Rancor’s Birthday at Malice Manor
Date of Visit: 5/10/25
Visited By: Team Lone Wolf & Team Zombillies
Birthdays are a very special occasion many people look forward to. It’s your big day: the day the world was graced- or maybe cursed- with your presence however many years ago. We all deserve to be celebrated at some point in our lives, even if you’re a scary-looking demon living in a haunted mansion. And certain things are simply essential for any birthday party: cake… balloons… maybe even some frightfully ‘funny’ and colorful creepers, if you catch my drift.
2025 is looking to be a year of immense growth for Malice Manor. This haunted house has been operating for six years now in Clarksville, Indiana, and in addition to all the work they’re doing on the haunt itself, they’re finding more reasons to open their doors for some off-season scaring. Not only did they debut a new slasher-themed Easter show last month, but they found something else to celebrate just weeks later… it seems the minions of the Manor are throwing a birthday bash for the house patriarch: Lord Rancor! Rancor’s Birthday was sure to be a SCREAM – so myself and Trevor (Team Zombillies) were quick to take them up on those party invites.
Admission to Rancor’s Birthday was the same as it would be during the Halloween season: $25 for General Admission or $40 for expedited Fast Pass entry. Parking was free – you could either grab a spot out front or find more just a short walk away.
Something to keep in mind before visiting Malice Manor is that it’s a light contact show. No one should do anything too crazy, but don’t be surprised if you wind up with some creature’s hands in your hair, on your arm or ankle, things like that. There’s also a decent chance you may get wet – you’ve been warned!
Loud rock music and a great big inflatable cake greeted us when we stepped into the lobby. After grabbing our tickets and making our way through the fences, we noticed more fun additions to celebrate the Lord of the Manor turning another year older. The ever-present string lights over the queue twinkled in rainbow colors. Big colorful letters spelled out ‘H A P P Y B I R T H D A Y‘ on the balcony, and just above the front gate was a banner reminding everyone of exactly who we were celebrating. Rancor himself appeared to keep an eye on all his waiting guests, a birthday cake hat perched atop his horns. The best part? They had a giant card for groups to sign! Cute! We made sure to write some birthday wishes to our dear demon before it was our turn to enter.
I guess everyone at Malice Manor got really tired of this Lone Wolf chick b*tching about ‘lack of decor’ during the seasonal events. They went all out this time, as they should… after all, it was a super special occasion! Streamers, balloons, and other colorful decorations littered nearly every scene and we certainly heard some appropriate music in there. It was great! There was no questioning at all that a birthday party was going down. Speaking of which…
It isn’t a birthday party without the CLOWNS, right? But good lord – who hired this many?! They were everywhere! Right off the bat, we were menaced by a very scary clown with a mouth full of sharp teeth. “What’s this? … Empty hands?!” they sneered. After admonishing us for our lack of gifts, they sent us on our way to find some… singing ‘Happy Birthday’ all the while, of course. (This happened a lot. I lost count of how many birthday songs we belted out for the Lord of the Manor.) The seamstress in the dressing room seemed delighted to have new material she could use to fashion outfits for the party… too bad that ‘material’ was our own skin! An energetic female clown sporting red and blue (or purple?) hair bounced between multiple scenes and delighted in both interacting and tormenting us. (I later commented to Trevor “that chick had like five Red Bulls and a whole pot of coffee before she got here”. Seriously.) We liked the costume and makeup job on a rather cute clown in the second kitchen, who joined us in celebrating Mr. Rancor while playing with rubber chickens. Towards the end, we narrowly escaped the clutches of another scary clown… he stalked right out of his cave after us and we beat feet out of there!
The festivities weren’t quite over once party guests scurried out of the exit, which led right into the haunt’s merch counter. It was here that groups could purchase their souvenir photo– taken prior to entering- and get their hands on loads of Malice Manor goodies. I always say the photo frames Malice designs for their events are awesome, and this was another winner! We just had to take a couple copies home with us.
They certainly weren’t clowning around for Rancor’s Birthday – but we still had a blast! What a fun and unique event… how many haunts would think to celebrate their main icon character’s birthday? Not to mention it was a great way to low-key introduce customers, who may be unfamiliar with Malice Manor’s storyline or characters, to their main theme during the Halloween season. If you missed your party invite, don’t fret! The Manor plans to reopen on June 13 (a..ka. FRIDAY THE 13TH) & 14 for yet another new event: Horror Night. It’s looking like the slashers from Easter may make a return, so look out!
