Niles Scream Park 2022
Niles Scream Park
855 Mayflower Road
Niles, MI 49120
https://haunted.org/
Visited on Saturday, September 24, 2022
Vital Signs:
Opened: 1973
Number of seasons-to-date: 49 (Tied for longest in the country!)
Number of attractions: 7
Number of actors: 200+
Size: 44 Acres
Setting: Indoor/Outdoor
Parking: Free, on-site
Fun Fact: Most of the cast and crew are volunteers
Niles Scream Park located in Niles, Michigan has been scaring and bringing entertainment to patrons of all ages from Illinois, Indiana, and Michigan spanning over 49 years. Starting in 1973, Niles is the oldest attraction set within our region and one of the oldest in the country. What continues to set them apart from other attractions is that they not only donate money back to the community they serve, but most of their actors are all volunteered based and have an extreme passion for reinventing old-school haunting techniques!
Set just about 90 minutes, and only 93 miles, from Chicago, this is not just a quick trip over the border, but a frightful night filled with hours of ghoulish fun that the whole family can enjoy! With 44 acres of land, one can experience not just one or two attractions – but SIX main attractions! Among those six you have one especially for our 18+ patrons, multiple five-minute escape rooms, and a midway filled with more to do than the eye (and stomach) can see!
In true Haunted House Chicago fashion, we started our season off with this iconic attraction. As the cool September temperatures finally snuck in and the skies above lit up with the stars and moonlight, our journey began.
We began our night with their two “smaller” attractions, but let’s get one thing straight, there was nothing “small” about either of them! Each year, the minds behind Niles Scream Park break down, rebuild, and implement new concepts throughout these attractions. The themes for this year were: Sinister Streets of Salem and The Evil Estate. Our first trip took us through the dark Sinister Streets of Salem where the practicing of witchcraft was evident at every turn. With perfectly timed actors and actresses, the sorcery housed within these streets was enough to make anyone flee for shelter! After ending our trip through the streets, we were delightfully surprised by the all-new exit route, which gave us instant re-entrance to the next attraction, The Evil Estate. Now, we thought there were some big sets inside the house itself, but the outside façade leading you into the entrance of the estate was mesmerizing and took our breath away. As we weaved our way through the estate, the possessed items that had been collected over the years unleashed their power as the estate became vacant.
After ending our time in the two smaller attractions, it was time to conquer The Field of Screams. Here, patrons are thrown into the middle of an outdoor adventure that has you traverse through many different scenes! From cornstalks to strobe lights, through more mazes than you can even imagine! This attraction will keep you on your toes wondering which way is right, or is it left? Get ready to get your steps in, it took our group almost 30 minutes to make it through!
Once escaping The Field of Screams, we made our way across the midway to the classic hayride, the Dark Terror-tory Haunted Hayride. This isn’t just your average hayride, but guests set forth on over a 40+ scene filled adventure over the course of 1 mile under the moonlit sky. The custom-built wagon is pulled by your very own tractor, equipped with a soundtrack and narrator treating us to the stories foretold to us in the scenes. This year’s journey took us through the legend of King’s County. Filled with a mix of humor, iconic pop-scares, and A LOT of water, it was a wonderful adventure in the woods with many screams from within the dark (both from actors and patrons!).
Once again for 2022, Niles is offering their attraction titled: Hooded. This is a “fully immersive 18+ over” attraction. Here, patrons are deprived of their sense of sight as a burlap bag is placed over their heads allowing their minds to wander! Once you are immersed into the darkness, patrons are forced to navigate through a maze. The big twist? The actors CAN touch you, which takes fear to a whole new level. Even though there is a waiver, don’t worry, there’s no fear of pain or torture here. This is a safe, and fun way to expand your Halloween scare experience to a new level, diving deeper into your psyche! If you’re up for the challenge and looking to take that extra step into the extreme – we highly recommend it!
Continuing through our night, let’s talk about the Midway. Filled with SO MANY things to do including a paintball gallery, numerous photo ops and selfie stations, scream park theater where you can enjoy a Halloween-themed movie on the big screen, concessions & gift shops galore! New for 2022 is the Dead-split Axe throwing, where patrons can step right up and have a hand at some axe throwing!
For an additional cost, Niles is also offering four 5-minute-long Escape Rooms, all with a different theme! Grab your friends, or maybe even some strangers to find out if you can work together to overcome your fears and solve the puzzles and clues before time runs out!
Ending our night, we made our way towards the Victorian themed big house, The Niles Haunted House. This iconic building has been there since the very beginning and holds so many memories for the cast, crew, and countless patrons over the years. For some, families were formed here, either by blood or by chance, and for some, it holds fond memories of those they have lost over the years. In true Niles’s fashion, this uniquely large attraction re-themes every year and brings more screams to the table offering its patrons a unique experience. With over 100 different paths through the attraction, patrons make their way through their worst nightmares. From decrepit catacombs to the thrills and chills of a living doll house! But the most jaw-dropping room of them all was their garden of evil. Picture water everywhere you look, and a bridge leading you to the unknown. This truly was a room that brought pure excitement! Continuing our path through the house, so many more creatures lurked within. But wait, there’s more! After you exit the house, you must try to survive a late 1800’s village through more twists and turns experiencing so many things that go bump in the night.
Monsters of Note: Nancy & Cordelia, Dr. Hooded, and Death… and a special mention for guest actor, Brewster Bonesaw!
The Bottom Line: Niles Scream Park is a MUST for your yearly fall plans. For all things Halloween and for a night of family-fun, head over to Niles Scream Park, it’s a definite must-see for all Halloween enthusiasts!
But, don’t just take our word for it, check out media from our visit:
Editor’s Note: We were very honored to be surprised and welcomed into the Niles Scream Park’s Crypt/Coffin Club for helping to support and promote this amazing attraction for over 20 years! We are humbled and speechless!
–Official Haunted House Chicago Review Team Review
