Realm of Terror Horror Experience
Round Lake Beach, IL
Reviewed on: Friday, October 7, 2016
For those that have never visited Realm of Terror Horror Experience, it is located on the grounds of Kristof’s Entertainment Center in Round Lake Beach, IL. As a past Haunted Attraction of the Year Award-winner, this attraction always has some surprises up its sleeve.
This year, Realm of Terror is celebrating its 14th operating season and we expected nothing less than some big changes. From its start, the young, demented mind behind Realm of Terror is always coming up with ideas of how to evolve, change and grow this attraction into something bigger, more intense and crossing that boundary line. We can truly attest to how much this show has changed over the years and it’s definitely something the owner should be proud of.
What’s always a great time at Realm of Terror is that from the moment you leave your car and all the way to the moment you get back in it, the show is always going. From the music blaring outside, fire going off, the screams from within, and roaming actors scattered about the parking lot, the show comes alive and draws you in.
Now, one thing that we do need to mention, is that for those of you that have never experienced Realm of Terror, let us inform you now, it is designed for an adult audience. There are adult themes, adult language, and a lot of gore. While this may not be an appropriate show for children, it’s perfect for anyone who is willing to take a walk on that line and maybe even cross it once or twice.
Another feature that makes Realm of Terror unique is that it includes a bar in their waiting line. Not many attractions do this, but Realm of Terror has for years. Not only is it an addition to the adult theme, but it also helps patrons calm their nerves before entering the attraction.
As we approached the entrance, we were greeted by a number of roaming actors, including The Dentist and the Director. These two were full of witty comments and adult humor, which had us laughing and wanting more. While we waited to enter the attraction, the two kept visiting our group coming up with even more comments to say, including the Director being ready to film us on his very elaborate hand held video camera.
Our journey for the evening began by taking a ride on the service elevator, where once inside we watched the video monitor giving us details of the movie set we were about to enter. As always, this video is entertaining and this year was no different, complete with a nice surprise ending that we definitely didn’t see coming, nor were prepared for!
Once inside, we began our tour of the movie set, maneuvering our way through scene after scene of Quixotic Lab facility. Here, the scenes consisted of elaborate rooms filled with a lot of gore and the actors and actresses within them screaming for help.
Every room we entered, from a trip through the kitchen, to the baby nursery, and all the way to the operating room, were brought together by some very tight and narrow hallways! Bringing you out of your comfort level even more, Realm of Terror does a great job of hanging their props low, causing patrons to duck below them, as well as lowering their ceilings and making you bend over to get through parts of the attraction. There were times we even had to crawl under AND step over a few actors!
The actors spread throughout the rooms were hungry and ready for each and every victim to come through. From before you even walked into the room, till you were two rooms out of view, these actors were relentless and kept their act going the entire way through! Regardless if your eyes are peeled and casing each room, or you have your head buried in a loved-one, Realm of Terror presents an assault on your senses and makes sure there is always something going on around you.
As we entered the second half of the attraction, you are surrounded by a plethora of dark hallways and head into their dark maze. Weaving your way through the darkness, you come across some small scenes along the way, not knowing whether or not an actor will attack from any angle. What made this year’s maze even better you ask? A very, slow strobe that was timed just perfect. With every step you took, it would light your path just enough to take a few steps, and with that perfect timing, came the perfect scare from the actor hiding in the dark. Realm of Terror has always done a fantastic job with its mazes and this year was no different.
The Bottom Line: Once again, Realm of Terror definitely outdid themselves this year. Coming up with a new theme is always hard, but RoT makes it work, and does it very well. This is definitely an attraction you don’t want to miss, so make sure that you add it to your “must-see” list.
