Psychosis Haunted House
Antioch, IL
Reviewed on: Friday, October 7, 2016
A long-time staple of Elgin, Illinois, the dark minds behind Psychosis Haunted House decided to move their well-known attraction north to the border. Taking over an industrial space that was previously inhabited by creatures of another attraction, Psychosis quickly took hold of their new home and made it their very own.
Dark and dirty, Psychosis has always excelled in capturing the spirit and taste of the classic JC/old school haunted house flavor. While you aren’t going to find expensive complex over-the-top props, you are going to find daunting mazes, a labyrinth of darkness, and nitty-gritty scenes that will make the hair stand up on the back of your neck.
But, let’s go back and talk about some of the major highlights along this journey. One of the main minds behind the madness goes by the stage name of “Mazemaster.” And as you can imagine, no Psychosis adventure is complete without one. While this new maze seemed easier at first, the incredible team that worked this room kept our group circling for over 3 full revolutions! (And we like to think we know what we are doing!) Well-executed and as always, very frustrating!
No haunted trek can exist without a host of sinister creatures waiting in the wings for the attack. The team here is hungry and raw. To single out a few, let’s talk about the male “ticket eater” and his accomplice, “Suzy.” Now, this is before we even began the tour! While Suzy tormented the male members of our group (think “Baby” from House of 1,000 Corpses), the “ticket eater” made sure to completely disorient our female members. Now, we apologize to the “ticket eater” that we were never able to get this actor’s name, but living up to the description, he made sure to make tickets… and really any trash we had… magically disappear.
Another unique feature that stood out to our team was the bathroom scene. Instead of making patrons walk on the outside of the scene, we walked through stalls, and had to push open doors to advance through the path. Not being able to see the path ahead was very appreciated and took us fully off-guard!
Finally, we think it is important to highlight some of the “interactive” features including an actress, “Mary,” having us sit on the floor and sharing “snacks” with us. Later, we even a chance to experience what it might feel like to be buried alive!
We definitely were excited to see Psychosis’ new home in Antioch and can’t wait to see what they dream up after this off-season. The first year is always challenging, but this team is composed of long-time veterans who don’t let this hold them back in the slightest. They tap into this vast pool of knowledge and concoct quite the intimidating experience!
The Bottom Line: Psychosis specializes in the basic function of Halloween and haunted houses: Fear. If you are afraid of the dark, we suggest you book your appointment with your psychologist now!
– Official Haunted House Chicago Review Team Review
