This was not our first reservation at the Haunted Hotel. We visited this haunt about 4 years ago and had so much fun we went through two more times! Luckily they weren’t as busy then as they were this time. We “checked in” fairly early and both the general admission and fast pass lines were already PACKED!!! Surprisingly enough, many of the people in line that we talked to had never been there and really had no idea what they were getting themselves into. Ruh, roh Shaggy!!!
The Haunted Hotel was the first “touching” haunt that both of us had ever experienced… and we were hooked!!! The Haunted Hotel is an extreme, R-rated, full contact haunt so it’s definitely not for everyone, but for the true Haunt Junkie this place is a MUST! You’re not just going to have your hair sniffed and your face stroked… this place BRINGS IT! We’re talking hair pulling, choke holds, slammed against walls, ankle-grabbing scary fun! And if you’re too big to throw around they’ll tickle ya, and according to Vilonte, he’s not sure which is more disturbing. This haunt was definitely the highlight of our Kentucky haunt tour!!!
Their location itself is so killer because you could totally believe that there’s a little bed and breakfast or boutique hotel located on this busy corner of downtown Louisville. What you wouldn’t believe is how much punch this little place packs!
To kick things off, we were snatched up and thrown against the wall of the lobby to be read the rules of the hotel. After the rules, which are basically that you are about to be made their bitch and don’t be a punk about it, we are led to one of our ALL-TIME FAVORITE HAUNT SCENES, the infamous Haunted Hotel elevator! Although we liked our first experience more than this recent one, there are many haunts that have elevators but no one does it like the Haunted Hotel does it!
Sets cohesively flowed carrying the nightmarish hotel theme throughout. From the lobby entrance and elevator to the grimy basement, then upstairs through various hotel rooms where all acts of depravity occurred, and then outside to exit through the sewer. The sights, the sounds, the smells… everything was as it should be with every scene looking, feeling, and smelling exactly as you would expect it to. Not knowing when, if, or who you were going to be grabbed by made moving from room to room an extremely harrowing experience! The anticipation...
The costumes, make-up, and masks used are perfectly petrifying for the finely-tuned characters here. They are even made in-house by their very own mask and prop company Sinister fx! The actors are freaking sadist psychopaths (we say this in the best way possible!) and are more than ready, willing, able, and excited to jack you up as needed. They even tried their hand at a more theatrical approach in one room with an impromptu game of poker, but he was a cheater. With so many people coming through with no idea what to expect we can only imagine the abuse these guys have to deal with on the regular, and we’re sure they take it all in stride. You really have to love what you do to do this!
We found out from the owner they had experienced a fire in June that scorched the front half of the building on all three floors. They only had around 3 months to rebuild these areas of the haunt and they accomplished it with only the use of generators! The power wasn’t restored until only 3 weeks before opening night! If we hadn’t been told, we wouldn’t have had any clue. All of their rooms still looked dirty and old, like they had been there forever, not fresh and new. This crew didn’t miss a beat.
The Haunted Hotel remains a staple in the Louisville haunted house scene and we hold it close to our hearts. Our only wish for this haunt would be to make it longer and we found out there are plans to expand the outdoor area in the near future. Even if you aren’t in Kentucky you should make the trip to check them out. We are certain you won’t be disappointed! We’ll be back...who’s coming with us?
