Nightmare on Edgewood Review (2024)

Unhinged is where your nightmares of becoming a film star begin! Welcome to the big screen, where experienced and enthusiastic actors from all walks of death eagerly await. Greeting haunt goers was the concession stand worker, who was full of energy and fun banter. She always has freshly bloodied popcorn popped, so be sure to say hello and grab a bite, and she will happily offer it to you by throwing it at you!

The bathroom attendants will get you cleaned up. They seemed aggressive but were simply passionate about plunging into the roles of bathroom caretaking and proper hygiene! Upon being told to wash our hands, they said we weren’t doing it run and directed us to the urinal – yuk! We met those working the big screen, but be warned: rumors surfaced that someone was experiencing a medication shortage up there!

Beyond the screen itself were a variety of haunting faces, including a veiled lady, literally lit up, characters who prepared others for dinner – we mean, prepared a dinner – for us, an actor in the attic had creepy offerings, and ghostly childlike beings with dolls are haunting certain areas. The finale is not without hosts, but anyone daring to star in Unhinged will find out for themselves!

The Factory actors conducted a hostile selection process upon entry. A strong and dominating presence was present in the holding area, and she immediately stated that she was not impressed with our team. Once she inspected us from head to toe and put us on “display,” one member of our group finally sold!

Beyond selection, we saw the mad dentist, who “inspected” our teeth while offering a range of unusual dental services, and we were led to the militant surgeon, who alone dominated our group effortlessly as he prepared one member for surgery. The deadpan and relentless actor at the electrical box forced one of us into performing shocking repairs. If you find yourself inside The Factory at Nightmare on Edgewood, we suggest “behaving” as much as possible, as the workers do not appreciate backtalk or disagreement.
We heard the screams of those not so fortunate with the monsters at this very attraction, begging for freedom. We did what was necessary to survive these witty yet unhinged characters and felt lucky to escape their commanding grip over The Factory!

Yee-haw, we were then ready to see Momma and the rest of the family at Conley Farm! We played hide and seek with a girl in pigtails, then were led further into the farm as a “shipment of new piggies” from an excited character jumping up and down, with her two braids and down-home country accent truly setting the “good” ole tone.

A deathly-looking actor introduced us to an area where she “stores” her “friends;” others insisted on various counting games, but none could count well – which led to trouble for us! Momma swung us around, introducing us to her babies. Her hysterical laugh was heard everywhere, and she let us know she’ll be see’in us again and again at the farm.

We encountered farm characters such as an opossum, a bunny, and a deer. As animal fans, we were excited, but they had unexpected hair-raising plans for our group. Momma made a reappearance from time to time and punished us appropriately. The Pumpkin King awaited with surprises, was tireless, and ready to party! We recommend being grateful for the “warm” reception he throws all guests at Conley Farm… Guests have no other choice, after all!

Other notable characters include the flame-thrower right outside the haunt’s building, who sometimes wandered toward parking areas. “Kindly” offering warmth, he is quite entertaining and fun to watch! Between the entrance and line to the attractions themselves were forceful actors who rushed us in and prepared us for the fear and frights of Nightmare on Edgewood. Keeping hauntgoers “in line” before the first attraction is a mysterious and sneaky lady, Synora. If anyone misbehaves, she has her electric prong-ended staff and is not afraid to utilize its shock power if necessary! A crazed usher was waiting to let us into the doors of the theater at Unhinged, and an ominous character, waiting through the fog, led our group into The Factory. They lied, though; they made it seem like we were heading to a party…

This haunt had a fantastic variety of characters who knew their respective roles well. They brought fun, fierceness, and frights to the three attractions! There were plenty of them, too. Our group had five members during this visit, and we were all targeted the entire time. We greatly appreciated this, as everyone attending should feel they are getting a show and the Edgewood cast delivered in full! The one thing we would like to see added to is the dialogue of the “sold” actors in The Factory. “Help us escape” became a bit redundant, and while the tone they set was creepy and compelling, we heard that phrase many times.

Overall, this stand-out cast brings the deadly characters of Nightmare on Edgewood to “life,” creating a terrifyingly fun and immersive experience for all who dare to enter, and we look forward to our next visit!

The costumes at Nightmare on Edgewood were appropriate for each character and their respective scenes.
We noticed more costuming details this season. It was clear that more thought and time had gone into what each character would wear, whether they would have a mask vs. makeup, the suitable hairstyles when called for, and what accessories would tie each character’s attire together.

Unhinged had a wider variety of styled costumes, which is appropriate for the theme. The attraction portrayed one’s nightmares within a movie. The theater workers were appropriately in uniform, bathroom attendants/janitors were in coveralls with items such as plungers, Chip, the Manager, was dressed appropriately but featured more blood and wounds this time, and beyond that were actors such as the black-veiled lady with lit candles on her shoulders and a black veil covering her face.

The actors in the kitchen were wearing bonnets and aprons; one had colored contacts, and they had blood all over them, while one tried to put a fresh brain on us. An actor in the possessed bed had some wild hair going on, and the guy in the attic had dusty hair, skin, and clothing as if they’d put him up there to be forgotten about, but he’s still in good spirits; he tried to share a “spider” with us and keep us up there too! Ghostly-looking characters with dirty faces and blood held their baby dolls, and we met a man wearing someone else’s face as a mask!

Within the selection process at The Factory was a woman surveying us, appropriately wearing a long black leather skirt, a red corset, fishnet gloves, long hair hanging down her back, airbrushed makeup, and she was accessorized with a whip to be sure we acted right as she displayed us for buyers. She was just keeping us in line for the sale!

Other “sold” victims hiding within were dressed in torn-up, dirt- and blood-covered clothing, giving a horrifying visual of their torment. Characters like the dentist and surgeon took it up a notch – both were outfitted in long shirts, pants, boots, and aprons, all splattered with grime and blood from their gruesome work. The dentist had his exam chair and sinister dental tools at the ready while the surgeon laid patients on his table, armed with saws and various “surgical” instruments for some truly twisted procedures. The appealingly head torture lady had sharp teeth that sent her sinister look over the edge! These details added to the disturbing realism of the scenes.

Inside the Conley Farm were characters in bib overalls, aprons, flannels, dresses, bonnets, straw hats, and pigtails. Most of them had blood and dirt from “farming,” as they say… while a few others had large sores and even large boils protruding from their skin! One lady in a freezer appropriately had frost on her as if she’d been in there a while! Momma was sporting a brutal, cut-up look, complete with a shock stick to enforce good behavior.

Other actors carried rakes, axes, and other useful “farm” tools. There were animals wearing bib overalls, dresses, and bonnets as well, with realistic opossum, bunny, deer, pig, and other animal masks. The Pumpkin King wore his overalls, sporting the largest straw hat and detailed orange pumpkin head mask!

The characters outside the haunts looked sadistically awesome as well. The flame thrower outside was all decked out, complete with a bone hat, airbrushed makeup, and large teeth. The actors who grabbed us as we entered the building wore spine-chilling masks and dark hooded clothing. Blending into the scene, they created more fear as they hid in the darkness to strike at any moment. As we waited in line to enter the theater, Synora showcased a complete outfit with a realistic silicone mask and a large headpiece. In addition, the theater Usher wore an appropriate uniform and had a large gash on his head – that he said smelled a bit infected!

The costumes were complete and realistic, and there was a significant increase in lookability from last season. They added to each character, the effectiveness of the storylines, and the creativeness of the haunt overall!

The information about Nightmare on Edgewood was easy to find. Their website provided all the necessary details and did a fantastic job helping us prepare for our visit – or at least as ready as we thought we could be.

Our GPS took us directly to the well-lit parking lot. They added multiple signs that we could see marking the entrance no matter which direction we pulled in from, which was a great addition! Parking attendees wore reflective vests with lighting attached and illuminated wands, making parking extremely easy. And it was also FREE! On super busy nights, both their lots (in front of and behind the building) can fill up quickly. Before you go in, we suggest using the restroom. They have provided portapotties for guests. It’s better to do it there than in the haunt. Who knows what they will scare out of you!

The ticket booth was clearly marked. Tickets can be purchased at the event or online. The general admission and VIP lanes were clearly roped off, and friendly staff members were everywhere to assist anyone with questions. We were scanned with a metal detector before entering the haunt, and security was posted right outside the front door.

Inside the building were several sets of stairs made from various materials and widths. However, they were all well-lit and easy to navigate. There was also some crawling, but upon noting it to staff, there was an option to go a different route. The whole haunt was easily accessible.

Nightmare on Edgewood took haunt immersion to a whole new level! Large, brightly lit signs showcased only a fraction of what we’d face within as we waited in the small queue outside. When it was our turn, we were escorted into a very dark room by some ghostly figures and given the rundown of the attraction. In a flash, we were forced into a dark and creepy hallway resembling catacombs that had us wondering if we were already inside the attraction… but we weren’t! We exited into the main part of the building, where the real queue began, complete with all sorts of music, spooky lighting, smaller animatronics, and interactive actors preparing us for our visit. The cinema-esque entryway, complete with movie posters gave us only slight insight as to what awaited us inside.

The minute the usher opened the door to the cinema and allowed us in, the madness was overwhelming, and we hadn’t even begun our first movie experience yet! We passed old arcade games, spiderwebs, popcorn littering the floors and concessions counter, and other trash; the cleaning staff had clearly taken more than a day off. Posters for iconic films such as The Breakfast Club, Jurassic Park, and Back to the Future really had us feeling like we’d stepped into a real-life theater. The entire place felt disgusting, too, and that was just the beginning. The staff gave us all a warm welcome, and it was obvious they knew their way around the place. We passed through the projector room, and when it was finally time for our first feature film, we didn’t watch it… we went into it. No, literally, we went through the screen! If that’s not an immersive experience, I don’t know what is!

We lived through three horror flicks in total, but the first we encountered was Unhinged, which felt like your typical slasher about a crazed family in their haunted home. The costumes and sets made us more than aware we weren’t in the theater anymore and almost had us wishing to be back. This deranged family made us feel right at home, perhaps a little too much, as if we truly were just guests passing through.

We were chased out of the home’s backyard and into another alleyway, which led us straight to the entrance of the “best club in Indy.” AKA the beginning of the second film we were to live through, The Factory. There weren’t any other queues, and both the set design and actors made us feel like we hadn’t missed a beat! We all went through the process of being thoroughly examined to see who was the best fit to be sold. For what, we’d soon find out. Simply put, everyone in our group was truly hoping it wouldn’t be them. There were chairs and windows deeper within for us to sit and watch others be tortured, which only made us more terrified of our seemingly inevitable fate. We somehow all managed to make it past the countless number of insane individuals who couldn’t possibly be properly qualified for their positions, escaping through a sewage tunnel. Yes, you read that correctly.

Next up, we forged on through a bit of swampland and took a totally calming ride in a trailer to reach the infamous Conley Farm, our third and final film of the night. The Conley family helped us into the barn, where we were almost immediately greeted by the livestock (livestock being mostly pigs, some mutated some not, and also giant spiders). Everyone kept mentioning Momma, who we eventually had the pleasure of meeting, and she made our visit worthwhile for sure. Lastly, we got to see the family’s lovely collection of carved pumpkins and escape out of the cemetery (filled with past family members or past victims; we’re not too sure).

Our group emerged into a room with photo ops, concessions, and merch alike. And I can speak for all of us when I say we were thankful for the breather. We never ran into any other groups in front of or behind us. There were no awkward transitions between scenes that didn’t make any sense. Everything flowed together perfectly, just like if you were binge-watching a horror movie marathon. We’ll never watch a movie in a theater the same again!

A few things we’d like to note here is that there was still some sound bleed from the waiting area in spots, and we feel that you will want to read up on their storylines before visiting as that makes the experience all that more immersive!

One of the scariest things about Nightmare on Edgewood is truly their special effects because they are so scarily good they’ll have you questioning what’s real and what’s not! From lighting and sounds to sets, they kept us guessing and, most importantly, afraid! Every level we endured has expanded, so now all three films have second-floor portions!

For Unhinged, the first thing to note after we ventured into the projector screen was how we somehow stumbled outside (not really, but that’s how realistic it was!). We approached the house, the front door of which was wide open. Fog poured out from various areas, and floating candles were all that illuminated our path for the time being. All of the lighting felt accurate in their respective rooms, to say the least. There weren’t any specific sound effects or music occurring in this scene; you could mostly just hear the droning of the building and screams from actors/other guests/animatronics in the distance. We walked through the house in its entirety, from the living room to the dining room, kitchen, attic, basement, bedrooms, garage, and back outside again. The furniture moving in one of the bedrooms was a great touch! A ginormous, angry dog animatronic chased us out and down an alley, which brought us to our second leg of the visit.

The Factory came next, starting strong with the eerie hallway that forced us into a holding cell until we were, well, wanted. Screams echoed from somewhere within, and green and red flashing lights symbolized whether or not individuals in our groups were having bids placed on them. The lot of us were forced into a trash compactor when the bidders felt we were inadequate, which first made us claustrophobic from the walls closing in, but then when the floor dropped, our stomachs did as well. A very clever way to get plenty of good scares! More things we heard were heavy metal, machinery, and even running water. The lights and atmosphere surrounding the acid baths made us so tense we flinched even if just a droplet of the water touched our skin. To finally get out, we even had to crawl through a glowing green tunnel with water flowing underneath it!

Squishy flooring after we stood from the tunnel was both gross and also really (unfortunately) realistic. To exit these swamp-like lands, we all piled into a hay-hauling trailer, which shook us around as it “took us to the barn.” The darkness surrounded the windows so we couldn’t see outside, which made the experience utterly believable, as if we were actually moving forward. The minute we stepped foot into the Conley family’s barn, we could hear farm animals and the disturbing noises of them soon being slaughtered. The pig and wolf head animatronics gave a few of us a fright, along with the giant spiders that attacked! The smell of hay was extremely immersive in itself, and not once did we doubt that we were in a barn. The meat hooks and animal body parts that we either had to squeeze past or watch as they moved over us on a conveyor made us rethink becoming vegetarians for sure. The details in the freezer area were also immaculate, although it would have been a cool (haha) touch to make it colder in there if at all possible. And finally, the trek through the maze of jack-o-lanterns and the haunting graveyard made for a spectacular finish!

The folks at Edgewood have outstanding special effects and scene-building skills that we will talk about forever!

Remember, this is a full-contact haunted house where you will be touched, physically moved, possibly picked up, or maybe even thrown into a trough or on a table. If none of this sounds like you, they sell chicken vests so that you can opt out of the touching.

Unhinged lived up to its name – they were truly unhinged! This attraction kept us on edge with relentless scares and disturbing surprises. They didn’t hesitate to gross us out, either, slapping us with nasty substances like a wet brain prop and a damp toilet plunger (yep, you read that right). The scares came from all angles, and they didn’t just focus on the obvious – hitting on heights, instilling chaos, and well-hidden actors who popped out at just the right time.

Throughout the experience, they made everyone feel like part of the horror film and nailed the element of surprise. There were multiple double taps and times when things came simultaneously at us from different angles. They didn’t hesitate to mix up our group order, keeping everyone on their toes. A coat rack suddenly sprang to life at one point, leaving us scrambling to escape. With great timing on props and scares, they kept the tension high and made sure nobody was left out. The man-eating mutt at the finale left us fleeing to the next area!

The Factory wasted no time making us feel like we were up for grabs – literally! We were caged, inspected, and even put up for bid as they showed off our “goods” to anyone willing to buy. When they had one of us sitting spread eagle while motioning for a cavity search tool – we really began to worry! The actors had a talent for humiliation, targeting us from afar and through windows, stalking our every move, and constantly sizing us up. Just when we thought it couldn’t get any worse, they nearly compacted us into trash, ganged up on us, and dropped the floor right out from under us!

And they didn’t stop there. We were yanked onto tables, thrown into a dental chair, and confronted with all kinds of weapons – from saws to shards of broken glass. The tension was so thick you could almost cut it (or they might cut it for you). They played with our hair, opened our mouths, intimidated us, and even tried to give us an acid bath! A shocking surprise came our way (literally), and the actor climbing the rails onto the second floor helped keep us on our toes.

While the scares were relentless and varied, we’d love to see more action from above and below to make the experience even more unpredictable. If you’re hoping not to be “bought” in this underground party, good luck – you’ll need it!

Conley Farm took farm fright to a whole new level! You know it’s a party when you get your face shoved into a giant dog’s mouth! And this was only a tiny taste of what was to come! The sounds alone had us on edge, constantly tip-toeing around every corner. We got trapped inside a trailer (though we won’t spoil that full surprise), and they didn’t hesitate to try feeding us to multiple boars. Double taps were a frequent occurrence here, making every scare hit just a bit harder, and shock sticks added that extra jolt to keep us in fight-or-flight mode.

If you have a fear of heights – brace yourself! This haunt knew just how to play on that phobia. They also handled us a lot in this one, forcing us to get up close and personal with things we’d rather not touch, like a press, spiders, and water. And speaking of spiders, let’s just say they were ginormous! At one point, they lined us up like sitting ducks to take a hit to the stomach with a massive mallet, blocked our path, and then unleashed a giant croc from out of nowhere! A massive zombie head tried to take a bite out of us, too, just when we thought we’d seen it all.

When a giant specter chased us out, we couldn’t break free fast enough – and there was a creative reason for that! This haunt left us gripping our seats – and each other, nearly every step of the way!

This year, the ticket prices were raised by $5.00 for each ticketing option. General admission is $35.00, and a fast pass is $55. There is also a “chicken ticket option” for $45.00, where you can wear a bright vest through the haunt to signal to the monsters that you don’t want to be touched. In addition, they have a 4D ride add-on, The Fear Chamber. We have done this, and if you haven’t experienced it, we highly recommend it; it’s really cool!

Our tour of Nightmare on Edgewood took approx. 38 mins, which is also an increase from last season. This brings the MPD (minutes of entertainment received per dollar spent) to 1.09. When considering the quality of the haunts, along with how many times we jumped, skipped, and screamed, this is a great deal!

While waiting to go in, we were entertained by a flamethrowing freak and a few other mischievous fiends inside. The additional spooky decor and rule givers also add to the entertainment received for the price and the party-like atmosphere. Upon exiting, we were in the gift shop where several photo ops can be taken advantage of – one of which is a unique, twerking zombie (if you’re an Indiana haunt native, you may recognize this one)! Make sure you get some of their merch, too! They have many things, from coozies, sweats, hoodies, custom metal horror character cutouts, and beanies to stickers and more!

Nightmare on Edgewood remains one of Indiana’s top haunts, and we’ll tell anyone who asks just to go! It’s totally worth it!

Haunt Lengths:
Unhinged: 11 mins
The Factory: 15 mins
Conley Farm: 12 mins