356 Yorktown Shopping Center, Lombard, IL
years: 2012
No Rest for the Wicked was the 2012 incarnation of the Lombard Jaycees haunted house, the longest running haunted house in the country. This particular haunt has been going on since 1970, and every year brings new and interesting twists on the haunted house theme. The Tourers have been visiting this haunt since the mid 1990's, but somehow managed to miss 2011. Thus 2012 marked our return, and our first visit to the haunt's new location in Yorktown Shopping Plaza.
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The haunt was a bit difficult to find at first, as it is now located in a shopping mall, so the GPS is not 100% specific on the location. However, we simply looked for police cars, as the haunt usually is patrolled by the :Lombard police. Sure enough, we soon found them, and the haunt itself.
While waiting for tickets we ran into some of the wait entertainment, including one live actor who was wearing blue work overalls (like Michael Meyers) and has a spinal cord emerging out of his back - a cool costume for sure. He made a point of wandering around and scaring people in line for tickets and in line to get into the haunt.
Once we got our tickets, while waiting to enter, we amused ourselves by watching visitors inside the haunt on a monitor inside a video game cabinet. If we wanted ,we could also pay 25 cents to get the ability to let off a horn inside the haunt when unsuspecting visitors walked by - it was a nice touch, and it was funny to watch some of the peoples' reactions. Karma came back to bite us, of course, as we endured the loud horn when we walked through as well.
As always, the haunt had some new things to see. Personally, we like to patronize haunted houses put on by civic or community organizations as we tend to find that they really try to put on a good show, and actor enthusiasm runs high. This is obviously the case at the Lombard Jaycees, as despite the fact that most of the live actors are younger (high school age or under), they all make a point to getting into their characters, which really ups the haunt experience a notch or two.
This year's haunt featured quite a few zombies, from zombies licked behind cages and fences to zombies that wandered back and forth through various rooms and corridors. Some clever rooms included a room full of freezers, in which were partially frozen victims that popped out at visitors, a child's playground populated by a crazy clown-like live actor, and our favorite - a Wizard of Oz themed room, complete with spinning globe filled with a Wizard of Oz diorama and a live actress playing a ghoulish Dorothy, red shoes and all. Most surprising was the appearance of a live actor dressed like a flying monkey, who swung across the room on a trapeze - this was extremely clever and we can honestly say we've never seen a Wizard of Oz themed display in any haunted house we've been to.
Overall, the Lombard Jaycees haunted house is well worth a visit. It's high on creativity and actor enthusiasm. Although some of the sets might not be the most elabroate (as this is an all-volunteer effort), the creativity and enthusiasm really make this haunt stand out. After being in operation so long, they know what it takes to keep visitors coming back. If you're looking for a quality haunt with more of a homemade feel (as opposed to some of the slickness of the professional pay haunts), look no further!
One thing to note: this haunt is very popular (deservedly so) and gets crowded quickly. Make sure to plan around this so that you can avoid long lines. We'd recommend getting there before they open to ensure that your wait is shorter.
While waiting for tickets we ran into some of the wait entertainment, including one live actor who was wearing blue work overalls (like Michael Meyers) and has a spinal cord emerging out of his back - a cool costume for sure. He made a point of wandering around and scaring people in line for tickets and in line to get into the haunt.
Once we got our tickets, while waiting to enter, we amused ourselves by watching visitors inside the haunt on a monitor inside a video game cabinet. If we wanted ,we could also pay 25 cents to get the ability to let off a horn inside the haunt when unsuspecting visitors walked by - it was a nice touch, and it was funny to watch some of the peoples' reactions. Karma came back to bite us, of course, as we endured the loud horn when we walked through as well.
As always, the haunt had some new things to see. Personally, we like to patronize haunted houses put on by civic or community organizations as we tend to find that they really try to put on a good show, and actor enthusiasm runs high. This is obviously the case at the Lombard Jaycees, as despite the fact that most of the live actors are younger (high school age or under), they all make a point to getting into their characters, which really ups the haunt experience a notch or two.
This year's haunt featured quite a few zombies, from zombies licked behind cages and fences to zombies that wandered back and forth through various rooms and corridors. Some clever rooms included a room full of freezers, in which were partially frozen victims that popped out at visitors, a child's playground populated by a crazy clown-like live actor, and our favorite - a Wizard of Oz themed room, complete with spinning globe filled with a Wizard of Oz diorama and a live actress playing a ghoulish Dorothy, red shoes and all. Most surprising was the appearance of a live actor dressed like a flying monkey, who swung across the room on a trapeze - this was extremely clever and we can honestly say we've never seen a Wizard of Oz themed display in any haunted house we've been to.
Overall, the Lombard Jaycees haunted house is well worth a visit. It's high on creativity and actor enthusiasm. Although some of the sets might not be the most elabroate (as this is an all-volunteer effort), the creativity and enthusiasm really make this haunt stand out. After being in operation so long, they know what it takes to keep visitors coming back. If you're looking for a quality haunt with more of a homemade feel (as opposed to some of the slickness of the professional pay haunts), look no further!
One thing to note: this haunt is very popular (deservedly so) and gets crowded quickly. Make sure to plan around this so that you can avoid long lines. We'd recommend getting there before they open to ensure that your wait is shorter.