16512 Winding Creek Road, Plainfield, IL
Year: 2014
We at Horror Tourers love home haunts. There's just something so cool about seeing peoples' residences turned into haunted houses. It shows some great creativity and originality on the part of the owners. We've been to numerous home haunts over the years, and one of the most unique ones we've seen is Winding Creek Haunted Woods in Plainfield.
Winding Creek Haunted Woods is not just a name plucked out of nowhere, either. It's based on the fact that part of the haunt is a trail through some woodland that runs by a creek (surprise!). The outdoor setting is utilized quite well and provides some creepy fun before visitors even get to the indoor portion. There's always something new to see at Winding Creek, particularly on the trail. The 2014 version featured a large gate that marked the entrance to the woods, which visitors were led through by a silent guide. It was a very nice addition. This year's highlight was a scene with some hooded figures worshiping some type of beast-headed creature that stood above them. We also loved a scene with not one, but two Mike Myers figures, and the live actor floating on some type of wood or something in the creek, who warned visitors to look out for creatures that might jump out at them (which indeed they did). On the indoor front, we loved the red colored room featuring a chair decorated in skulls and a live actor who was dressed like Satan as if he was a blackjack dealer at a local casino - it might not have been intentional, but it was a good mix of creepy and comical. Other standout areas inside included a neon lit doll's room with a life size live doll (with some eerie bulging eyeballs) and a room behind a window where one little kid was busy eating some other little kid's limbs off -always nice to see.
One of the things that is most impressive about Winding Creek is the use of misdirection to scare visitors. A number of the outside scenes feature live actors that distract from the real live actors who are there to scare. |
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An
example is the group of hooded figures mentioned earlier. As we passed
them , it was obvious that one of the hooded figures was real. Sure
enough, he jumped out at us, and then just when we thought it was over,
another figure (who was standing very still and off to the side) came up
from behind and surprised us. Similarly, the scene with the two Mike
Myers figures was well done. It featured the music from Halloween as
well, and as visitors attempted to ascertain if either of the Myers
figures was real, they were oblivious to the live actor posing as a
scarecrow who was hanging on a wall opposite the Myers figures. It was
extremely clever, and a good example of the great creativity shown by
those who operate Winding Creek.
If you're looking for something different during Halloween season, we'd really recommend Winding Creek. It's got both indoor and outdoor parts, some clever scenes, great acting, and creative props as well. It's fun for the entire family and while they do accept donations they are not required, so essentially the haunt is free! (We'd recommend giving a donation to keep the haunt going, though, as it's great entertainment).
And speaking of donations, Winding Creek also supports a cause near and dear to our hearts - an animal sanctuary. Specifically, Grahamville Rescue and Sanctuary in Joliet, which helps to place dogs in foster homes and in forever homes as well. It's a great cause and if you visit Winding Creek you can even meet some of the foster animals that are up for adoption. It's hard to go there and not take some new friends home! It's a worthy cause and we thank Winding Creek for bringing it to peoples' attention by combining their haunt with the Rescue's activities.
So, in short, go to Winding Creek Haunted Woods and get there early as the lines are long and they only operate a couple of weekends per season. Enjoy!
If you're looking for something different during Halloween season, we'd really recommend Winding Creek. It's got both indoor and outdoor parts, some clever scenes, great acting, and creative props as well. It's fun for the entire family and while they do accept donations they are not required, so essentially the haunt is free! (We'd recommend giving a donation to keep the haunt going, though, as it's great entertainment).
And speaking of donations, Winding Creek also supports a cause near and dear to our hearts - an animal sanctuary. Specifically, Grahamville Rescue and Sanctuary in Joliet, which helps to place dogs in foster homes and in forever homes as well. It's a great cause and if you visit Winding Creek you can even meet some of the foster animals that are up for adoption. It's hard to go there and not take some new friends home! It's a worthy cause and we thank Winding Creek for bringing it to peoples' attention by combining their haunt with the Rescue's activities.
So, in short, go to Winding Creek Haunted Woods and get there early as the lines are long and they only operate a couple of weekends per season. Enjoy!