The insanity returns this October to Haunted Hills Haunted Attractions! Holy hysteria – this haunt was hellishly overstimulating! It had been quite a few years since our last visit to Haunted Hills, but with a few HHA newbies in tow, we were more than ready to take on a night of frights this attraction is known for.

This year, they offer two walkthrough haunts: their flagship haunt, Haunted Hills Hospital, and the chaotic Sickbilly Sideshow. But that’s not all – there’s plenty more on the property! Guests can brave the blindfolded, fear-inducing experience of Fear Lab. New for this season is a group-vs-group interactive shooting experience, which unfortunately wasn’t open during our visit. The thrills continue with their Mayhem Midway, The Square, Wicked Wonders Gift Shop and Arcade, vendors, games, and more!

It was time to take on the terrors within. So we grabbed our big girl panties and headed for the horrors. Until we saw a life-sized walking spider. Then we ran for the horrors!

Before we made our way to the haunts, we noticed an energetic cast of roaming characters prowling throughout the Mayhem Midway. Mayor Mischief presided over the crowd, strolling around to greet groups and dancing up on a podium. A nurse in a dirty, stained uniform stalked unsuspecting visitors. There was even a giant spider scuttling about – much to the chagrin of our arachnophobic group member.

Sickbilly Sideshow was our first stop, where a clown clutching some stuffed animals welcomed us in. Ah, but that greeting came with a word of warning regarding the freaks we might encounter inside… particularly the mermaid. We would find many, many more clowns populating this chaotic circus, along with a handful of other characters appropriate to the setting. From all around us, cackles and taunts preceded their appearance before they popped out to scare and interact with our group. A lovely clown with red hair enthusiastically offered us “free ice cream!” from her collection of freezers… an offer that turned into outraged shrieking when we didn’t take her up on that. Man, what a bunch of ingrates we were to turn down ice cream! Another asked if we were “ready to see the monkey?” and when we weren’t quite sure, they snapped, “Then you aren’t ready to see the show!” There was a lot of interactivity among the cast here: with each other, our group, and whatever was available to them in their scenes. At one point, one of our group was called forward and asked to participate in a trick by a magician character, which was pretty cool. In addition to all the laughter and mockery directed at us, we heard several fun lines and jokes that not only lined up well with the sideshow theme but also opened the door to more interaction.

Sickbilly had a solid cast of actors, though things started off a little slow and we did run into just a few gaps as we were going through. Most of the characters we met were clowns; more variation- like adding more “freaks”- would make the walkthrough feel less redundant.

After making it out of the Sideshow, it was time for our crew of crazies to be admitted to Haunted Hills Hospital. Not like they needed more patients… the ones they already had, plus the hospital’s sadistic staff, were literally everywhere! Multiple staff members constantly bellowed orders at us. Patients banged on doors, shrieked with laughter, and babbled nonsense. Some were still contained in their cells, but unfortunately for us, many more were on the loose! An unhinged character wearing dirty drawers on their head seemed a little too happy to have “NEW FRIENDS!” when we walked into those filthy restrooms. They requested our names and introduced themself as the “Poo Poo Prince” before gleefully leading us away. The heart surgeon, who appeared to be wrapping up with his latest patient, pointed out a member of our group and threatened, “You’re next!” before charging out for a surprise scare. Passing through more restrooms, we had a humorous interaction with a patient in a stall trying to hide from us and the camera. “Stop looking at me; I’m trying to take a dump!” they scolded. Further into the house, we were accosted by someone offering “shock therapy” with a crackling taser. “Medication time!” one nurse trilled when she saw us. “You look like you could use an extra prescription.” The same actor swung around later for an extra scare. “C’mon, you know you need it!”

Like Sickbilly, Haunted Hills Hospital included a lot of clever dialogue and was highly interactive. There were times when all we heard was senseless screaming or laughter, a contrast to the deep immersion that could be felt the rest of the time we were in there. We also heard dialogue along the lines of “What are you doing in my (blank) / what are you doing here?!”

Since it’s an upcharge attraction, we did not score FearLab, Haunted Hills’ interactive add-on experience. But we did want to show some love for Dr. Trent, who appeared to be spearheading this research. They got us goggled up and led us into testing our mettle against various phobias people might have. Their assistant, the mysterious Dr. Cipher, lurked around the line and kept a close watch over us with their eerie pale eyes.

In the Sideshow, the clowns were colorful, chaotic, and crazy-looking. We saw everything from ruffled collars to checkered outfits, and some clowns even sported sharp teeth and colored contacts to add to the creepy effect. A few wore ties or hats, others waved around puppets, and even a cowbell was thrown into the mix. So not only did they look good, but they were equipped with items and weapons that made them stand out even more.

A mix of masks and makeup covered their twisted faces. No two clowns looked the same. Some went all out in green, black, white, and black paint schemes with running colors and speckled patterns. The only costume we saw that stood out to us as needing additional details was the monkey’s, which only wore a mask with a black T-shirt. The costumes matched the scenes and characters well. The lollipop clown who offered us ice cream and the ringleader were standouts.

The costumes in the hospital leaned into the asylum’s unsettling vibe. There was plenty of blood, ragged masks, and additional sharp teeth that set the tone. Patients sported number tags, scrubs, and clothing covered in grime, and colored contacts enhanced their looks. Some of these folks looked just as crazy as they acted!

The Poo Poo Prince parading around in some raunchy undies on his head (not a sight we’ll soon forget), the lab creature with giant buggy eyes, and the chef with a disturbing dash of flavor were highlights, along with the scalpel-searching madman. Nurses in hats and tattered gowns haunted the halls, while Foxtail’s apocalyptic style had us doing a double-take. Even the chainsaw guys sported evil masks, which made them all the scarier.

We’d also like to talk about the looks in the midway. These folks were some of the best dressed of the night! The spider was disturbing, and the nurse with the slick hair left us wondering what type of medicine she practices. The airbrushed designs, color usage, distressing, and unique looks were impressive!

Stepping off the shuttle from the parking lot, we were giddy walking up to the haunt. The staff at Haunted Hills were happy to see us, helped us get checked in, and directed us where to go. Once inside, they helped us take a group photo, complete with props, and directed us to the midway.

This haunt utilizes a virtual waiting line, meaning your group will receive a text when it’s your turn to queue up. That left us free to roam their amazing midway (more on that in the next section!). For anyone adding this haunt to their list, the Haunted Hills website has all the information you’ll need to plan your visit, including open dates, times, location, ticket prices, purchasing information, and directions for parking. On our trip, GPS led us straight to the parking lot with no issues, and we were able to find the shuttle pick-up area thanks to a lighted tent and friendly staff waiting for us.

Following a brief stop for a souvenir photo, we entered a large midway chock full of spooky sights and stuff to do! Vendors had various goodies available for purchase and we saw at least one concession stand. Other upcharge activities included games like axe throwing and shooting hoops. Characters were constantly on the move through the crowd. Rock music formed the backdrop to a fun, carnival-like atmosphere.

Outside of Sickbilly Sideshow, posters featuring sideshow acts lined the entrance to a dilapidated old circus. The abundance of red and white striped canvas that made up our surroundings definitely made us feel like we were under a Big Top that was long past its prime… or was it? Look out – a whole new crew of CLOWNS is running this show! The glimpses of wooden fencing and bare walls briefly took us out of the environment at times, but most of what we saw was on point for the theme. Scenes were full of assorted props and set pieces you’d expect to see in a circus or sideshow, like the magician’s stage with an actor performing tricks, the prop clown who’d met an unfortunate end on the Wheel of Death, and empty hot dog and popcorn warmers on a concession counter.

Moving over to Haunted Hills Hospital for some terrifying treatment, the immersion in this attraction was just unreal. From the moment we were checked in (or rather, ordered in) to running for our lives at the end, it was absolutely a hospital haunt… with some unexpected scenes and encounters along the way. Among the scenes we experienced were patient cells, grisly operations, therapy rooms (including electroshock), a storage room filled with tools and medical equipment, nurse stations with trays of meds, grotesque restrooms and showers, and a kitchen filled with severed pig parts. The whole house was a total assault on the senses and left us feeling like anything around us could come alive and scare us at any moment. Trust nothing in here!

There wasn’t much that seemed out of place in the Hospital, though we weren’t quite sure what was up with the story of “Foxtail” and why there was a horde of chainsaw-slinging maniacs and junkyard hounds waiting for us just beyond the facility’s walls. (Foxtail was a cool character, though, and that chainsaw crew was so well-coordinated!) The room where new patients were admitted also appeared to be a greenhouse? Some portions of the haunt felt more prison-like than being in a mental ward.

Haunted Hills has put on a master class on scene building this year. In the flagship attraction, Haunted Hills Hospital, every single scene was amazingly rendered. We found ourselves looking around in awe at all the details that were packed into every single scene – at least when we weren’t screaming! Whether it was delightfully disgusting towels that we had to push through, kitchens that were layered with filth and crust, or the pharmacy that had real pill bottles scattered on the shelves, it’s clear that the creative team took great care to make these scenes as realistic as possible.

Sound effects were also on point here. Both attractions featured excellent sound effects that added so much depth to every scene. Sickbilly’s Sideshow utilized music and sound effects that made us feel like we were truly at a circus. They also used animal sounds that had us convinced a real monkey was going to show up at any minute. In the Hospital, there was a sickening mixture of retro 50’s music and terrifying sound effects that constantly kept us on edge. Lighting also played a huge role in these scenes – complimenting scenes and highlighting the details mentioned above. For example, the colorful lighting, and what felt like house lighting at some points that would be found in a real circus, elevated Sideshow.

The actors also used props to their full advantage. By the time we made it out of the Hospital, we were wondering what -wasn’t- a prop. It felt like everything was interactive and could, at any point, start moving! We were on edge for the entire length of the haunt. Walls dropped away, screens started reaching out for us, towels started running toward us, and dogs gnashed at the fence to bite us – at no point were we ever safe! We will note that some of the dog props appeared to be broken when we went through.

In the sideshow, actors could appear from anywhere, making sure we knew we could never trust any tent wall. Whether it was a new scene, someone coming out to lob projectiles at us, or chasing us through huge mounds of foam, we were kept on guard the entire time!

Let’s talk about Sickbilly’s Sideshow first. If you fear clowns, disorientation, or tight spaces, get ready – clowns were everywhere! And… A monkey? That’s right, watch out for that sneaky monkey! The clowns tried every trick in the book to keep us off guard, and they did a good job of it. By the end, we struggled to breathe through a wall of bubbles.

While this haunt was the tamer of the two, with humor in the place of scares at times, it still had us screaming, skipping, and second-guessing what might shoot out at us next, thanks to countless hiding spots that kept the scares unpredictable. They also tried to spread their love out evenly amongst our group.

Now, onto the Haunted Hills Hospital. Prepare to be hit from every angle: blasts of air, sudden sprays of fog, sparks flying, and shifting shelves made our hearts race. Tight spaces forced us to squeeze through while scares rained down from above at times. Every turn brought a new surprise, whether it was a jarring loud sound or a threatening voice yelling, “I’m going to rip your face off!” It was all shock and awe, literally, with spot-on timing that kept the adrenaline high! The scares here were not predictable, and there was a wide variety.

In this attraction, the scares were front-heavy. While the last person in our group wasn’t entirely left out, they missed many scares as they focused on the front two members. However, this was their opening night, and we’re sure they’ll only come into it more as the season progresses.

The best part? They built up the tension perfectly for the finale, telling us we were just the “distraction.” By then, we were fully immersed – ready to bolt! We ran out of that haunt, clutching our belongings and trying to calm our hearts! It was intense!

For those who say that “non-touch haunts can’t be that scary,” – you are very wrong, and this haunted attraction is proof!

Admitting yourself to the insanity will cost roughly $30 for entrance into Haunted Hills Hospital Haunted House, Sickbilly Sideshow Haunted Attraction, the Hills Hollow: Sanctum Scare zone, and the Mayhem Midway. Emergency Fast Passes are available for $40.00. For those brave enough to experience the Fear Lab, it’s an additional $5.00 per body. They also offer other ticketing options such as access to the midway only, season passes, and more.

Our total admission time was 19.5 minutes for the two main haunts (6.5 for the sideshow and 13 minutes beginning after the rules in HHH). This brings the general admission price MPD to 0.65 (minutes of entertainment received per dollar spent. While this is below average, the hauntertainment we received was good for this price of admission. Considering the level of all things on-site, we recommend going all out and at least considering the Ultimate Scare Pass, which includes a t-shirt, Fast Pass admission, and entrance into all three main attractions and scare zone areas.

Beyond the main attractions, your ticket includes decorated photo ops, music, seating areas, and lively midway entertainers to keep the energy up. And if you’re looking to add even more to your night, there are tarot readings, games, and several escape rooms available for an additional cost.

One of the best perks at HHA is their virtual queue! Forget standing in long lines for hours. Here, you get a text message when it’s your turn so that you can explore the midway instead. Play games, grab a bite to eat, or browse various unique items for sale. We found soaps, lotions, crystals, and plenty more to enjoy when we visited!

Haunted Hills Haunted Attractions has quickly become a top-tier staple in Indiana’s haunt scene, bringing that unmistakable Chicago energy to our backyard. The scares were wildly unpredictable, the energy was intense, and it was clear that everyone involved loved every minute of it! You don’t want to miss this haunt – add it to your bucket list!