200 N. Spring Street, Elgin, IL
years: 2013
NOTE: There are no photos allowed inside Psychosis, so we unfortunately have none to show you. You'll have to go see it for yourself!
We first discovered Psychosis by accident last year when we were out in the area doing other things and had some time to kill. We had heard of the haunt, but Elgin is a bit of a ride, so we actually never made it out that way. Fortunately for us, we made the decision to check it out and we loved it. Thus, a 2013 return visit was always on the cards. We're happy to say that the things we weren't too thrilled about last year were fixed or eliminated this year, making the haunt even better. Psychosis is high on set design and creativity rather than focusing on high intensity scares. However, we happen to like set design, so for us the experience is truly a quality one. From the beginning it's very well done - the waiting area is done up like a main street in a small town, complete with working fountain, movie theater, and other buildings. Visitors wait here before entering the first area to be read the rules. |
Commentary
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As mentioned, some of our issues from last year, including an overly long rules introduction by a comedy "preacher" (at least 7-8 minutes), and the initial scene in a diner setting with two actors who basically screamed a lot and made visitors sing songs (seriously) were either toned down (as in the case of the preacher - only about 2 minutes of rules this time) or eliminated (as in the diner case).
Instead, after the brief rules segment, we found ourselves put right into the haunt, walking past a rundown shack in the woods and through bodies hanging from the ceiling. Following this we came upon a little girl telling us “he” was coming out of our dreams and into our nightmares. “He” turned out to be Freddy Krueger, living and "working": inside of a detailed boiler room set.
Eventually we were separated into three groups of two, each having to go through a separate door before proceeding into the next room, which was a large chest high maze in a room covered with odd symbols on the walls. Green lasers bounced off the walls and all of us, and black hooded figures skirted in and out of the maze area. Each group had to find their way to the end. One cool thing that happened to us was when a black hooded figure jumped out then ran into the maze, seemingly vanishing. As we rounded the corner, there was a figure huddled in the corner with a dummy head. It looked like a mannequin standing there, but turned out to be our hooded friend with a dummy head on his shoulder…a very effective disguise!
Following this room we came to a very elaborate castle setup, complete with turrets, gate, torches, and castle gatekeeper. Other elaborate scenes included an Egyptian tomb (one of our favorite rooms from last year), a room rull of giant spiders and their victims, a full sized outdoor crash scene, and even a bayou crypt which, although inside, looked like an outside area, complete with fog, tombstones, and vines. One room that was different from last year was a laser light room - whereas last year the room was also a partial maze, this year it was simply fog and laser lights, making it seem like we were swimming in a green sea as we made our way to the next area..
By far, the best part of this year's experience was a "wax museum" filled with various movie monsters, including the wicked witch of the west from the Wizard of Oz, Ghost Face from Scream, the Phantom of the Opera, Leatherface, Michael Meyers and Jason Voorhees. The museum setup served to lull visitors into a false sense of security, believing all of the characters to be fake. I think you can figure out what really happened! One of the best payoffs in a haunted house scene we have ever experienced!
If you enjoy looking at set detail and like creativity, the Psychosis is the haunt for you. It's full of both, and it's fun just looking at everything even when there are no actors in scenes. However, don't get too distracted, because Psychosis has some good quality actors inside and some nice, clever tricks up its proverbial sleeve. Overall, it was one ofthe bext all round haunt experiences we have had in our years of touring. Creativity makes a haunt, and Psychosis is certainly creative. It's also over 20 minutes long which, for the $16 price, is a good value for the money. Be sure to check it out if you're in the Elgin area or if you can only do a limited number of haunts. It's well worth it!
Instead, after the brief rules segment, we found ourselves put right into the haunt, walking past a rundown shack in the woods and through bodies hanging from the ceiling. Following this we came upon a little girl telling us “he” was coming out of our dreams and into our nightmares. “He” turned out to be Freddy Krueger, living and "working": inside of a detailed boiler room set.
Eventually we were separated into three groups of two, each having to go through a separate door before proceeding into the next room, which was a large chest high maze in a room covered with odd symbols on the walls. Green lasers bounced off the walls and all of us, and black hooded figures skirted in and out of the maze area. Each group had to find their way to the end. One cool thing that happened to us was when a black hooded figure jumped out then ran into the maze, seemingly vanishing. As we rounded the corner, there was a figure huddled in the corner with a dummy head. It looked like a mannequin standing there, but turned out to be our hooded friend with a dummy head on his shoulder…a very effective disguise!
Following this room we came to a very elaborate castle setup, complete with turrets, gate, torches, and castle gatekeeper. Other elaborate scenes included an Egyptian tomb (one of our favorite rooms from last year), a room rull of giant spiders and their victims, a full sized outdoor crash scene, and even a bayou crypt which, although inside, looked like an outside area, complete with fog, tombstones, and vines. One room that was different from last year was a laser light room - whereas last year the room was also a partial maze, this year it was simply fog and laser lights, making it seem like we were swimming in a green sea as we made our way to the next area..
By far, the best part of this year's experience was a "wax museum" filled with various movie monsters, including the wicked witch of the west from the Wizard of Oz, Ghost Face from Scream, the Phantom of the Opera, Leatherface, Michael Meyers and Jason Voorhees. The museum setup served to lull visitors into a false sense of security, believing all of the characters to be fake. I think you can figure out what really happened! One of the best payoffs in a haunted house scene we have ever experienced!
If you enjoy looking at set detail and like creativity, the Psychosis is the haunt for you. It's full of both, and it's fun just looking at everything even when there are no actors in scenes. However, don't get too distracted, because Psychosis has some good quality actors inside and some nice, clever tricks up its proverbial sleeve. Overall, it was one ofthe bext all round haunt experiences we have had in our years of touring. Creativity makes a haunt, and Psychosis is certainly creative. It's also over 20 minutes long which, for the $16 price, is a good value for the money. Be sure to check it out if you're in the Elgin area or if you can only do a limited number of haunts. It's well worth it!