Haunted Town Hall was reopened 5 years ago after a 4 year hiatus and we are glad they did! Ned Baughman and Dave Neff own, operate, and partake in the activities at their haunt. This is a two-story, indoor haunt based on true stories of the evil Mayor Henry Joseph and the sickness that corrupted those in the town of Lafayette. You will find this haunt located at 101 S. High Street in Lafayette, Ohio and open from September 9, 2016 through October 29, 2016, 7:30 pm-12 am every Friday and Saturday night. This is a haunt that will make you want to get in the car with all of your friends and take a road trip there! It is a classic, story-telling haunt that puts you in the middle of the action. It will likely make you pee your pants one way or the other, either by scaring the Hell out of you or by making you laugh so hard at someone in your group. We are glad we were able to experience this haunt and hope that you get to also.

Haunted Town Hall has an amazing cast that was not only horrifying but also entertaining. On an average night they have about 20 actors filling the haunt. While making my journey through the haunt, those 20 cast members made their presence known, although I felt like I interacted with and saw more than that. Some of the cast are paid but many are volunteers. They work at the haunt because they are passionate about it and love to scare all of you. Each cast member knew their character and worked to enhance each scene. The cast at Haunted Town Hall were amazing at improvising and being put on the spot. They could ask me a question and I could respond and we could have a conversation while staying on topic. It almost gave it a personal feel. I truly enjoyed each interaction with each cast member making it hard to pick ones that stood out because they all did. However, a few of them include Steven Spees who worked hard that night on keeping us guessing how to get out and randomly popping up in places. Nate Army plays Bobo and he was a highlight for me. He called me Sarah and told me to stay away from the skeeters.

Haunted Town Hall has a story to convey and they make this happen with the help of costuming. You will see hardly next to no masks in this haunt as each character is an original. Their makeup is well done and when I asked about it I was shocked to when I found out they do their own. They also try to teach the craft to newcomers in the industry so that the art never dies and they can learn new techniques from one another. Their wardrobes were complete from head to toe with no missing elements. Their attire also matched the scenes we encountered them in and helped keep the story-telling at an all-time high.

Ned and Dave are proud of their haunt and do what they can to keep all of their future victims happy. They are up to code with safety procedures and have plans in place for emergencies. They have people located in random spots to ensure you are helped if you have questions or concerns and need to speak to someone. The night we visited they had 92.1 The Frog doing a live broadcast with music and more. However, the haunt itself being located where it is has some drawbacks. One problem is there is no designated parking area so patrons park on the sides of streets where they can. So please keep that in mind and make sure you lock up all your valuables. It is in the middle of a small town so the sidewalks are far and few between, so many patrons walked in the street. The haunt itself is well-lit but the areas around it are not, so just be aware of your surroundings and maybe put the cellphones away until you are in line so you can pay attention to where you are going. Other than the ticket booth there were no additional food or merchandise items available for purchase.

Nothing like driving through old towns picturing how amazing they were in their prime. Right in the middle of the town stands one of the oldest buildings. It is lit with shades of orange and red that cast shadows on the bricks. You can see the giant opening at the top where it is rumored that the evil Mayor jumped from many years ago. After seeing all this, you know it will be a good night. You get your tickets and stand in a calm, dark line, where occasionally someone will be out to greet you. You watch the story on a video playing while you are waiting in line so that you know what your fate holds when you step into the big white doors of the Haunted Town Hall.

The Haunted Town Hall utilizes special effects, big and small to help the story come to life. You will see the usual special effects such as the vortex tunnel and the collapsible walls. Even though you have seen these in numerous haunts, they are placed in locations that enhance this haunt. Hidden doors and exits are an area of expertise for these haunters. You cannot escape the nightmares that you must face until one of these exits decides to appear, but they sure will keep you guessing! Word of advice, some exits will have you getting low! Other effects were small such as the self-writing pen or the spirit picture frame but their effectiveness wasn’t as small as they were. There were also a few effects that weren’t necessarily freighting but very entertaining.

Haunted Town Hall is based on a true story and the theming throughout the attraction helps recreate the story so patrons can live the nightmare. It is great to see a haunt being able to stick with a theme at this kind of level. Not many haunts are into the story-telling this day in age but that is what you will get here. At one point, this was a working Town Hall in the middle of Lafayette, Ohio where eventually a sickness and the evil Mayor Henry Joseph took over. The building was built in 1899 and is one of the oldest buildings in that area. It has been used as a town hall, fire station, police station (with the actual jail cell still there and being used in the haunt), a school, playhouse and library. Haunted Town Hall incorporates everything into the haunt while maintaining its theme throughout. This is one haunt that does theming well and it is impressive.

I found myself wandering through pitch black hallways that went uphill, downhill on an angle and I felt cold air being sprayed at me while I let out a scream. Yes, I screamed as it was totally not expected and it got me from out of nowhere. Well-hidden actors appeared just in the nick of time to scare the hell out of you. Hidden exits make it to where just when you think you can get out’. guess again. The exits will eventually appear, but only when they are done with you and want to let you go. With the awesome cast who are so good at what they do, they keep it on a personal level, making the whole thing that more creepy. The haunt utilizes all of the space in the haunt which leaves no dead zones so your senses are always on alert. You will get low, you will climb stairs, you squeeze through narrow areas and you will be scared around nearly every corner.

Haunted Town Hall is a two-story, indoor haunted attraction with an evil Mayor who will always be looking for you. The cost of tickets are $10 per adult and $8 for kids 12 and under. If you have a Haunted Town Hall flier, bring it with you to receive an additional $1.00 off your visit. With many haunt prices in the industry at the $20 and $30 range, we find that their ticket price of $10 is a steal! We found this haunt to be worth the hour and forty-five minute drive it took us to get there and at such a low price per person, you need to load up your friends for an awesome road trip… where not everyone may come back alive!