The Team at ZAP (Zombie Army Productions) has been incredibly busy during the off-season. HellsGate (HG) is a renowned adventure that has become a destination haunt. Visitors from all over the world make their way to Lockport, Illinois, just to get dropped off in the woods and venture through the graveyard and find their way to the mansion.
This season provided some new additions to the trails we are excited to talk about. We covered it in the behind-the-scenes video you can find on The Scare Factor YouTube channel. It was a whole different experience in October during show dates, and we are excited to talk about it! Spoiler: another killer performance all around.
The cast at HG has two agendas when acting: 1. Scare, and 2. Entertain. Both are accomplished from the moment you step off the bus until you leave. The queue has plenty of well-known actors all around, from Sharky taking cursed pictures to Fluffy ripping teddy bear heads off (you can see sacrificial teddy heads along the fence. We found Mischief and Heretic are two different clowns running around, terrorizing crowds. Cog is a plague doctor who can be found roaming around as well.
Kick Rocks was a blast to interact with. They are a jester possum who only speaks by mumbling. From the “conversation” we had with them, I was able to gather the following information about them: Kick Rocks lives somewhere in the woods behind the mansion. Kick Rocks loves to play possum. Kick Rocks wants my wife to be a strong, independent woman who needs no man to drive her to haunts in October… this was through mumbling. They were a fun character, to say the least.
Inside the trail, there were plenty of great interactions as well. The cast members would warn us of the darkness we were about to encounter. Once we made it to the graveyard, the groundskeeper was beating bodies with a shovel. It was clear by the loud thump that this was forceful and not half assed. This shows that even the smallest details are given great attention by their actors.
While approaching the cemetery gates. One of the newer characters, Dizzy, was watching over us, warning us not to go in. What made this so interesting was that they would pop up ahead of us several times, developing the story and warning us further in. For example, Dizzy was sitting in the dirt, propped up on a well, warning us about the cabin we were about to enter. The same thing happened before entering the mausoleum, and we received more warnings from Dizzy upon entering. This all led to a trail where they were up ahead in the distance, tallying us off menacingly. It seems somewhere down the line, they were infected by the darkness and turned on us. Chainsaw in hand, they led a few chainsaw actors to surround us. Regular visitors could come to appreciate the consistent character development many of the actors HG provide. Dizzy is just one great example of several.
Walking up to the mansion, we find several amazing actors. The Captain greets us at the gate and allows us entry. Mother is found facing the house and turns around so damn elegantly to greet us. Birdy is flocking around to check visitors in a fun, exciting way. Archie the doorman keeps us in line and provides great improv for fun conversations and warnings upon entering.
Inside the mansion, we find most actors interacting with screams, growls, and pop-outs. The twins are found through various rooms as they are the focal point of the story. Much like the rest of the attraction, the mansion has an amazing cast playing in every room. Between a ton of signature characters, pivotal to the main story, and so many others interacting to keep the attraction flowing, the cast of HG is simply impressive and committed.
If you aren’t familiar with HG and their reputation for costuming and makeup, let’s catch up. They have some of the most talented makeup artists in the industry. While there are different types of characters, they cohesively look like they belong in this darkness-infested mansion without missing a beat on the storyline.
Out in the woods, the actors wear appropriately dated attire and dark clothing to blend in with their surroundings. This helps with the ability to move around stealthily and not stand out too much to provide the best scares. In the mausoleum, mourners in black dresses and black lace veils draped over their faces. Even though their faces were covered, there was no denying that you could see and feel their somberness.
Mother greets us by the door, wearing a tight-fitting black lace dress; the darkness has done wonders to her figure and has kept her looking beautiful. The manor is run by the staff who run the daily tasks, wearing their appropriate maid and suit uniforms. The clothing was grimy, tattered, but still had the characteristics of the everyday working person. The creatures inside wore drab clothing covered in oozing black goo. Due to the darkness (lighting), it was hard for us to see this, but we found out that there is not a sight of blood anywhere in sight. The makeup artists do an excellent job of creating a fearful look without depending on bloody gore.
Out in the front queue line, you have your key characters such as Fluffy and Sharky. Sharky seems to keep adding trinkets to her skirt! Bruises walks around covered in black goo, wet-looking hair, and moss stuck to the side of her face. Out in the queue line, we bumped into Kick Rocks, the friendliest opossum. I am a sucker for animals, and the realistic mask from the fur, teeth, and that little black streak of hair on the forehead was spot on. The jester outfit was fitting for their crazy shenanigans.
Parking is located off the property at a nearby location (301 W 2nd St, Lockport, IL), and guests are shuttled in via bus. All information needed can be found on their website. There are also plenty of direction markers along the main road.
HG has also switched up their “find the key, your ticket is free” to a Key Master every night. The Key Master has a question about HG lore, and if the question is answered correctly, your ticket is free! There is a TON of HG lore to go over, so come prepared. On-site, the staff is plentiful and able to answer any questions guests have. Everyone is super helpful and attentive to guests’ needs. Expect long lines and sell-out dates frequently.
The pre-haunt atmosphere starts with the creepy bus ride going down the dark road, headed to the middle of nowhere. The white tent shelters the guests, taking the risk of going down the trail to seek the haunted mansion. Actors roam around and sniff out fear, but thankfully, there’s a bar before heading in that serves alcoholic drinks along with water, energy drinks, and a great number of mocktails! The Gate Keeper welcomed us and pumped us up for the experience.
The pitch-black woods are naturally creepy with added fog, barely bright pathway lights, and ambient sounds. The creatures of the woods are built differently, adding their creepy movements and sounds to let us know we are truly not alone.
The newest addition to the trail is the mausoleum. The building is made of concrete that has seen some natural weathering. This tall building houses enormous statues that honor the buried, making even the tallest person in the group feel exceedingly small. Coffins were stacked in odd ways, and the oozing darkness was evidently at play. The creepiness inside is not for the faint of heart.
The gates leading to Moorestone Manor open, and the mansion is in view. The house staff invite us in to shelter us from the evil that runs amok. The thunder is booming and the lightning flashes through the windows. We are continuously warned that the hallways are not safe, so we must go through different rooms and even behind walls to avoid the darkness-infested creatures. We rush through every room possible and even venture to the attic and slide down to the basement. The layers of the basement show multiple scenes of experiments that have gone wrong.
In the midway, themed photo opportunities, spooky mini games, and an escape room are available to check out. If that’s not your thing, there is another bar and food trucks to choose from, and even delicious doughnuts! Actors roam around interacting with customers. If none of these options still fancy you, there is a state-of-the-art bubble fog machine that we noticed was very popular.
To get the complete story, it’s best to check out their interactive website and Instagram account. The Key master will ask questions based on HellsGate history, so it’s best to take in all the knowledge to get free tickets.
HG provides guests with another amazing year of development in their attraction. And with great development comes great new Special effects. ZAP’s focus this season was on the graveyard, and they added several minutes of extra walkthrough time with a new mausoleum. This is an entire giant mausoleum in the middle of the graveyard, and walking up to it in the middle of a cold night just feels chilling. Actors here worked in unison to help sell this scene to guests (as if it wasn’t impressive enough already), and being allowed in feels as though we walked into some sacred space. Inside is just another well-thought-out portion of the story being told. Statues are in the opening scene, paying tribute to the groups of lost souls whom the Captain has laid to rest. Going further in, we find Darkness oozing from caskets and seeping onto the walls and floor. Within the graveyard, we also see the Twins’ empty coffins… wonder where they may be?
The rest of the trail has great scenes and areas as well, such as the cabin in the woods. With all the chaotic elements occurring, it is the closest thing to walking onto a Sam Raimi set that any of us will get to experience. Finding our way out leads to zombies plaguing the walkway. Walking up to the mansion gate is an experience like no other. It almost feels like a sense of accomplishment, yet there are many things to fear inside. After walking to the front door and being escorted inside, we are treated to a performance in the ZAP style fans have grown to love. At its most climactic, the twins finish their story, and chaos ensues, giving visitors a moment of confusion and fright.
Inside the mansion, we find the usual residents hiding within these elaborate sets. The kitchen, for example, is well done and feels almost as though it were a space specifically for the servants of the mansion. The walkthrough leads us through hallways as we venture in and out of different scenes. What is great regarding the hallways is how much depth there is. You can look down the corridor, and it nearly feels endless.
The Study is what I aspire my apartment to be at some point (it’s getting there). There are plenty of taxidermy pieces as well as different cultural artifacts. Items are from all over, just like a traveler (the Captain) would have collected during their travels. Further in, we found ourselves at the greenhouse. The lightning flashing and thunderous roar light up the room enough to make out a pathway, and there are some great props here as well.
In the lab room, we find the doctor conducting experiments using the darkness to try and harness its energy. There is a fun bit before this room, where we sort of see ahead into the experiments (much like the hallways play a role in creating depth). It really gives the impression of just how massive a space this is. The experiments themselves look like different stages of failure. It is a cool transition we, as guests, are forced to walk by and witness.
We would be conducting a great disservice without mentioning the dragon’s lair! The caves look as though they run forever. It creates a great visual of depth (the 3rd time perspective plays a role like this) into a feeling that we are walking into something much bigger than us. The dragons themselves are some of the coolest-looking props around. The volume at which they roar is massive and shakes the floor. It is easy to go on and on, but simply put, this attraction should be on everyone’s list, especially considering the fog bubbles.
21. How scary was it? (35% of score): 9.15
22. How well did they provide scares to everyone in the group? (15% of score): 9.3
23. How predictable were the scares? (25% of score): 9.2
24. How well did they provide a wide variety (types) of scares? (10% of score): 9.1
25. How strong was the ending / finale? (15% of score): 9.35
HG is known for its use of blending theatrics and scares, which sets it apart from other haunted houses. The natural darkness is already disturbing on the trail, the highly energetic actors and variety of scares are one of a kind.
On the trail, the creatures lingered in the dark, waiting for the perfect time to initiate scares. A variety of pop scares are effective as they peek a boo out of makeshift actor openings. Suspense builds as we approach certain shelter points, which they take advantage of at the appropriate times to pop out. The actors have a very disturbing way of moving in an inhuman way, making the experience creepier than normal. As mentioned before, Dizzy followed us around as we entered and exited shelter points, only to end up catching up to us in the end to deliver a great chainsaw scare.
Inside the manor, the actors use a variety of scares from all angles. We are rushed to escape the hallway, which creates the opportunity for an actor to be positioned behind the doors while in a state of panic. As we traveled through the library, many actors reached out from behind the bookcase and even crawled from above.
There are rooms built to have a pathway where you walk around in the set, which helps the actors get more than one single scare out of you and attack multiple people in your group as well. The sewer room is the best example for that, with Dr. Oremos keeping a watchful eye while the nurses come face-to-face and deliver the scares. That gaze is so personally intimidating, even though he isn’t the one scaring you.
This haunt is worth visiting and experiencing, and this review does it no justice. It is no wonder it is considered one of the top haunts in the US.
The walkthrough at HG this season was an exciting 48 minutes. This is between both the trail and the mansion. This will vary from group to group, of course, and of course depends even more on what date anyone will visit. (Expect longer lines the closer to Halloween and Saturdays). With online ticket sales starting at $40, the Minute Per Dollar Value is at 1.2. This is the highest value we have had in our area as of now, and for an attraction at this high-performing level, it needs to be experienced. The Brilliant team at ZAP keeps pushing the bar further each season. We could go on and on about explaining how great a haunt HG is, but I imagine many customers are also talking about this place during the weekdays, trying to sway their friends and family, just to experience it all over again.
3101 Canal Street, Lockport, Illinois 60441