730 N. Bolingbrook Drive, bolingbrook, IL
years: 2011
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Somehow this haunt was voted the #1 haunted attraction in Illinois for 2011 - perhaps visitors were not seeing what the Tourers saw, or perhaps we just went too early in the season, but we find it hard to believe that this haunt warrants such an accolade. Basically, we wound up visiting this haunt because it was one of only a few that were open on the weekend we went, and because we got a 1/2 price deal from Groupon which reduced the price from $35 per ticket to $17.50 per ticket. One of the perks of paying for a VIP ticket is to skip the line. However, that really didn't apply when we went as we were literally the only people in line. In all honesty, this haunt was not worth it for half off, and wouldn't be worth it if we got half off of the regular $20 admission price, either.
The haunt is located in the Ditka Dome, a large indoor air-filled dome in Bolingbrook. Paul and Bryan had been there way back in 2005 and thought it was decent, but not great. We went two years in a row, and when the price kept rising we stopped going. However, we were lured back in 2011 by the Groupon deal. This haunt has a huge space (70,000 sq. ft. to work with) but mostly consisted of wide open areas with nothing in them, a few sets, and corridors or the seemingly very common cage maze with strobe lights and mirrors. In addition to the poor use of space, the haunt is very short - it only took about 15 minutes to go through which is quite brief for the price.
Also, almost all of the live actors had the same routine - they would get in our faces and shout at us to get out. After about 5 minutes, it became quite predictable as we knew each actor would yell at us to leave then get behind us and yell some more. One of the actors in the cage maze actually told us to follow her to the way out. We didn't believe and went the other way, but in fact she was showing us the quickest way out, perhaps to get rid of us! There were also several ac tors who broke character and remained out of character while we were passing through. Some were simply talking to one another, seemingly very bored with the entire process.
Again, the entire haunt was very disappointing. From poor use of space, to poor actor enthusiasm, to the lack of sets, it really had several strikes against it. Couple that with the very high price tag and that all makes Asylum 13 one to stay away from. In fairness, we did not go in 2012, and we did go early in the season, so it might be better if you go later during October or it might have improved since 2011. However, with all of the other great haunts out there, we won't be taking the chance.
The haunt is located in the Ditka Dome, a large indoor air-filled dome in Bolingbrook. Paul and Bryan had been there way back in 2005 and thought it was decent, but not great. We went two years in a row, and when the price kept rising we stopped going. However, we were lured back in 2011 by the Groupon deal. This haunt has a huge space (70,000 sq. ft. to work with) but mostly consisted of wide open areas with nothing in them, a few sets, and corridors or the seemingly very common cage maze with strobe lights and mirrors. In addition to the poor use of space, the haunt is very short - it only took about 15 minutes to go through which is quite brief for the price.
Also, almost all of the live actors had the same routine - they would get in our faces and shout at us to get out. After about 5 minutes, it became quite predictable as we knew each actor would yell at us to leave then get behind us and yell some more. One of the actors in the cage maze actually told us to follow her to the way out. We didn't believe and went the other way, but in fact she was showing us the quickest way out, perhaps to get rid of us! There were also several ac tors who broke character and remained out of character while we were passing through. Some were simply talking to one another, seemingly very bored with the entire process.
Again, the entire haunt was very disappointing. From poor use of space, to poor actor enthusiasm, to the lack of sets, it really had several strikes against it. Couple that with the very high price tag and that all makes Asylum 13 one to stay away from. In fairness, we did not go in 2012, and we did go early in the season, so it might be better if you go later during October or it might have improved since 2011. However, with all of the other great haunts out there, we won't be taking the chance.