I’m not one for scary things. Horror movies? Nope! Ghost hunting? Nope! Haunted Houses? Nope!
Yet somehow I found myself at the Abandon House Complex in Mount Pleasant on Friday, October 21, paying to get scared, even though it’s one of my least favorite experiences in my entire life.
Let me tell you: it was worth it.
The Abandon House Complex is about a half hour ride from UW-Milwaukee and is located roughly in the Racine area. This haunted house consists of one main attraction with two different experiences: Ambush and Hysteria. An extra part of the haunted complex is the Stalker Haunted Corn Field, which visitors can walk through for an extra price.
My friends and I got to the complex before opening on request of my friend who went the year before. I definitely recommend getting there before opening because at 7:00 p.m., the “monsters” come out and scare you while you’re still in line. They get up close to you before the scares even start! I was a little scared at first I must admit, but the actors are really good and a lot of fun to interact with while in line! After a few minutes of hiding, I was brave enough to face the actors. The little girl in the line next to me wasn’t even scared at all…
Even though we waited in line for a little while, it was a lot of fun. The actors continually come through and scare you as wait. A lot of the actors posed for pictures and a few even took selfies with our group!
The first part of the complex was Ambush. In all honesty, my eyes were closed for the first five minutes of this part. I sort of regret that now because the rest of the haunted house was designed amazingly. The sets of each room were so life-like and the blood looked so real that I wanted to throw up.
For me, the actors were a lot scarier in Ambush than in Hysteria. When my group got to Hysteria, we were all warmed up and having a good time. It was during this part of the haunted house that we interacted a lot more with the actors. During the jail scene, my male friend was hit on multiple times by the male actors, asking if they could have his face or if he’d want to be their cellmates.
My favorite part of the complex was also part of the jail scene. There was a shower room where I ended up dancing with one of the actors. Though that part wasn’t that scary, I had a great time!
In all, Ambush and Hysteria are amazing! The theatrics are great. The sets in each room are so detailed and intense that I wish I could have stopped walking and admired them more. The actors are a lot of fun and the jump-scares were pretty great, even if I’m not a big fan of them. I still don’t like scary things, but I really enjoyed the scares I got in Ambush and Hysteria.
My group decided to do the Stalker Haunted Corn Field too. I had high expectations for this part. I loved what I just went through, and I thought that the corn maze would be the same. Sadly, it didn’t meet my expectations.
The scares weren’t as scary in this part, and there were a lot of dead times when we weren’t being scared at all. My friends and I would just walk through the field, talking and looking at the stars.
Inside the buildings, the sets were amazingly done again. The scares may not have been as intense, but I still had a lot of fun going through it. I was scared a few times, and I think I got my money’s worth out of the corn maze.
If you’re looking for a fun and creative haunted house to go to this year, I totally recommend going to Abandon Haunted House Complex. It’s close to campus, it’s a lot of fun, and I’ve never seen a haunted house with this great of set design (and yes, I have been to a few other haunted houses). The scares and the actors are great and it will definitely get you in the mood for Halloween!
Tickets go on sale at 6:30 p.m. The Abandon Haunted House Complex is open until November 6, with November 5 and November 6 being “Blackout Nights.” For prices and more information, click here.