6112 Old Porter Road, Portage, IN
Year: 2014
Haunted Hills was a last minute highlight of 2013, coming almost at the very end of the penultimate night of haunt visits, and it was a nice surprise as well. With a creepy atmosphere and some dedicated actors, Haunted Hills provided an excellent experience despite the cold and the rain on the night we visited. Thus, we were looking forward to seeing it again in 2014 - would lightning strike twice?
As one might guess from the haunt title, Haunted Hills Hospital has a hospital theme. However, that's not the only theme - it is merely a part of the entire setup, which includes scenes of many types. This year the layout of Haunted Hills was completely different, with the entrance being where the exit was and with parts of the haunt actually being indoors as opposed to last year when it was all outside. This made for an almost entirely new experience for us. The haunt begins outside, where visitors make their way through various scenes, including a butcher shop called "Piggy Pete's", a toy shop, a cornfield, a mine, a boiler room, a fenced area with creepy clowns, and of course the mental asylum/hospital setting. Along the way visitors wandered both indoors and outdoors. While we have seen many of the themes before, Haunted Hills provided some cool twists on the standard scenes, such as old music seemingly playing from a vintage radio in the deserted butcher shop storefont, or the single glow stick visitors were given when making their way through the mine. These small little touches elevated what could have been mundane scenes to a more entertaining level. And we can't mention Haunted Hills without mentioning the many actors inside who provide some good scares and some good laughs, too. Actors are numerous, with at least three (and usually more) appearing in each individual scene, and all of them do their best to put on a good show. Although most of the actors are teens (and many are even younger), they all do a great job at entertaining, and you can tell they are really into what they are doing. Also, we have to say that Haunted Hills has more than its share of creepy little children. While using younger children can sometimes lower the scare level, the kids in Haunted Hills wisely go the creepy route rather than trying to intimidate or scare visitors by shouting at them. This makes a huge difference, as there's nothing like creepy kids in a haunt, and Haunted Hills them in spades. From the panda-headed little kid in the toy shop who simply peered into the faces of each passing visitor, to the silent children amongst the corn stalks who wore burlap sacks on their heads and stared at us menacingly, all of the little kids inside played their parts well, and they weren't the only ones. |
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Some acting highlights include the seemingly dead clown hanging from some chains who came alive as visitors passed by (a great effect repeated form last year), the "doctor" who tore out a patient's insides and them apologized to visitors for making a mistake, the skeletal, gas mask wearing creature inside the darkened mine area, the girl with the rabbit mask, the guy on crutches who charged towards visitors as they entered the hospital, all of the crazies (both doctors and patients) who assaulted visitors en masse when they entered another hospital section, to the creepy nurse at the very end - all were top notch and, with some nuanced performances, kept the haunt from becoming what could have been simply a repetitive and boring scream fest.
Overall, we loved Haunted Hills more this year than last year, and that's saying quite a bit as last year was great fun. While it might not have huge sets or detailed walkthroughs, it does have variety, some good acting, and more creepy children than you can shake a stick at, and for only $5 you can't go wrong. It's easily the haunt value of the season, and it's one of our top haunts for 2014 as well. Congratulations!
Overall, we loved Haunted Hills more this year than last year, and that's saying quite a bit as last year was great fun. While it might not have huge sets or detailed walkthroughs, it does have variety, some good acting, and more creepy children than you can shake a stick at, and for only $5 you can't go wrong. It's easily the haunt value of the season, and it's one of our top haunts for 2014 as well. Congratulations!