Haunted Hills Hospital 2021

Haunted Hills Hospital
Crown Point, Indiana
Visited on: Sunday, October 17, 2021

Vital Signs:
Year opened: 2016
Number of seasons to date: 5
Number of attractions: 1
Number of actors: 60
Setting: Outdoor

Many professional/commercial/for-profit haunted attractions have roots in producing home haunts before they make the jump. The Hill Family: Joel, Justin, and Shannon are a perfect example of beginning with a small attraction located at their home. But, after they were starting to accrue 7,000+ visitors a year, they knew they were on to something.

They began their journey as professional haunters in 2016 opening their namesake attraction, “Haunted Hills Hospital” in an old boys and girls club building right on the main street in Lake Station, Indiana. The crew would quickly cut their teeth and entered our top 13 list for the first time in 2017 and have remained a fixture in the top 13 ever since.

Surviving through the pandemic, The Hill Family knew they needed to take the next step and not only find a bigger facility, but one where they could plant their seeds for years to come. For 2021, they excitedly announced they would be moving to a new home in Crown Point, IN. Now on a large piece of land, with plenty of parking and room for expansion, we finally got our first taste of the true vision the Hill Family has in-store for Chicagoland.

Similar to their previous location, they are located on a busy thoroughfare, and we could see the property from a few blocks away. Accented with a beautiful sign, the entrance was hauntingly cloaked with a veil of fog and smoke. Finding our way to the entrance, we were introduced to a whole new Haunted Hills than we have seen before.

Our first adventure was through the Mayhem Midway. Lined with food trucks, vendors, and a lemonade stand, this is a very inviting place where friends can gather and enjoy the season, while they are waiting for their timed-ticket to be called. Except, this isn’t a state fair. As such, a half-dozen or so patients and creatures of the night roam the area. Providing not just an unsettled “watch over your shoulder” atmosphere, they also provided great banter and many times, quite hilarious and entertaining exchanges! It is one of the first midways we didn’t mind waiting in and enjoyed the setting.

The next zone brought us into the Hills Hollow scare zone. Similar to the midway, there were a number of additional actors and actresses. Except here, they are much more aggressive and less interested in funny exchanges. The area is pumped with fog, music from a DJ, and selfie stations so your loved ones have something to remember you by! In addition, there were (3) games that we could play including an axe throwing station, a guillotine head toss, and a mini-version of pumpkin chunkin. We had the opportunity to try out the pumpkin chunkin, and it is not as easy as it looks! We had a TON of fun!

As we were primed and ready to go, we entered into the final runway for the main feature. A big change for this year’s show: it was completely outdoors. Guests still traversed through a web of patient rooms, doctor’s offices, and operating tables, but the open ceiling gave it a completely new feel! The story remains the same that the facility is housing patients who have been experimented on and they are now angry, bloodthirsty, and insane! But, make sure you don’t forget to get your little glass vial as you attempt to stay sane through the twisting corridors of this madhouse. Actors are hungry and attack with vigor, completing the illusion that you are just a rat in a maze. Bravo!

Monsters of Note: Reaper, Jinx, Nurse Ratchet, Bob, and “Dr. Butt.” (But, to be fair, there were a number of roaming actors and actresses that we never got a chance to ask their name -what an ensemble!)

Bottom Line: It isn’t often that you get to experience a top attraction in a brand-new setting, re-worked, and reimagined. The new home of Haunted Hills Hospital is flush with a plethora of opportunities for expansion and growth. If past performance is ever an indication of future results, the Hill family and company will continue to grow and develop even more, finding ways to torment our nightmares for years to come!

Don’t just take our word for it, check out these images from our visit: