20 Yorktown Center, Lombard, IL
Year: 2014
2014 promised some changes to the Lombard Haunted House, and it turned out that they were good ones, bringing the haunt from a one chainsaw effort in 2013 up to a three chainsaw event in 2014. Lombard also promised a Christmas haunt as well, with all new sets, so we were naturally curious as to what it would be like. Would the Christmas theme make it even better? In short, we're happy to say that yes, it did.
The Frightmare before Christmas was held on three Saturdays in December from 3pm-11pm each time. We managed to visit on the final Saturday and we were looking forward to a great Christmas experience. As with the Halloween version, the haunt consisted of various sets with dark hallways in between. Again, the hallways were long enough to make the experience a bit creepy, but not so long as to make them annoying. The individual sets, however, were entirely changed up and each had a specific Christmas theme. There was some great creativity on display this time around, from the very first room where a creepy clown figure crawled out upside down from a giant ice cube, to the room with a giant snow globe with a live actress inside who blew the snow around. Additional standout rooms included a large kitchen setting, which for Halloween saw a crazy actor trying to get his "guests" to eat glass, this time turned into a Christmas torture scene as an actress stuffed ornaments in her hapless victim's mouth and tried to choke her with Christmas lights, and a room with a giant "John Reindeere" tractor - why are tractor was in a Christmas haunt is hard to fathom, but bonus points for creativity! A special mention must be given to some of the actors inside Frightmare before Christmas. Although some simply did the "scream in your face" thing, other varied their performances, ranging from quietly creepy to just odd. We particularly liked the snowman who pleaded with us to help him in a sad, high-pitched voice, the creepy Grinch character who came out of nowhere and ran past us, and the weird little kid who popped out of the wall to stare at us. It was a nice mix of styles and much more enjoyable than monotonous screaming. |
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And we can't review the haunt without commenting on the creepy little guy in the black jacket and white mask who was a big hit during the Halloween version of this haunt. He was here yet again, this time wearing a Santa hat for a festive touch, and he seemed so happy to see us that he clapped for joy and followed us throughout the haunt. Our favorite moment in the entire haunt was when he wound up ahead of us and waiting sitting waiting for us in an easy chair in a living room set - it was almost like coming home for the holidays, if your home was in a creepy haunted house. Great stuff!
Overall, we enjoyed the Christmas version of Lombard Commonwealth Haunted House even more than the Halloween one - there were some nice sets and some nice variations in acting performances, as well as some creative makeup and costuming. We hope that the haunt continues to improve and innovate, and that it remains a staple of Halloween season (and maybe Christmas season) for years to come!
Overall, we enjoyed the Christmas version of Lombard Commonwealth Haunted House even more than the Halloween one - there were some nice sets and some nice variations in acting performances, as well as some creative makeup and costuming. We hope that the haunt continues to improve and innovate, and that it remains a staple of Halloween season (and maybe Christmas season) for years to come!