7729 Cronin Avenue, Justice, il
year: 2011
Nightmare on Cronin is one of those haunts that just makes the entire haunting experience worthwhile. It really shows how people get into the Halloween spirit, and how home haunters can really make a lot out of a little. It also shows how enthusiasm can really make or break a haunt.
Nightmare on Cronin is located in Justice, Illinois, and we finally made it there in 2011, after having tried unsuccessfully to find it, or not being able to fit it into our schedules in years past. Basically, it's a home haunt constructed on the front lawn of the owner's house. It looks like a small rectangular box, but it proves how appearances can be deceiving, as it was much more interesting (and seemingly larger) on the inside. The haunt starts with a forest scene, complete with real branches on the walls. As the haunt was outside on the grass, the fact that we were walking on grass and dirt really added to the atmosphere. The lighting and fog effects served to disorient visitors, and left them vulnerable to the various surprises inside, including dummies dropped from the ceiling, pop-up props that got in your face, and, our favorite part, a long black corridor that suddenly lights up and blinds you. Once your vision clears, you find that you are at the mercy of none other than Michael Meyers. It was a very well done effect, and worthy of some professional haunts we have been to. The twists and turns continued, and culminated in a creepy clown room, complete with chainsaw-wielding clown that chased you outside. It's really hard to describe how well done this haunt is. When we were inside, we kept thinking about some of the effects and how they could easily fit inside other, more "prestigious" haunted attractions. |
The operators used space very effectively, as well as lighting and sound. All of the actors, even though some were children, were enthusiastic and remained in character, and there were some genuine scares, the best being the aforementioned Michael Meyers.
Nightmare on Cronin is truly a case of "it's not how expensive or professional your setup is, but rather what you do with what you have." It's one of those rare haunts where all of the elements combined into a great experience. The fact that it was done in someone's front yard was simply amazing to us. We have literally seen pay haunts that were not this good. We'd classify this one as just as good as a lot of Jaycee's haunts, and better than some.
Overall, it was a great experience, and one that we'd highly recommend anyone doing if you want to just have a fun time. We can't speak highly enough of the great work!
Nightmare on Cronin is truly a case of "it's not how expensive or professional your setup is, but rather what you do with what you have." It's one of those rare haunts where all of the elements combined into a great experience. The fact that it was done in someone's front yard was simply amazing to us. We have literally seen pay haunts that were not this good. We'd classify this one as just as good as a lot of Jaycee's haunts, and better than some.
Overall, it was a great experience, and one that we'd highly recommend anyone doing if you want to just have a fun time. We can't speak highly enough of the great work!
year: 2012
Our 2012 visit was just as good as the 2011 one, perhaps even more so. Unfortunately we didn't get any photos, but we still enjoyed ourselves a lot.
The haunt layout was much the same as in 2012, although Michael Meyers was absent this time, replaced by a Jason Voorhees-like character who seemed to actually rise up from the ground right in front of you. The same blinding light was used, but the actor approached in a different way that was very effective. While we missed Michael Meyers (as he is one of our perennial favorites as haunts) we still loved Nightmare on Cronin. The owner was kind enough to speak with us about his setup as well, and thanks us for putting our 2011 video online, which inspired him to do the haunt again in 2012. That's a very nice compliment, but we were the lucky ones, as we got the experience the great haunt that is Nightmare on Cronin for another year! |
Commentary
on the spot review
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