Insanity Haunted House 2018
Peru, IL
Reviewed on: Friday, October 12, 2018
After saying goodbye to their home at the Charlestowne Mall in St. Charles, Illinois, at the end of last season, Insanity Haunted House set forth to search for their new location. After some intense scouring, they finally found the Peru Mall in Peru, Illinois, to be the perfect fit. Nestled right off of I-80, this quiet town was ready to have some havoc brought upon them.
Although the Mall is still operating, entering afterhours certainly gives the feeling of a scene from Dawn of the Dead. Loud music filled the air, and we followed the trail just like Hansel and Gretel. Finding the darkening store-front, we were greeted by several creatures, including one scurrying about the waiting room floor named, “Patient 4707.” Masked in all black, he was playful with our group, giving us some looming considerations of what else we might encounter inside.
Beginning our journey, the creator behind this attraction definitely had some great ideas to showcase in their new home. Weaving from to scene to scene, the detail in the rooms was well-done, complete with lighting and smoke to help set the stage for this menagerie of monsters to do their dirty work.
The actors and actresses control those scenes. Every single one of them was intense and well-timed with their attacks, but still vibrant, playful, and hungry for the taste of screams. Unfortunately, we showed up a few minutes before closing. Anyone would completely understand that after a long night of haunting and scaring other patrons that they would be tired and worn out. But, but it never showed with this group. From start to finish, they never missed a step. We commend them on an excellent job and made sure to express the excitement for their craft!
Some of the most memorable scenes we encountered were the library, church, movie theatre which was showing an old classic episode of “Teletubbies”, and the dimly hallways with well-trained actors lurking within.
But by far, one of our favorite rooms this year was the doll room. From the floor to the ceiling, dolls were everywhere with their glowing eyes following and watching our every move. Making our way into the room, one actress attacked without any hesitation, while unbeknownst to us, another actress waited patiently till our entire group made it in and caught our entire group off guard! (Imagine the Raptor attack from Jurassic Park?) They definitely packed the perfect one-two punch and we commend them for getting our group to jump!
Overall, this attraction has definitely evolved over the past years, always coming up with new ideas and concepts. With the addition of their new location and new crew, Insanity is going to continue to develop for years to come.
Fun fact: for those that may not know, the owner and creator/mastermind of this attraction is actually a police officer who has a love and passion of all things Halloween! Thank you for your service AND your dedication to the haunted attraction industry!
This attraction has something for everyone, and should absolutely be among your considerations this season!
Monsters of Note: Patient 4707
The Bottom Line: With only 5 weeks to build in a brand new location, the mastermind behind Insanity Haunted House definitely didn’t miss a step. We are happy to see that with a new welcoming location, and plenty of room to grow, this is only the beginning for visions of future designs he will concoct for 2019!
– Official Haunted House Chicago Review Team Review
