Carpenters Mortuary Spook House Review (2024)

Creepy cast members did an excellent job filling the mortuary’s dimly lit corridors, each bringing their unsettling presence. Many actors cleverly utilized their surroundings, emerging from hidden spots and using the eerie set design to their advantage. However, while some interactions were solid and well-timed, others could benefit from increased guest engagement.

We did encounter a few moments where generic lines like “wanna play a game” or sudden screams were used, which felt a bit underwhelming compared to the more immersive performances. Fortunately, these instances were not the norm, and most of the cast managed to keep us on edge with more creative and sinister approaches.

The cast delivered some unpredictable and well-timed scares. At times, they suddenly appeared above us, jumping down without warning or even stealthily weaving into our group – talk about unsettling! One thing was for sure: that clown didn’t come in with us! Several actors perfected the menacing stare, while others brought bottled-up energy that they unleashed with chaotic intensity. The army medic was a standout, moving unpredictably and keeping us on edge with his perfect sense of timing.

Eunice, a notorious character, had us watching our backs before we entered. Rumor has it, she bites! Meanwhile, Knucklebone insisted we ride his creepy Ferris wheel, and a cackling witch followed closely behind us. The threats came in various forms, from promises of being chopped up to characters twitching, biting, and suddenly springing to life right before us! The cast’s unpredictable movements and diverse personalities ensured we never knew where the next scare would come from!

The costuming at Carpenter’s Mortuary varied from character to character and was scene-specific. Eunice Carpenter greeted us at the entrance wearing a tattered, old farmer-style dress with blue and white checks. We were quickly warned she might bite! But Eunice Carpenter was quick to show us that she had no teeth! So, whew, one less worry there! Eunice is the mother of the Carpenter family.

Once inside, the characters and costumes varied a lot. We definitely encountered deranged blood-covered doctors and nurses. There were many pale faces and dark-circled eyes. You could tell time, and the mortuary had taken its toll. We encountered a well-dressed vampire with a blood-covered face during our journey. We’re not sure why, but this character looked very wet! We barely made it past him before narrowly becoming one of the mortuary’s latest victims.

With their white pointy hats, the vintage clowns gave us a new fear of clowns. The white grease makeup and black lines in their eyes were nothing compared to Knucklebone’s mouth full of sharp teeth. We’re sure they just wanted to take a big bite from us!

There were many other costumes, ranging from army medics, a hard-to-tell-if-was-real skeleton, and a sheet-covered ghost to witches and mortuary staff. All were incredibly spooky-looking in their scenes. Most costumes looked dated and tattered, almost as if they had been trapped behind the mortuary walls for decades! We particularly enjoyed the continuous white and black trend with the costumes. While not all characters wore white and black, many were, adding to the creepy vibe and storyline. We also appreciated running into some costumed characters just as they looked on the haunt’s website.

Carpenter’s Mortuary was extremely easy to find. It is nestled in a picturesque small town in Mid-West Arkansas, and our GPS led us directly to it. Signs and lighting showed us where to go; we felt this was an effortless place to find.

The website is packed with information about the haunt, including spooky videos that give you a glimpse of each monster at the mortuary. There is also a helpful FAQ section for anything they did not cover. In addition to the website, they also have a Facebook and YouTube.

The ticket booth is at the side of the building towards the back. Follow the blinking white light, or look for the circus lights lining the window. Be sure to stop at the gift shop as well. It is a playground for 70, 80, and 90s kids! It showcased VHS, cassettes, vinyls, and all sorts of spooky gifts!

And yes, hallelujah! They had indoor bathrooms! They are located right by the gift shop. The hall leading to them is lined with spooky masks and movie posters from other eras. Just going to the bathroom gives you something to look at! The nostalgia in this building is fantastic.

The parking is street parking, and there seemed to be plenty of it. The area is well-lit and free, and an officer was on site. The whole vibe was enjoyable, except for the menacing clown and blood-covered creatures that would occasionally emerge from the building…

Carpenter’s Mortuary has some of the nicest staff members you could meet at a haunted house! If you have any questions or concerns, they should be easy to spot outside, and will be more than happy to assist.

When approaching Carpenter’s, there is no mistaking what it is – Mortuary is written in stone right above the ticket booth! The building features beautiful turn-of-the-century American architecture and the retro vibes of the haunt dovetail perfectly with the building itself. Even details like the period-correct ceiling tiles lend ambiance to the haunt. Once inside the queue, we loved that the person taking the tickets was Eunice, a character central to Carpenter’s lore. While a unique, vintage-looking TV towering above the line hinted at what to expect inside, we would’ve loved to have seen more of the haunt’s lore on display for guests, either from an intro given by Eunice or some other character to prepare guests for what is waiting inside. We recommend checking out their website for their video backstories of the characters inside! These really helped set the mood before we visited!

One unique feature of this haunt is seeing the end before you even begin. While waiting in the queue area, you can see the finale scene. You might think this would prepare you for it, but trust us – it’s just as scary even if you know it’s coming! After we were able to (barely) make it out of the building, we were able to visit the gift shop located outside the haunt, back by the ticket booth area. While we did have to backtrack to get there, please make sure you don’t miss it! We were also thrilled to see the retro vibes continue even into the gift shop, with vintage horror media and Halloween blow mold masks proudly on display, as mentioned above.

The scene details in this haunt are amazing. The creators aim for a mid-century aesthetic in the haunt, and every detail is spot on, from the TVs and the cartoons playing on them to the simulated plaster walls and wallpaper that would’ve been popular at the time. If that wasn’t enough, the clocks winding back in time really drove the anachronistic theme home. Small details get love, too, with even the letters on the typewriter relating back to the central story of the haunt! If you get a chance, we definitely recommend reading them – read fast, though, because there will be a ghoul hot on your heels!

That old-school vibe is reflected in the animatronics and props. One of our favorite details was a ghostly projection that appeared to rise up out of an urn. Pay attention when you see this particular ghost, though, because if you look closely, you just might recognize them outside! Some scenes could stand some small improvements, though, to make them impactful. Inside, we saw a coffin with a lid that slowly opened and closed with a clear reciprocating motion. Increasing the speed or even pausing the motion at the top and bottom would make it feel more realistic. In another scene, there was a terrifyingly detailed man writhing in a hospital bed after suffering a complete skin removal. We loved its motion, but the air exhaust was loud and could stand to be muffled to decrease the sound and keep the focus on the scene.

There were many excellent effects throughout. A particular standout was a real Jacob’s Ladder, which includes an electrical arc between two wires. This detail made the lab scene literally pop (and sizzle!). Blacklight effects in the clown scenes made them especially eerie, and flickering wall lights in the rest of the haunt added to the spooky feeling in the rest of the haunt.

The entire production of Carpenter’s Mortuary came together to give us great scares. They did an excellent job of providing scares to our entire group, and we were constantly looking over our shoulders to see if someone or something was coming up behind us! This would’ve been a solid plan, except for the scares that came from above! This approach, coupled with the anxiety-inducing narrow halls, always kept us on our toes and peeking around corners to make it out safely.

During the finale, we were blocked and surrounded by two terrifyingly twisted individuals who did not want to let us leave! While this was a rather intimidating scenario, we’d love to see the use of some equipment to really chase guests out of the exit!

We were twisting and turning through the dark and dated mortuary halls for 14.5 minutes, which brings their MPD (minutes of entertainment received per dollar spent) score to 0.73. While this is below the average of 1 that we see most often, it seems good for the area, and the haunt was totally worth the price of admission! General admission was $20.00, and fast pass was $30.00.

As soon as we got out of the car, we had a few characters surrounding us to give us a taste of the entertainment while we waited inside. In addition, be sure you check out the “World’s Smallest Corn Maze” at no additional cost! Also, the TV and vision of the doctor working on his current patients gave us more reasons to think about our life decisions as we waited.

The gift shop offers a variety of T-shirts, magnets, buttons, and some unusual items, such as vinyls, VHS, and cassette tapes. Everything about this place is unique. Even the trip to the restroom was an opportunity to see various movie memorabilia and posters. And let’s not forget all the cool masks!

If you’re looking for an immersive haunt that sticks to the origins of its registered historical building, look no further than Carpenter’s Mortuary Spook House – it’s in an actual mortuary!