We found our way to Round Lake Beach, Illinois, for an amazing visit to Realm of Terror. If you haven’t checked out the recent film Haunt Season, ROT is the backdrop of the film! The movie takes place in both the haunted attraction and Kristof’s entertainment center, home of ROT. What can be cooler than walking onto what was the set of a movie?? Feeling like one of the victims of the film, of course! ROT has been busy this year as its team continues to expand the attraction, despite almost bursting at the seams with narrow spaces, tons of props to maneuver through, and delightfully gory scenes. ROT is a good representation of what an “old school” haunt would be, just with a modern twist. This attraction never fails to impress, and here are several reasons why!
Arriving early at ROT was a winning decision; we must thank their management team for recommending it. This year, ROT started ‘Terror Rising’ at the beginning of their evenings. It is a short event in which all their actors seep into the midway area and interact with the crowd. It almost felt like an elegant dance occurring all around us and other visitors. This is a great introduction to the attraction and worked as a warm-up for the actors.
Inside the attraction, we had some great interactions with the cast. One of the scenes we are required to sign our souls away in the barn. The actor here demanded our signatures but added hilarious dialogue in doing so, proclaiming, “I don’t have all day” while they stole their pen back. Joke’s on them, we signed Scary Gary and his soul will forever wander ROT beyond his days, whenever he is done using it, of course. One actor hid themselves above us somehow and scared the bejesus out of our team. It was surprising how well they hid in plain sight. The interaction overall was spot on. This attraction has an amazing team.
The costuming ROT produce is of high quality and is well-detailed. Most costumes have some representation of gore involved and help give the character an appearance of filth or grit. One character appeared like a young Mozart with the powdered wig and had a classical composer look. With a bit of blood splattered on this fit the body bag ballroom scene. Yes, body bag ballroom. Only at ROT.
Make-up was airbrushed in and looked amazing. A few actors had similar face paint with a stitch effect going on, just in different areas. It seemed most actors had a matching pale base and were given ghostly-like appearances. Some of these, of course, were then covered in blood depending on what area they were in. The actor inside the bathroom scene was looking for teeth and had been layered with blood in their costume, making it seem as though they had been gathering teeth for some time.
Masks were high-quality as well and worked with costumes. Some of them give the actor a porcelain doll-like appearance, and others seem like they are wearing human leather, so we get a wide variety. The possum mask was well done, and the actor performed well with it. Some masks are a bit difficult to describe other than gruesome, but fit in with the chaos that is ROT.
We would like to give a shoutout to the actor in an all-white costume with matching boots and a face covering. There are scribbles all around from head to toe, think of the US Constitution. An Encyclopedia book prop was used to complete the look in such an appropriate manner.
ROT is located within Kristof’s Family Fun Center, giving guests such a great opportunity for a whole evening of entertainment. This makes finding the attraction simple to locate. There is plenty of security around to assure a safe time for visitors, including metal detectors before entering the midway. Staff are always readily available for any questions, comments, and concerns. There is plenty of information available online through various social media platforms. Within the midway, there is a combination of free things to do, such as their monster gallery with movie-quality costumes on display. There is also a food truck and drinks on site, including a great cupcake tent.
ROT changed the way guests enjoy the attraction a few years ago and has been successful with this method. Guests are given freedom to roam throughout the midway and have tickets in blocks, providing visitors with minimal waits in lines. The midway is highly entertaining with many carnival-style games around, as well as quick escape rooms. They added a free classic monster walkthrough, which serves as a gallery of classic monster movie costumes. As tickets are timed, when guests make their way to the queue, they have an amazing backdrop façade that looks like a classic old haunted house.
Inside the attraction, it is easy to get lost in immersion. There were several times we had to duck down to progress, as the spaces are tight and the ceilings are low. Walls in the attraction are between peeled, tired wallpaper and broken boards. This gives the attraction an aged look and feels like we could be walking through an old, actual house. There is a portion of the attraction where the walls are angled enough that actors using the drop panel here are within inches of our faces. Between these moments and the great details throughout the haunt, it is easy to be totally immersed in the haunt.
Not only does ROT have amazing actors throughout, but the scenes and effects also shine. The team behind this attraction produced some great rooms and ideas. It is very impressive how this attraction is a great mix of higher-end props as well as practical effects. The opening room has some amazing props inside and uses exceptional lighting and sounds to create a great atmosphere. The fireplace uses a simple trick of the lights and a sheet, and airflow to provide a simple yet effective look. Another awesome room for effects was ROT’s pumpkin room. One of the large props has a classic jack-o’-lantern carved onto its torso, through its costume.
Another great effect in the attraction is one room that sits on airbags and can be challenging to walk through. It threw us off balance and was a fun experience.
As tightly packed as everything feels, ROT still manages to hide plenty of large props throughout the attraction as well. These are totally unexpected as they are somehow well hidden inside. A separate portion of the attraction is a blackout area. What makes this effective is how heavily fogged the area is. ROT occasionally adds a white panel within this, which feels like a way to proceed; however, it’s just a wall! On the subject of fog, ROT is covered in it. This also helps keep an eerie feel throughout, as there are several examples of what would be referred to as swamp rooms. There is evidence of this effect in the open outdoor areas of the attraction. This is something usually seen indoors to transport guests on a feeling as though they are outdoors, but this is accomplished legitimately outdoors with no walls to contain it… ROT is a special place, to say the least.
21. How scary was it? (35% of score): 9
22. How well did they provide scares to everyone in the group? (15% of score): 8.95
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): 9.05
25. How strong was the ending / finale? (15% of score): 9
ROT is straightforward when it comes to scares. Because this attraction feels so condensed, guests are forced to come face-to-face with everyone they come across. The combination of props, special FX, and cast members is the foundation of scares that keep on scaring. The small space helps the actors distribute scares to all members of the group. The cast made sure to utilize all their energy and create continuous double-tap and triple-tap scares. A few examples would be when they were distracted by props and came from the opposite side. The actors take advantage of the situation when we walk around and encounter them from multiple angles, which was efficient in scaring the group in small bursts of scares.
One of our favorite sudden scares is a prop with its head smashed into a pumpkin. This prop rises suddenly and offers guests a view of pumpkin pulp and gore. While it was a small movement on the prop, it was paired with an actor in a huge carved pumpkin over their head, which we initially thought was an animatronic. Following the dark maze, a decorative and lively room concludes our adventure into the abyss. A hidden actor yells as our eyesight adjusts from the darkness. Never trust what dwells in ROT!
Our walkthrough time for ROT was 20 minutes. Ticket prices vary depending on how early in the season one visits, as well as the day. The day we visited was on a Sunday, and tickets were priced at $28. This gives our MPD value 0.71. This is a great value, as ROT is a fantastic attraction. With so many different activities to take advantage of and the quality of the haunt it is, ROT remains a great visit during any season. It is wild to think about how props are bursting at the seams. ROT chews you up and spits you out. There were plenty of amazing changes this season, and we are excited to see what may be up their sleeve for next season.
421 West Rollins Road, Round Lake Beach, Illinois 60073