Happy Anniversary, Hush!!! Hush Haunted House in Westland, MI was celebrating 10 years of scares in the 2022 haunt season. They outgrew their previous location and have only been in their current one since 2019, but they have more than settled into the new space.
Housed in a MASSIVE 40,000 square ft building, Hush features 3 separate attractions, yet they are all unified by the Louisiana motif. Belly of the Beast, Louisiana Catacombs, and Rosecliff Hall Haunted Mansion each flow one into the other for a seamless experience. That is... unless you get the Bar Creep Pass and break them up by visiting one of the 3 hidden bars... but we'll get to that in a second.
When we stepped into Hush for the first time our jaws dropped! Their queue line is a legit Bourbon Street-style block! The city of Hush Falls is complete with a City Hall and fountain, storefronts including a bookstore, barbershop, hotel, bar, and more! WOOWWW! Just standing in their gorgeous queue line was an experience in itself. The views were floor-to-ceiling incredible! Plus, there were a few beasties roaming the "streets" interacting with us.
The haunt that kicked things off was Belly of the Beast. It began in the grand Hush Falls Hotel lobby which was absolutely breathtaking! We truly felt transported into 19th century Bourbon Street with the beautiful antique furniture, finishes, and sophisticated period clothing. This was a very welcome change after getting boogers blown on us in the queue line. Haha! This is also where we had our first photo op experience.
We took the service elevator down into the "belly" of the hotel. It began with usual hotel things like a laundry room, spider-infested corridors, but quickly progressed to the more arcane - ancient temples and burial chambers. Hush Falls Hotel was constructed on top of a dark lord’s domain! And the Hollywood quality builds continued!
Louisiana Catacombs took us on an eerie stroll through graveyards, mausoleums, and, of course, catacombs. It was amazing how they made this enclosed space feel outdoors through set dressings and the masterful use of lighting.
The last haunt, Rosecliff Hall Haunted Mansion, was ominous and foreboding from the moment we were greeted at the entrance by the home’s caretaker. He explained that once we met the owner we were going to have to fight our way out. And it wasn't just the owner... EVERY “resident” we encountered meant us harm, and they were coming at us from all angles!
The actors at Hush were INCREDIBLE! They gave us all the haunt “feels” - they were creepy, made us jump, and made us laugh. There were a few actors who totally had us fooled! The way they moved combined with how they were placed in the scene... we genuinely could not tell if they were real people or an animatronic, and we looked harddd! Makeup, costuming, and masks were all well done, and kept us fully immersed in the story.
Now, back to the bars as promised... Hush provided a haunted adventure unlike anything we've ever experienced! There were hidden bars set-up between the haunts! We're not really drinkers and are usually not supporters of drinking and haunting, but we absolutely LOVED Hush’s bar experience! Expedition Basecamp and Von Rose Distillery were the perfect intermissions between attractions, and Voodoo Blues felt like a super exclusive speak-easy. Staying in line with the haunt sets, the bars were beautifully themed down to the 2 speciality drinks offered. A huge bonus for us was that each bar we entered was filled with the most interesting group of strangers to talk to!
In addition to their usual walkthrough, Hush also hosts specials events. They have Kid’s Hours with a lights on tour, a monster meet and greet, and candy for the Haunt Junkie Jrs who may feel the regular attraction is too intense. They also offer a lights out event where your group is forced to navigate all 3 haunts with only one glow stick!
An important fact we’d like to highlight is that there is an incredible comradery between the Michigan haunts, and we absolutely love it! Each one opens during the week to give the owners and workers at other haunts the opportunity to come and enjoy! How amazing is that?! We were lucky enough to visit Hush on one of those nights and got to meet one of Exit 13’s owners and a few of their scare actors, plus a big crew from Nightmares from Hell!
This is a haunt that should NOT be kept quiet! Hush is extremely well thought out and executed. Their timing is impeccable, and the way the actors and props complement the animatronics and effects (and vice versa) is just so well done! They are masters of distraction - making you look left before a scare hits you from the right! So, whether you roll with the Bar Creep Pass for the hidden bar adventure or enjoy all 3 haunts uninterrupted, you’ll definitely be wow’ed by the sets and have an incredible time at Hush! Laissez les bons temps rouler! Or should we say… les effrayant temps…
