602 Western aVenue, Joliet, IL
years: 2010-2012
Agony is an elaborate home haunt located in Joliet, IL. We first visited this haunt in 2010 and it was so well done we had to do it again in 2011 and in 2012.
From the time you pull up you can tell that this home haunt is something special and different. The front of the haunt is dominated by a fake brick setup with an overhanging arch that proclaims the name of the haunt in blood red letters. |
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Another sign, neon this time, says "sorry, we're open" - a classic play on the "sorry, we're closed" sign and an indication of the little things that make this haunt stand out. In addition, there are video screens playing Halloween trivia and other clips, and that's only the front gate!
The entire front yard is filled with various props, most, if not all of them homemade. One of the most impressive is a life size Victorian horse-drawn hearse, complete with black horse that rears up on its hind legs. There is so much to see here that if the haunt stopped with the fron yard it would be worth it. However, there is much more to experience, as the entire front yard and a portion of the side yard is dedicated to a full blown haunted house setup.
Visitors enter at the bottom of the front porch, after taking a look around at all of the props and things set up on the porch itself. There is a spot for donations, but this is by no means mandatory. However, the quality of the haunt is such that we didn't mind giving some money. Once done with the porch, it's time for the real fun to begin.
The haunt is divided into numerous rooms, from a toxic waste dump to a clown room, to a creepy living room setup to one of our favorite scenes - a bedroom setup with screaming victim on the bed. There were numerous live actors inside the haunt, so you never knew qhere a scare might be coming from. Despite the fact that the haunt had no roof to it and therefore visitors could see that they were in someone's front yard, the scare factor was still quite high. In addition to the great sets and live actors, there were also numerous animatronic props, as well as lound sound effects, banging on walls, various compressed air and mist shots, and other surprises.
Once through the main portion of the haunt,. visitors wind around the side of the house, where they then have to go through a spinning cylinder into the final portion of the haunt. We were impressed with the spinning cylinder, as it is something you commonly see at professional haunts but rarely, if ever, at home haunts. It's another example of the quality of this haunt.
All told, the haunt takes about 10 minutes to go through, and it is worth going through more than once as you can easily miss some of the great setups inside. Although the haunt is very busy, with lots of visitors and live actors, the crowds are not annoying and really actually add to the Halloween atmosphere. We have never had to wait in a line to get into the haunt, despite having been there on some busy occasions.
We can't say enough good things about Agony. It stands out in all of our major chainsaw rating areas: It has excellent use of space, a large variety of props and sets, great live actor enthusiasm, a good scare factor, and a high degree of unique features that set it apart, not only from other yard haunts, but also from many professional pay haunts. In fact, we'd go so far as to say that this is a haunt that is worth paying for, even though there is no requirement to do so.
If you have limited time this Halloween season and are looking for a haunt that will be worth your while, do yourself a favor and check out Agony. We guarantee you'll enjoy it, and the only agonizing part about Agony will be having to leave!
The entire front yard is filled with various props, most, if not all of them homemade. One of the most impressive is a life size Victorian horse-drawn hearse, complete with black horse that rears up on its hind legs. There is so much to see here that if the haunt stopped with the fron yard it would be worth it. However, there is much more to experience, as the entire front yard and a portion of the side yard is dedicated to a full blown haunted house setup.
Visitors enter at the bottom of the front porch, after taking a look around at all of the props and things set up on the porch itself. There is a spot for donations, but this is by no means mandatory. However, the quality of the haunt is such that we didn't mind giving some money. Once done with the porch, it's time for the real fun to begin.
The haunt is divided into numerous rooms, from a toxic waste dump to a clown room, to a creepy living room setup to one of our favorite scenes - a bedroom setup with screaming victim on the bed. There were numerous live actors inside the haunt, so you never knew qhere a scare might be coming from. Despite the fact that the haunt had no roof to it and therefore visitors could see that they were in someone's front yard, the scare factor was still quite high. In addition to the great sets and live actors, there were also numerous animatronic props, as well as lound sound effects, banging on walls, various compressed air and mist shots, and other surprises.
Once through the main portion of the haunt,. visitors wind around the side of the house, where they then have to go through a spinning cylinder into the final portion of the haunt. We were impressed with the spinning cylinder, as it is something you commonly see at professional haunts but rarely, if ever, at home haunts. It's another example of the quality of this haunt.
All told, the haunt takes about 10 minutes to go through, and it is worth going through more than once as you can easily miss some of the great setups inside. Although the haunt is very busy, with lots of visitors and live actors, the crowds are not annoying and really actually add to the Halloween atmosphere. We have never had to wait in a line to get into the haunt, despite having been there on some busy occasions.
We can't say enough good things about Agony. It stands out in all of our major chainsaw rating areas: It has excellent use of space, a large variety of props and sets, great live actor enthusiasm, a good scare factor, and a high degree of unique features that set it apart, not only from other yard haunts, but also from many professional pay haunts. In fact, we'd go so far as to say that this is a haunt that is worth paying for, even though there is no requirement to do so.
If you have limited time this Halloween season and are looking for a haunt that will be worth your while, do yourself a favor and check out Agony. We guarantee you'll enjoy it, and the only agonizing part about Agony will be having to leave!