In the wake of the hurricane, as the rain poured down and the winds howled, we did what we do best… set out to get scared! For years, a dark force has been growing, feeding on the soul of an innocent little girl. But this isn’t just any haunted house – it’s a living nightmare! Streapers Nightmare, to be exact, in Peru, Indiana.
Celebrating over a decade of fear, Streapers Nightmare Haunted Adventure and Escape Games has kept the scares alive. After a three-year break, we were beyond thrilled to return – and this time, we brought along some extra Zombilly friends and one daring wolf for the frightful fun!
To survive, we had to face a series of the little girl’s nightmares coming to life across two floors of their eerie brick building. Each step pulled us deeper into her haunted mind. But the ultimate question lingered: could we find and save Norma Streaper… or would we just become another potty pants mark on their chalkboard?
We knew we were to find Norma as we explored her very own nightmares to take her to safety. We did not know what to expect along the way as our team stepped into the eerie lighting beyond the haunts’ first door.
Her nightmares were filled with quite a few characters and creatures. Greeting us was a bloody-faced woman with pigtails and dirty clothing, wanting us to play with her baby doll. Though her banter was convincing as she asked to be friends and seemed harmless, our group thought it best to keep moving! After all, her appearance was rather unsettling, as well as the off-putting energy of the room.
Along the journey was a terrifying bunny, a character with many facial piercings and a style that reminded us of Mad Max. We also saw a man in a gas mask and many childlike characters in dark clothing and bloodied areas of their bodies. What had they done?
A dark, giant horned creature spooked us many times and took a particular liking to one of our teammates, even “brushing” her hair with his long fingernails and hanging onto her many times. Wolfie growled at us furiously as he jumped up and down on top of a vehicle! And, oh my, what big teeth he had! With his gray fur spiking up, he angered over our very presence.
At last we found Norma in her black dress, holding her headless babydoll. Bloody and dead looking nuns swarmed us, displeased with our prayers and lack of bedtime story skills! Clowns jumped out at us, climbing various props, popping out of places jack-in-the box style, and rocking the very ground beneath our team.
George and other patients were very hungry in the bioresearch department. Their bloody clothes signaled that experiments may not have gone so well! Some actors could not be seen, but we certainly felt their hands as they grabbed at our ankles. Yes… you may get touched here!
A sufficient number of actors added great coverage at Streapers Nightmare, and the haunt showcased various roles. It was nice to have the actors guide us the entire way. We would enjoy more dialogue from the nun and childlike actors, including Norma herself who never spoke or offered other action other than to follow us. We found most actors went with one extreme or the other: screaming at the top of their lungs or not saying anything. We noted that many were screaming repeat phrases such as “hurry up”, or “get out”, or “go!” Their energy was great though and we appreciate that the actors stayed in those characters the entire time! Thank you to the little monster who helped us out of our foggy purgatory; we thought we’d never escape!
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)
Norma’s nightmares took on a variety of sinister forms. We saw many nuns with pale faces and shadowed eyes wearing the habits appropriate for their (un)holy characters. At least two demons were encountered; one wore a black robe and was tasked with escorting us into Norma’s world, while the other was stalking us on stilts! Both wore similar horned half-masks.
While exploring an outdoor maze of pallets, junk, and broken-down vehicles, we were greeted by a somewhat abrasive character wearing layers of animal fur. Both he and his castmate- an imposing actor who wore black and had their face concealed with a gas mask- kind of gave off post-apocalyptic vibes. Harsh growling drew our attention to the menacing werewolf perched atop a car, wearing both a convincing wolf mask and a set of wolf gloves. Norma Streaper looked true to how she was described to us: a young girl wearing a black dress and carrying a headless doll. At least one character early in the first attraction was wearing SFX lenses to turn their eyes eerie. A combination of masks and makeup was used throughout, with a heavier emphasis on makeup.
Most of the monsters and characters we encountered weren’t too hard to figure out when it came to what they were supposed to be. Some appearances were more detailed than others, but just about everyone- even actors in normal clothing- had some amount of dirt, blood, or rips and tears added to their outfits. We did spot some specific opportunities as we were going through (see the question-by-question notes for more on that). Remember, any costume an actor wears should fully match the scene or room they’re in, right down to footwear, making sure eyes are blacked out under masks and clothing isn’t completely clean or neat if it’s a messy character/scene.
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)
Driving through the wind, rain, and night, we were relieved it was so easy to find our way to Streapers Nightmare. The building’s exterior was colorfully lit with large signs that welcomed us to the haunt. We were lucky enough to score street parking, but free parking is available in a lot just east of the building.
Once we made it inside, we were greeted by friendly staff members who helped to get us hyped up for the adventure we were about to embark on. The staff here were also awesome once we completed the haunt too, helping us get some group photos and giving us a chance to peruse the gift shop.
Inside, the haunt was mostly easy to navigate, although there were a few times when we found ourselves lost, but it wasn’t long before someone pointed us in the right direction. There are multiple areas where guests will need to crawl. However, one of our group members could not do so, and they politely routed them around those areas while still keeping them with the group.
Anyone wanting to add this haunt to their list this year will find their website complete with everything they need to plan their trip, with open dates, ticket prices, and the location easily found online.
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)
Approaching Streapers Nightmare, the towering, red-lit old schoolhouse building set an eerie tone. Multiple haunt signs made sure we knew we were in for a night of terror. Once inside, we were greeted by some spooky decor and a glimpse of a few costumed characters. Hard rock music blasted through the air, which kept us amped to enter. Both sections had rustic and well-decorated facades that immediately pulled us into the mood.
The storyline was made clear before we began our mission. Both the rules and haunt backdrop were provided by themed videos, which was a welcoming touch. We could also hear them pretty well when standing in front of them. We found Norma, just as described by the intro guide, and made every effort to lead her through her nightmares to safety.
The flow inside the haunt mainly felt smooth, and whenever we took a wrong turn, actors quickly redirected us back on track without breaking character. While most of the scenes kept us in the experience, we noticed a few areas, transitions, and features that could’ve used more decoration to maintain the immersion.
After our twisted experience through the haunt, we were led to a small area where they offered snacks, photo purchasing, and multiple spooky photo-op backgrounds.
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)
We were impressed to see custom animations in this haunt that laid out the rules for us and set up the back story for Norma’s nightmare in the second half of the haunt. This was only the beginning of the cool special effects, however. Animatronics were used throughout the haunt, and some actors even mimicked the mechanical motion of some animatronics to expertly blend in with them – only to scare us as soon as we let our guard down.
We were also thrilled to see physical obstacles included here that made us crawl, climb, and duck, all while creating new avenues for actors to instill fear in us, which they certainly took advantage of throughout the night. They also incorporated tactile elements such as a hallway so packed with pool noodles that we had to push them out of the way to see and a finale featuring electrical conduits hanging down. Special care was taken to cap the flexible conduits with foam, and while we appreciated the safety aspects, we would’ve liked to see bare conduits with cable ends to keep us immersed.
This twisted labyrinth of nightmares led us to all sorts of chaotic scenes. We found ourselves standing in the center of a creepy church, struggling to find our way out of a fog-filled room and navigating an upside-down bathroom with a toilet, clearly having some serious issues. The “pick a door” room was a real puzzle – we’re pretty sure they took pity on us and just let us out! And the outdoor sections, though slick from the rain, were equally interactive, keeping us guessing at every turn. Oh, and did we mention having to crawl through a real hearse? Yeah, it was that kind of night!
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)
Streapers Nightmare served up a smorgasbord of scares! From jump jolts and sudden grabs to shadowy stalkers hidden in plain sight, loud noises, and other surprises we won’t spoil – they kept us guessing and gasping most of the way through.
No one in our group was safe! The actors and scares were set up to get anyone, in any order, who dared to walk through Norma’s Nightmares. Just knowing that we were walking through the nightmares of a young girl added an extra element of creepiness.
This is a touch haunt which can add to a haunt goers anticipation throughout the adventure, and certainly worked for us! We would like to experience a more defining finale of excitement and fright at this haunt, but overall, we were entertained and enjoyed the haunting thrills and chills of Streapers Nightmare.
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)
It took our intrepid gang of Zombillies- and one Lone Wolf- approximately 28 minutes to help Norma escape from her nightmare world, bringing the haunt’s MPD (Minutes Per Dollar) rating to a solid 2.15. (If you upgraded to a VIP ticket, you gained access to the outdoor portion of the attraction, which bumped the walkthrough to 34 minutes with an MPD of 1.48.) With General Admission tickets priced at just $13, we thought this was a fantastic deal, especially since those 28 minutes had us not only being menaced by monsters at nearly every turn, but also forced us to interact and engage with the cast and our environment to find our way out.
This isn’t just a haunted house – it’s an adventure! Can you help Norma face her fears and break free from the realm of terror she’s created? If you think you’re up for the challenge, grab your family and friends and cross into the world of Streaper’s Nightmare.
71 West 7th Street, Peru, Indiana 46970