4810 S. Leamington, Chicago, IL
Year: 2014
Nightmare on Leamington is one of those haunts that can easily go under the radar. It's only held one weekend out of the season, it's not hyped at all, and it's only $3, so it can easily be overlooked in favor of other, more prominent haunts. However, we at the Horror Tourers never overlook haunts, and we try to focus on ones that others might miss. In this case, we found a diamond in the rough - a fantastic, old school haunt that provides fun for the entire family at a very low price.
We first discovered this haunt last year when it was called Haunted School. We loved it then so we wanted to make sure to get back there this year. Unfortunately, the haunt was only open on Halloween night and Nov. 1, so scheduling was difficult. Fortunately, we got in under the wire on a snowy, windy, and rainy Halloween night and closed out the evening with a really fun experience! As mentioned, the haunt is old school - there are no elaborate, expansive sets or flashy bells and whistles. The walls of the haunt are. for the most part, plastic garbage bags, and the main entertainment comes from the actors themselves, who manage to provide some old fashioned jump and startle scares that rival many other haunts we've gone to. This year the haunt was expanded, with the first part being a guided tour where visitors are taken through various scenes by a costumed live actor. As was the case last year, these scenes are thematic, covering the Halloween basics, such as a mad scientist scene, a mummy/coffin scene, and a scene with witches. Part of the fun of this portion of the haunt are the hidden live actors who manage to blend in very well with the scenes. The scenes give visitors a lot to look at and since they are always to the left or the right of visitors (as opposed to all around them) they are always looking in one specific direction, making it easy for actors to sneak up on them. And those garbage bag walls? Well, they also come in handy by allowing actors to hide in between them so they can startle visitors by talking or jumping out, or even by moving between scenes undetected. Sometimes the most simple of setups can be exceedingly clever. Our favorite part of the first section was a scene with a girl in a room watching static on TV while the guy from Saw peddles a tricycle towards visitors. The girl kept screaming that "he" was there, leading to a great reveal of none other than Mike Myers who was hiding in the shadows - great stuff! |
CommentaryMAP
|
New for this year was a portion where the guide leaves visitors to navigate the remainder of the haunt on their own. This portion consisted of some twisty walled corridors inhabited by some live actors, including a creepy jester/clown with bells on who joined visitors from behind immediately after they entered the haunt. His presence behind visitors the entire time was unnerving to say the least. Other actors provided similar surprises. Again, nothing elaborate at all, just some great old time scares from some great hiding places.
The final portion was the best of all. Visitors entered a large room filled with hanging white sheets. Immediately from inside the sheets a chainsaw wielding creature in armor jumps out, forcing visitors to find another way. As they part the sheets to find the way out, other monsters jump out, herding visitors in different directions. Also found here is the classic Mike Myers, just waiting for the unsuspecting visitors to run into him. The room had no set path, so it allowed the actors to close in on visitors from all sides, and it increased the panic factor as visitors tried to find the exit without the aid of being able to walk in a straight line. Again, simple but very effective.
In short, Nightmare on Leamington is the hidden gem of the season. It's got a fun atmosphere, classic scares (that even managed to get Tourer Laura) THREE times in one haunt, and some clever live actors who know how to scare without being over the top. At only $3, it can't be beaten. There simply is not any other haunt that we know of that provides as much value for such a low price. It's one of our top haunts for 2014, and definitely our value haunt for the entire season!
The final portion was the best of all. Visitors entered a large room filled with hanging white sheets. Immediately from inside the sheets a chainsaw wielding creature in armor jumps out, forcing visitors to find another way. As they part the sheets to find the way out, other monsters jump out, herding visitors in different directions. Also found here is the classic Mike Myers, just waiting for the unsuspecting visitors to run into him. The room had no set path, so it allowed the actors to close in on visitors from all sides, and it increased the panic factor as visitors tried to find the exit without the aid of being able to walk in a straight line. Again, simple but very effective.
In short, Nightmare on Leamington is the hidden gem of the season. It's got a fun atmosphere, classic scares (that even managed to get Tourer Laura) THREE times in one haunt, and some clever live actors who know how to scare without being over the top. At only $3, it can't be beaten. There simply is not any other haunt that we know of that provides as much value for such a low price. It's one of our top haunts for 2014, and definitely our value haunt for the entire season!