What would a season be without a visit to Black Oak Grove for what has been advertised as the final season of their signature storyline? Midnight Terror in Oak Lawn has always been a great story-driven show that developed well over the years. Given its tenth season at its current location, it seems we have entered the final chapter of Willow and Malum. I wonder how this will play out?!?
Both the indoor and outdoor areas had plenty of actors. The queue area was also full of actors to keep you entertained in line. The house did not have as many actors as it normally does, and there was sometimes dead space. It would have been good for some of the characters to travel through the rooms.
Midnight Terror always delivers on actors who put their heart into the act. The actors play the main characters from Midnight Terrors’ ongoing story of Malum and Willow and the townspeople of Black Oak Grove, who have now turned into demons. Between the dialogue matching who they were playing and the different rooms they were placed in, they did a great job committing to convincing guests that they were truly damned.
The actors were very interactive with guests as they all behaved like undead-possessed townspeople. One of the most memorable was the clown girl in the ice cream shop. She was able to work the whole room and hit all the scares. The schoolgirls also had great interactions and unsettling dialogue. For the most part, all the actors were jumping around and utilizing their rooms to push scares forward. The actors in the forest were very interactive and got us from all angles. The house had great dialogue that fit with their characters as well as room placement. The police officer in the town had some great dialogue as he strolled around, asking us why we were out after curfew. The factory workers in the boiler room and meat packing room had unsettling body movements and menacing dialogue. The range of characters was plentiful, from clowns to hospital patients, possessed little girls, factory workers, victims, and of course, demons. There is something for everyone.
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)
Midnight Terror is known for their use of highly detailed airbrush makeup that portrays bruises, cuts, and distressed facial features. Exposed hands, legs, arms, and necks are not forgotten as well. Special eye contacts are worn by the actors, sometimes they are mismatched. Depending on which part of the town you are in, there might be a different type of costuming that will be seen while still being cohesive with the whole theme. Being an actor-driven haunt, they make sure that they are fully immersed into their realm.
Inside the factory, you may see a few people with distressed blue-collar clothes such as jumpsuits, boots, and normal clothing. The clothing is then enhanced by making visible cuts and distressing to fit the gritty background. In one of the scenes, a rat makes a surprise appearance. Their tail was thick and long and required extra room to slither around.
Inside the town, the folks inhabiting Black Oak Grove are marked with Malum’s symbol. They were going about their normal days when Malum took over since they were still stationed in their regular spots. A police officer walked their beat, which we genuinely thought was not part of the haunt. They paced back and forth, only lifting their head long enough to show their white-out eyes.
Overall, the team did a fantastic job committing to keeping makeup highly detailed and the costumes at top-notch quality.
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 building can be tricky to find when driving down 111th. There are signs along the side of the road to direct you in. The huge white tents alongside 111th help with the visibility of where the attraction is. Parking was easy to navigate due to plenty of staff in high-visibility vests and glowing wands to direct you to both parking lots. The staff onsite, when you enter, can direct you to which queue and to the box office.
The tents in the queue and the roped-off queue lines are stocked with queue line performers whose job is to see if there are any potential problems as well as acting. Security is present outside and able to be easily identified by their hooded sweatshirts that say security. They are also wearing earpieces and radios. Although there are a lot of tight spaces throughout the house, the actors can move in a way that is safe for both the actors and the guests. Emergency signs are visible, so in case of emergency, they are lit up. From the staff in the parking lot to the time you end up in the midway/ gift shop, the staff is very friendly, easy to find, and helpful.
Midnight Terror has a large online presence and is well-known in the community. In the ten years they have been open, they’ve been featured in local newspapers, made cancer charity donations during their Christmas shows, do pop-ups and conventions to advertise, have a diligent street team to pass out flyers, and spread fear by word of mouth.
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)
Passing the outdoor tent which is practically a nightclub full of monsters helps set a tone for the evening. The ticket booth remains in front of the building and just to the right one can see carny-style game booths set up along with escape rooms and such. This area ends up more visible as it is at the end of the attraction as it is a midway for guests to hang out in and enjoy some snacks or gifts.
After the outdoor tent, we were escorted inside the building. Before entering the main queue, we were shown a great promo video by the house, and it helped set the tone for what was inside. The caged queue continues to create a menacing environment as groups are caged, and queue actors take the stage here by yelling at guests and interacting well. There’s nowhere to run, so guests have to endure this for a while. After the attraction, MT created a fun midway with carnival games, oddities, palm reading, and a snack shop as well. Escape rooms also remain and keep busy throughout the evening.
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)
Midnight Terror does an excellent job of making their props crafted to their needs for the storyline, which helps create a completely immersive experience.
The opening scene/ rule room does a fantastic job of immersing you before entering. A screen displays a video, giving a bit of input on what is expected to be seen inside. Air cannons are activated unexpectedly in inappropriate scenes. The transition from bright lights to the dark cage room is enough to disorient oneself.
The factory side introduces props that would be seen in any industrial setting. The walls are gritty and dirty, the tools are rusty and overused, and the sounds are tumultuous. Inside the dark maze, a hidden actor uses a tool to create sparks that help illuminate for a few moments. The sewer/ radioactive room is filled with colorful UV lights placed in appropriate places to enhance the contaminated atmosphere.
In the town side, the school scene boasts a makeshift arch made up of small school chairs which look to not have been placed by humans though. The bathroom scene is always a favorite for us. Ceramic tiles cover the majority of the wall with sinks lined up along the way and showers clogged with big clumps of hair.
The chainsaw alley is now a carnival maze but with a sinister twist! Colorful walls are put up along with sideshow/ circus show props. The sounds of the chainsaws were heart-pounding. This carnival maze blends very well with the transition to the midway.
We did notice a few colored pinpoint lights that enhanced the key pieces without making them too bright. Midnight Terror is always going out of their way to improve every year!
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)
The attraction utilizes sound, lighting, immersive scents, and claustrophobic spaces to make your walk through the two houses frightening. Although there are scary aspects the real scares come from the actors and their implementing body movement and utilizing the spaces in the rooms, drop boxes, and tight spaces.
The actors were able to provide scares for the whole group. The actors utilize their rooms and body movements to get different people in the group. In the rooms that the actors were in, they were able to get everyone in the group. The house was full of drop boxes, startle scares, distraction scares, unsettling noises such as grunting, whistling, screaming, and some animatronics. However, a few of them did not go off, and one of the larger props was visibly broken and exposed some of the outside of the room.
A lot of the scares were predictable. However, their execution made them exciting. The actors know their rooms and how to utilize them to their advantage. The usage of drop boxes and hidey holes kick up a lot of scares making it enjoyable for first-time guests as well as the guests that come out every year.
The finale is always a treat as you navigate through a dark forest filled with fog and green laser light. While you’re trying to navigate your way through, there are plenty of jump scares. The creatures and followers of Willow make their last efforts to get you to stay with them and frighten you till the end hallway that houses a creepy graveyard. In the final scene, you descend stairs and walk through a circus that’s the home to clowns with chainsaws who chase you right into the midway.
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)
MT’s walkthrough was 25 minutes of great scenes and scares. With general admission at $30, our Minute Per Dollar value comes out to .83. MT occasionally has sales for tickets, and prices can be much lower. There was a 10th-anniversary sale where tickets cost the same price as their first year, $20. At the GA price, Midnight Terror does plenty to provide a great time and gives plenty of reasons to stick around and enjoy yourself.
One of the more exciting things to think about is this is now the end of the Willow/ Malum storyline, so next season is an entire revamp of the storyline and characters. Based on the success of the past ten seasons, there is no doubt that the team behind Midnight Terror will create something amazing.
5520 West 111th Street, Oak Lawn, Illinois 60453