135 N. Second Street, DEkalb, IL
year: 2013
Amenti was another one of those haunts we've had on our list for a number of years that we never got around to visiting. Luckily, it was one of the few haunts still open after Halloween night, so we finally got the chance to make a visit and see what it was all about.
The haunt is actually held in an old theater, originally opened in 1929. That in and of itself makes this haunt something that's right up our alley. The thought of walking through an old theater and experiencing the history there, not to mention a theater that has Egyptian motifs, was too good to pass up. The outside of the theater had a large Egyptian display coupled with glowing lights that looked like flames -a nice touch. In addition, there was a live actor walking around outside and mingling amongst the crowd waiting to get in. He had a habit of sneaking up on people and popping out from odd places, so he was quite entertaining. We were happy for the distraction, as the wait time was quite long. When we arrived there were only about 15 people in front of us, yet it took over 30 minutes to get into the haunt. It seemed that the walkthrough was timed quite rigidly, which is understandable for helping keep groups from running into one another, but it did seem to bit a bit too long. Upon entering, we viewed a short video welcoming us to the haunted house. It was a bit creepy, and it did set the tone for the first few rooms, all of which were decorated in an Egyptian tomb motif. There was a lot of attention paid to detail in these rooms, with live actors in elaborate costumes and masks and walls that appeared to be made out of large bricks. All of the staples of Egyptian tombs and mummy movies were there, from sarcophagi to snakes to sand to temple pillars and hieroglyphs. It was all very well done, and really did create a creepy atmosphere. Well done! Following the Egyptian rooms, the rest of the haunt was more traditional, featuring some typical haunt fare like clowns, cannibals, a creepy dentist room, and zombies. One of the best segments from the latter portion of the house featured Lester, a creepy ice cream man who, with the sound of a car horn and the flash of a bright light, appeared directly in front of us, apparently frozen next to his ice cream truck. |
Commentary |
Of course he was only temporarily "frozen" as he managed to come to life just as we passed by, then proceeded to follow us, taunting us in a high, squeaky voice. It was an excellent acting performance, and one that added a good mix of creepiness and humor to the rest of the haunt.
Overall, we enjoyed our visit to Amenti, although we were a bit disappointed by the fact that the Egyptian them didn't carry all the way through the entire haunt. Also, as mentioned, the wait time seemed a bit out of proportion for the number of people that were there when we arrived. However, these are minor quibbles, and we'd recommend Amenti to anyone who is looking for something a little different than the typical haunted house. Check it our for yourself!
Overall, we enjoyed our visit to Amenti, although we were a bit disappointed by the fact that the Egyptian them didn't carry all the way through the entire haunt. Also, as mentioned, the wait time seemed a bit out of proportion for the number of people that were there when we arrived. However, these are minor quibbles, and we'd recommend Amenti to anyone who is looking for something a little different than the typical haunted house. Check it our for yourself!