Macabre Haunt Presents: Asylum II
Antioch, IL
Reviewed on: Friday, October 23, 2015
Hidden deep within an industrial area of Antioch, IL, just minutes from the Illinois/Wisconsin border, sits the Asylum II Haunted House. While only in their 3rd year of production, this attraction has been growing by great strides, and impressing us with some nice surprises.
Scenes are based on a variety of medical and insane-asylum scenarios, all while keeping the natural landscape of the building into consideration. Using this, they incorporate 6-foot pits into their tour. (Advertised as the, “Pits of Death” on their website!)
One of the fun features of this attraction is the high/low dynamic. One highlight included the “bear room” in which a small child actor quietly instructed patrons to sing a lullaby with her, all the while allowing the attack to sneak up on us and hit us like thunder! But, it doesn’t stop there. Many scenes include a soft setup, and closed with a powerful hit, which is reminiscent of classic haunting techniques.
While that may be the classic side of their style, they take some of the new-school techniques and are fairly interactive. There are rooms that presented us with choices (and different paths). But, even more exciting was that actors and actresses were playful, and willing to hold and continue various dialogue with patrons. What made us happy is that after a few moments, they didn’t just tell us to get out! No matter which direction we took the conversation, they followed. We even found ourselves singing happy birthday to a unicorn-clad actress!
But, let’s talk more about these actors and actresses. Another that made our immediate discussion after exiting the attraction, was the girl that appeared to be hanging on the wall from her neck. On first glance into the room, it appears it was a prop. She showed incredible patience, and jumped down right at the precise moment, catching all us all off guard! Bravo!
Finally, two more shoutouts to the actress in the very first room, and the Doctor character towards the end of the tour. Both filled with witty banter, horrifying statements, and evil grins, they both tortured us in their own sadistic ways that still have us sleeping with one eye open.
The Bottom Line: This is an attraction on the rise! Honestly, we hardly recognized them from their first year until now. With their hard work and very aggressive growth rate, we can’t wait to see what lies ahead in 2016! But, make sure you don’t miss the show they have now!
2015 Scores:
Entertainment: 17 out of 20
Scare Factor & Fright: 7 out of 10
Acting: 7.5 out of 10
Sets & Room Detail: 7.5 out of 10
Costumes: 3 out of 5
Make Up: 3 out of 5
Sound: 3 out of 5
Lights: 4 out of 5
Props & Special Effects: 7 out of 10
Originality & Story Concept: 9 out of 10
Management & Owner Presentation: 5 out of 5
Website: 5 out of 5
Total: 78 points out of 100 points possible
– Official Haunted House Chicago Review Team Review
