Spook Hollow Review (2024)

Both the indoor and outdoor waiting areas had enough actors to move through the crowds. All three houses had plenty of actors to fill up the indoor and outdoor parts of the houses. The best thing about Spook Hollow is the actors. It is a volunteer haunt, and the actors truly put their hearts into their performances. We were thoroughly scared from the front of the house and queue lines, throughout the three attractions.

Although some of the actors did rely on screaming, many of the actors used dialogue that fit their scenes. The actor at the front of the first house was convincing as he showed us his worm friends and talked us into giving them a little bite.

The actor in the graveyard scene, who was an angel atop a tombstone, was able to stay completely still until jumping forward on a well-placed out-of-sight bungee. The scare was effective and masterfully done. There was a young actress in the spaceship/alien scene who was very convincing as a terrifying robot girl.

All the actors truly put their heart into their performances, and we could tell they were having the most fun. When we first stepped into the graveyard scene, a scarecrow on stilts greeted us from around the corner making a great scare, as well as something very cool to look at, as we began our descent through the graveyard.

All the actors were very interactive with dialogue and made good use of their rooms, props, and body movement. It was evident the actors knew their scenes very well. All the houses had different types of interactions and were still able to keep the flow and push the crowd through into the next room. The actors were great with dialogue and engaging the customers as they were leaving the rooms with some of them following us into the next room.

Throughout the house, the use of dialogue was plentiful and entertaining. The queue actors in front of the manor were very memorable. One was dressed in an 1800s mischievous boy outfit, complete with worms, and he wanted to talk about them and share with us. Inside the manor, we were told by a very serious and dour woman, “you’re late for the wedding.”

The second house is a space-themed section. The actors in there were great, especially the little robot girl who had some creepy things to say as well as creepy robot movements. The Nightmare had a great use of dialogue and body movement to back it up.

The variety of actors was so good and entertaining. There was everything from clowns, ghouls, cemetery dwellers, living tombstones, demons, scarecrows, and possessed families. There were plenty of characters to scare everyone. The clowns were especially good at inspiring fright, with great use of body movement and dialogue.

Spook Hollow is an extensive haunt with three different attractions packed into one location. Depending on the attraction, we saw other characters with their respective costumes to fit their scenes.

Inside MC Mansion, we were approached by a bartender who looked quite spiffy and well-put-together, and recommended a particular drink. In a new room, a few stationary garden statues lined the sides of the wall, until we saw one of them pop out to unsuspecting patrons.

Out on the Spook Hollow Trail is a mixture of high-quality costumes and plain street clothes that fit their respective roles. In the cemetery, we came across a life-sized angel statue that blended well in the dark. Her robe was detailed to look exactly like textured stone, with signs of being weathered down. We walked into a spaceship and were greeted by a little alien. This costume was well put together to fit a young cast member, who took the opportunity to show her robotic moves.

Inside MC Nightmare, the actors wear blue-collar costumes that match the setting perfectly. A few actors wore full face masks that were tucked under their necklines. The few times we got to see faces due to the darkness inside, we noticed the airbrush makeup technique was being used.

Spook Hollow was hard to miss as they had an expansive set-up and plenty of guidance towards the lots and street parking as well. There was also a huge fire truck, as well plenty of signage, and an enormous arch with gigantic skeletons to greet us as we walked toward the queue. All of this was made easier with staff to guide us to where to go.

There were outdoor and indoor waiting areas that all had a large presence of staff, security, fire fighters, a fire truck, and the Marquette Heights police on site to ensure public safety. Throughout the attraction, there was adequate lighting throughout the houses and on the trail, while maintaining a scary environment. The low-lit areas made sense for the settings, while also providing safety for both guests and actors.

The areas of the houses that were tighter and help keep the illusion of claustrophobia still allowed the actors and guests to move around safely. However, emergency exits were not visible while walking through the houses. If a guest needs to get out in case of an emergency, the signs should be visible. Another aspect is the lack of house rules told to the guests. This can be dangerous for the acting staff due to customers not hearing the rules on touching the actors.

The staff was extremely friendly and very helpful, and helped customers navigate between the houses, the merchandise area, bathroom areas, and through the queue line. This was fantastic as they can managed the large crowds they attracted and will be well set up for the much larger crowds that come closer to Halloween. The event staff was easy to find because they were wearing earpieces, and radios, as well as queue line actors guiding us where to go. All the actors were very good about giving us scares while also pushing us through the house, and avoiding catching up with other groups.

Spook Hollow has an online presence and a very good following, considering they have been open for 45 years. Remember, this haunt is non-profit, and gives back to Marquette Heights, and surrounding communities.

Spook Hollow takes place at a local park, and is required to break down the haunt after every season is over. The ticket booth trail lies behind an arch towered by two spooky boyz (twelve-foot skeletons). The trail was a bit long and there was not much at this portion, but after the ticket booth was where the golds was located. There were a few different local vendors (five dollars from every sale goes to a different charity each weekend). There was merch booth and further on we arrived at the façade of the first attraction, MC Manor.

The manor was a great creaky-looking building. There was always something to look at, as fun as finding hidden easter eggs, such as ghosts on the balcony, a random flash of lightning, and tremendous thunder. The whole scene made for a great opening as the first room complemented the exterior and transported guests to a haunted manor. It was very easy to become immersed in all of the details seen, such as the bar area, wine cellar, or even between the walls.

Next, portioned guests encountered the show that started it all, the trail. This attraction started as a trail, and even though it is second in line, it remained the longest attraction. The entrance was a giant wooden gate with torches, which adds a great entryway for that part of the attraction. The gates reminded me of a smaller version of the Jurassic Park ones, giving that great wooden and stone feel, with many terrors on the other side.

Once guests complete the trail, MC Nightmare looms over them, almost like a final boss. The façade towers over the other two, as it seems to extend high in the night sky. With an industrial feel on the outside, complemented by a classic smoke-stack structure, it was as if they were paying homage to the hard-working industrial workers of yesteryear. Once again, we had a great façade that followed a plan that’s well put together.

It is amazing to know that this haunt is a non-profit, and still running strong 45 years later. Using everyday items, and a bit of help from special effects, this becomes a fully immersive experience.

Inside MC Manor, the rooms were filled with furniture and a great quantity of taxidermy head mounts that were covered with cobwebs. The amount of detail that went into placing shelves, miscellaneous props, and wall decor made us forget this is not someone’s actual house. Heavy sound effects filled the room, while blinding flashing lights gave us a sense of discomfort. The newest room we encountered was the indoor garden that was well-lit, which gave us a moment to look at the statues and the plants.

On the Spook Hollow Trail, the lack of lights gave a sense of uneasiness due to how naturally dark the forest was. Throughout the trail, different scenes were set up to display their themes. The mortuary happened inside a makeshift funeral home. An active crematorium, the main piece, and the glowing red was very unsettling. Immediately after, tombstones appeared from the darkness and a small chapel with a colorful stained-glass window could be seen further down. The dark itself effectively helped hide the actors.

The outside of MC Nightmare was already frightful enough before going inside. Rusty industrial-sized equipment filled the rooms and walls, which matched the outside. The actors used animatronics to effectively create distractions and sometimes used loud special effect noises for scares. While it was dark most of the time, there were moments when suddenly bright lights were activated, blinding us.

It’s worth checking this attraction out due to the number of details and props being used after 45 years of operation.

The attraction had very scary parts, specifically the graveyard scene. There was a good variety of startle scares, pop-outs, dialogue, and great use of the set design and layout of the rooms. The nightmare specifically was very jarring as the sets and lighting provided a very tense vibe. It made our hearts race as we navigated through some truly nightmarish rooms with actors who are equally nightmarish. With effects of low-lighting, and the use of fog machines an ominous tone was set for the different houses.

The actors had great timing and utilized both rooms, and cues from other actors were taken in adjoining scenes. Because of the abundance of actors, they knew how to work the rooms, and body movements, and scare everyone in the group, not missing anyone.

The actors were able to utilize and enhance their scares to fit the areas inside and outside of the houses. There was a lot of versatility, and it was evident that the actors put a lot of thought into everything they did. In some parts of the houses, the scares were predictable, but it did not make them any less effective. The actors utilized drop boxes, startle scares, distractions, dialogue, screams, and rooms to help terrify haunt goers.

The ending made our hearts pound in terror, and was truly masterful. As all three houses come to a terrifying finale, the transition back into the real world was wild, and left us wanting more!

For all three attractions, back-to-back-to-back, our walkthrough time was at the 40-minute mark. With prices for general admission at 30 dollars, our Minute Per minute-per-dollar value comes to 1.33 which is a higher-end number for the area.

Given how well this attraction has been produced for the past 45 years, it is worth the trip to come check them out during the season. With only six shows for the month, the opportunity is limited but worth it. If one end of the spectrum was old school/home haunts, and the other end was high-end professional haunts, the needle that is Spook Hollow would break off the gauge from all the back and forth it provides.

The three attractions provide enough of everything to make it highly entertaining and has something for everyone. It is worth mentioning again how much they give back to their community, which would explain the cult-like following behind them, and support from their local police and fire department. Spook Hollow is a rather special visit, and we hope more people in the Chicago area will venture down and experience it!