Malice Manor Review (2024)

I’d only just crept into Lord Rancor’s home when I was swiftly accosted by some brute in a vest with a deformed-looking face, storming right at me. In between making bizarre noises and completely destroying my personal bubble, he commented, “You smell like dead roses!” A bouncy little girl in a child’s room- possibly Alice’s?- excitedly asked if I’d be her new dolly and invited me to her tea party. “I can give you a nice, pretty new necklace: a nice rope!” Needless to say, I politely declined.

The day-glo demon lurking in the electric room cackled as they struck from above with a crackling taser. Picking my way through the skeletons of the crypts, I encountered a tall, growling monster who gruffed, “You wanna stay with me?” My response of “No!” was met with “You’re going to stay anyway!”

Entering an underground lair, I was greeted by the chanting of a mysterious witch in a language I could not decipher. She soon turned and anointed my face with something wet…further inspection revealed it may have been blood. Speaking of blood, things certainly got bloody when I made it to the mansion’s very own butcher shop. “Are you a customer, or…?” the employee up front queried when I came in. Yep – totally a customer; wolf ain’t on the menu tonight! Ah, if only their boss had been as polite…he became irate upon seeing me and began barking orders like I worked there. “Pick that up now! Now put it down… now pick it back up!” he snapped, indicating a couple of body parts on the floor. He was in such a ferocious mood I just had to comply with his little game out of fear my body parts would be the next on the ground!

And just when I thought I’d made my escape from this cursed abode, some sort of gargoyle or goblin creature slipped out of nowhere, caught my wrist, and pulled me into their lair. They were almost cute – right up until I found a taser pointed directly at my nose!

There was quite a lot of interactivity going on with this cast. The first character I mentioned above made me shout a code word repeatedly, to his satisfaction, before I was allowed to continue. In the tailor’s room, the seamstress asked to measure me, and commented that my spine would make a great belt. I enjoyed a little waltz with Ambrose through the ballroom, and the cook in the second kitchen was insistent I try his food – even going so far as to hold a severed leg up to my mouth while I pretended to gnaw at it. Thanks for feeding a hungry wolf!

For being open the weekend a major festival was happening in neighboring New Albany, the haunt was covered very well by actors and I didn’t encounter too many gaps where someone- or something- wasn’t trying to scare or interact. Most characters were also quick with improv, and happy to banter when I replied to them.

Many different characters and creatures called the Manor home, and most looked like they belonged there; either as residents corrupted by the darkness flowing through its walls, or as monsters who were born from it.

The lovely lady who welcomed me in wore a detailed black dress. Ambrose’s hair was red as fresh blood, claw rings glinted on their fingers, and they were dressed in a nice white shirt and black pants. Scary Mary’s aged, ghastly makeup matched her old-fashioned dress and almost made her seem more like an apparition than a woman. She carried baby Mordecai, a tiny werepup, and even had an eyeball for him to gnaw on. Cute!

A raggedy Rat scuttled between the lobby and queue in a full suit of dirty, blood-matted fur. The underground witch had some neat components on her outfit- fur pieces, bones- and a makeup job that was just as good. I couldn’t help but notice that the tailor, who used skin and body parts to fashion “clothing”, had blood stains all over their shirt.

Whoever came after me in the library wore a dark-colored, monstrous-looking mask, and I saw some similar ones on my tour, along with a strange, almost beaked mask on the bartender. Everyone who was masked had their eyes and mouths appropriately darkened underneath so their visible skin wouldn’t kill the immersion.

If I had to pick a favorite for looks, it was between the horned creature that took me into the cave, or the electric room demon. The first wore a partial mask, had the rest of their face filled in with makeup, and their costume matched everything perfectly. I was also impressed by the demon in the electric room with their UV-reactive horns and makeup. Too cool!

While there weren’t any signs further up the road pointing me in the right direction, the haunt was visible from the street. Colorful lights illuminated the building, and there was a banner displaying the attraction’s name over the front doors. Parking was free in nearby lots that were just a short walk over.

As soon as I entered, an animatronic reaper with glowing red eyes held a sign pointing out the ticket booth to my right, which was also clearly labeled. A sign on the fence in front of the booth displayed the prices: $25 for General Admission, $40 for expedited Fast Pass. The entrances to their respective lines were clearly marked, and I never had to search long for a staff member if I had a question.

Malice Manor felt largely safe, both inside and outside of the house. Some dark spots here and there, especially when navigating the property outside, and the outdoor walk back to the front of the building could be hazardous under certain conditions. Other than that, everything else was lit well enough, and I did notice security while I was there.

IMPORTANT: Before visiting, you should know that Malice Manor is a LIGHT CONTACT attraction. No one will do anything too crazy, or touch you inappropriately, but you may be gently touched, or grasped, on your tour.

Audible from the moment I walked in, loud upbeat music played in the lobby and queue to get groups ready for scares! It was interspersed with rumbles of thunder, and flashes of lightning over the fenced-in line.

Speaking of the fences, they were metal and painted white, with vines and string lights creeping over them. Spooky trees were scattered among the queue as well, and fancy plants in vases were perched on columns.

Positioned over the Manor was an interesting sight: a knight’s full suit of armor! They also had fountains in the shape of lion heads with real water trickling from their mouths. Bored while waiting in line? A movie was projected on one of the walls, and signs throughout the building had a QR code for the interactive TerrorTap feature.

The scares weren’t necessarily restricted to the house. An impressive amount of decor could be found in the lobby and one new addition involved a fun gag – if anyone in your group is brave enough to use the door knocker, they might get a little surprise! Gargoyles were perched up above, keeping watch over Lord Rancor’s property with glowing baleful eyes.

Out in the queue, I was delighted to see they had some roamers working the crowd. Among those I met were a big, shaggy Rat, Scary Mary, baby Mordecai, and Ambrose. I was particularly fond of Scary Mary. She let me hold her little one. Anyone who totes around a werewolf pup is cool with me!

Most of Malice’s rooms matched the story they were attempting to tell, and predictably, things only grew darker and crazier the deeper you got into the house. There was a cozy parlor with a fireplace, a library, two kitchens, a ballroom with mirrored walls and a piano, a garage filled with junk and a rather dangerous vehicle, a child’s room with many stuffed animals and toys, and even a tailor’s room that had clothes hanging everywhere…along with possibly a body or two.

I also passed through a ghastly garden with a foggy skull fountain, and layers of vines creeping up the walls, which might’ve been hiding something nasty! There was also an electric room that was nothing short of *shocking*, a lounge with a white couch that was heavily haunted by spirits, and many other scenes. With all of the artifacts Rancor brings home from his journeys around the globe, one can never be completely sure of what they’ll find in here!

Lighting was used well throughout every area of the attraction, from the lobby to the house finale. Nothing felt too dark or bright, and colors were kept appropriate to each scene, i.e. cold tones for the bloody bathroom, and shower-warmer, earthy ones for the underground cavern.

Glowing embers in the parlor simulated a burning fireplace. I was nearly smooshed by a falling bookshelf in the library. (Rancor, you REALLY need to fix that!) A portrait of little Alice was animated, her young face eventually turning demonic as she let out an unearthly scream.

Most walls had some sort of texture, like stone for the caverns, or neat things painted on them, like the ghoulish faces leering at you in the electric room. There were a couple of spots where customers might get wet and at least one room utilized fog. Another area was nearly pitch black. Feeling my way through came with its own risks; the results could’ve been…shocking. There was an air blast effect used in a scene that’s completely unique to Malice, and I won’t spoil it here, but it’s good for both a scare and a giggle when you encounter it.

Levels of detail varied. Some rooms were heavy on it, like the witch’s lair, while others were simple, like the ballroom. A touch I really enjoyed in the witch room was the symbol that was carved into the wall and glowed like lava. That particular room also had loads of props and little curiosities to check out as I was walking through.

Audio-wise, popular music played at all times in the lobby and queue, along with thunderstorm effects. The main house had its own soundtrack that varied from scene to scene: quiet and creepy as needed, intense and anxiety-inducing, the rest of the way.

The curse that befell the Manor has filled it with all kinds of nasty threats to any visitors brave enough to enter: both live and automated. The haunt deployed multiple animatronic scares that got close enough to touch me, if I wasn’t quick to dodge them. As for living nightmares, they numbered many and struck from literally everywhere, including the ground, and over my head!

Speaking of which…remember when I said this was a “light contact” haunt? I must’ve been the good Lord’s guest of honor that night because their cast was unusually aggressive when it came to their volume (loud), body language, and physical contact. The level of contact still fit the bill for what I’d consider light, but damn, if I didn’t wonder for a moment if I was actually at a certain scary hotel in Louisville!

In addition to their aggressive behavior, the characters I met were often creepy, unhinged, got right in my personal space, and came at me from boo doors, and other cleverly hidden spots. A walkway vibrated hard in the electric room to shake me up, and put my nerves on edge – not to mention it made a great distraction for the actor! Other actors lashed out at the walls with their hands or props to make sharp, startling noises, and I encountered a super well-done camouflage scare too.

A handful of them would not allow me off the hook so easily, once they got the initial scare. The spectral figure in the “white room” not only scared me good, but chased me out as well!

My run through this malicious mansion took approximately 13 minutes. At a base ticket price of $25, that brings Malice’s MPD (Minutes Per Dollar) rating to 0.52, half of the full minute per dollar I like to see in a haunt. But geez – was it really that short?! It sure as heck didn’t feel like it when I was in there!

The immersive environment, and many interactive moments with the actors, certainly made it seem longer than it was. There were other things to enjoy while I was there too, like music, the displays in the lobby, TerrorTap, a movie, and roaming characters to interact and take photos with.

Got some extra cash to spare? The Manor had a gift shop full of different souvenirs, including your group photo, that could be purchased. Outside, StoutHorn Crafters sold a variety of glowing resin art, and Nana’s Food Truck offered grub for hungry haunt-goers.

The Autumn season is here, and the Manor’s doors are once again creaking open to welcome visitors. Do you dare to explore its haunted halls and discover the fate of the Rancor family, or will you end up like them: forever tainted and trapped by the darkness that consumed their home? Gather your bravest friends and stop by Malice Manor this haunt season to find out.