115 N. Central Street, Gilman, IL
years: 2013
Gates of
Delirium is one of those haunts that has gotten bigger and better each year,
while still retaining that “small town” haunt feel – definitely not a case of
too much hype and too little substance. One thing that we can say about Gates
of Delirium is that it is a quality haunt. It may not be as large or as long as
some other haunts, but it makes a point of giving visitors a high detail,
unnerving experience as opposed to a lot of bells and whistles.
2013 is the third year for this haunt, and although some scenes have been added and some altered, the basic walkthrough remains the same. That’s not a bad thing at all, as the way the haunt is designed it really ups the creepiness factor. One thing that adds to the odd feel inside is the fact that the haunt is carpeted. While that might seem a bit odd, it actually works well in that it adds to the feeling of being inside someone’s house, and it also deadens sound, so it’s difficult to hear actors moving around. Visitors are led into the haunt by a bird-headed creature who comes outside holding a sign asking how many victims are in the next group. He doesn’t speak, and simply takes your tickets in silence, then send you on into the haunt itself. The first scene is a living room, which has some very nice thunder and lightning effects outside of the windows – despite the fact that the windows of the living room are inside of a building, they are made up to look as though it is outside, and the sound and lighting effects really bring this illusion to life. It is a quality display, and quality is the hallmark of the Gates of Delirium experience. All of the rooms that visitors encounter are highly detailed, with numerous props and other set flourishes that make just looking at the setup interesting, regardless of what happens in the scenes themselves. Amongst the many rooms are a very nasty looking bathroom, a room full of hanging bodies, a surgery, and a very creepy funeral scene that has a fantastic surprise in it. Despite the fact that we had visited last year and seen the surprise (and so therefore knew what to expect) it still got us! It’s a clever and very unsettling setup. |
Commentary
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One clever setup is a rustic cabin in the woods, which visitors first approach
through an “outdoor” scene (which is actually indoors). As visitors approach
the cabin door they can hear an old time radio playing inside the cabin. The
cabin really looks as though it was simply abandoned and visitors have stumbled
upon it, and the fact that there are not live actors in every room really makes
visitors wonder what is waiting for them around the next corner. Again, just looking at the sets is enjoyable, as there is so much to take in
that sometimes it’s actually nice that no one jumps out so you can really see
what’s there.
There are some new scenes, including a cool scene at the end and an extended outside portion with a couple of surprised. The actors, too, are top notch. From the wait entertainment, to the greeter, to the actors inside the haunt, all have excellent makeup and costumes, and all stay in character no matter when you see them. While the haunt is not exceptionally long (about 10-11 minutes), it certainly seems longer, and it’s very enjoyable to take in all of the detail in each room. The detail is also distracting, as it keeps visitors focused on what in the room and makes them sometimes miss the live actors who are hidden in some clever places.
The bottom line is that Gates of Delirium is a high quality haunt that gives a lot of bang for the proverbial buck. As you walk through, you can tell that the people who put it on really enjoy what they do. If you have the opportunity, we recommend checking it out. It’s worth the drive to central Illinois.
There are some new scenes, including a cool scene at the end and an extended outside portion with a couple of surprised. The actors, too, are top notch. From the wait entertainment, to the greeter, to the actors inside the haunt, all have excellent makeup and costumes, and all stay in character no matter when you see them. While the haunt is not exceptionally long (about 10-11 minutes), it certainly seems longer, and it’s very enjoyable to take in all of the detail in each room. The detail is also distracting, as it keeps visitors focused on what in the room and makes them sometimes miss the live actors who are hidden in some clever places.
The bottom line is that Gates of Delirium is a high quality haunt that gives a lot of bang for the proverbial buck. As you walk through, you can tell that the people who put it on really enjoy what they do. If you have the opportunity, we recommend checking it out. It’s worth the drive to central Illinois.