the make up is it awesome, and the props are super cool. the first line was a regular Q line, and then you entered another a bit past a bar! this room had lights and a DJ booth what a great way to wait. The haunted house had many twists and turns, amazing effects, and creepy story lines. I say a haunted house is a success if I go "Oh shit". at least once... I yelled it three times here. Definitely worth going!

I had an absolutely spine-tingling experience at the haunted house! From the moment I walked in,…read morethe eerie ambiance and attention to detail were outstanding. The actors' performances were top-notch, delivering scares that had me jumping out of my skin. The haunted house was incredibly immersive, with creepy sets and special effects that kept me on edge throughout the entire journey. It's a must-visit for any thrill-seeker looking for a heart-pounding and unforgettable Halloween adventure! I love the Dj when you walk in- every year there's a new set up !!! Highly recommended!!!

Evil Intentions has now moved to a new location called Forsaken Hollow…read more The haunt has moved from the old Elgin casket company into this new farmland location in Maple Park. I for sure miss the original location in the casket company, there was just something about the building that felt more "evil", and it made you feel additionally uneasy going in (the old location is supposed to be actually haunted). Evil Intentions in its new home is still an excellent haunt. I believe we were in the haunt for about 30-40 minutes when it was our turn. The haunt begins outside in a corn maze, which was actually really cool and creepy- you feel like someone is watching you in every part of it. After you find your way out of the corn maze, you enter the indoor part of the haunted house. Great effects/performers and design inside. I would recommend a visit to Evil Intentions and keeping an eye on their multi-year project in the location "Forsaken Hollow", it sounds really fun - a Halloween themed bar, coffee shop, a diagon alley type town square (for those of you that have been to Universal Studios) and more.

My family went to the previous location and really enjoyed it; this year I joined in. I have no…read moreprevious experience at the other location. We bought VIP tickets (typical price for VIP at most locations) to skip the line. The line went quick too. I really liked how they broke up the line with the maze. However, the maze was lacking--it seemed like they were either missing scare actors or they simply did not have enough. The haunted house itself was really well put together aesthetically and the makeup/costumes of the actors were great. Once again though, it seemed like there were more mannequins than actors. This haunted house is more creepy vs scary. A lot of the girl actors stayed in my face for far too long , to the point I had to stop walking and my husband stayed behind with me as my group moved along. There is only so many seconds being in someone's face and in their way is acceptable. It became more annoyance than scary. Overall, if I hadn't been in the area I wouldn't make the trip this year, but I think this place has huge potential for following seasons.

a great haunted house with lots of dedicated scarers! Plenty of parking in the lot, and for us the…read morewait time was under 10 minutes in line. they has good lighting and decorations inside! would love to go back next year

I'm not sure how I'd never heard of Scream Scene until this year! 2022 was the 15th year for this…read morehaunted house at the former Skokie water park, and from the design to the actors, it was professional quality. From mazes to electronic features, and engaging cast and gore, it was both fun and creepy from beginning to end. I definitely screamed a few times, and after I exited, I watched as other "survivors" came racing out to escape the final element of fear. I've been to several haunted houses, although not for several years, and this one stands out as one of the best I've been to in the area. While this is a park district production, it's definitely not for small children, but great for probably teenagers and up. For the general public, admission is $13, or $20 for a fast pass. I was told it takes about 15 minutes to go through it, though I didn't time our visit to confirm that. By the time we left around 7:30, the line had grown pretty long, and it was only the second day it was open for the season. I'd recommend a visit to Scream Scene to get you in the Halloween spirit!

We had a 10/10 experience at Mind Trap Escape Room. The check-in process was a breeze, and the…read morestaff was incredibly friendly and welcoming from the moment we arrived. We were able to store our belongings in a locker before being shown to our escape room. We chose the Jurassic World room and were given clear instructions along with a walkie-talkie to request clues if needed--which we definitely took advantage of. This was my first escape room experience, so it took a little time to understand what was being asked of us, but once it clicked, things started moving much more smoothly. Even though we didn't solve the entire room, we had a great time and are already looking forward to coming back to try another one.

This was the most fun I have had in a long time! I highly recommend going if you want a fun…read moreactivity to use your brain. I will say if you are autistic, the lights and sound effects could be triggering. But if you are solid and not off your meds, you're going to have great fun!!