11500 S. Beloit Avenue, Worth, IL
year: 2013
Nightmare at the Terrace is one of those “fun” haunts that
we Tourers enjoy going to each year. Opened in 2009, we have visited every year
and have always looked forward to whatever new scenes they have on offer.
This year’s visit was early in the season, and in fact we were the first visitors for that particular evening, so we practically had the haunt to ourselves. Thus, we were able to take in all the various scenes and actors. One of our favorite things in Nightmare at the Terrace is the bunny. We first encountered him in 2009, when he was part of a display of stuffed animals. He was covered in blood and holding a knife, and when we passed by he started following us throughout the rest of the haunt. It’s not often that one sees a homicidal bunny in a haunted house, so this was both fun and quite creepy for us. Since then, the bunny has made numerous reappearances, so we were thrilled this year when the bunny showed up in the very first room! Consistent with the theme of being a “nightmare,” the bunny formed part of a little girl’s dream/nightmare scenario, and was very clever in its execution. We found ourselves applauding all involved, and we still had the entire rest of the haunt to go! For a small haunt populated by younger actors, Nightmare at the Terrace has some clever scenes and scares in it. Aside from the bunny, there was a good zombie scene, where one zombie reached out from under a bed to get us, a cool “outdoor” scene featuring some scarecrow like creatures, a rather effective cemetery scene, and a cool maze with a hooded figure lurking inside of it. One clever room featured several “patients,” one of whom was in a wheelchair. This particular patient simply moved around silently in the wheelchair, occasionally bumping into the walls, and putting on a very unnerving performance for us. We must mention that all of the live actors inside the haunt remained in character and were all very good. Some of them even kept their acting up when we exited the room, which is a nice touch. Overall, we enjoyed Nightmare at the Terrace, but it did seem like there were fewer rooms this time. Missing for sure was a church-type scene from that featured a couple of creepy live actors and a light show simulating cockroaches on the floor, as well as a swamp scene that was a previous highlight.
Also, the backwoods cabin area seemed a bit Spartan this time around. It is possible, though, that since we were the first people to go through, we might not have gotten the full experience. Regardless, we still enjoy Nightmare at the Terrace a lot, and look forward to its combination of clever scenes and good startle scares. It’s not terrifying at all, and relies on surprises rather than “in your face” intensity, but it’s a very good time. We’d recommend a trip to anyone, especially if you have children – they will probably get scared, and if you let them go first you can enjoy watching what happens! |
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