The Catacombs 2017

The Catacombs at St. Pascal’s

Chicago, IL
Reviewed on: Thursday, October 26, 2017

When it comes to haunted attractions, your destination is not typically having anything to do with a real church that is still functioning and filled with practicing parishioners and school kids. But, here at St. Pascal’s Catholic Parish, the entire community embraces Halloween and supports and produces one fine haunted attraction. Run by countless volunteers who pitch-in from ticket sales, to security, to technical aides, is it very easy to see this is one of the biggest family-affairs in town. AND it has been operating for nearly 40 years!

Buried beneath the real church of St. Pascal’s, lies The Catacombs for which this attraction is named. But, there are no fake walls, or “illusions” of going downstairs. Patrons really go down underneath the church, and descend into the authentic darkness. For over 100 years, these dark and dank passageways have been waiting to collect the souls of anyone that enter. And we were among the lucky to enter tonight.

Upon our reaching the first landing to begin our journey, our gatekeeper showed us the way into the boiler room. Reminiscent of anything from Elm Street, this was truly a nightmare come to life filled with plenty of smoke, heat, steam, and simulated fire. (Maybe Dante had some inside information…)

As we continued down the spiral staircase these artists painted, we encountered a variety of “spotlight” actors. These were lead actors that truly grabbed our attention, and never let go. What made the interactions even better, was that they had their own character cards, so you can continue the interaction after you leave the attraction! (We are now stalking them!) We certainly want to give a special mention to: Bubbles the Clown, Peanut the Clown, Shut Down the Clown, and the black swan of the bunch, Michael Myers. All four of these fine actions performed at the highest levels and ensured we were watching behind our backs the entire time!

At Haunted House Chicago, we don’t ever want to spoil the show. But, we have to mention some of our favorite scenes. Not only were these great executions on their own, but the star designers behind this attraction arranged them on the tour in such an order, that it became more than just a 1-2-3-4-5-6 punch combo! Make sure you look out for the moving swamp, the red room, the mirror room, and the zombie/biohazard containment. Oh, and yes, the clown room was pretty amazing too! (We would have a shudder of clowns hunting us down!)

The Bottom Line: If we knew nothing but the tour we experienced, we would say that this haunted attraction definitely holds its own and provides a top-quality haunted Halloween experience that can be enjoyed by the entire family. But, to say that it is completely designed, operated, executed, and funded by volunteers, turns up the “wow” factor even more. If you are looking for a great place to take your entire family this Halloween, make sure to get your passport stamped forThe Catacombs of St. Pascal’s!

– Official Haunted House Chicago Review Team Review