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Summary:
Statesville
Haunted Prison:
The prison theme was set
from the very beginning, even before you even got inside the
attraction. As you waited in line, the staff transfered you
through a couple of different "holding cell"
areas. One of the holding cells was a square structure
made of chain-link fencing and the other was a dark hallway with
bars on the windows. As you moved through the different
queue areas, actors outside would taunt you every chance they
got. This really helped to set the mood for the rest of
the attraction. As usual, Statesville's opening scene with
the warden flying overhead was phenomenal! I went through
a couple of times this year, and each time it got a gasp from
the crowd.
Once inside the
attraction, the staff made you feel like a prisoner, by lining
you up in rows and yelling instructions at you through a
bullhorn. With their harsh language and rough demeanor,
they shouted colorful phrases like "get over here, you
stupid maggot", "form single file lines, damn
it!" and "move over dumbass". With
that being said, it's quite obvious that this event is NOT appropriate
for small children.
Throughout the
attraction they did a great job of keeping you disoriented, by
assaulting your senses with multiple strobe lights, loud sound
effects and a lot of fog. In the beginning, there were a
number of jail cells, with "inmates" taunting you as
you walked by. In some of those areas you had to duck
down or lean to the side, to make your way through. The
insane asylum was outstanding. It featured several
white-walled areas, with lots of twists and turns.
Each section was filled
with fog and flashing strobe lights. Some of the
"patients" were behind caged walls, while others
wandered the hallways. I really liked the areas with the
plexiglass walls. That was very creative. There were
some areas that had plexiglass floors with strobe lights under
them, for added effect. I also enjoyed their red and
white checkerboard clown room. This area also had a lot of
strobe lights to help disorient you. This scene was
literally filled with clowns who taunted you, as you tried to
make your way through. Some of the clowns were even
reaching down at you, from above. One of their
popular new features this year was the bus. They had you
go up a ramp and walk through the middle of a
full-sized bus. Once inside, there were a couple of
characters that taunted you and an actor who dragged a metal rod
across the roof of the bus, creating a shower of sparks.
The actors throughout
all areas of the attraction did a great job. The
veteran actors were very much into their characters and the
actors doing pop-out scares did a great job, as well. Most
of the actors stayed true to form and never broke
character. Unfortunately all of the disorienting strobes,
fog and loud sounds might cause you to miss some of their great
performances, if you aren't paying close attention.
Overall, all the actors did a top-notch
job.
City
of the Dead:
The City of the Dead is
an appropriate name for this attraction, as it was filled will a
lot of zombie-like creatures, body parts, tombstones and other
similar props that fit in with the general theme. I really
enjoyed the opening scene. It ended with an animated 12
foot tall beast walking toward the audience! Inside the
house there was a forest area, where you had to weave your way
in and out of some very realistic-looking, textured trees to
find the exit. The spinning vortex tunnel featured glowing
skulls and other bones that rotated around you. There was also
an area with a zig-zag path, where various body parts were
displayed inside plexiglass enclosures. To make your
journey more challenging, there were areas where you had to lean
down and practically crawl, to find your way out. Many of
the zombie characters in the house were wearing green glowing
make-up and most of them were a bit less intense than the actors
in Statesville Prison. Overall, the actors in this house did
a great job.
The Statesville crew put
on a great show this year. Although they had some real crowd
control problems this season, this event has consistently been
one of the best shows in the Chicagoland area. Even so,
this event is still overpriced. $25 is just way too much
to pay for ANY haunted attraction, period! Considering the
high admission price, I think it would be a great idea for the
management to consider giving patrons the option of purchasing a
ticket for one haunted house or the other, instead of
forcing everyone to buy a $25 combo ticket for both.
Regardless of the price, Statesville always puts on a great
show, so check it out if you get the chance.
Click
here
to find out more about this event. |
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