6725 W. Devon Avenue, Chicago, IL
Year: 2015
Hair Razor is part of a trio of haunts (including Catacombs and Scream Scene) on the north side of Chicago and in Skokie that we Tourers have been going to for a number of years now. We always like to make a point of hitting all three, as they are within 15 minutes of one another. Each offers a good value for the money, and in the past two years the value has definitely gone up, as the haunts now offer a $30 VIP pass for all three locations. Basically, visitors can pick up a pass on the premises of any of the haunts and use it that day for VIP admission to all three. It's an excellent deal that works out to less than the general admission price. We hit all three this year and it worked out well. The only catch is that these passes are limited and they only sell them on premises, so get there early and get one!
The first of the three haunts is Hair Razor Haunted Scenes, which, as the name implies, is a series of haunted scenes rather than a haunt with one connecting backstory. This separation allows for a lot of creativity, which Hair Razor puts to good use. This year Hair Razor featured 24 scenes, including a clown room, a cannibal house, outdoor campground, trailer park, and a room filled with hockey masks. The opening started out with the campground scene, which was nicely detailed. It had black backgrounds with tree shapes carved out of them and lights behind so it looked like visitors were walking through the outdoors. This continued into a large trailer mockup and then out of the trailer into someone's front yard. A well done, interconnected scene and a great way to start out the haunt. The haunt continued with a walk down a long black and white corridor and then into the rest of the scenes. The good thing is that there is little empty or dark space in between scenes, which as regular Horror Tourers visitors will know is one of our pet peeves - the longer the dark space, the lower the chainsaw rating for us! Some of our favorite scenes this year included a room filled with glowing hockey masks on the the walls, a giant spider room, the outdoor scenes, a creepy room filled with mannequins in white bodysuits, a jungle/swamp scene, and the final room, which looked like a living room in a creepy old house. There is also a final walkthrough at the end of the haunt where visitors pass by a cemetery setup and then past two open coffins as if in a funeral home. This is after visitors exit the “proper” haunt and provides a bonus experience. All of the sets are done by volunteers, and they do a good job with limited resources. Don't expect Hollywood-style sets here, but you will find some cleverly crafted scenes with a community haunt feel. |
CommentaryMAP
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Acting is varied and mostly well done, especially given that the actors are mostly grammar school age. There are some in your face shouters here, as is most haunts, but there are also some creepy silent types, and actors who stalk you from scene to scene. Makeup and costuming is somewhat basic, with many actors simply wearing dark clothing and masks, and others wearing face makeup and simple costumes. There are a lot of actors in the haunt, though, with at least two per scene and usually more.
The actors all did a good job of remaining in character, which is great given their ages. We enjoy when we can maintain the haunt illusion throughout, and Hair Razor did a good job at that. Basically, if you're looking for a smaller haunt with good scenes, decent acting, and a good value for the money, Hair Razor can't be beaten. It's got a nice, old school haunt feel, without any of the elaborate props, effects, or animatronics of larger haunts, while still managing to be creative and clever. The bottom line is that it's fun, and having fun is what visiting haunts is really all about, isn't it?
And as is the case with many haunts, Hair Razor gets busy quickly, so if you're interested in going, make sure to get there before they open. That way you can beat the lines in case you only want to buy general admission tickets.
The actors all did a good job of remaining in character, which is great given their ages. We enjoy when we can maintain the haunt illusion throughout, and Hair Razor did a good job at that. Basically, if you're looking for a smaller haunt with good scenes, decent acting, and a good value for the money, Hair Razor can't be beaten. It's got a nice, old school haunt feel, without any of the elaborate props, effects, or animatronics of larger haunts, while still managing to be creative and clever. The bottom line is that it's fun, and having fun is what visiting haunts is really all about, isn't it?
And as is the case with many haunts, Hair Razor gets busy quickly, so if you're interested in going, make sure to get there before they open. That way you can beat the lines in case you only want to buy general admission tickets.