Amhurst Asylum 2017

Amhurst Asylum

Valparaiso, IN
Reviewed on: Sunday, October 22, 2017

Opened in 2010, Amhurst Asylum is located in Valparaiso, Indiana, which is just a little over an hour commute from Chicago.  In their 7 years of operation, they have been consistent with holding a place on our annual Top 13 list, as well as previously being named Haunted House Chicago’s Haunted Attraction of the Year in 2013.  Each year, the Asylum is always growing and changing, adapting to the new patients that are checking in.

The perfect mood is set as you enter the property.  Making your way down a dark and winding, gravel road, leading you into the midst of the unknown.  As your imagination runs wild, you don’t know what or who may be lurking beyond the trees and in the shadows of the moonlight.

Making our way toward the asylum, the front yard was once again re-designed for 2017.  Complete with the opportunity to snap a photo at their photo booth, and a brand new merchandise booth, we continued on our way.  As we walked, patients are wandering the front entrance hallways, getting up close and personal with the other visitors waiting to enter the Asylum.

Did we mention that at Amhurst Asylum, the patients here are allowed to touch you!  Taking that extra step and allowing this, sets a whole new tone for this attraction.  Setting visitors into a whirlwind of emotion, you never know what may happen when the patients are set out to play!  You truly are engulfed into the madness of the asylum and don’t know which patients are stable or not.

After a short briefing in the waiting room, it was time to take a trip on the elevator down to see the patients.  With a wonderful elevator host, you were thrown for a quite a surprise when you realized it was really a patient!

As we continued on our journey, room after room was filled with detail and brings the asylum to life.  With attacks from all angles, the actors knew exactly how to bring you out of your comfort zone.  With gentle flips of your hair, or a tiny blow of air on the back of your neck, these patients just teeter on the amount of crazy.

A feature that is unique to Amhurst is their whole house event.  The patients go from 0 to 100 in a matter of seconds.  As an alarm sounds throughout the entire attraction, patients will stop at a moment’s notice from what they are currently doing.  From covering their ears, to screaming in pain, to others hovering in the corner trying to find their way out, each patient is different.  As soon as the alarm stops, they go back to their normal business.  This is one of the most unique experiences we have gotten to see during our travels throughout October.  The actors do it very well and are spot on with their timing, acting as if it never happened.

With many noticeable changes throughout the attraction, some of our highlights included the room that was on fire, the elevator, the boiler room and even the locker room.  Make sure you take a deep breath in while inside, it’s bound to give you a breath of “fresh” air.

One of the newest features is the sewer.  As you enter this portion of the attraction, the actresses manning that room know exactly where to attack and when and do it well.  What makes it even better, the fact that actors from previous rooms can sneak up on your group and attack at the perfect time too!  This use of space is well done and the changes are beautiful!

Once again, Amhurst puts on one heck of a show and the mental patients inside always have something crazy up their sleeve!

The Bottom Line: For those that have never checked into Amhurst Asylum, you definitely need to!  The crazies just keep getting crazier as each season comes along and more and more keeps getting added to the asylum!  Make sure to add them to your “must-see” list!

 – Official Haunted House Chicago Review Team Review