2018 Abandoned Haunted House Complex Event Reviews

If you're reading this review you fall into one of three categories. (1) Never been to a haunted house before; (2) Been to a haunted house but not Abandoned; (3) you've toured Abandoned in that past.

For those of you in Category (1)...if you or someone in your group is under the age of 10 you may want to think twice before attending this haunt. For the first time in all my haunt going years I actually witnessed a dad and son walking back out the haunt ENTRANCE with the child in frightful tears. (...I would imagine this does happen periodically but this was the first time I was actually walking in as someone was walking out...what are the chances!?!) This haunt should not be taken lightly as you won't find a scarier haunt in Wisconsin!

For those of you in Categories (1) and (2), if you're capable of being scared (i.e. you're not 100% fearless) this haunt WILL scare you. If this haunt doesn't scare you, or at least make you jump on several occasions, it's very unlikely any haunt in Wisconsin will do that for you either. If you're a gore goer or techno-scare junky like me Abandoned will NOT disappoint you.

For those of you in Category (3), Abandoned’s scare tactics have not changed in 2018. (i.e. walk-through style in your face scares with brief encounters with ghouls) You'll be pleasantly surprised with how many new techno-scares await in Hysteria as well as a few new twists in Ambush. 2018 was my 3rd consecutive year visiting Abandoned and my most favorite edition yet!

Miscellaneous thoughts you might find helpful:

* Ever wondered how many ghouls await you at a haunt or what they all look like? If so, Abandoned gives you this chance every night at 6:45pm with "The Rising". Simply put "The Rising" will AMAZE you with how many elaborately made up monsters are onsite to scare you silly. Not to mention the spectacle of the parade is definitely worth the price of admission for it! (side note: viewing the parade is free but it's certainly worth checking out!)

* You may have read that Abandoned is comprised of 3 haunts (...named Hysteria, Ambush and Stalker) In my opinion, there are actually only 2 haunts here. The best way to describe Hysteria and Ambush is one haunt with an intermission in the middle. You can't pay for each of these haunts separately like you can Abandoned's Big Brother Haunt Burial Chamber. NOR, are you forced to get back in a long line after you complete Hysteria. While you may notice a slightly different theme between the two sections of the haunt the scare style remains the same.

* While the terrifying tours through Hysteria and Ambush are all inside the waiting area is not. Stalker's horrifying haunt includes both an outdoor creepy corn maze and demented dwellings. Definitely DO come dressed for the elements

* This haunt does NOT offer numbered tickets. To enter the haunts, non-FASTPASS haunt goers must wait in a very slow moving line that's exposed to the elements. (The wait line entertainment is the best I've experienced though!) If you'd rather have your toe nails slowly ripped off than stand in a slow moving line I definitely recommend purchasing the FASTPASS!

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The most boring part of Abandoned Haunted House Complex, and my time as a member of this review crew is having to write year after year that Abandoned Haunted House Complex is THE BEST haunt in the area, and I'm including all of the Chicagoland area as well. I'm going to be honest with all of you, Abandoned Haunted House Complex is still the best, and might put more effort into making their haunt the best, or possibly they are just that good that they have to put very little effort into it, I don't know, I just know I never leave there feeling disappointed or even a little let down. The place is beginning to end sensory overload, combined with top of the line props, and a cast that plays it so cool, they deserve all of the credit they get. I will refrain from going too in-depth, I really encourage you all to check this place out and experience it for yourself.

Abandoned Haunted House Complex is split into 3 separate haunts, just like the last few seasons, Ambush, Hysteria, and Stalker. They also have a Shoot the Freak option for $5, but I've never checked that out. It seems to be just shooting a trash talker with possibly paintballs, but I haven't checked it out that closely. Ambush and Hysteria are both in the style of your normal haunt, both have multiple themes going on, and both are done as good, if not better than any other haunt in the area. These two haunts run back to back, one leading into each other. Suffice to say, going through both of these haunts you will run the gamut of what every haunt has to offer, all styles are represented. Please note, I say these run into each other, it makes for a lengthy experience. Even if you only attend for these two haunts, expect to spend an 45+ minutes inside the two haunts.

The third of the haunts at Abandoned Haunted House Complex is Stalker. Stalker was introduced a few years ago, and in my opinion has improved by leaps and bounds this season. Stalker takes you through a combination of haunted cornfields, and staged indoor areas that are very well done. There were significantly less actors in the outside areas, but I think that was done by design, walking through the corn itself is already kind of creepy, so the occasional actor jumping out makes you more on guard; when is it going to happen?! The areas where you go inside are all different themes, but all pretty great, with more top of the line actors.

I mentioned that writing reviews for Abandoned Haunted House Complex is becoming boring because they are always the best, I did however experience this with haunt with a dear friend of mine, one of my oldest friends, and she gave me a whole new appreciation for Abandoned Haunted House Complex! Let's just say that she's the jumpy, screaming type... It was a blast seeing someone experience it on that level. This being my 10th season reviewing (oh wow!), I attend these haunts and enjoy the pageantry and technical stuff more than I get spooked by them. I love it all, but I don't do much jumping, call it desensitization, or whatever, I enjoy these haunts for how much work they put into them. She made me realize just how scary this haunt really is. She told me several times throughout the night that it was indeed terrifying, I believe her, she jumped and screamed enough to prove it! We also met a father and his teenage daughter who drove up from Illinois. I talked with him for a while and he had nothing but praises for Abandoned. He recommended some south of the border haunts to me, but assured me that this was one of the best ones he had ever attended. Please do yourself a favor, experience Abandoned Haunted House Complex for yourself, you will not be disappointed!

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Abandoned was my first haunt of the season this year, and as always, it’s an amazing choice – this multi-haunt complex is consistently one of Wisconsin’s absolute bests! I know it’s the haunt I look forward to the most, because it is always so long, so detailed, and of course, so scary!

We arrived on opening night around 8:30PM, and having purchased our tickets + fastpass we were able to quickly get our physical tickets. Although it wasn’t a super crowded night, fastpasses at Abandoned are always a good idea, and the staff is awesome about making sure those who purchase them are able to very quickly enter the haunts. I would definitely recommend a fastpass for any Friday or Saturday night – you won’t regret it!

HYSTERIA –
Loud, aggressive, and dark, this haunt is my favorite from the complex. Several new scenes were featured including a cave and some scary voodoo-like props. In particular we enjoyed the distorted reality brought on by streams of lasers and smoke, and actors hiding in unexpected and down below places. Lots of awesome jump scares and acting in this haunt!

AMBUSH –
Tight walkways, twisting corridors and a constantly changing path are the hallmarks of this particular house. Beginning with some aggressive nuns, we were taken through several scenes, including an intensely creepy hospital (my favorite every year!). With such a long, intricate haunt there is something to scare everyone, although I did feel there could have been a few more actors down some of those tight hallways.

STALKER CORNFIELD –
This haunt is well thought out, with small interior scenes interrupting the eerily shifting and swaying corn. I thought these scenes were pretty unique, making topics that wouldn’t normally be scary (such as chickens and bees) into something out of a horror movie. One of my favorite elements of this haunt is watching an actor simply disappear into the corn – the anticipation of this haunt is really what makes it scary!

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