13th Floor Haunted House Chicago Review (2026)

13th is located at 9500 River st in Schiller Park. It can be tricky to find parking due to the local businesses having reserved lots. Free parking can be found if you are willing to walk a couple of blocks. There is a parking lot at one spot O’Hare with $20 valet services or $10 immediate parking next to valet if spaces are available. All this information can be found on their website. There is a large marque that says 13th Floor with different messages on it during the season and is clearly visible as visitors drive up. Information about the attraction and all their policies is on their website. There is a large queue to get in line for the attraction.

There are also food vendors, a ticket booth, photo ops, merchandise booths, and games guests can play throughout the midway. Everything is brightly lit and festive and easy to navigate. 13th Floor also has a huge social media presence as well as billboards to advertise with hours and dates open. Event staff, security, and line actors keep the flow going from each area and leading into the house. The security and event staff are readily available for any questions.

The line actors do a great job interacting with guests. The woman in white wanders around the queue telling her sad story and gives off a generally creepy vibe. At one point there was a red-faced demon who was having a great time chatting and being generally scary with his creepy body movements and dialogue. The line actors are a huge part of line entertainment and keep you busy while in wait.

Just after the security checkpoint, we saw the crowd of people waiting on this warm autumn night. The oversized facade of a carnival with old posters and withered, layered curtains invites guests into a world of the unimaginable. As advertised, there are two attractions: Black Hollow Institute and Lady in White. The facade leading to the institute is well lit and shows years of wear and tear. Inside, we are walked through different scenes in a mental institute, with the actors popping out and playing their respective roles of demented patients. Lady in the White was not labeled well to indicate we started the new attraction, but the dimly lit graveyard before the manor was a clear indication it was the start of a new chapter. We walked through different themed rooms; while not exactly tied to each other, they did have a grim feeling.

The rooms were effectively decorated to the max, and the sound effects inside were deafening enough to catch the attention of my watch. A few actors gave dialogue on their roles in their respective rooms, though it was hard to make out what they were saying. Nevertheless, the actors did a great job creating jump scares at the appropriate times.

We managed to get through both attractions without running into other groups ahead of us, even after checking out the secret bars. The use of dark hallways helps give the guests a rest in between to help with the transitions. Towards the end, we noticed a similar hall with a quote that stuck for years: “It’s never too late to mend.” The Old Joliet Haunted Prison was sadly closed; unbeknownst to us, that last season would be their final year. This was a beautiful homage to a place a lot of actors called home. That wave of emotions was a great way to end the walkthrough.

13th has some great effects and equally impressive scenes. The facade of the midway is large and replicates a carnival-like layout. Various sideshow performer posters and such, as a classic traveling carnival would do. Inside, the attraction also has amazing facades before entering the attraction. The first of which resembles a two-floor hospital entry. The second is a large, haunted house and is very impressive.

Throughout the attraction, there are various medical rooms and experimental scenes that have great lighting and sound. Some of the areas have trick floors creating uneven footing, so be sure to use the handrails provided. Speaking of uneven footing… one of the most impressive scenes must be the church. It is a building inside of a building but toppled over in various spots. Personally, we appreciated the skeleton band throwing down on their instruments and felt like a loving tribute to the upcoming Día de Los Muertos next month. The toppled-over part makes guests walk on a near 25–30-degree angled floor.

In addition to all that, there are some various scenes that were at the Old Joliet Prison attraction, so it’s nice to see the various prison scenes living on the 13th. The hidden bars are also well detailed and are worth the add-on ticket prices. The second one feels like a witch’s apothecary and has shelves of jars throughout. 13th feels very well put together and creates a good atmosphere for guests to walk through and frightfully enjoy their visit.

13th Floor has a variety of characters throughout the attraction. In the queue, we spotted roughly 2-3 roaming characters, which makes their job more demanding for such a large crowd. The classic devil costume was fitting for the classic carnival theme, and the Lady in white had a great mask that resembled Clayface from Batman. Throughout the attraction, various characters deliver pop-out scares and growls. Costuming was appropriate for their scenes and worked well. An example of excellent costuming had to be in the second half of the attraction. Inside the classic haunted house room, the character had an amazing dress that felt Victorian.

As we stated, actors relied on classic pop-out scares to startle guests. There are plenty of areas for them to work multiple pop-outs, and they take advantage of each one! The actors inside the hidden bars are very entertaining and act out scenes while giving drinks. Overall, the characters help create an entertaining visit!

The scares 13th provides came very quickly and startlingly. Around every corner there was an actor to take us by surprise by getting our heart racing while setting up the actor in the next room. The actors utilize the low lighting and the plethora of animatronics to set up scares. Since the sets are so stunning it’s easy for them to set up scares at any given time.

A lot of the rooms are large and filled with animatronics, so setting up multiple scares is easy. With different hiding spots, the actors have many opportunities to hit multiple people in a group. Actors can utilize their rooms, startle scares, statues, ominous dialogue, and various growls and screams. Working with the sets and animatronic distractions enhanced fear. The finale allows guests to catch their breath and relax after venturing through the asylum and the house. The end of the haunt leads into the gift shop. Guests can buy photos, merchandise, and pick up items from the Old Joliet Prison (miss ya OJP).

On the night that we visited, our walkthrough was timed at 21 minutes. We managed to check out the two themed secret bars placed strategically in both attractions. 13th Floor opens its doors on weekdays, which are the cheaper and less populated days. On the day we visited, it was at the highest price of $39.99 plus fees. It is important to note that due to popularity, this attraction does get busy, making the Fast Pass ($54.99) and Skip the Line ($69.99) a better option on those busier days. To make it a more memorable night, Platinum options get you freebies, instant access, mini escape games, and access to two secret bars in between the attractions.

This haunt is worth coming out and making it a night to remember. The entertainment from the actors, highly detailed scenes, and movie-like animatronics are to die for!