42 W. New York Street, Aurora, IL
years: 2013
NOTE: There are no photos allowed inside Basement of the Dead, so we unfortunately have none to show you. You'll have to go see it for yourself!
Basement of the Dead is one of two haunts located in the same place. The other is Shattered, a 3-D haunt experience. Both are worthwhile to visit. First up is Basement of the Dead, the more traditional of the two haunts. It is located in an actual basement, and visitors have to descend stairs to get into it. The first scene is one of large hooded figures lining the walls. It’s really hard to tell if they are real or not, which is the mark of a well-planned haunt experience. The haunt features elaborate sets throughout the entire length, from a slaughterhouse to a hospital to a full autopsy scene. One really creepy scene featured a a goat-headed creature speaking in an unknown language to various patrons seated in pews and a large, glowing pentagram on the wall. Another excellent scene was a simple room filled with large, ghostly figures covered in white sheets. Rather than having walls that visitors had to navigate, the ghostly figures themselves formed the walls, forcing visitors to wind their way through them. Much like the initial hooded figure corridor, it was hard to tell whether or not the ghosts were real, which was quite effective. Most of the space within the haunt contained actual sets and/or actors. Very little space was taken up by empty corridors or a dark maze. The actors, both inside and outside, all had elaborate makeup and costumes, and all stayed in character the entire time. There were about five actors outside, ranging from Jason Voorhees (complete with misshapen head) to Jack-O-Lantern character on stilts. The scares were an effective combination of emerging from hiding places to surprise and creepy mumbling or odd movements that kept visitors off guard throughout. |
Overall, Basement of the Dead offered a great haunt experience, coupling elaborate set design with equally elaborate makeup and costuming, and pairing that with some clever twists and turns and standout acting performances. It was really a case of horror theatrics, and it was most enjoyable.
The second haunt, Shattered, is entirely in 3-D. However, there is enough in the haunt so that it would be interesting even if it wasn’t in 3-D at all. Everything has some type of 3d effect to it, from the walls to the floors, to things hanging from the ceiling, to the actors’ masks and costumes. Thus, there is a lot to look at. The theme is one of a carnival, so naturally there are a lot of clowns, but there are other types of effects as well.
Throughout most of the rooms there are life size clown dummies that bounce back and forth if you happen to bump into them, making them look as though they are moving to others in the room. In addition to the static props, there are numerous live actors, most dressed as clowns, who wander through each room. Their makeup is such that parts of their faces look as though they are coming out at you, using the 3D to good effect.
As mentioned, there are many different rooms, including one with a giant gorilla and trainer (the gorilla is a prop, but the trainer is an actor), one with huge floating eyeballs and a giant one-eyed monster, as well as a live actor who runs around asking for visitors’ eyeballs. Our favorite room featured a full size ice cream truck, complete with “ice cream man” music in the background, along with a crazy ice cream vendor. In fact, this actor surprised me as he was waiting inside one of those inflated passages that you have to force your way through. He popped up in the middle, got in my face for a split second, then took off laughing – very well done! At the very end of the haunt there was a giant clown head that moved toward you and laughed, all in 3D. Overall, Shattered was an excellent experience, and well worth the extra money to go through it. It was also a nice change of pace from the more intense scares of the main haunt.
We’d recommend Basement of the Dead and Shattered for anyone looking for a fun, immersive haunt experience.
The second haunt, Shattered, is entirely in 3-D. However, there is enough in the haunt so that it would be interesting even if it wasn’t in 3-D at all. Everything has some type of 3d effect to it, from the walls to the floors, to things hanging from the ceiling, to the actors’ masks and costumes. Thus, there is a lot to look at. The theme is one of a carnival, so naturally there are a lot of clowns, but there are other types of effects as well.
Throughout most of the rooms there are life size clown dummies that bounce back and forth if you happen to bump into them, making them look as though they are moving to others in the room. In addition to the static props, there are numerous live actors, most dressed as clowns, who wander through each room. Their makeup is such that parts of their faces look as though they are coming out at you, using the 3D to good effect.
As mentioned, there are many different rooms, including one with a giant gorilla and trainer (the gorilla is a prop, but the trainer is an actor), one with huge floating eyeballs and a giant one-eyed monster, as well as a live actor who runs around asking for visitors’ eyeballs. Our favorite room featured a full size ice cream truck, complete with “ice cream man” music in the background, along with a crazy ice cream vendor. In fact, this actor surprised me as he was waiting inside one of those inflated passages that you have to force your way through. He popped up in the middle, got in my face for a split second, then took off laughing – very well done! At the very end of the haunt there was a giant clown head that moved toward you and laughed, all in 3D. Overall, Shattered was an excellent experience, and well worth the extra money to go through it. It was also a nice change of pace from the more intense scares of the main haunt.
We’d recommend Basement of the Dead and Shattered for anyone looking for a fun, immersive haunt experience.