Realm of Terror Haunted House 2019

Realm of Terror Haunted House
Round Lake Beach, IL
Reviewed on Saturday, October 12, 2019

When Realm of Terror Haunted House opened its doors in 2003, we were very surprised when we met the owner, who was short, under-18, and overflowing with energy. 16 years later, Steve Kristof is a little bit taller, a little bit older, and still overflowing with energy! Steve, a multi-faceted, talented hauntrepreneur, not only owns and designed the “60 To Escape” escape rooms in Gurnee Mills Mall, but also is a partner in the new selfie-gallery, “The Gallery Presents: The Haunting” in Vernon Hills. In his spare time, he wins a reality-TV mini-golf competition on ABC network television!

But, tonight, we had the amazing opportunity to go through the attraction that started it all for him, Realm of Terror Haunted House. Based in the back-half of his family’s entertainment park, Steve has somehow found time to consistently design, redesign, and update the well-known attraction year after year. Winning a number of awards and accolades from other regional and national sources, Realm of Terror has also taken home the gold from Haunted House Chicago in 2009, and has been a staple on the Top 13 list since 2003.

And that’s just Steve. Add in a crew of amazingly talented folks, and you have quite the spectacular haunt family. For instance, Stevie Calabrese, who not only was a contestant on Syfy channel’s makeup challenge, “Face off,” but a winner of our Jim Warfield Acting Award. She designs, does make-up, and somehow finds time to be one of the most exciting roamers/line entertainers we have ever experienced!

This year, patrons were treated to a virtual queue system, so that instead of standing in a line, they could play some mini-golf, skee-ball, or grab a bite to eat or drink. But, when the time finally came to enter, we found ourselves faced with the first new addition to this year’s slate: the tour began through a fully-functional Victorian-style haunted home. We walked up the front steps, and were met by an actor who gave us a short tour through rooms within the home, before meeting his own demise and leaving us to find our own way out.

Steve and the crew of Realm of Terror are exceptional at Moneyball, that is to say, they excel at accomplishing many of the same scares and end results of other haunted attractions, but at a fraction of the price. Scenes are well-decorated, but instead of store-bought props, the crew here repurpose and recycle items. Regardless of the cost, the effect is still the same: patrons are terrified!

At Realm of Terror they are masters of placing a number of roadblocks, tight spaces, and distractions in the guest path. This requires you to use your hands and arms, crouch and duck, and ultimately expose yourself for attacks from this cast of some of the best creatures in the game.

To end the horror experience, patrons have to make their way through a version of their trademark disorientating maze. This year’s was dark, and we found ourselves getting lost and turned around many times!

The bottom line: Realm of Terror is one of the longest-running attractions in our market, and certainly one of the scariest ones. If you are a looking for an evening of jumps, and some perfectly-executed acting, look no further than the Realm of Terror Haunted House; you won’t be disappointed!

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