Basement of the Dead
Aurora, IL
Reviewed on: Friday, October 17, 2014
Let’s set this up for you. Set in a dark, dirty, damp basement of a 1920’s laundry building in downtown Aurora, sits the home of Basement of the Dead. No fake floors or walls. No scents being pumped in to give it that decaying smell. Even walking next to the building, there are real spider webs and spiders covering the exterior. Folks, for many, this would simply be enough to scare the sleep from them for weeks.
Enter the Basement of the Dead team. Taking an already eerily natural environment and turning it upside down, and you have the perfect storm as it comes for haunted attractions.
Named Haunted House Chicago’s new attraction of the year in 2003, and best haunted attraction overall in 2008, Basement of the Dead is one of Chicagoland’s top attractions. But, they even reached a National scene, being named to both Haunted Attraction and Haunt World’s top lists.
If this isn’t enough to grab your keys and get the car started now, let us tell you about our experience.
Just walking up to the area, the sounds of chainsaws, screams, and great music ring out and bounce between the downtown buildings. Actors lurk around, entertaining the huge line of guests just waiting for their chance to dip down for a peak.
As we finally had our chance, the door closes behind us and the outside world is whisked away. All sounds seem to disappear and we are left in total darkness and the smell of time filling our lungs. Scenes are filled with everything that goes bump in the night, and guests jump from attacks coming from seemingly everywhere.
What really makes Basement of the Dead so good is that it caters to one thing mankind always seems to be afraid of: spiders and the dark. There aren’t any fancy scenes or over-the-top prop work. What’s there is old-school haunting, and it is perfectly executed.
Highlights include the amazing “silent hill” nurses and the underground cathedral with chandelier!
To balance out the equation, the folks at Basement opened a second attraction called, “Shattered 3-D.” Here, guests don the familiar 3D glasses, and venture through a well-lit attraction, accented in all your favorite neon colors. Actors are sharp and witty, and honestly, quite terrifying! The attraction helps to complete an already amazing experience.
The Bottom Line: Basement of the Dead is one of the best for a reason. There is no way to reproduce the perfect combination of ingredients that comes together to form this amazing piece of haunting artwork. If you want to get scared and let your own mind run away with you, stop reading and come get lost for yourself!
2014 Scores:
Entertainment: 18.5 out of 20
Scare Factor & Fright: 9 out of 10
Acting: 8.5 out of 10
Sets & Room Detail: 8 out of 10
Costumes: 5 out of 5
Make Up: 5 out of 5
Sound: 5 out of 5
Lights: 5 out of 5
Props & Special Effects: 9 out of 10
Originality & Story Concept: 10 out of 10
Management & Owner Presentation: 5 out of 5
Website: 5 out of 5
Total: 93 points out of 100 points possible
– Official Haunted House Chicago Review Team Review
