13th Floor Chicago
Melrose Park, IL
Reviewed on: Tuesday, October 11, 2016
Entering its third year of entertaining patrons in the Chicagoland area is, 13th Floor Chicago. Located in Melrose Park, Illinois, the creative team behind this attraction definitely hasn’t held back in making their presence known over the short time they’ve been here.
As we made our way to the waiting area of the attraction, we were told about a little bonus treat we would get to experience that evening. Newly up and coming to the haunt industry is a new spin on haunted attractions, through virtual reality. It just so happened that the night that we were there, 13th Floor was beta-testing one and we had the opportunity to try it out!
Screams VR is a full 360-degree walk through virtual reality experience utilizing the Oculus Rift VR hardware. The VR experience we encountered was titled: “Nightfall, Revenge of the Witch”. Here, you immerse yourself deep within the life-like graphics, traveling through the witches shack, caverns, woods and even a cemetery. This experience was definitely something we as a review team have never been able to do before, and it was AWESOME!
After experiencing the VR portion, it was time to enter the main attraction. We were greeted by the gatekeeper and began our journey through the newly re-themed attraction titled: “Bloodlines, Legacy of Darkness”. The overall theme of this attraction is that the Dark Lord, Orfeo has called upon his army to rise from the Resurrection Cemetery in the nearby town and take over. As we made our way through the streets of the town, weaving in and out we were engulfed into beautiful scenery. With the perfect amount of fog and lighting, creatures loomed in every corner. Being ever so patient, they waited to strike at the perfect moment.
As we walked throughout the attraction, we were mesmerized at how detailed the scenes were. This is something that Thirteenth Floor Entertainment Group does VERY well. Not only do the sets look like they are straight out of a movie, but some of them literally reach from the floor to the ceiling and are two-stories tall!
One of our favorite rooms was that of the apothecary room. Here, hundreds of little glass bottles filled the room everywhere you looked. Making its way down to the very last little detail, some of them were filled with many different creatures and items; one even looked like it contained octopus tentacles! But what made this room even better was that of the young girl who made the scene complete. Set with a dark black hat and large crow sitting on the brim, she mumbled words as we passed by. Just when we thought that’s all we were going to get, she started an incantation and told us that we would be her next possession! It made the scene complete and sent shivers down our spine!
After leaving the town, we made our way towards their second attraction, “Dead End District: Fallout”. Set within the walls of an old industrial building, a supernatural portal has opened to another place & time. Here, you are in a post-post-apocalyptic world where everything from the trees to the sky is left desolate.
Making our way through the district, we zig-zagged our way through the streets, encountering so many disturbing townspeople. All the way from the homes of the residents to the backyard alley, it made you feel as if you were truly stuck in this world and had to find a way to survive.
The Bottom Line: If you haven’t had the opportunity to see the beautiful scenery and in depth detail, make sure to check out this must-see attraction!
