366 E. Hickory, Kankakee, IL
year: 2013
St. Pat's is an annual favorite of the Tourers, and one we've been going to for many years now. Despite being a decent distance for Horror Tourer home base, we still put it on our :"must do" list every year. It's a fine example of how you don't need big hype or lots of money to put on a good haunt. You just need some passion, dedication, and creativity.
St. Pat's starts out creepy. It's located in downtown Kankakee, but slightly off the beaten path. The building itself looks old and unused from the outside, and the haunt is located in a former convent which is supposedly really haunted. If you didn't know any of this going in, you'd know it by the time you go through, as the people running it make sure to tell you! On haunt nights, the street in front of the haunt is blocked off and numerous live actors roam the streets, interacting with visitors even before they get inside the door. More actors can be found inside, walking around or just standing still and freaking people out. While the price for St. Pat's is a very reasonable $8, we'd actually recommend the fast pass for twice the price - it's still reasonable and, since the lines tend to get long very quickly, it's worth it. |
Commentary
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As mentioned, the haunt takes place in an old convent, and visitors can feel the old atmosphere surrounding them. It emanates from the old staircases and walls, and from inside the old convent rooms, too. It's just another layer of creepiness that adds to the fun of the haunt.
The haunt is also quite long, and features a full inside portion on multiple levels, an outside portion, and then a dark maze in the basement.While some rooms are the same (or similar) from year to year, there is always something new to see at St. Pat's. This year there were several new rooms, including a room with a spinning demon baby in a crib (along with a great live actor who managed to creep us out while we were there). Two other new rooms also turned out to be our favorites of the evening - one room featured what looked like a police detective's office, with photos on the walls and pieces of string connecting them, as if this was a room used for piecing together a murder. All of the photos were various horror movie "Scream Queens," like Jamie Lee Curtis from Halloween and Neve Campbell from Scream. The other room featured a table with a Scrabble game on it, with phrases like "help me" spelled out on it. The entire board was also shaking, as if moved by an invisible hand. According to the story we heard, this was based on a real event that happened in that building, but even without the back story, the scene was clever and creative. There is always a lot to see here, and although most of the actors are younger, they still put on a good show. From creative makeup to clever hiding places (the guy in the ceiling gets us every year), it's always fun to see what each room has in store.
As mentioned, the main house is followed by a large outside portion, filled with killer clowns and chainsaw guys, and after visitors run that gamut they might think they are finished, but they're not! The final section is a dark maze - we'll be honest and say it's not our favorite part, but it is not that bad. First off, there are sections that are not a maze, and they often have creepy actors in them (usually dressed as clowns). Also, it's not entirely dark, and it's not a full-walled maze, so it's certainly not completely disorienting. The maze walls come up about 3/4 of the way from the floor, and lights do flash occasionally so you can see where you need to go. The only bad thing this year was the series of doors where you had to duck to get through. We suffered a couple of haunt related injuries navigating them! Still, though, as dark mazes go this is one of the better ones, and it doesn't take away from the rest of the haunt.
If you're looking for a great, old school, fun haunting experience, look no further than St. Pat's. It's got a carnival type atmosphere that's fun for kids and adults as well, it's got a good mix of startle scares and funny bits, and it's pretty long (almost 30 minutes), which is a rarity amongst bigger pay haunts. Overall, it's well worth your time, and it ranks as one of our regular "must see" haunts each year.
The haunt is also quite long, and features a full inside portion on multiple levels, an outside portion, and then a dark maze in the basement.While some rooms are the same (or similar) from year to year, there is always something new to see at St. Pat's. This year there were several new rooms, including a room with a spinning demon baby in a crib (along with a great live actor who managed to creep us out while we were there). Two other new rooms also turned out to be our favorites of the evening - one room featured what looked like a police detective's office, with photos on the walls and pieces of string connecting them, as if this was a room used for piecing together a murder. All of the photos were various horror movie "Scream Queens," like Jamie Lee Curtis from Halloween and Neve Campbell from Scream. The other room featured a table with a Scrabble game on it, with phrases like "help me" spelled out on it. The entire board was also shaking, as if moved by an invisible hand. According to the story we heard, this was based on a real event that happened in that building, but even without the back story, the scene was clever and creative. There is always a lot to see here, and although most of the actors are younger, they still put on a good show. From creative makeup to clever hiding places (the guy in the ceiling gets us every year), it's always fun to see what each room has in store.
As mentioned, the main house is followed by a large outside portion, filled with killer clowns and chainsaw guys, and after visitors run that gamut they might think they are finished, but they're not! The final section is a dark maze - we'll be honest and say it's not our favorite part, but it is not that bad. First off, there are sections that are not a maze, and they often have creepy actors in them (usually dressed as clowns). Also, it's not entirely dark, and it's not a full-walled maze, so it's certainly not completely disorienting. The maze walls come up about 3/4 of the way from the floor, and lights do flash occasionally so you can see where you need to go. The only bad thing this year was the series of doors where you had to duck to get through. We suffered a couple of haunt related injuries navigating them! Still, though, as dark mazes go this is one of the better ones, and it doesn't take away from the rest of the haunt.
If you're looking for a great, old school, fun haunting experience, look no further than St. Pat's. It's got a carnival type atmosphere that's fun for kids and adults as well, it's got a good mix of startle scares and funny bits, and it's pretty long (almost 30 minutes), which is a rarity amongst bigger pay haunts. Overall, it's well worth your time, and it ranks as one of our regular "must see" haunts each year.