Raven’s Cross Haunted Village was more than just a haunted house attraction, it was an entire haunted town plus two escape rooms! This place was eerily mesmerizing from the moment we pulled up. There was a hush over the small town as we walked past the supernaturally quiet graveyard up to the quaint yet foreboding row of village shops, storefronts, and cottages. To hear that this spooky village started as the bright and cheerily painted Huckleberry Hill Village was almost unbelievable! We were also told the headless horseman could usually be seen galloping around the pumpkin and scarecrow-filled streets on his steed; but unfortunately for us, we visited on a rainy night so we didn’t have the opportunity to cross his path.
Raven’s Cross is a theatrical interactive experience that has also managed to successfully incorporate touching, making it a truly rare gem in the haunt world. Visitors have the option to opt out of the touching and are given a glow in the dark necklace. We know touching is not for everyone, but we totally recommend it as it adds that extra scary umph to your adventure!
Set in the 1790s, after the town of Raven’s Cross was ravaged by the Black Plague, the survivors sought refuge in the town of Sleepy Hollow but have only brought the disease, death, and madness with them. Now the townspeople of Sleepy Hollow are all dead, dying, or have been driven mad with fear and bloodlust! After this brief intro we were sent on our way with an ominous “God be with you...”
The back-story and theme are very well-developed. They are successfully carried throughout the haunt with Colonial period-appropriate set design and costuming. The town has this otherworldly yet familiar quality as you travel through its streets, shops, and homes. There are very few animatronics and a limited number of the customary special effects because the scares at Raven’s Cross rely so heavily on their actors…. And with good reason! The actors here are really incredible! Consistently managing the action, there were no scenes that felt like they dragged on for too long; in fact, there were a few characters we encountered that we wish we could have spent more time with! The talent at Raven’s Cross ranges from small children to older adults and all of their crew played a major part in making this haunt such an awesome experience!
This haunt definitely brings the scares but not in the typical psychotic, chainsaw-wielding clowns way. We suspect this crew knows when to dial it up and dial it down depending on their audience, making it a great family haunt... even for the Haunt Junkie Jrs out there! Despite multiple haunt owners in Kentucky saying that there was a shortage of people wanting to work as actors, Raven’s Cross seemed to have an abundance of actors with scares at every turn!
Raven’s Cross Haunted Village is located on a fairly large piece of land so we expect some growth from them… and we are HERE FOR IT! We would definitely recommend incorporating more scents; you expect rooms filled with rotted corpses and decaying bodies to smell bad. They are already hitting every other sense so add smell to that! Also, please add a cushion at the bottom of the swamp for Vilonte, he pulled a muscle in his gluteus maximus. Hahaha!!!
Interactive/immersive haunts can be really tough to successfully pull off because of the reliance needed on your most unreliable haunt resource, people! But Raven’s Cross is truly a labor of love and family affair with nearly everyone getting involved with the business. We spoke to one of the actors who was the mother of one of the owners. She was wearing a beautiful, hand-painted cape of her own design and turns out she was also the mastermind behind most of the costume design and set decoration. She explained the long days designing the themes and we started to see how meticulous the creators of Raven’s Cross were and you could definitely see it throughout the house!
From the acting, set and costume design, to the service at the ticket booth and gift shop - this was an all-around AMAZING, one-of-a-kind haunt experience! We highly recommend that you go check out Raven’s Cross Haunted Village in Cave City, KY this year!!!
