House Of Torment - Chicago 2016 - Chicago Concerts, Festivals, Events and Music Scene

House Of Torment - Chicago
House of Torment Haunted Houses Chicago
8240 Austin Ave, Morton Grove, IL 60053

A more appropriate title would be “Houses of Torment” as there are not just one haunted house but two put together for the price of one admission. Two haunted houses! Having only gone to one haunted house in my life, back in the early 2000’s, I must say I was a tad nervous and apprehensive – what was going to come out at me? I love horror films but I like them in the safety of my man cave basement on my big screen TV, not in my face. How scary could it be?

Almost off the bat I was a bit uneasy as Google Maps took my comrade and myself down the wrong street in the middle of nowhere. One has to look carefully to see the small signs that point to the haunted house. Eventually we came across someone directing traffic and pointing at the various parking spots where one can park.

Once parked, the “house” is actually a gigantic warehouse and as you walk in, there are several booths to purchase your tickets. There are three types of tickets one can purchase, much like if you went to Great America. First there is the General Admission ticket ($26.99), which is just your average ticket to get in. There is the Fast Pass ticket (add an extra $10) which gives you a very limited wait time, pushing you ahead of those poor schmucks stuck in General Admission. Then for the impatient, there is the Skip the Line ticket (add an extra $20) and that allows yourself to choose an exact time to enter the House of Torment, bypassing everyone.

When it is time to for you and or your party to enter, an employee will guide you inside and that is where the fun begins. No going back – proceed at your own risk!

Now before I start, the problem I had with the House of Torment was that I wanted to take my time walking through the house. However, you need to keep moving and walking so people and parties don’t get backed up. As I had to keep moving, all I kept thinking about was; “Shit, how am I going to remember each room?” It’s pretty much impossible as the house goes on and on, twisting and turning, jumping from set to set. I can only remember certain highlights.

When walking into the House of Torment you enter what feels like a hospital with various zombies, mad scientists, psychos, and ward patients all running about and jumping at you from various dark corners and trap doors (don’t worry, they are not allowed to touch you). The sets were down right gorgeous and the detail to each room was absolutely amazing (sorry cannot take photos inside the haunted house). At one point you walk into a rubber room with a woman screaming in your face to get out of her room while walking into a laboratory with various human experiments taking place right before your eyes.

I am not a fan of the jump scare as it doesn’t frighten me. It makes me a little uncomfortable when an actor covered in fake blood is following me from room to room but it doesn’t really freak me out or scare me. I appreciate and respect the talent these actors have and the dedication in staying in character but at times I wanted some of the actors to just go away.

However, one set really got to me and it was a set where no actor jumped out. This room(s) was both disturbing and somewhat sad as at one point I found myself walking into a trailer park home. Sinks were overfilled with dirty dishes and the open refrigerator had rotten food hanging out with what looked like a child’s doll shoved inside. Turning the corner and walking past a very disgusting bathroom was a living room with a sad looking Christmas tree and mangled presents thrown about. A TV is off in the corner, playing some QVC commercial of a creepy doll for sale. This not only gave me an uneasiness feeling but a raw punch in the gut, as it felt like I entered someone’s actual home.

When the haunted house was over, there is a choice to either exit or continue to the next level which one of the employees we spoke with told us that this next part was much scarier. He must have a fear of enclosed spaces as this set was much more claustrophobic.

As we entered the second section, we had walked into what appears to be an abandoned high school and each room was either a classroom, a hallway with lockers, the school kitchen, even the auditorium. The library was especially cool as you must walk down several aisles of books as something is behind or next to you. Once again, the attention to detail was absolutely stunning and precise. I felt like I was in some abandoned school and not some warehouse decorated to make it look so.

Now the fun part: at one point you enter a very tight enclosed space that you must walk through. It felt like two gigantic balloons on either side but both closing in on you so the only way through is to keep walking. If you are claustrophobic in any way, this will have you shitting your pants. There is another room of mirrors with a strobe light going on and off where you must find your way out as various creatures start popping out from all around.

Needless to say when it was finally over, I was both thrilled and exhausted. Being a film buff, I wanted to go back home and throw on an old Hammer film or The Texas Chainsaw Massacre. I was now entranced in the Halloween spirit and as I exited, low and behold there was a gift shop where one can buy a picture of him/her self prior to entering the haunted house. Yours truly even bought a shot glass as I had a great time going through the House of Torment. While I wasn’t terrified, I found it to be a lot of fun and a great way to start off the holiday season.

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