Special Notes: Check for 2025 Opening Info
Conjured from the depths for the first time is Holy City Halloween, an event in the gorgeous old Meddin building. Despite the newness of the haunt, there are experienced monsters here that bring with them gorgeous and unique costumes along with sharp wit.
Located in the heart of Charleston, this is an intense and daring haunt that has utilized every available inch to bring you a wild tale. Here you can see the fallout of cursed meat spread from the butcher and his beautiful wife, to innocent citizens.
Will you be able to avoid that curse as well as escape the monsters? Holy City Halloween is a wild ride. You can enjoy spirits and a high-energy club environment right before you find yourself fleeing from spirits.
The cast at Holy City Halloween are battle-hardened creatures that merge comedy with terror to bring you along into their story. From the start, we were terrorized as the cast came in fast and hard.
A Voodoo Priest kicked off the story and gave a smooth and ominous warning. We were delighted when a creature we’d never seen before appeared from the mists to reach with their claws. A fancy lady in an incredible period gown urged us into the room before introducing us to her undead lover.
We were forced to dance to save our lives and mocked by a young creature in the corner who distracted us before the next scare. The Butcher, to blame for all of these events, is present and willing to add visitors to the meat. By the time we reached the charming Butcher’s Wife, and she invited us over, we were certain we would be safe… but then she betrayed us!
The Cast at Holy City Halloween is perhaps the best part of this brand-new attraction. They’ve got some energy and passion, and are ready to entertain visitors from start to finish.
How complete, unique, detailed were the costumes, accessories? – (35% of score)
Were the masks, makeup creative, detailed, realistic? – (30% of score)
How appropriate were the costumes for the respective scenes, themes? – (20% of score)
How believable-, detailed-looking were the queue actors? (See Note if N/A) – (15% of score)
The costuming in Holy City Halloween is incredibly unique, and some of it is runway ready. Our first greeting from the Voodoo Priest set a high bar as we could see details and pieces that made the outfit more realistic. After that was a clawed harlequin that made sure to pick pieces that would both help them hide and then shine perfectly in the little bit of light we had.
A gorgeous woman in a Marie Antionette-style dress blended makeup, wigs, and her intricate and huge dress to make a character that she then gave life to. We have never seen wigs this high-end and beautiful before. The Butcher’s Wife and the Butcher himself are the two extremes of costumes, one in painted-on makeup and the other a high-end mask. Holy City Halloween offers a lot of variety in costuming techniques.
The costumes, makeup, prosthetics, and handful of masks on display at Holy City Halloween completely compliment the actor’s strengths and style. Though there were a couple of appearances by famous movie characters, the vast majority of the characters here were unique creations meant to convey a story and provide unease.
How easy was it to locate, park at, navigate the premises? – (25% of score)
Safety (Only dock points for TRULY DANGEROUS hazards!) – (30% of score)
How professional, helpful, friendly were the staff members? – (25% of score)
How easy was it to find pertinent information before arrival? – (20% of score)
The team at Holy City Halloween have a lot of experience with hospitality and a killer location. It’s easy to find, well-lit, and conveniently placed in downtown Charleston. There is a parking lot across the street and a parking garage around the corner that will let you park for a fee.
We were greeted immediately at the door; the gentleman scanning tickets was super helpful and polite as he guided us where to go. Holy City Halloween has a waiting area that is club-like, a DJ, and drinks so you can enjoy that atmosphere until it’s time to go through. We were impressed with how much effort they put into the safety of their guests. Also, a haunted house miracle: there is an indoor restroom!
In addition to an easy-to-find location, though we suggest arriving early to find parking, Holy City Halloween also maintains an online social media presence with all pertinent information. It should also be noted, that even though alcoholic beverages are served on-site, guests do not need to be 21 to visit. The nice man at the door will card anyone who asks and provide a wristband for those old enough and who wish to partake.
How well did the pre-haunt areas ("vibe") prepare you for the attraction/s? – (25% of score)
How obvious, creative, believable was the storyline? (See Note if N/A) – (20% of score)
Were you completely, consistently immersed inside the attraction/s? – (40% of score)
How well did the "vibe" flow after, between the attraction/s? – (15% of score)
Once you enter the building, you are led into a grand waiting area that mixes its high-tech fun with some old-school horror. From that point onward, you see a crafted world with a continuous set of maze-like turns.
Sounds are internal and make you a part of the scene, and the haunt lasts from its entrance all the way to the sidewalk. Careful steps have been taken to make it so you can’t confidently guess what part of the building your favorite scenes would be located in.
How effective were the sound effects? – (20% of score)
How realistic were the scene designs, details? – (30% of score)
How effective, realistic were the props, animatronics? – (30% of score)
How well did they use creative, special, sensory effects? – (20% of score)
Overall, Holy City Halloween is more of a low-tech, old-school style of haunt. However, this is their first year, so we expect them to add a bit of polish as the years go by. There were a few high-tech and well-crafted set pieces that stood out among the rest of the sets.
A well-placed and high-tech swarm of pests made one of our typically fearless team members jump backward. Walls reached for us in multiple places, but in different ways, utilized lighting and material to make us distrust our surroundings.
There were some neat set pieces in here, and the cursed lover was very detailed and decayed. They created an outdoor scene that is expansive and realistic, and utilized a part of the brewery with pipes to heighten the tension and immersion. The finale of the haunt had an incredible effect that made us hesitate to escape, even though we wanted to.
How scary was it? – (35% of score)
How well did they provide scares to everyone in the group? – (15% of score)
How predictable were the scares? – (25% of score)
How well did they provide a wide variety (types) of scares? – (10% of score)
How strong was the ending / finale? – (15% of score)
As we were walking up, a group came running out of the haunt and onto the sidewalk. The team behind us jumped, and one of our members was scared. Watching a variety of ages of patrons leave the haunt during our visit, there was always someone in each group that was still reeling from the fear or had the rest of their group laughing at their prior terror.
Holy City Halloween has started building a promising haunt that utilizes all sorts of fears to attack your sanity. The goal is to mix comedy with horror to prevent hauntgoers from becoming inured to their tricks, and they have a great team to enforce that.
We were hesitant to go through the finale because of how brilliant the set was. It is their first year in this location, but they have a great start to becoming a beloved and long-standing Charleston Halloween tradition.
How satisfied with the entertainment provided by the MAIN attraction/s? – (50% of score)
How satisfied with OTHER entertainment INCLUDED with the ticket price? – (25% of score)
How appropriate is/are the ticket price/s? – (25% of score)
Holy City Halloween sells tickets online. This is a fun time with a high-energy vibe and a lot to do beyond the haunt. It is also the return of a haunt to downtown Charleston for the first time in a couple of decades.
Though the haunt is very brief, the cast and costuming are something to be experienced. The location seems to have a fair bit of room within, for we were completely turned around more than once by the twisting paths inside, so we hope that this haunted attraction grows in popularity in the years to come.
34 Woolfe Street, Charleston, South Carolina 29403