Abattoir A Haunted Attraction – Full Review

Abattoir A Haunted Attraction is a Haunted Attraction located in Vincennes, IN.

321 N 2nd Street, Vincennes, IN 47591
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Haunt Type(s):

Links:

Contact:

Features:

Free Parking, Restrooms/Porta Potties On-Site, Gift Shop/Souvenirs, Special Events, Original Characters, Covered Outdoor Waiting Line, All-Indoor Attraction

This attraction was reviewed on October 23, 2021 by Team Zombillies.

Final Scores:

(15% of Final Score) Cast: 7

(15% of Final Score) Costuming: 7.33

(10% of Final Score) Customer Service: 9.19

(10% of Final Score) Atmosphere: 7

(15% of Final Score) Special Effects: 7.85

(5% of Final Score) Theme:

(15% of Final Score) Scare Factor: 7.81

(5% of Final Score) Entertainment & Value: 7.65

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Abattoir: A Haunted Attraction takes residence in Indiana’s historic French city of Vincennes. Respectively, what better name for a haunt in such a town that has 30+ rooms of terror than a word that translates to the phrase Slaughterhouse? We’re sure the multiple groups of patrons that we saw leaving the chicken exits will agree.

2021 is Abattoir’s 2nd season in operation, and our review team continues to be impressed with the ‘out-of-the-box’ thinking Marshal (the owner) and crew bring to the proverbial ‘table’ of terror. With an impressive array of attacking animatronics, an interactive cast of maniacal miscreants, and a few ‘smashing’ surprises of their own, we find it equally exciting to discover their creative uses of these tactics compared to other haunts that we visit each season.

The question is, are YOU brave enough to venture to Vincennes to view these violent villains for yourself?

Cast Scores (15% of Final Score):

(20% of Cast Score) Did it seem like there were enough actors?: 7.25

(30% of Cast Score) How creative, believable and convincing were the actors?: 6.75

(20% of Cast Score) How interactive were the actors (verbally and physically)?: 6.75

(15% of Cast Score) How creatively & appropriately did they use dialogue?: 7

(15% of Cast Score) Was there a good variety of characters?: 7.5

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As with many haunts (and other businesses) this year, staffing was a bit tight for Abattoir. Despite that, a select few sinister assailants snuck up on us several times to multiply the frights we received including Billy Bonzo. Also, the Doctor and the Executioner were verbally interactive with us, splitting up our group to experience different experiments and making us pull the lever to electrocute a culpable criminal. Make sure you pull it hard and fast or it won’t be good enough! (We know – that’s what SHE said)

However, the dialogues varied from monster to monster. Some jumped out with common ‘rawrs’ and hysterical laughter, while others selected scripts more suitable to their scenes. Regardless, we could tell these creatures were conscious of their areas due to their ability to scare us from multiple directions. Some crawled out on the ground from unsuspecting sanctums, banged from behind barriers, or lunged out from secret lairs trying to grab us!

Costuming Scores (15% of Final Score):

(15% of Costuming Score) How complete / finished did the costumes appear to be?: 7

(25% of Costuming Score) How creative / detailed were the costumes?: 7.75

(20% of Costuming Score) Was their makeup creative? Detailed? Realistic?: 6

(15% of Costuming Score) How effectively did they use masks (if used)?: 8

(25% of Costuming Score) How appropriate were the costumes for their scene/s & theme/s?: 7.75

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When it comes to masks and makeup, most of these monsters’ looks leaned towards masks to finish the fiends’ faces. Most of the masks included high-end silicone models that enhanced the realism of the respective miscreants and formed to their faces enough to make them easily heard as they spoke to us. A couple of the most memorable masks were those worn by Billy Bonzo, the executioner, and the pig-headed axe murderer near the finale.

Makeup was also used during our tour and was [albeit moderately] successful at sending shivers down our spines. Still, most of the monsters were well dressed and matched the scenes we saw them in. Some of these included filthy overalls, work uniforms, lab coats, and more as prescribed by the character being portrayed. Others used accessories, such as arm-length gloves and hooks, to extend their devious depictions down the lengths of their limbs and various weapons to increase the intimidation factors.

Customer Service Scores (10% of Final Score):

(25% of CS Score) How easy was it to locate the attraction, park, and navigate the premises?: 8.75

(30% of CS Score) How safe was the attraction?: 9

(25% of CS Score) How professional, helpful and friendly were the staff members?: 10

(20% of CS Score) How easy was it to find their information before* arrival?: 9

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Abattoir’s 2nd Street location puts them right down the road from Vincennes University. An elevated and illuminated sign by the street helps approaching visitors to spot their location from quite a ways away. First, however, one must embark down a narrow alley to access their neighboring parking lot. On most nights, a parking attendant helps indicate where to enter and the best place to park.

The ticket booth is on the opposite side of the building as the parking lot. Several small tents are next to each other, covering the ticket booth and queue area, which was great on the drizzly night that we attended! Everyone we spoke with was amicable and able to help us with any questions we had. At the ticket booth, be sure to cast your vote for your favorite holiday, as they’re currently planning on opening at some point during the off-season for whichever event gets the most votes! Options include Christmas, Valentine’s Day, and St. Patrick’s Day.

Inside the haunt, guests can expect to experience two floors of fear! However, with that said, there are some stairs to descend and ascend to complete the journey. In addition, there is also a spot through which customers must crawl but it’s soft. Overhead lights adequately illuminated each flight of stairs, and no scares were happening in those areas. Well, that is until we were well clear of them and any trip hazards. Be sure to limber up before you get started; you’re going to need it if you expect to escape the assailants within!

When searching for information online, we were able to find their general information quickly and easily on their website along with a video, FAQs, and more!

Atmosphere Scores (10% of Final Score):

(60% of Atmosphere Score) How obvious was it that you were at a haunted house before entering?: 7

(40% of Atmosphere Score) How well did the atmosphere prepare you for what you experienced inside?: 7

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Abattoir’s atmosphere (outside the building) is relatively minimal but ‘to the point.’ Small posters and projections in the streetside windows displayed the haunt’s name and added some spooky sights to the structure’s front. In addition, Billy Bonzo’s occasional walkabouts while wailing, ‘It’s too scary in there!’ and mingling with the crowd, as well as the haunt’s illuminated sign, certainly help imply the presence of a haunted attraction. There’s also a collection of ambient sounds playing and a small photo op booth near the entrance where folks can take some sinister selfies with their group.

Special Effects Scores (15% of Final Score):

(20% of SFX Score) How effective were the sound effects?: 7.75

(20% of SFX Score) How creative / original were the scenes & props?: 8

(20% of SFX Score) How well were the scenes detailed?: 7.75

(25% of SFX Score) How well did they achieve & maintain the suspension of disbelief?: 7.5

(15% of SFX Score) How effective were the SFX at providing scares / entertainment?: 8.5

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Abattoir is a bit of a rare bird in the Special Effects department. On one hand, avid scare-seekers may be impartial to some of the more conventional displays on tap throughout the tour. On the other hand, however, there’s also an impressive mix of high-end, heart-pounding animatronics, startling sounds, and their own brand of creative chaos that’s sure to keep even the most experienced terror tourers on their toes!

Perhaps the most noticeable changes since last year were the rooms themselves. Previously, many of the scenes were relatively large and unencumbered by walls and such. This season, efforts to shrink some of the room sizes successfully added more twists and turns. Not only did this give the monsters more places to hide, increase immersion, and make some of them more physically interactive, it also added a bit of length to the haunt! More on that in our Value section below.

Other tricks included cleverly-placed twitching bodies, group-dispersing doorways, visual illusions, multiple audible and visual electrical shocks, well-disguised hiding spots, unexpected blasts of air, and quite an extensive collection of grotesque corpses scattered around everywhere!

However, two of our most memorable sections at Abattoir are their ‘chainsaw hallway’ and their ‘smashing hallway.’ We won’t dare ruin these surprises for you, but we haven’t seen either of them at any other haunt this year. Both of them made us run or think twice about going through at all! Aside from these, we also noticed some large rodents, a creepy phone ringing, punctured pipes, an escaping skeleton, a quarantine zone, and a whole lot more that you’re just going to have to see for yourself.

Lastly, we noticed an improvement in sound usage this year. One of the first scenes was quite memorable with the upbeat old-timey music contrasting with the chaotic scares going on in the scene. Some of the selected singles included ambient sounds that helped break the silence, but other choices may have better enhanced the intensity and scariness of the scenes. Many of the most influential sounds came from the props and animatronics themselves.

Theme Scores (5% of Final Score):

(30% of Theme Score) Could you tell what the theme was?:

(50% of Theme Score) How well was the theme carried throughout the attraction/s?:

(20% of Theme Score) How well does their location authenticate the theme?:

This score is left “N/A” when we believe the haunt is trying to target a random variety of themes or phobias, rather than a single overarching “Theme” or “storyline.”

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Abattoir doesn’t seem to follow any specific overarching theme or storyline. It does start out as an asylum but you’ll experience a variety of villains and frights beyond that. Some of these include the medical scenes, clown encounters, and a variety of other calamitous creatures.

For the most part, it seemed that everything was set on killing or hurting us in a variety of ways.

Scare Factor Scores (15% of Final Score):

(30% of Scare Factor Score) How scary was it?: 7.75

(15% of Scare Factor Score) How well did they provide scares to the entire group?: 8.5

(25% of Scare Factor Score) How predictable were the scares?: 8

(15% of Scare Factor Score) How well did they provide a wide variety of scares?: 7.75

(15% of Scare Factor Score) How strong was the ending / finale?: 7

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Before we even started our tour of Abattoir, we witnessed several groups of haunt-goers using the chicken exits, coming back out the front door in a panic attack, or running out the normal exit fleeing from the final fiend!

Aside from standard startle scares, this attraction extorts an extensive assortment of frights and phobias. Some of these include darkness, clowns, hospitals, doctors, confined spaces, werewolves, and zombies. And, however, just because you’ve experienced one of them already doesn’t mean you may not get it again before the end of the tour!

In addition to the wide selection of scares, we couldn’t tell from which direction they might show themselves. Some came out from well-hidden hidey holes, others from within the walls, and others WERE the walls themselves! Lastly, this is what we’d call a ‘360 haunt,’ where the scares may attack you from any direction, including from above or below you. Trust nothing!

The finale of the haunt takes place immediately at the top of a set of stairs, which leaves little time for suspense build-up or an impactful scare scene, but safety is the top priority, and we still saw several groups come running back out to their cars. From what, you might ask? Well, we’ll put it this way: ‘Meat is Murder!’

Entertainment & Value Factor Scores (15% of Final Score):

(30% of E&V Score) How satisfied were you with the entertainment received during the main attraction/s?: 8.25

(25% of E&V Score) How satisfied were you with the entertainment that’s available with* the ticket price, excluding the main attraction/s?: 6.75

(30% of E&V Score) How appropriate is/are the ticket price/s?: 7.75

(15% of E&V Score) Have they effectively used their available space?: 7.75

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Customers can purchase general admission to experience the atrocities at Abattoir on-site for $15. Our group was subjected to their sinister scares for just under 10 minutes, which gives them an MPD (Minutes of Entertainment per Dollar spent) of 0.67. This result is considerably lower than the average of 1.25 that our Team has seen this season. Still, the creativity and originality of some of the scenes and startles within make this attraction well worth a visit! Plus, it’s one of the more budget-friendly haunts that we have the pleasure of visiting each season.

While we waited, there were a few items to take pictures of, some spooky music, and Billy Bonzo prowled the crowd, taking selfies and running up and down the street hilariously expressing his thoughts on the haunt itself. But other than that, there wasn’t much going on to pass the wait in line.

Abattoir states on their website that they do offer a SCARE-LESS adventure. If you don’t think you’re brave enough to survive the terrors within, feel free to ask for this option at the ticket counter.

Abattoir is a unique haunted house just a stone’s throw away from Illinois in South-Western Indiana. With 2021 only being their 2nd season in operation, and with all of the new frights we find here each year, we can’t wait to come back and see what else they come up with!

How Did We Get These Scores