Hell's Gate Review (2025)

When I went to enter this haunt, I asked the line attendant how many scare actors there were. She said on average there are about 15 scare actors, but it was a little light tonight with only around 10 or so. If those actors might have been there, it might have been a good number. It felt a little light with them not being there, and there were a few dead spots where I’m sure someone would have been.

Out of the actors who were there, not many had dialogue, and some of them, all I saw was an arm. Since this was a contact haunt where they could touch, I had people grabbing my legs and reaching over a fence to touch my head. Some of the cast members talked and had unique phrases and conversations. I asked one how he was doing, and he replied with, “kind of dead”, which made me chuckle.

Because this haunt is located on the same ground as Acres of Madness, but has different owners, they use Acres’ ticketing system and main staff. They do have their own Facebook page with information

When you arrive, there are no signs by the road for the haunt, but you can see the lights. It’s mostly grass parking and some gravel roads. It sprinkled all day today, but the ground seemed solid, so I wasn’t worried about getting stuck in the mud.

They have a large ticket and merchandise trailer to check in at. Only one person was manning each side, but the merch side was helping to check people in when there was nobody in their line. The staff gave clear instructions about the bus and were able to provide information about other attractions.

There is no gate attendant, so you can walk in and out of the area as you need. The food booth is outside the main gate, as well as some picnic tables and a few firepits that had fires going. You’ll also find two porta-potties, and at least one of them had a light and hand sanitizer (always a plus).

The staff running the haunts and attractions were very nice and gave me additional information about the attraction when I asked.

The entrance to the haunt is down a wooden alley between the axe-throwing and the other haunt. As you get closer to the gate, you can hear ominous music playing to set the tone. The archway sign lights up and shoots smoke for a photo op before you go in. The attendant was in costume and explained the rules, as well as there being a large A-frame sign with the rules right before the haunt. They prefer to have groups under four people, but can accommodate larger groups as needed.

You enter the haunt through the wooden gate and reach a dollhouse shack. Inside is highly decorated, as is the rest of the haunt. The walls are covered with props and decor, and they are blood splattered or covered with special netting. There are a lot of solid fence panels versus just painted plywood walls. The wooden shacks are solid and look like permanent fixtures that have been there a while.

This haunt is technically a haunted house, but about half of it does weave out on a trail. The ground out there was solid with no trip hazards that I could see.

The finale was good, not only from a scare perspective but also the smooth transition out. Once you leave the final shack, you walk down a fence walkway, like what you see when you enter, and then go through a long air-bladder tunnel. You exit right near the entrance and the queue line, which is also surrounded by the same wooden fences. It just felt very well-connected.

The group behind me did catch up to me, but I was taking my time, and they were running at points. I let them pass, and didn’t see them or another group after that, so I think the timing was pretty good.

There were a number of animatronics and special effects included in this haunt. There was a great use of sound effects, including a spooky “ring around the rosey” song, a music box, a car horn, circus music, sparking wires, ringing phones, as well as some air cannon blasts.

The fog maze with hanging body parts and things hanging from the ceiling, hidden scare actors, and a strobe light did a great job at disorienting and making you think things were touching you.

There was one part where I was walking through a bloody scene and had to walk through those thick plastic curtains you see on meat lockers. It had fake blood on it, but it was also wet with water. I don’t know if that was intentional or from the rain that day, but it added a nice gross effect.

They used a lot of special and key lighting and mood lighting to help set the tone of the room. There were also a few instances when a dark room would light up with a bright spotlight when something was triggered. It added to the intensity of the scare.

This haunt features a number of different scare tactics, including: jump scares, touching, intimidation, distractions, camouflage, blood & gore, and sensational.

This is the first time I have been through a contact haunt, and it was something else. They had several actors who did a great job jumping out and grabbing my legs. While one let me jump back, another time the actors fully grabbed them, but also held onto me in a way that I didn’t fall over. They also came from above and touched my hair or shoulder.

The finale got me pretty good on this one. There was a bit of a buildup, but I didn’t realize it until it was too late. When I walked into the room, there was a bloody animatronic that was moving to distract me. While I was looking at it, the lights in the room suddenly came on and the scare actor jumped out chasing me around the room with a weapon and out the door. It combined several tactics into one moment to make a great finale moment.

The haunt was said to be about 15-20 minutes to walk through. I took my time and made it through in 15 minutes. A ticket is $25 with a Speed Pass for an additional $15.

The gate attendant does a great job getting people photo ops with the gate display activated.

Overall, I think this haunt is worth the time to visit. Since this haunt is on the same property as Acres of Madness, there are additional things you can do to help extend the night. The firepits, picnic tables, and photo areas are a great touch and make it more fun. Overall, the true value is up to you, what you want, and how you go about your night. You can spend a little time there or a couple of hours.