Niles Haunted House Scream Park
Niles Haunted House Scream Park
Niles, MI
Reviewed on: Saturday, September 23, 2017
Year after year, as our calendars turn to September, as most of us do, we anxiously await the opening of haunted attractions. For some, this is earlier than others, which gives us the opportunity to start our season early! One of these attractions, is Niles Haunted House Scream Park in Niles, MI. Just a quick drive over a few state lines, Niles engulfs 44 acres of land, has over 200 volunteers to staff its park, as well as a midway filled with games and food! This isn’t just your average haunted attraction, but an overall evening filled with fun and a few things here and there that go bump in the night.
For those that have never been to Niles, they have a wide range of volunteers to staff such a beast. From the age of 9 to 99, there are people everywhere, not to mention the manpower behind the scenes as well! Each person that works here is beyond dedicated and loves entertaining others. What separates Niles from the others is that they are an all-around family fun attraction, putting aside the blood and gore. As we’ve said before, this is the PERFECT attraction to start your children at for a love of all things Halloween!
Now, what set this night apart from years back, it was a brisk 90 degree evening! Talk about unexpected for the month of September! It was something we as the review team aren’t used to, let alone, we can only imagine how the actors/actresses felt. Making our way onto the midway, we were greeted by a large number of roaming characters, especially our dear friend, “Nancy”, as always sporting one of her pretty dresses and giving everyone around her a good scare. As we watched the other patrons enter the park, our favorite host of the evening, “Death” greeted us and caught us up on all the happenings from the offseason and everything we were in for that evening.
Starting our night off, we made our way to the first of the two smaller haunted houses, “Incarcerated”. This attraction sets you deep within “Four Flags Penitentiary”, where the inmates are being used as test subjects for medical research. Breaking out in a full riot, the inmates retaliate and turn on the prison guards and overthrow the penitentiary. With multiple pop scares throughout, this was definitely a great way to start out our night!
The second of the smaller houses was, “Possessed”, which brought paranormal activity into the Adler mansion, opening a portal for the undead. After being boarded up and left vacant, you enter the home to see what the evil spirts have done. Keep your fingers crossed that none of them get out and come home with you and your family!
Next up on our itinerary for the evening, was the main house, Niles Haunted House. Throughout all the years, this is one of the MOST thought out and developed attractions that we have ever encountered. So what sets this attraction apart from the others? There are over 100 possible routes throughout this attraction, there is no telling where you will start or end! Each trek through the house will provide a different experience for patrons, which will always keep you on your toes as you turn those corners and head down those dark hallways. In addition to the numerous paths within the house, they re-theme it each and every year! It is one of the most wonderful houses to experience, if you haven’t had the opportunity to yet. Even better, once you’re out of the attraction, there’s still more to experience, complete with the swamp area and many more ghouls ready to scare you!
Before we continued on through the night, we took a crack at one of the two five-minute escape rooms that they are offering this year. For those that have never done an escape room, it is VERY enjoyable and paired with the right group of people, can be very easy or very hard, depending on how each of their minds work! The room we did was called “Abducted”, where you are handcuffed to the walls and have to find your way out of them, as well as a few other puzzles to get out! The other room they are offering is “Infested”, which the name alone can describe what it’s all about! It was definitely a nice little added bonus to the evening and gives patrons a taste of what they can experience in a full 60-minute room escape.
After taking our crack at the room escape, we were back up on our feet and headed over to the “Dark Terror-tory Hayride”. Filled with many thrills, a beautiful view of the starry sky above, and some sarcastic and funny humor along the way, this is one fun-filled hayride you won’t want to miss! Each year, the masterminds at Niles re-theme this attraction as well. For 2017, patrons took a ride on Route 66 to find the Route 66 serial killer. With many twists and scenes along this 1-mile long attraction, you never know what you may encounter out in the dark!
New for 2017, Niles is offering something brand new to their patrons, “Hooded”, branding it as their most intense horror experience ever! Please note, that this attraction is for Adults 18 and older and you MUST sign a waiver. While we promised we wouldn’t give our experience away in the review, we will just let you know that everyone’s walk through this attraction is different and never the same. More importantly, be prepared to be touched by the actors inside, blindfolded…and alone!
As they say, you always save the best for last, here is no different. Our last and final attraction for the night, was the “Field of Screams”. One of our favorite attractions here for the past few years because they are always adding more and more to it! Maze after maze, twists and turns, and even some dead-ends along the way, the Field of Screams definitely leaves its patrons searching for their way out. From white curtain mazes, to floating shacks, the field always keeps you wanting more and more!
The Bottom Line: For those that have never been to Niles Scream Park, you are missing out! Every year they add something new and exciting to the lineup, and 2017 definitely came with a bang. For all things Halloween and for a night of family-fun, head over to Niles Scream Park, it’s a place you definitely need to see!
– Official Haunted House Chicago Review Team Review
