Wednesday, July 30, 2014

Frankenstein's Wedding Yard Display - Oak Forest, IL

If we had to describe Frankenstein's Wedding in one word it would be "eclectic" - it's got a little bit of everything, from unique interpretations of famous movie monsters or even local legends like Resurrection Mary, to authentic recreations of medieval torture - most of it homemade. It's simply a fun and enjoyable yard display/home haunt that must be seen to be appreciated.

Full review

Tuesday, July 29, 2014

Haunt on Massasoit Yard Display - Chicago, IL

Haunt on Massasoit is almost what we'd call a drive-by haunt. In other words, there's not a lot to see, and if the night is cold and/or rainy, it's easy to view the entire thing from your car without having to get out. However, being dedicated Horror Tourers, we did get out to take a look to see what it was all about.

Our first visit to this haunt was in 2012. At that time it was a really small display that could easily be seen in about 30 seconds. There was not much there other than a handful of tombstones and a few other props. To be fair, this haunt is located in an area with not much lawn space
, so there's not a lot of room to work with, but even so, a number of other haunts in the area, such as Eerie Acres and Nagle's Khaos Corner are able to utilize the space well, so it's not and entirely valid excuse.

We are happy to say that, while still small, Haunt on Massasoit did double in size from 2012 to 2013.
  Full review here.

Monday, July 28, 2014

Screams in the Park Haunted House - Rosemont, IL

The best thing we can say about Screams in the Park is that it is one of the few pay haunts (in our
view) that lives up to the hype. We remember when this haunt came on the scene. It was clear that it was being portrayed as one of the best haunts ever, and given that it was brand new we found that a bit circumspect. We're always a bit skeptical of such claims as we see them all the time. Thus, we avoided the haunt for it's first year. However, we did eventually get there and we loved it, so it's now one of our "must do" haunts each season. Full review here.

Sunday, July 27, 2014

Review - Madness on Midland Yard Display - Joliet, IL

Madness on Midland is one of those yard displays that keeps getting better each year. It's located in Joliet, home to several other great hone haunts/yard displays, including Count Kuhadja's and Agony, and we make a point of visiting it each time we are in the Joliet area.

Full review here.

Commentary - Haunted Quarry, Joliet, IL

The list of brand new haunts for the Tourers seems to be endless. Here's another one that cropped up for us in 2013 - it's the Haunted Quarry in Batavia. As with many haunts, this was one that was on our list before but that we never got to. However, we made a point of going out there in 2013 and it was well worth it.

Unusually, this haunt featured both inside and outside spaces that visitors alternated between.
It was held in some park district buildings that were not connected, so visitors went from building to building via a series of outdoor trails that also had haunted scenes interspersed among them. It was a very effective use of oddly configured space, and also made the haunt longer and gave it some additional variety.


Full review here.

Saturday, July 26, 2014

Agony Home Haunt - Joliet, IL

Agony is one of the biggest, if not the biggest, home haunts we've ever been to. It is actually two parts in one - the first part includes an elaborate yard display, complete with animated props, pneumatic props, homemade props, lighting, smoke, live actors, and more. This portions encompasses the entire front yard, front porch, and side areas of the home where the haunt is located. This portion is elaborate enough and large enough on its own, but that's really only the half of what Agony is.

Rwview here.

Friday, July 25, 2014

Graveyard on Roy Street Yard Display - Oak Forest, IL

Graveyard on Roy street is a display located in Oak Forest, home to some of our favorite yard displays and home haunts, including Frankenstein's Wedding and Nightmare on Newport. It falls more into the humorous category, as opposed to the scary, but it's one that has grown over the years and one that we make a point of visiting each time were are in the Oak Forest area.


Full Review here.

Thursday, July 24, 2014

In describing the Realm of Terror experience we are reminded of the theme from the TV show "The Facts of Life," which starts out with "You take the good, you take the bad, you take them both and there you have..." That phrase perfectly sums up Realm of Terror for us.

Find out why here.

Wednesday, July 23, 2014

Shabbona Butcher Shop Yard Display - Park Forest, IL

2013 brought us to many completely new haunts and displays, including this interesting one in Park Forest, which is close to Horror Tourer home base. We love when new haunts show up in our area, so we always make a point of visiting them.

Was this one worth it? Find out in our full review, here.

Tuesday, July 22, 2014

Resurrection on Rosehill Yard Display - Lemont, IL

Resurrection on Rosehill was yet another in a long line of brand new haunts for the Tourers in 2013. We hit this on on Halloween itself. It was cold and rainy, and we were thinking that the haunt would not be open at all, but it was, complete with full lights and sounds, and live actors that were terrifying unsuspecting individuals who were across the street. Extra points for the dedication!

Full review here.

Sunny Acres Yard Display 2013 - Mokena, IL

Sunny Acres is an elaborate yard display that we stumbled upon in 2012. We were looking for another haunt and spotted some creepy looking things in the distance so we thought we'd check it out. We didn't realize we were actually at a display that we had slated for later in the season, though. The first time we went there there were live actors, but we liked it so much that we made a point of going back so we could see them.

Since we enjoyed Sunny Acres so much, it was a "must do" on our 2013 list. Alas, the time we visited there were no live actors, but there were plenty of things to see, as well as a nice lighting setup that enhanced the creepiness factor.

Check out our full review here.


Monday, July 21, 2014

Hair Razor Haunted Scenes - Chicago, IL

It's that time again! Only a couple of months until Halloween season begins, so we're back with some 2013 reviews to whet your appetite. First up is Hair Razor Haunted Scenes, a unique haunt on the north side of Chicago. Check out our video commentary here:

Hair Razor Commentary

and our full review here:

http://www.horrortourers.com/hair-razor-2013.html