Insanity Haunted House 2017

Insanity Haunted House

St. Charles, IL
Reviewed on: Saturday, October 14, 2017

Nestled within the nearly abandoned & desolate Charlestowne Mall in St. Charles, Illinois is Insanity Haunted House.  As if it’s a scene out of the Walking Dead, the emptiness within this mall paves the way to making this one of the creepiest locations to house a haunted attraction.  In its third year of operation, the demented and twisted mind behind this attraction was definitely busy in the off-season coming up with new ways to torture their victims…oops, we mean patrons!

As we made our way inside the building, one of the biggest changes that was most noticeable right away was the new front façade.  It gave just a preview to us of the hard work that was put in during the off-season.  While waiting to enter the attraction in the waiting area, lit by black lights and just enough fog to throw off your sight, creatures lurked within the shadows terrorizing other patrons.

Once we entered the attraction, we were definitely thrown for a loop when even more changes from last year shown right away!  While we won’t give it away, we’ve never seen a tight space like that used so quickly, and it definitely sent our group out of our comfort level.  Even more, a nice little scare at the end made one of our review team members scream and jump!

Weaving in and out of each scene, some memorable rooms included that of the doll room, the library, the closet and the living room.  Actors in each of these rooms did a wonderful job of attending to our group.  They never left us alone till we were well into the next room.   It definitely showed the actor training in the off-season increased and their attacks were spot on.

One of our favorite rooms this year was that of a bedroom scene where a young girl, named Mary, laid on the bed cuddling her stuffed animal.  As we entered the room, she creepily rose off the bed and began to follow us asking if we wanted to play with her stuffed animal.  During parts of her talking to us, she slowly started singing to us, while it was just a whisper, it definitely sent a chill down our spine! What made it even creepier, she moved the head of her stuffed animal back and pulled out the insides and gave it to one of our review team members, which was described as being wet.  Little did we know until we exited the attraction that it was actually a previous patron’s ticket of which she chewed up and ate and shoved inside her stuffed animal!  While we’ve encountered this actress and other haunts, she definitely made her new home at Insanity a memorable one!

Overall, this attraction has definitely grown over the past years, always coming up with new ideas and concepts.  For those that may not know, the owner-operator of this attraction is actually a Police Sergeant who is a lover of all things Halloween!   This attraction has something for everyone, and should absolutely be among your considerations this season. (And next!)

The Bottom Line: We are sad to report that this is the final season for Insanity Haunted House in their current location.  The Charlestowne mall is being torn down, which will force the owner of Insanity to find a new home for his attraction.  As the owner has assured us, he’s currently searching for a new location and has promised it to be bigger and better for more craziness to be created and more souls to be tortured!

– Official Haunted House Chicago Review Team Review