Hysterium Haunted Asylum Review (2021)

Almost immediately after getting started, Tyler (one of our group members) received the new name of ‘Steve.’ His ensuing interrogation included questions regarding why the government was in his big toe, if we knew what ‘code Leroy’ was, and whether or not we had malaria. We thought we were doomed after that barrage, but we’d only entered the waiting room of this absurd asylum.

A few of the characters accented their roles with – well – accents! Being a verbally interactive bunch, this added some spice to our interactions (although it, luckily, wasn’t overused either). In addition, we appreciated the randomness from the first scene at multiple other times throughout the haunt, which helped reiterate the asylum/crazy patient vibes.

For example, Dr. Heigel guided us to the correct hospital level to get our ‘inspection for the infection,’ and a patient heard voices and beat the wall with a weapon. Another threatened Nora by name with spiders (her favorite!). Further, a cook in the kitchen offered us some ‘sloppy joes,’ and another subject in the bathroom asked for some help with a s#!tty situation, and she needed it!

The interaction at Hysterium extended beyond just words as well. The decontamination doctor, ‘Jimmy Garland,’ was one of the most believable of the tour. He could easily entertain our entire group by himself and even gave Tyler some ‘gyroscopic therapy’ on his gurney. Another patient managed to swirl and funnel himself into – yes INTO – a bed in a matter of seconds!

Outside the attraction, Dr. Heigel warmed up the queue line just before the haunt opened. jAKe (he describes it like ‘rake’ without the ‘K’) kept us bent over laughing at his hilarious comments. Another roaming actress kept calling all of us customers ‘skeezers,’ and a big guy with a stapler demonstrated his pain tolerance. We hope you don’t mind seeing a bit of real blood!

It seemed like there may have been slightly fewer actors this year compared to last year, but each of the ones we did see worked very hard to make sure there was minimal dead space during our tour. In addition, most of them were very much in line with the theme, which helped give the whole experience more continuity and enjoyability.

All of the indoor creatures within Hysterium had some sort of mask or face shield. Not only were these choices consistent with hospital/asylum characters, but they were also part of the haunt’s safety protocols. Too, the patients and doctors within were made evident by their choice of clothing, which were typically some variation of scrubs or lab coats.

Some of the villains varied from the stereotypical insanity theme, however. During our tour, we crossed paths with an evil-looking nun, grave keepers, and chainsaw slingers as well. Regardless of which type of character we encountered, bloody and filthy airbrushed makeup helped give them all an unkempt appearance, with wound prosthetics, colored contacts, sharp teeth, horns, and other features adding some extra dimension to those wearing them.

One of the more memorable masks looked like some sort of wendigo creature behind bars. The nun was also a stand-out experience, as it was difficult for us to pick her out amongst her lookalike counterparts. Lastly, an interesting blacklight-reactive makeup effect created impressive results in one of the ‘trippier’ rooms.

Although our Google Maps app took us right to the haunt, a very noticeable spotlight high in the sky made it even easier to find Hysterium this year. Free parking was available along the street and in adjacent lots. However, we do recommend arriving early to avoid a long walk.

Navigating the attraction was relatively easy. There were lots of signs pointing us where to go. As we waited at the main ticket trailer, a small girl asked if we’d signed our waivers yet. Since we hadn’t, she showed us a sign she was carrying around with exact instructions on how to do so.

Hysterium has two different ticket lines, one is for online sales, and the other is for on-site sales. But, if you need to buy tickets on-site, you may need to stand in the line for online sales before being routed around to pay. After we were all set, we were shown where to enter and promptly stopped by security, who wanded us before proceeding to the waiting area. Thank you! Both the on-site ticket booth and waiting areas are covered.

Hysterium’s waiting line splits into three sections that match the wristbands they utilize. We had a question about this setup, and the friendly security fellow explained to us where we needed to be. If you choose to purchase VIP passes, you get a pretty blinky light to help alert staff on which line you should be standing in.

Once inside, it was easy to navigate, and staff members were wearing mouth coverings. During one segment of uneven ground, an actor warned us of the squishy underground ‘bodies’ we were about to walk all over.

Dates, times, ticket prices, and standard information were all found on their website. In addition, several Facebook posts had additional information as well as the haunt’s 2021 theme.

The building is essentially a repurposed warehouse that resides within a small industrial business park setting. While it’s not super creepy to drive to, the searchlight, skeletal guards, and hard rock/metal music floating through the air confirm that it’s not an ordinary business.

The haunt also has a faux block wall forming a bit of an entrance to the property. Every so often, we heard a loud noise that left us wondering what was causing such a stir inside. In addition, we noticed quite a few human chalk outlines on the ground of recent victims and some lively pumpkins by the entrance door.

By far, what brings the spookier side of the atmosphere is the roaming queue line entertainers or escaped patients. They worked their way around the crowd as if they’d been eating candy for hours on end. A wall of barrels lined one side of the waiting tent, and the roamers occasionally used them to deliver a fright before guests entered.

Hysterium winds guests through both indoor and outdoor portions of a disguised asylum. We came across some authentically detailed scenes, handmade features, and animated creations before we finally escaped being infected!

We heard a lot more sounds this year that helped bring the scenes to life. From elevator music, tunes you’d expect to hear in an old hospital and sirens to creepy solitary sounds, a warning, and voices coming from within the vents! The walls were literally talking, and it was amazing! Well, at least we think* they were talking.

Like seasons past, we started in a dingy lobby and proceeded to a realistic elevator ride. The elevator plummeted us into an infested sewer system complete with glowing, running water, many rusty barrels, and bioluminescent sprouting mushrooms. It was apparent that this fungus thrived on something in the sewer system. We were then sent through other portions of the hospital, complete with moldy and deteriorated walls and ceilings, even in the kitchen! We also walked just outside barred cells, past children’s coffins, across a squishy outdoor walkway, through a church, and got decontaminated, just to name a few. Along our way, we noted tons of writing on the walls and had fun in their aMAZEing maze.

We also want to mention that we noticed larger areas that were wholly remodeled closer to the beginning of our tour. These were very welcomed additions and gave us more of an enclosed feeling. The haunt’s giant creatures were also on par and ready to pounce on us.

Hysterium utilized effective lighting to their advantage. Some were disorienting, while other colors and styles flickered life into the rooms or highlighted vital features. Overall, this asylum has been overrun by a crazy infestation, and now they’ve added an infection on top. So, there’s plenty to see and run from!

This year, the patients and staff (although they all act like crazed lunatics) tried to avoid the ‘infection.’ We’re not entirely sure what this entails, but they warned us of mushrooms and checked us for malaria before the elevator plummeted us down.

We did see a lot of fluorescent mushrooms in multiple places and avoided touching them at all costs. They also told us to ask about ‘code Leroy,’ and we were given various responses on the few occasions that we did mention it. In conclusion, we’re pretty sure it’s code for CIA. However, the mention of the actual infection was relatively sparse. We were undoubtedly in an asylum, and those around us were mostly portraying some sort of patient or staff member. We did go through a decontamination area, so we’re at least hoping we didn’t bring something home with us.

On the night of our visit, we were admitted with four other patients. Those that had already been committed tried their best to focus on all of us. Most of the surprises were unexpected or blended in very well.

After our initial greeting in the lobby, we found ourselves trapped in the hellavator! The folks with us weren’t near as excited to see the doctor as we were, but he was creepy, and so was the elevator, nonetheless. For some reason, everyone always avoids his corner; we have no idea why.

Many of the staf’ patients were energetic and all over the place. Just when we thought we’d seen the last of them, they’d pop out in a new spot. A slider on the floor nailed the front of our group, a chainsaw tag-team surrounded us, and another guy came at us while loudly raking a shovel across the ground. Other weapons were waved around and showed that this crew meant business.

Our group of six was split up multiple times, a giant creature tried to eat us, and a sudden super loud noise caught us all off-guard. For those afraid of the dark or tight places, they’ve got the perfect squeeze tunnel for you! It was also one of the more effective ones we’ve seen as it was difficult to feel our way through.

The crazies of Hysterium can’t touch you, but that doesn’t mean that other things won’t. Be prepared to hold on during the attraction’s finale as they ‘spin’ you back into reality.

Hysterium is offering timed ticketing again this season which we recommend (better purchase early). You can also save $5.00 when buying tickets online. General admission tickets online were $15.00, and Platinum VIP tickets were $35.00 at the time of our visit (plus a processing fee).

Our self-admittance into the Asylum lasted 19 minutes. The crazed patients and doctors kept us occupied a bit longer this year, bringing the MPD to 1.2. This is pretty high for Indiana at this time! While we waited, there was some entertainment outside, and a run-in with jAKe or the paranoid gal running amock always made things interesting. We also watched Brute staple his arm and pull out the staple right in front of us! Ouch!

Don’t forget to get a hotdog! When you buy one, you get a bun for free! So you can thank jAKe for that tip! Also at the concessions were two different colors of Hysterium t-shirts for sale.

We always enjoy our visits to Hysterium. We regularly get startled and entertained by the crazed lunatics inside as they always have some witty banter to throw at us. So if you’re looking for a fun and spooky haunted house to visit in northern Indiana, be sure to check yourself into Hysterium and ask jAKe about his grandma!

Just don’t get caught, or you might get infected!