Abattoir A Haunted Attraction Review (2024)

We encountered a few cast members. Some ghosts, clowns, butchers, and cult members.

One ghost from the past stood so still that we honestly could not tell if she was real or a ghastly statue. She wore a dirty white gown and had knee-high socks on. As we walked by, we were ready for the next scare. Little did we know, she had followed us slowly. Strobe lights created an eldritch moment. So when we looked back and she moved closer, we quickly hurried. She slowly raised her knife up and then disappeared. This is the kind of ghost we are afraid of. She stayed in the back of our minds as we moved from room to room.

As we moved throughout the haunt, we encountered several other ghosts and creatures. We witnessed a butcher burning his victim over a fire. He told us he typically likes rare meat, but tonight, well done will do.

There was a clown that we found it hard to place. She started outside and went inside, moving us along quicker than we would have liked. Going down into the basement, we were met with a cult leader who took our names as if they were writing us down as their next sacrifice.

The cast contributed to this experience, interacting with us for most of the way through. Mostly matching the storylines at play and fitting the theme, this cast had us giggling, gasping, and genuinely amazed at the unique and different performances throughout.

The queue actors gave us a glimpse of the detail and craftsmanship of each costume or makeup application they presented. One creature had a mask with multiple heads trying to escape. It was more like an extra layer of skin around the head, with souls trying to escape. Genuinely making our skin crawl.

Inside, we were met with several white gowns and torn and bloodied bodysuits. Some characters had bloodied masks as if they had just finished an entree of kidneys.

Some of the actors’ masks weren’t fully blended, or their costumes were dirty in one place but really clean in others, leaving us confused about what was really going on and taking us out of the moment.

Many of the cast members matched what we would believe the Gaston family would look like behind the safety of their home. The majority of the rest of the actors the night of our visit matched cult perfectly, wearing long black robes or getting sacrificed to who knows what.

The drive there was simple and straightforward. The GPS took us to a giant glowing red sign that said ABATTOIR. They had free parking, some on the street, and a more considerable parking lot in the back. One of the roads there did have a sudden decrease in speed, so take it from us that it would be in your best interest to pay attention and slow down.

The ticket booth was noticeable when we approached the attraction, and the staff inside were friendly and genuinely glad to be there. The other staff members we talked to happily answered our questions and conversed very well, leaving a homey feel to the experience.

They had an officer on site for security, which was nice.

Finding information online was pretty straightforward. You do have to go to the website directly for pricing, so we would have liked to see that information listed on social media as well.

As we walked up to the ticket booth, we were met with this sick car (no spoilers here) that would have even startled us from ½ mile away. We were thrown in a door and immersed in a room where we were given the rules and shoved into the story of the Gaston Family.

We were thrown into the cannibalistic theme almost immediately. We had to search in a few different areas to find the right door for more of the story, keeping us immersed and full of anxiety. Walking through some of the rooms, we didn’t fully understand how dolls and a room with a spooky witch fit into the theme, even though they were highly effective. Once we were about halfway through, we were again met with fully blown cannibals and their victims. We were led down into a basement, where we walked through a corridor of cult members. The shift in the story was a little awkward, but the corridor made the story clear.

At the end of this 15-minute journey, we were thrown into the alleyway and left with dirty chairs and a table. We were kicked out into a parking lot as if we escaped the demons inside and were summoned to never return. There is much opportunity for a finale here, but the immersion mostly satisfied us.

Abattoir was filled with props, animatronics, and many gruesome details and effects. We encountered more animatronics than we have ever seen in one haunt. Some of the animatronics were eerie, and we honestly couldn’t tell what was actually human and what wasn’t. A giant rat came flying out at us from the wall. A multi-layered birthday cake came flying open! We witnessed a victim being burned over a fire. A witch popped out at us as a girl held her knees as still and silent as possible. We found a victim with her face realistically smashed on a table. A group of ghosts flew out at us from a random wall. Every corner we turned, we were met with an effect of one kind or another.

We had to walk on what felt like wet rat fur down into a sewer with fuzzy walls and not be able to see any of it the entire time. We heard carnival music; in some parts, it was as if we could listen to real rats. Strobe lights were used in a few different places and were extremely effective. We had to walk narrowly down and through a maze that continued to get narrower as we walked further. We became trapped between two walls, believing we would be stuck there forever.

Abattoir stands out in Special Effects. This year, the special effects carried the haunt, and we can’t wait to see what they have in store next time.

Abattoir scared all of us in entirely different ways. Whether it was the way too realistic human-like props, the claustrophobic pitch-black hallway, or the body bags hanging from the ceiling, we were all frightened at some point. Some of the scares we did see coming, especially towards the end when we started to learn the Gaston family’s tricks.

The hairs on our necks stood up as we were followed, teased, and threatened. The cast made a point to include our entire group in their torture. Each character had their own way of providing unique kinds of scares. Some made us nauseated; some made our hearts drop, and there were a lot of double-takes. We had to climb, crawl, and squeeze our way through. There weren’t any other options.

Abattoir didn’t scare us in the traditional haunted house way. It left us questioning reality, which might have been scarier.

Our walk through this 2-floor, 26-room, 24-door, 5-hall building with many secret doors took us 15 minutes. This season’s ticket price is $20, making the minutes-per-dollar(MPD) .75, a little under the average of 1, but with many secret and locked doors, mazes, and obstacles along the way, it could take other guests longer to escape. Outside, they didn’t have much besides some really cool queue actors and staff to banter with, a really cool car (again, go see), and a covered area for a line.

Exhausted in the best way from all the laughter, we got into our car to head out. Behind us, we again thought we saw that girl in the socks and white gown, holding up a large knife in both hands and getting closer with every blink. We booked it (but not too fast).

Whether it was the Gaston Family of cannibals or the Cult taking our names, Abattoir changed our perception of reality.