Have you ever wanted to go to a haunted house that was inside an actual haunted hotel? Well, Cassadaga Haunted Attraction is exactly what you want! During the Halloween season, the old hotel is transformed for several nights to where terror and fear come to life right before your very eyes. You will get to walk through the hotel’s very own halls and rooms, but they won’t look the same as they would during the regular season.
This year is their 10 years of Fear, and these walls speak of ghostly Urban Legends and Carnevil frights. Zozo, inspired by the Ouija demon- along with all her nightmarish legends, lurk in the shadows and bring you right into their nightmarish lore as you walk throughout the hotel. Then, just when you think it’s over, you find yourself in Spazz’s Carnevil, fresh with horror and confusion, where you may just never find your way out of the chaos!
Cassadaga is an intense 18+ haunted attraction that specializes in providing a haunt with real horrors, without the use of animatronics and many props. There are even blackout nights, where you can experience the horrors in pure darkness.
This was our first time out at Cassadaga for their haunted attraction, and I will have to say, it completely blew us away (in a good way!) I may have even lost my breath after this one was over due to how many times I screamed. We even got lost in the maze for a little while and had a wonderful time finding our way out of the clown chaos! This was nothing short of intense, heart-pounding haunted house fun!
Each and every character played their roles so well! It was interesting to be able to walk through the hotel rooms and see them completely transformed to a place in the back of our nightmares somewhere. There was a scareactor in one of the rooms that was crawling on a bed, in what looked like a doll-like dress and makeup, and as we walked in, she lunged at us and had the absolute most terrifying voice I’ve ever heard! It was pure nightmare fuel wrapped up in a bow!
We really appreciated that each scareactor had their own role to play in the scenes, without the use of animatronics. It really helped with the “real-life” feeling you want to feel while in a haunt. Each person had impeccable timing to ensure that you got jump scared at almost every turn of a corner!
The actors in the Carnevil maze were such a good time! It was a circle of pure chaos and scares, that ended up being one of the best parts of the night for us. I especially appreciated the one actor who helped us out of the maze towards the end of our terror streak. I may have had to pay a toll and receive a little bit of a shock to get past, but we made it out… barely alive and certainly out of breath from fear!
All the costumes fit perfectly within their scenes and allowed you to feel like you were really walking through each of the lores of Urban Legends told within the haunt. The characters in the creepy doll room fit so perfectly in with the actual dolls, you wouldn’t even know they were there, until they moved or talked! I also appreciated the scarecrow character that loomed over me in the hallway before entering into his nightmarish realm.
There was a good mix of special fx makeup used, as well as masks, so you never got the same kind of character twice. I would like to possibly see some more details and layers added to the costumes and makeup, making them seem a little more realistic.
The staff at the hotel were nothing short of hospitable to each of us. The actual hotel lobby is also open during the haunt, as well as the Italian restaurant, Sinatras, and there is a bar located on the bottom floor.
There are two line options for the haunted attraction, which has the entrance on the side of the hotel. One is for a “skip the line” option, which is to either purchase tickets, or for those that purchased the fast pass ticket option. The other line is for the general admission line. We did notice there was only a banner located above the patio entrance that stated the difference in these lines, and there seemed to be a lot of confusion when the night got busy and the lines were a little longer than usual. Perhaps, more signage for the line types etc. can be added for next season.
Parking was essentially along the street in front of the hotel, or throughout the side streets nearby (just please be respectful of the homes/people that live in the area) and was free. There were a couple police officers there for security purposes.
From the moment we stepped into the doors of the haunt and entered into the first nightmare Urban Legend, we were immersed in the terror of each story. The way the setup was designed allowed you to walk seamlessly through hotel rooms and hallways, leading you right into the next fear. We did feel the connection of the Urban Legends to the Carnevil part could be a little more cohesive, so that you would have a clearer ending to the Urban Legends and a beginning to the Carnevil maze, and why we were entering it after the Urban Legends.
There was tons of attention to detail in each of the rooms, so that when you were in those rooms, you felt like you were part of that nightmare and were left looking all around at everything that was all around you. Once you left the urban legends and entered the Carnevil, you were left in pure chaos. You don’t know which way to go to get out- there are dead ends in every corner, and terrifying creatures blocking your paths! You walk through doors you swore you already walked through, just to find yourself…right back at the beginning. And that doesn’t stop the scares as you are fighting to get out! They even use shock pads on the walls, to bring in that added fear level you didn’t know existed! The walls in the Carnevil could use some more coverings, creating a more immersive experience, rather than just the uncovered wood.
The scene with the spiders was a memorable one, as the use of feelers hanging from the ceiling added to the intensity of walking through what felt like an actual spider’s nest. It felt like little spiders crawling on you and you just wanted to get out of there as fast as you could, not knowing you were about to come in contact with even more spiders ahead!
The use of sound effects and lighting throughout the haunt was the perfect added detail to each of the rooms. Each nightmare we entered had its own specific haunting tune related to the lore, completely reeling us in. There are not a lot of crazy effects, air blasts or horns.
The use of the drop window to showcase Bloody Mary after the girls on the bed summoned her to their room was a nice touch! And of course, the hallway of mirrors just added to the creepiness overall, knowing she was now out and lurking about!
The lighting was positioned just right so that when you would walk into a certain area where a scareactor would be, you would not be able to see the actor coming at you- providing that perfect jump scare!
The finale was also a nice addition, with the flames lighting up the final nightmare we narrowly escaped from! I would like to see some more special effects used throughout the house, maybe some more fog used in some areas to disguise the actors from view, or even some smells included.
21. How scary was it? (35% of score): 9
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): 9.5
24. How well did they provide a wide variety (types) of scares? (10% of score): 9
25. How strong was the ending / finale? (15% of score): 9
The scares were relentless at Cassadaga Haunted Attraction. They were timed so well that we literally got a good scare at almost every turn! This haunt may not use a lot of special effects or animatronics, but it provides real scares right in your face.
The haunt starts off with the scares being mostly from the nightmarish scenes you are witnessing. Then, as you progress through, they start to get more intense… sometimes completely stopping you in your tracks! Each character played their part so well that they allowed you to really feel like you were stepping into a different Urban Legend with each scene, completely immersed in their nightmare along with them.
Then, as you enter the maze of chaos in the Carnevil, you literally are shocked (literally!) trying to find your way out of the endless turns and doors to nowhere!
This one was not for the weak, and we left loving every single minute of it! We didn’t know what to expect when we came out to experience the hotel in all its Halloween glory, but we can certainly say we did not leave disappointed!
The haunt walkthrough time was almost 13 minutes of terror. Now, we did get lost in the maze for a couple of minutes, so you may have a longer or shorter experience if you just can’t find your way out of the evils that lurk in those shadows! There is only one haunt, but it is essentially two haunts, put together into one.
Ticket prices are $32.84 for general admission and $38.09 for the skip the line admission, which we would recommend, especially on busy nights. The hotel also provides access to their lobby and restaurant during the haunt hours. There are limited psychic and tarot readings that occur throughout the evening and can be booked through the hotel. Outside the hotel were quite a few vendors, if you wanted to browse for some goodies to take home with you, as well. The Cassadaga gift shop also stays open late during the haunt nights, so you can even grab yourself something from the town while you are out there.
The haunt is located mostly inside, but the line is located on the outside of the hotel and is uncovered. Parking is free and is directly on the street in front of the hotel.
Cassadaga Haunted Attraction brought the scares and the nightmares to life! We thoroughly enjoyed our time walking through the Urban Legends, experiencing the terrors right before our eyes- and then being lunged into the complete chaos of the Carnevil maze. We cannot wait to come back next year to experience what new horrors await us from Zozo and Spazz!
355 Cassadaga Road, Lake Helen, Florida 32744
