What a way to start the Spooky season! Basement of the Dead (BotD) tends to be one of our first stops of the Halloween season, as they usually open earliest in our area. The night we visited was a reminder of how amazing of a show they put on. From the moment we left our car in the lot across the street, we could hear their house DJ blasting tunes. While we were waiting for the light to change colors to walk across the street, there was a group of girls running for their lives from a chainsaw actor in hot pursuit. BotD is a clear reminder… tis the season! And we were in for a treat as the team behind BotD and their sister haunt, Disturbia, has been busy providing another great season.
BotD is no stranger to having actors galore. Depending on the scene, we were bombarded with either a room full of actors or a single person controlling the scene efficiently. The hospital scene was filled with a variety of characters, such as demented nurses looking down on you with their tormented patients cowering with fear as you pass them up. A room with padded tilted walls was run by an actor moving the walls effectively by themselves while interacting with the whole group as we passed by.
The dialogue was a mixture of non-existent from the lurkers to ear-piercing screams from the clearly disturbed victims. In the introduction scene, the cult members crept up from behind and snarled so close to our ears. In the doll room, an actor incited friendly dialogue with a sinister twist while another yelled as loudly as she could, which was quite impressive. Towards the end, there is a dark area with lurkers hiding in corners and popping out at the appropriate times with no dialogue needed, which made it spookier.
Shattered 3D is high energy, which was appropriate for their colorful clown theme. The actors banged on plexiglass, ran down halls, and laughed loudly while telling us to get out. Due to the very loud environment, long sentence dialogue is not commonly used. The crew did a great job making it an overall fun experience while keeping us on our toes.
The actors are known to wear high-quality costumes and masks that complete the look. Full makeup is done, and any exposed skin is covered with airbrush makeup, such as the arms and legs. While the majority of actors had costumes that went with the theme of their respective rooms, a few actors were wearing all black street clothing or trendy black goth fashion that could blend easily in any room.
A notable character with full face makeup was one of the dolls in the doll room. She was clearly an adorable ceramic doll that was not well-kept, shown by the realistically done cracks on her face. I had to stop for a moment to see if it was a mask, but it was the work of an exceptionally talented makeup artist.
We saw a woman in the underwater scene slowly approach us. She wore layers of tattered clothing, her face looked as if she was drained of life, and her hair was matted beyond repair, which I’m assuming might have been due to the sea salt. She looked very similar to Calypso in Pirates of the Caribbean, which makes sense since she is the sea goddess.
I would like to take a second to mention the nurses in the hospital scene. Instead of the most used white or off-white dresses with blood splatters and distressing, the nurses wore light blue (or baby blue) floor-length A-line style dresses that flowed beautifully. In this category, we focus on costumes on the human body, but I’ll make an exception to point out that multiple mannequins were wearing the same style dress. I can’t get over how vintage and beautiful this room looked.
Shattered 3D is a clown takeover covered in UV paint. Normally, bright colors are not something usually found in haunted houses. But in this case, the only way to blend in with the scenes and props is by wearing brightly colored clothing and makeup. The actors wore clown-like costumes that looked playful and easy to move around in.
Out in the queue, a variety of characters were roaming around and interacting with the crowd. A rodent walked around in a hazmat suit and a pest control backpack sprayer, the hypocrisy! Cricket wore a striped floor-length dress with a hand fan displaying her name and a bloody phantom half mask with piercing blue eyes. Overall, the actors did a fantastic job displaying their unique characters efficiently.
BotD provides an easy-to-use website to gather up-to-date information. They are available on all social media sites as well. Between their social sites and text message sign-up, there are plenty of options to purchase tickets, and their team is readily available to answer any questions guests may have. While on site, their team is easy to spot with BotD gear, and any member is as helpful as the next. The team is accommodating even through all their created chaos. There is a nearby lot to park at that is free, which is great! The queue is hidden behind some local businesses, but easy to locate due to signage, as well as loud music and several actors around the street level.
Nothing inside the haunt could be deemed as unsafe, as the team here takes precautions seriously for guest safety. Proper footing is always something to be cautious about, as it is easy to stumble, but this goes for any haunted house. If you treat the place with respect and follow the rules given before entering, there shouldn’t be anything to worry about regarding safety. It could get loud in certain parts, greatly disorienting guests. If you find yourself sensitive to such things, I recommend some type of earplugs to help dampen sounds, as the haunt does a great job of randomizing these moments, and they are hard to pinpoint.
BotD and its sister location (we reviewed Disturbia on the same night) are both great at creating a fun party-like atmosphere for guests to enjoy. BotD works great as the queue is sort of hidden behind New York St, which gives it an exclusive feeling. If you know where to go, it is easy to spot; you descend slightly from the street level, from around the main street, to a huge party. This is something the team at BotD always did right and continues to deliver. Every top of the hour, they tend to do giveaways, which adds to guests’ excitement and participation. For what feels like an intimate venue of sorts, BotD does a great job of packing guests in and keeps them entertained with a great live DJ and plenty of photo ops between fun props and great queue actors.
The flow between the main attraction and the Shattered 3-D half is minimal. Once we exit the main attraction, the walk to the 3-D portion is only a few steps away; therefore, we are thrown right back into the insane party for a moment. The same is said once we exit Shattered 3-D, as we are back near the merchandise truck, which sits in the same area as the queue. BotD utilizes as much space as possible and crams so much entertainment in the compact area they have.
Inside the main attraction, it is easy to be immersed in highly detailed scenes that transform guests into other times and lands. We will have more details in the Special Effects and Scare Factor sections of this review, as there is much to talk about. Regarding this section, there is no set storyline to follow in either of the two sections inside the haunt. Though shattered 3-D does stay true to the schtick-y fun effects that seasonal visitors have grown to love. Here you’ll find more of a clown-like theme, and while there is no specific story to follow, it is very fun, nonetheless.
As we continue to state, BotD packs a serious punch in such a compact space. As a seasonal visitor, it was great to see a new opening scene with a great-looking set. Actors here played off how large the main prop was in this scene and referred to it as “Master”. Playing into this, we all raised our hands in worship along with our new cloaked friends.
Progressing onward, there were great props that shared space with actors. The pilgrim scene was new last year, but it evolved this year, and the team at BotD added plenty to be admired here. It is quite interesting as we felt we were making our way through some back wooded area. The lighting here is amber and gives a very fall-feeling. Pairing this with what feels like we are back in the 1600s due to the pilgrim attire, it seems as though we have just wandered into a Salem Witch ritual. Small wooden pentagrams are hanging all around, which help keep the ambiance alive. It does feel appropriate and well thought out; however, I’m always hungry, so it sort of reminds me that Thanksgiving is not far behind.
Though no storyline is followed, there is some well-thought-out flow between scenes. A great example of this would be the surgery room that flows into the fallout shelter. The nurses’ props here are dressed in a great 50s-ish blue attire, even though they yield a modern gore factor. It’s the attire of the props that work as the fallout shelter that feels as though they work together. The shelter has some fun items, such as a broken jukebox, as well as appropriate posters for the 50s era.
Shattered 3-D has some classic effects mixed in with modern props and tricks, and gives visitors a look at what I would refer to as a yesteryear style SFX. It pays tribute to what haunts used to be with some well-done twists. The whole section is cloaked in black light, and walls, props, and actors are covered in neon paint! We are given 3-D glasses at the beginning, and everything here is well-detailed and has some of my favorite 3-D effects in our area. To place this eyepopping paint as appropriately as done here adds some awesome effects that really feel as though certain things and items are floating in midair.
21. How scary was it? (35% of score): 8.7
22. How well did they provide scares to everyone in the group? (15% of score): 8.5
23. How predictable were the scares? (25% of score): 8.4
24. How well did they provide a wide variety (types) of scares? (10% of score): 8.6
25. How strong was the ending / finale? (15% of score): 9
BotD provides plenty of hard-hitting scares throughout both attractions. They fit so much into such a compact area and make every area count. The props throughout all have frightfulness about them and are placed in such which makes their scene a short story. We touched on the pilgrim area in SFX, but it is worth talking about here as well. It is easy to get lost in the scene and details, which gives enough distraction for actors to creep around and give some great scares.
The same can be said throughout other areas of the haunt as well. It is usually a one-two punch between a great distraction and a well-placed actor. One of the other areas I appreciated for a great scare was the army base room. I was so distracted by the props that an actor scared me good. It’s funny in hindsight, as they were simply hiding behind a prop soldier out in the open, and so well that I genuinely got fooled.
Another effect used throughout both attractions is loud noises and air cannons. Both could be triggered plenty of times throughout and feel very constant. There is so much happening between actors, props, and the effect we are currently mentioning, that BotD feels like it is always hitting room after room and scene after scene. I doubt one could walk through either attraction not getting blasted by an air cannon at some point.
As we mentioned, BotD has provided some new scenes, props, and awesome characters. This is all well worth a visit, considering the level of entertainment given. Our walkthrough time was slightly longer than in previous seasons, and the total time between both attractions clocked in at just over 23 minutes. With general tickets listed at $30, our Minute Per Dollar value comes in at 0.77. This is a fair average price point, and it’s worth noting that there are plenty of sales always going on. Between early bird purchases and signing up for text promos. You would have to try hard to pay retail for either of the Legendary attractions (BotD and Disturbia).
With the level of entertainment inside the attraction, as well as the party-hardy atmosphere, BotD continues to provide a great experience for guests. For returning visitors, there are plenty of new scenes to check out and enjoy. First-time guests are in for a real treat! BotD seems to be evolving more over the past few seasons, and we are excited about the new changes. We can also say we are even more excited to see what else this amazing team has up its sleeves.
42 West New York Street, Aurora, Illinois 60506