Haunting at the Hannah House Review (2024)

Hannah House had various cast members inside and outside the haunted and truly stunning mansion. Inside the dimly lit walls, we were greeted by a woman carrying a candle as she guided us through the rooms, telling us the story of Hannah House while allowing the beauty and history within this home to be taken in by our group. A young girl danced around us in each room, giggling and creating an eerie tone. We met similar characters upstairs as our tour continued.

She eventually led us to a secretive area, and that’s when the cast took a turn… We were met by a cheeky nun chanting, “Join us, join us!” as she watched us go down steep stairs, she commanded us, “Don’t be too careful on the stairs, for we want you to join us permanently!” Permanently?!

One actor cursed us, others stalked us, and one was on display as he tormented his victim. We had to escape Freddy and his sharpened finger knives to escape the indoor frights!

We faced who we dubbed “Cannibalistic Barbie” literally head-on as we made our way outside; her disturbing laughter and antagonistic demeanor sent chills through us. Earlier in the evening, as we waited to enter the haunt, she warned us that she was going to drink our blood that night! Do not get into a staring contest with her; she will win!

We recognized Ash and could feel the excruciating pain he exuded from sawing off his own hand with a chainsaw right in front of us! Realistic Deadites longed to feed off of our souls. We are unsure who was under the masks, but three Ghost Face characters surrounded us for a sharp attack with impeccable timing!

Michael was ominous, notable, and realistically creepy, but we wish he did more. Leatherface almost sawed up us, and Jason made us scream multiple times. The gravedigger had places for guests to “rest,” all prepared and ready for bodies. A Killer Klown threatened to bang our heads with her mallet, and if she asks if you want an “autograph,” say NO and get out of there! If you can escape all of her friends… that is.

Overall, we enjoyed the energy and creativity of the volunteer-based cast at Hannah House. Everyone stayed in character. There were a good number of actors and a variety of characters. We look forward to watching the cast continue to grow into their roles and bring more dialogue and “life” to each character’s story. This takes time, and Hannah House is in its reopening stage after many years off and a change of ownership. Considering this is their first year back, the cast brought fun frights to already truly haunting surroundings!

The costumes indoors at Hannah House were appropriately flowy Victorian dresses and bonnets worn by our house guides, and the little girls were dressed similarly. Both guides carried illuminated candles that set the right vibe as they told the stories of Hannah House. Those roaming the house appeared to be pale and dead, and we noticed partial burns on some of them… which was fitting to their story!

The nun was in her rightful black and white attire with realistic and crackled facial makeup and looked like they had been dead for decades, which added to their scary and bold character. They were also holding a candle-lit lantern.

The cannibalistic Barbie character was covered in blood from her past victims, the Ghostfaces were in character-appropriate black robes and masks, accessorized with knives for stabbing, and Michael was in his navy coveralls, boots, and mask – with a tad bit of dirt and blood! The Killer Klowns from Outer Space had unique hairstyles, scary masks, and decorative bright clothing, carrying killer items like mallets. If the clowns ask for a ticket to tour their show, you can try giving them a leaf, as it worked for us!

Costumes at the Hannah House attractions were appropriate for each role, though we want to note that the gravedigger was a bit clean for someone who was prepping victim resting places, and a few characters, such as Freddy, could use more details, such as his signature hat. We also saw a few untucked masks and costumes open in the back.

Overall, we enjoyed the variety of costumes, which fit in well with their surroundings.

Getting to the Hannah House was easy. Our GPS took us directly to the multi-story historical home. However, parking was a little tricky. We parked in a lot directly across from the entrance to the haunt, which was a manned and paid lot for $10. However, staff later informed us that free parking was available behind the house, but it was not a manned lot. From there, we followed the lights to the ticket tent but we were a bit confused about where to go at first. We recommend some additional lighted signs to help direct customers where to go.

Their website had a lot of information needed for us to plan our visit. It listed ticket prices, hours, dates, and information regarding local vendors being set up on the lawn of Hannah House. We would like to see more photos and FAQs on the website and an explanation of where to park/parking offered.

Watch out for some ramps and steps inside and some uneven spots outside. Many local vendors were set up outside, which gave it a fall festival vibe. Everyone we talked to was friendly and helpful and seemed genuinely happy to scare us!

If you’re a fan of traditional, old-school haunts, then this might be the one for you! But if you’re also into genuinely haunted houses where you’re likely to experience something paranormal, then you’re sure to find the best of both worlds here like we did! Hannah House hit us with a good mix of fears during our visit. The house itself was chilling, illuminated with purple lighting from the outside. It had all of our attention as we approached the stairs leading to the front door. There were a few spooky decorations on the short walk, and as we reached the porch, we were met by our tour guide, dressed in proper attire for the occasion (and time period). It made us all feel like we’d perhaps time-traveled and didn’t even know it!

After our group was escorted inside, it grew quiet… almost too quiet. We were led through nearly every room, with ghostly actors placed here and there, standing at the end of the hall or top of the staircase just watching us. Child actors even laughed and ran around behind us as if we’d interrupted them. But even without the actors, we felt like we were being watched. As the history of the rooms were explained to us, the told experiences of others seemed to become experiences of our own; at some points, the air either grew thicker or colder, and we could faintly smell cigarette smoke. There were even some unexplained noises with no direct source.

As we were finally ushered into the basement (as if basements of haunted houses weren’t terrifying enough), we were warned of the horrors that awaited us below, and that was the quick transition to the haunted attraction portion. From that point on, we ran into countless horror icons, and we never knew what we’d see next as we forged on. After the naturally frightening house on its own, this section was an unexpected and sudden change that none of us were prepared for! It did lose the storyline we’d been following throughout Hannah House, and while it was clear what each spooky area was going for during the haunt, it would’ve been interesting to see more of a continuous story/theme between these two areas.

There were a few things here and there that would temporarily break the immersion for us, such as the plastic ‘blackout’ tunnels we walked through connecting different areas of the haunt that had no further decoration, along with some noticeable untucked masks for actors and items where they maybe didn’t belong (ex. folding chairs and water bottles). But other sections, like the carnival and funhouse, had a great buildup and transition, and the decor really kept with the theme!

Once we were chased out and the scares came to an end, we followed the path back around to the front of the house. The yard of Hannah House is beautiful and festive, complete with plenty of both food and gift vendors and even comfortable seating areas with yard games to play. There was so much to see and do afterward!

The total silence of Hannah House might’ve been one of the most daunting things our group has ever experienced. It merely proved that the true haunted history of the home was enough to keep all of us on our toes. Not to mention, it made the few sounds we did hear during our tour that much scarier… because we still don’t know what made them. The house still held original furniture and internal structure, so no additional props or set design was needed here.

As we transitioned to the basement, the scares became a lot more intense and in our face! We didn’t hear much other than the actors speaking to us and the occasional scream for a while. Although a few areas had it, some themed music or further sound effects would’ve made a great addition to some of the scenes. The red lighting in the dark plastic-wall tunnels used as transitions was an easy way to creep us out further for sure, although more decor or themes within the tunnels would also have been an interesting addition. However, the actors messing with us from the other side of the plastic walls was a great concept!

The scene design, props, and chainsaw effects in the Evil Dead area were both impressive and scarily believable! It was a very memorable part of the haunt, especially Ash’s mix of screams and crazed laughter echoing out long after we left the building. The hanging body parts in the Leatherface scene obviously made perfect sense, and the heavier and louder music that began to play the further we ventured added well to the suspense. The crazed amount of neon paint in the funhouse felt authentic, too. Lots of respective themes of the areas stayed, well, true to theme!

The event offered two distinct sections, each with its unique brand of scares. While the indoor house portion wasn’t a typical jump scare haunted house, we included it because the eerie and ominous atmosphere created a truly compelling experience. The house was dimly lit, with our guides holding only a single candle in front of them, casting long shadows through the rooms. We heard the unsettling sound of children’s laughter and sudden knocks and screams that gave us a few jump scares. At one point, they played a chilling EVP recording. The story itself was spine-tingling, and when we realized that every cast member we’d encountered was actually a ghost, we were more than ready to move on! The final encounter with an unhinged nun was the tipping point, sending us speeding out of the house!

As we descended into the basement, we were immediately hit with a curse, wedged between a crazed doctor, lurking stalkers, and several scenes of victimization. If you’re a fan of slasher horror films, this trail was right up your alley! Iconic villains like Freddy, Jason, the Terrifier Twins, Ash, and more came out to haunt us! One of the night’s standout moments was a triple-tap scare from Ghost Face – it came out of nowhere with impeccable timing and was hands down one of the best frights of the night!

Freddy’s clawed gloves scraped behind us as Jason slashed his machete at tree branches dangerously close. We even witnessed Ash cutting off his hand with a chainsaw – classic! After Leatherface brutally sawed up his victim, he came charging straight at us, chainsaw roaring above his head! Throughout the trail, we were bombarded with threatening dialogue, fast-moving cast members, and a few clever hiding spots. However, most characters were already in plain sight when we entered their areas. We recommend that more of them hide so they can deliver more jump scares.

While we were startled several times, we would love to see an even broader variety of scares. Some characters relied more on intimidating stare-downs rather than actively pursuing us for a full-on fright. At the finale, we were chased by the ultimate double threat – a clown with a chainsaw!

General Admission was priced at $25, and VIP tickets were an additional $20 ($45). Kids 10 and under are $10. We were in the haunt for 17 minutes, giving them an MPD of 0.68 (Minutes of Entertainment Received Per Dollar Spent). And with each minute, we never knew what was around the next corner. Was it a ghost from days gone by? Or a devilish beast from within the house?

When considering the extra entertainment options beyond the main attractions, there wasn’t much bundled into the ticket price during this visit. While we did have the one roaming cast member to keep the spooky vibes rolling and some tunes, we didn’t notice anything else to help keep customers entertained while they waited. But there also wasn’t a long line during our visit, and if guests could roam the lawn, various vendors offered spooky homemade crafts and food. After the haunts, we had a blast checking out the eerie items for sale and highly recommend the Philly cheesesteak sandwich!

Overall, while we had fun inside the haunts, ticket prices for this first-year comeback show felt a bit steep. The experience fell below our preferred MPD (minutes per dollar) ratio of 1:1, meaning the minutes of entertainment didn’t quite match the price tag.

On a more exciting note, the Hannah House is rumored to be truly haunted and offers paranormal investigations on select dates for an additional fee. They’ll also be hosting a trick-or-treat event on October 19th for families looking for spooky fun!