563 West 600 North, HoBARt, IN
Year: 2015
Now here's a haunt that sounded intriguing for us when we first heard about it - a haunted "house" set inside of an old, abandoned Nike Missile base. It was one of those haunts, like Evil Intentions, that sounded cool simply because of its location. While some haunts like to hype a clever backstory, in doing some quick research, it is indeed true that Tour of Terror is located on the grounds of a former Nike Missile base (C-47, to be specific), that was constructed between 1954 and 1956 and closed in 1972. Given this, we looked forward to our visit to see exactly what it would be like, and we were not disappointed.
The haunt was a combination of inside and outside scenes, with many taking place in the actual abandoned base buildings. We had guides in parts, usually dressed like soldiers, who would lead us through the outside areas and into other buildings, only to leave us alone once we got inside. We've been to haunts with guides, and in our experience they are sometimes decent and other times very lame, as the guides have to detail the backstory for us and, depending on how long the story is and how good the guides are, the experience can get talky, long, and monotonous. We're happy to say that on the Tour of Terror the pace was snappy and the guides stayed in character very well, adding to the unusual nature of the entire haunt. It began with a guide to told us some brief history and then led us into the first building, where we were greeted by a ghoulish military receptionist and led into the next room. We have to say that each of the buildings had an atmosphere all its own. They were made of concrete, were boarded up on the outside, and felt dank, musty, and isolated. They even smelled of the outdoors and of decay. This, coupled with the fact that the lighting was dim and the structures created many natural shadows inside, really added to the atmosphere. We found ourselves feeling a bit creeped out as we walked through the various areas, peering into the shadows looking for people who might pop out at us. Another very cool feature of Tour of Terror was that the inside sets were minimal. The operators wisely let the natural atmosphere of the abandoned buildings speak for itself, using a few set pieces here and there inside large spaces, and strategically placed actors inside, who were able to easily hide in the many darkened spaces. Whether this was by accident or by deliberate design we do not know, but we can say that walking through old, dark concrete buildings by ourselves, with minimal lighting and with outsides sounds muffled by the thick walls was a moody, atmospheric experience. In contrast, the outside scenes were often hectic and exciting, for Tour of Terror provided more than just a walk on an outside trail. In line with the location's current function as a paintball arena, we were treated to full scale gun "battles" between soldiers wielding empty paintball guns (no ammo, but with the air cartridges inside to make lots of noise), where our guides would defend us while ordering us to rush into another building or, in one case, where our guides were mown down by an undead creature with his own weapon, who then trained it on us. While these scenes are hard to stage in general, and could potentially have become tedious and slightly embarassing, this was not the case here. We actually looked forward to seeing our soldier guides and enjoyed watching the "Battles" take place while we ran from building to building. It was definitely something unique that we have not seen done anywhere else, and something that took full advantage of both the former military location and the current paintball arena, playing to the inherent strengths of both. |
CommentaryMAP
|
The inside areas were clever, too, with many buildings featuring large sliding doors that closed behind us with a loud noise, ambient lighting that illuminated only certain spots in front of us, and some clever actors, such as Demento, the cannibal butcher, an undead soldier who lined us up against the wall and threatened to kills each of us with a gun to the head (definitely not standard haunt fare), and a cool creature in a wooded scene who lunged at us from the bushes. We didn't see him but he definitely saw (and startled) us!
Overall, if we had an award for the most creative and unusual haunted experience, we'd have to give it to Tour of Terror. We've been to indoor/outdoor combination haunts before, and they have been a mixed bag. Tour of Terror had all of the potentially bad elements as well: guides who tell a backstory, staged "action" scenes, and an indoor/outdoor setting with breaks between haunted scenes. However, all of these elements were skilfully interwoven into a unique experience. The actors played their parts well, remained in character throughout, and did not overdo the acting. This helped maintain the realism of the experience. The haunt sets were not elaborate and instead simply augmented the existing structures. We'd also like to add that there was an air of authenticity in the soldiers' uniforms that we usually do not see in haunts. Most of our guides had matching gear from head to toe as opposed to mismatched BDUs without proper headgear or footwear. It was a nice touch that helped to sell the military angle even more.
Tour of Terror is an excellent haunt and one that many haunt enthusiasts might enjoy simply because it's different. We're excited to add it to our list of great haunt in Northwest Indiana. Well done!
Overall, if we had an award for the most creative and unusual haunted experience, we'd have to give it to Tour of Terror. We've been to indoor/outdoor combination haunts before, and they have been a mixed bag. Tour of Terror had all of the potentially bad elements as well: guides who tell a backstory, staged "action" scenes, and an indoor/outdoor setting with breaks between haunted scenes. However, all of these elements were skilfully interwoven into a unique experience. The actors played their parts well, remained in character throughout, and did not overdo the acting. This helped maintain the realism of the experience. The haunt sets were not elaborate and instead simply augmented the existing structures. We'd also like to add that there was an air of authenticity in the soldiers' uniforms that we usually do not see in haunts. Most of our guides had matching gear from head to toe as opposed to mismatched BDUs without proper headgear or footwear. It was a nice touch that helped to sell the military angle even more.
Tour of Terror is an excellent haunt and one that many haunt enthusiasts might enjoy simply because it's different. We're excited to add it to our list of great haunt in Northwest Indiana. Well done!