We heard rumblings and rumors regarding Midnight Terror this season. We were told that this season starts a new chapter in the Willow saga, with more of a focus on a town storyline. This was exciting news to us as fans of MT, as they have creative ideas that are laid out throughout the attraction to tell an interesting tale of Black Oak Grove and all its misfortune. With a more traditional Halloween vibe throughout the attraction, not only do we have the pleasure of viewing some great costume work and actor portrayals (I’m looking at you, Wolfman), but we also enjoy new scenes and some awesome effects both inside and outside the attraction.
As we mentioned, the theme of the show changed this year, and the actors really locked in. There are more classic monsters to lean into, and it was evident they loved their characters. In the outdoor queue areas as well as midway, plenty of line actors lurk to keep guests entertained.
The line actors never disappoint as they have groups of people falling over each other, freaking out. There were plenty of dancing monsters to run from and get photo ops with. The vampire queen on stilts was all about enticing us to be like her. She was very creepy and inviting all at the same time. The wolfman had us laughing and screaming as he jumped in our faces, claws slashing the air, and then immediately getting on all fours and scampering away. The miners in the pens were quick to tell us about the dangers ahead.
Inside the attraction, one of the rooms inside the factory was the perfect statue scare. When they finally popped out, they literally made one of us hit the wall. The person in the new eyeball room was so still, they had us betting on whether they really were a mannequin. When they finally jumped onto a platform, they started talking about adding our eyes to the collection.
When we entered the town, we had a great interaction with an evil little trick-or-treater. She was very bubbly in a creepy way and gave us treats from her pumpkin pail. Though we had to perform acts of buffoonery to get a treat, it was a fun interaction. One of the townsfolk was a well-dressed, silent man in a burlap pumpkin-looking mask. Not only did he scare us, but he also gave us treats from his second sack. The owner of the antique shop was so talkative. She couldn’t wait to show us all her wares, give us prices for items, and explain the other one to us. She knew everything there was to know about the items in her shop. One of the rooms had a girl who was crying at a table with an Ouija board, telling us she didn’t have the strength to get rid of them. The clowns were playful and demanded our attention at the puppet show before we could leave. If there wasn’t an actor talking to us, there was one to growl and snarl at us. Overall, the actors at MT provided another great visit with plenty of interaction and frights.
MT does the costuming and makeup to align with their storyline. Having many scenes gives them creative license to feature a variety of characters. Their use of colored contacts, sharp teeth, and mouth goo helps the characters come to life. Airbrush use is the best kind, as it is easy to create creases, distress, and any modifications to exposed arms and chest.
Out in the queue, a werewolf creature makes multiple appearances, getting his furry paws extremely close to your face. This costume is not only amazing, but the actor portraying it was one of the most impressive characters we have seen throughout our season. Orphan wears a perfectly molded clown face mask that seems like a second skin; he is able to lip-sync songs well with the mask on. The grave digger named Silas’s makeup shows he has been working nonstop; the nice touch is the MT scar above the eyebrow from the lightning strike. He carries a bright lantern and drags a shovel along wherever he goes.
The masks were highly detailed and effectively made the characters believable. In a sewer room, a cute couple of rodent critters are seen crawling and climbing in the sewer, complete with furry face masks and long rat tails. An actor with a burlap sack on their head painted a jack o’ lantern for a face. They gave us candy from another sack they had on a stick, hobo style. In the cemetery, a scarecrow blended in with the foliage and had a very convincing mask and costume. There were even tree-like characters to go along with the storyline. We were warned not to trust the trees, and they were right to warn us. In one of their new rooms, an actor in an off-white Morph suit with added distress to the body that blended well in this mostly white room, which is talked about more in the SFX section. In another new room, the researchers wore lab coats as they paced around the room.
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. Additional parking can be found off-site, with school buses to take you to and from the attraction. There are security and parking attendants to show you what areas you need to go to.
Security is beefed up with guards wearing MT security visible. There are staff members with earpieces and radios. Throughout the outdoor queue area, there are plenty of line entertainers to spot rowdy customers or situations. Throughout the house, there are visible emergency exit signs and exits. Some spots in the house are tight, and there are areas with low lighting.
The staff is extremely friendly and helpful. On-site staff, parking, ticket, midway, and line entertainers are able to help with directions and any questions. Line entertainers are able to keep a scary and fun vibe going while a DJ blasts music. MT has a large online presence and is well-known in the Oak Lawn community. As they have been open for over 10 years, they have generated a big fan base. They are on all social media platforms, have billboards, sponsored ads, and are famous for their offseason events.
The line passes by a display of carved pumpkins on the side of a building leads to a photo op taken by a professional photographer. Under the tent, DJ Tearitup plays some catchy music that has the actors dancing with the crowd. There are even videos circulating on social media.
On the website, new attractions are listed, and backstories are explained, so checking the website is highly recommended. Their new video promo is viewed in an area before the indoor queue. The promo gives focus to a new main character, Silas. Silas plays an important role as he is the one who introduces Willow to the book in which she receives her powers. It is a well-shot promo and a great introduction to the main attraction. Afterward, we are led into caged areas, meaning to hold groups. These seconds as a playground for actors. There are spots for sudden scares throughout this area, and we haven’t even entered the main attraction yet!
The scenes are highly detailed, giving the rooms a sense of authenticity with the use of unique props and special effects. In one of the newer rooms, concrete slabs lined the walls, creating a cold, government-like research center. The new antique store was so beautifully detailed with antiques, old music playing, and some live critters in the glass displays!
Out on the Sinister Sideshow Midway, there are multiple carnival games, axe-throwing, and an escape room. A concession stand offers drinks and snacks to quench your thirst and a gift shop to purchase branded clothing and knick-knacks. Another booth offered physical commemorative pictures taken up front. With the many photo ops, creatures, and extra activities to do, you will never want to leave!
The scenes flowed smoothly as they transitioned to different attractions. We can’t wait to see how this storyline develops throughout the years.
MT provided a wide variety of great scenes and effects throughout the attraction to help progress their storyline and keep things entertaining. Once inside, we find a great scene for the opening area. We walk through a cave with several actors and well-placed props to help scare guests. Throughout the factory portion of the attraction, there are a few spots we need to duck down to progress, one of which is the meat grinder. Before arrival, we are warned about heading in that direction due to possibly becoming ground meat. Making our way past the grinder was gory and full of blood. It was clear we were passing by the grinder, and luckily, it must have been jammed for the moment. Further in, we found a new scene to the attraction, which was exciting to see. The room was full of all types of eyes and different ways to display them. Some of them were video screens of moving eyes and gave an uneasy feeling. Later, we found out our uneasy feelings were justified, as they were the eyes of several different serial killers.
Other newly incorporated effects include a run with a local reptile sanctuary. They provide a safe environment for all types of snakes and other animals, such as scorpions, beetles, and toads. The animals, of course, are in tanks, but under black lighting, they naturally glow and add a great effect to give the walkthrough experience a creepy feeling.
Within the town, we are presented with a great new scene as well as more personal effects. We found our way through an antique shop, and the shopkeeper described items throughout the shop and was knowledgeable about her items. Fairly priced items, might I add. The room has plenty of older items, such as the classy phone in her hand, and plenty of skulls we would find in our China cabinet. It felt much like our home and, therefore, great!
21. How scary was it? (35% of score): 8.8
22. How well did they provide scares to everyone in the group? (15% of score): 8.85
23. How predictable were the scares? (25% of score): 8.8
24. How well did they provide a wide variety (types) of scares? (10% of score): 9
25. How strong was the ending / finale? (15% of score): 9
Midnight Terror always uses its strongest feature to scare visitors…the house itself. The set design and props set the stage for the actors to dive into their characters and scare you at every corner of the house. Actors were able to get everyone in our group. In some cases, multiple times. They were able to use body movement, dialogue, startle, statue, pop out, and set up scares between actors and scenes.
The actors knew the rooms in and out and executed scares time and time again. Timing and teamwork in scenes with multiple actors added to the scare factor. The ending of the house had guests running through the forest, past the cemetery, and into a circus. The Barker immediately drew us in, only to be stalked and chased by clowns with chainsaws. This led right to the midway with plenty of activities to partake in, including watching other groups run for their lives upon exiting.
Our walkthrough time for the full attraction came to the 25-minute mark. With tickets starting at $30, this means the Minute Per Dollar value comes to 0.83. With the amount of entertainment and great scares, this is well worth a visit. With MT starting a new chapter in their story, it will be very thrilling to watch out for updated promo videos as well as website updates. We were told that next season will be a heavy focus on making their story vision clear for guests, and if you haven’t heard by now, we are suckers for a good story. The team here is solid and provides all sorts of entertainment throughout our entire visit. They have amped up some great ideas throughout the whole property with plenty of new photo ops and party-like atmosphere.
With such new and compelling characters, MT presents them in untraditional ways. For example, Malum only appears for visitors on the night when his powers are strongest, Halloween. Willow’s character will only appear on rainy nights, as in the storyline, the book was found during a thunderstorm. It is out-of-the-box ideas like this that are intriguing and make us want to return to visit these characters and watch their story unfold.
5520 West 111th Street, Oak Lawn, Illinois 60453