3440 Odyssey Court, Naperville, IL
years: 2013
The Massacre is actually two haunts, a traditional one and a 3D one, located inside the Odyssey Fun World in Naperville, IL. We had known about this huant for several years now, but for various reasons (cost among them) we hadn't made it out to see what it was all about. Fortunately for us, there was a great LivingSocial deal for $14 admission both haunts (normally $23), as well as $5 in tokens for Odyssey Fun World. Since we were in the Plainfield area at other haunts, we decided to stop in.
The haunt is located in the back of Odyssey Fun World, upstairs in what is normally some type of 3D shooting range. When we arrived there were about 25-30 people ahead of us, but the flow of people was very slow. It took about 45 minutes for us to get to the ticket attendant, and then another 10 before we got into the haunt. It seemed a very long time for such a small number of people. In contrast, for example, we visited another haunt a couple days previously where there were roughly 100-110 people in front of us and it only took 30 minutes to get in. The first portion of the haunt was the 3D section, which featured numerous rooms with varying themes, from clowns, to toxic waste, to an underwater scene, all with different 3D effects on the walls, floor, and even the ceiling. There were several spots where it was hard to tell if what we were seeing was a projection or if it was real. Even the actors inside had 3D portions to their makeup and costumes. Our favorite part was one where the walls were lined with dozens of small skulls in varying colors, all of which came out at you. Also, there was a small room after the 3D portion made up of red and white striped passageways which had a hidden surprise! Following the 3D haunt, there was another brief wait for the main portion. The waiting area was decorated like a circus, complete with posters and festive colors. Our "host" was a creepy clown with an axe, who also had a good sense of humor! The main haunt consisted of 16 rooms, all with varying themes. Some of the highlights included a giant spider lair, complete with victims, a crazy holiday living room scene with a Christmas tree and a surprise, crazy cannibals who invited us for dinner, lots of twitching clown bodies hanging from the ceiling, an animal testing lab full of dead animals including a cow's head hanging from the ceiling, and even a meth lab, complete with Walter West type character from Breaking Bad.. All of the sets were extremely well detailed, and we often found ourselves stopping to admire the props, which left us wide open for scares from the actors! Some of our favorite rooms included those with creative twists, like the aforementioned holiday living room. When you visit as many haunts as we do, you often see the same themese (zombies, hospitals, cannibals, etc) so when you see something different it's quite the treat. The Massacre offered several of these. For instance, there was a jungle setting with an actor dressed as a native voodoo practitioner. He was easily able to hide from us given that the main portion of the room was filled with a giant animatronic dinosaur head - not something you see every day! Another favorite was the little girl's bedroom. It was filled with dolls of varying sizes, as well as a miniature dollhouse complete with tiny video screen featuring people trapped inside - a clever little detail that added a lot to the atmosphere. There was also a very cool surprise in this room, too - one even a seasoned haunt visitor might miss - well done! A creepy church scene was also very well done. It featured a funeral service and pews filled with mourners, most, but not all of them fake. The sets were so detailed that we could feel to sense of doom and foreboding as we walked through, and having to walk past all of the mourners trying to figure out which was real or not was very creepily effective. We won't spoil the surprise by telling you exactly what happened, but it wasn't quite what we were expecting - and that's good! |
Commentary
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In general, the haunt had many scenes that were highly detailed and, frankly, more elaborate than we might expect, given that the haunt is located in a Family Fun Center. Given its location, we thought it might be restricted by the existing setup, but it was not, and it proved to be both highly entertaining and clever in its presentation. We really enjoyed it!
All of the actors were also good, with excellent makeup and costumes. They remained in character the entire time we were there. Special mention must also be given to the wait actors, one of whom greeted us (and everyone) at the door, following us to get our tickets and generally making sure people were creeped out even before they got near the actual haunt. Being able to unnerve people in the middle of a brightly lit family arcade is a pretty good feat!
Overall, we'd recommend the Massacre. It was better than we expected. Our only complaint was the slow patron flow, which we think could be improved. However, the Massacre will be moving to a new location in 2014, so patron flow might not be an issue. Also, to be honest, the price seems a bit high, given that the main haunt is only about 15 minutes long. $15 for the main and $20 for both might be a bit more in line, but that's not necessarily a deal breaker (although long waits might be).
If you're planning on a trip to the Massacre, try to get there early to avoid the line. Otherwise, $35 for VIP is an option if you don't want to wait.
All of the actors were also good, with excellent makeup and costumes. They remained in character the entire time we were there. Special mention must also be given to the wait actors, one of whom greeted us (and everyone) at the door, following us to get our tickets and generally making sure people were creeped out even before they got near the actual haunt. Being able to unnerve people in the middle of a brightly lit family arcade is a pretty good feat!
Overall, we'd recommend the Massacre. It was better than we expected. Our only complaint was the slow patron flow, which we think could be improved. However, the Massacre will be moving to a new location in 2014, so patron flow might not be an issue. Also, to be honest, the price seems a bit high, given that the main haunt is only about 15 minutes long. $15 for the main and $20 for both might be a bit more in line, but that's not necessarily a deal breaker (although long waits might be).
If you're planning on a trip to the Massacre, try to get there early to avoid the line. Otherwise, $35 for VIP is an option if you don't want to wait.