Final Scores – By Category:

Cast (20% of Final Score): 9.58

Costuming (10% of Final Score): 9.36

Customer Service (10% of Final Score): 9.9

Immersion (10% of Final Score): 8.82

Special Effects (15% of Final Score): 8.88

Scare Factor (20% of Final Score): 9.36

Entertainment & Value (15% of Final Score): 8.69

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Final Scores – By Attraction:

Attraction 1: 9.23

‘What took ya so long, baby? Y’know I’ve been waitin’ for ya,’ the great red demon drawls as he’s leading me out of his chamber and into the underworld he calls home. ‘I didn’t mean the whole fleas thing. We got that taken care of. It wasn’t even you, baby!’ Yeah, I darn well know it wasn’t – this wolf doesn’t have fleas. Pausing briefly, he comments, ‘You know, I’m ready to settle down and pop the question.’ He sinks to one knee and appears a little nervous. ‘Will you… will you…’ The act is almost convincing enough for me to believe him. But let’s not forget: Lucifer is the Father of Lies. So it’s not much of a surprise to me when his scaly hand suddenly closes on me and he bellows:

‘… get the F**K in my swamp, baby!’

The next thing I know, I’m being spun around and tossed into the foggy green waters of a swamp… and nearly winding up right in the grasp of the mossy beast who was lurking in it! Startled (and amused) as I am by this whole scene, I’ve come to expect this sort of interaction on my annual date with The Devil at his home base: The Devil’s Attic, located in Louisville, Kentucky.

2024 is a milestone year for this local legend: they are officially celebrating 15 seasons of scaring the HELL out of the city of Louisville! What sorts of nasty nightmares could Satan Himself be hiding at the top of that looming brick building off West Hill? Read on to find out…

NOTE: I faced off with The Devil and his minions completely alone and did not enter with a group.

The Devil’s collection consisted of many of the most wicked monsters and madmen to ever stalk the earth – and unfortunately for me, it was never long before my next encounter with one (or more) of them! The introduction with The Devil Himself was nothing short of hilarious and truly set the tone for my experience. Ah, if only my greeting from his devious Minion was as “nice”… I was scolded for referring to them as an “imp” last year, then sacrificed to the vampire ladies next door, who begged me for just a little blood. “Can’t you see we’re STARVING?!” they wailed in perfect unison. There was a brief moment of cuteness from the operator of Monessa, Satan’s pet skeletal dragon… while I was speaking with Minion, I felt something at my shoulder and turned to see her nibbling on me. Aww.

Hoping to find some confinement from all the creeps coming after me, I fled into Dr. Frankenstein’s lab, where I was ordered against the nearest wall while he eagerly showed off his latest experiment. But you could say he underestimated the monster’s strength… it broke free of its restraints and attacked! Oh no! Stumbling across a torture chamber, I witnessed the torturer dishing out punishment to multiple unfortunate souls. Then he turned his attention on me, and made it painfully clear if I didn’t get moving I was going to be the next to catch his wrath! A more interactive encounter was had with the infamous Bloody Mary. Appearing in a form that was as blood-soaked as her scene, she demanded I call her name all three times, laughing wickedly. At one point, I stumbled into the laboratory of Dr. Heiter (The Human Centipede). Harsh and brooding, he was busy scolding and beating the snot out of his creations, including his latest victim who was seated in a chair. Thankfully, he was well distracted by them and I was able to escape without becoming his newest experiment!

The Devil’s Attic is largely scripted and many of the actors have lines they stick to in their roles. More beastly characters, like the fully transformed werewolf and the swamp monster, made convincing growls and other animalistic noises. With that said, I noticed an increase in interactivity this year. This was great! Having set lines for certain roles is helpful because it enables the haunt to more easily swap in an actor if another is out for the night, but a lot of customers love to interact and I was happy to see more of that on my visit.

For burning in the fire for so long, The Devil’s collection of creeps sure did look nice. All costumes were appropriate for their respective characters; some looked a little “cleaner” and less intricate than others but none of them left you wondering who or what the heck was trying to eat you or cut you up with a chainsaw. The masks used were particularly impressive and largely made of silicone, along with a few monster gloves, like Orlock’s big clawed hands and The Devil’s scaly red arms. Makeup also looked great – Dr. Frankenstein’s look continues to be a favorite, with the pale markings on his face making him look either stitched-up like his monster or possibly electrified. A witchy girl hanging out with the coffin salesman had a pale, spooky-looking face, as did the two vampires. Some characters even wore special SFX lenses to enhance the creep factor: the aforementioned doctor had one in on the made-up side of his face and the priest performing an exorcism also had a pair.

Many actors incorporated props into their look or grabbed something from their scene to play with. Dr. Heiter brandished a riding crop for disciplining non-compliant “patients”. Chop Top was ready with his paddle in case anyone decided to give his family a hard time, and Grandpa grabbed a severed piece of flesh and was waving it about in my face.

Bathed in a red glow akin to the flames of Lucifer’s realm, The Devil’s Attic was easy to spot from the street. A large banner with the haunt’s name and logo was also up on the front of the building. Parking was free in the Attic’s own lot and a parking team was present to guide arriving vehicles to open spaces. All areas from the parking lot to the exit were well lit and both police and security were around to keep things safe. Finding things like the ticket booth and which line to enter for each type of ticket was simple as everything was clearly marked. Tickets to the attraction ran $25 for General Admission and $35 for a Speedpass.

Beyond some uneven footing outside and props hanging down in some hallways- all easily avoidable if you’re paying attention- there were no real safety issues in or outside of the haunt.

Upon pulling in, “Bark at the Moon” by Ozzy Osbourne could be heard playing out front. (Geez, how’d they know I was coming?! I guess Satan sees all.) Additional rocking tunes played throughout the night and a hearse bearing the haunt’s logo was parked outside. A few other bits of decor were visible to give the property a “haunted house” vibe. Two roamers- the mysterious Scarecrow and suspiciously jovial Orlock- wandered about scaring and entertaining groups waiting to get in. Clips played on a projector screen to entertain the line.

The story behind The Devil’s Attic is that The Devil Himself amassed a collection of the most rotten souls imaginable, ranging from classic murderers known in history to the monsters of legend – and maybe even a few ripped from the silver screen! (That’s right. You can’t hide in your theater seat here… the characters you know and love are very real and they’re coming for you!) In addition to the introduction with the big red guy himself, I also tried to evade monsters lurking in a swamp, snarling, aggressive werewolves, and bloodthirsty vampires. It was only by Medusa’s good graces that I avoided being turned to stone in her lair of serpents, and I wasn’t too keen on seeing the sights the Cenobites had to show me, nor joining the Sawyer family for dinner. As with the costuming, the levels of detail differed from room to room, but everything felt like it tied in with the haunt’s storyline.

I did spot a security guard while I was going through. However, not only were they wearing all black but they also took care to move into a dark corner so it was harder to notice them.

The Devil’s Attic is a theatrical and high-tech production. Every portion of the house, including the transition hallways, is beautifully lit in hues appropriate for the textures on the walls or what the scene represents. (Example: the vampires’ lair is awash in cold blue and white.) A neat lighting effect was used in The Devil’s throne room to simulate fire. In the swamp, a combination of eerie green laser light and fog created the illusion you were actually wading through murky waters. A similar effect was used to create a swirling foggy portal at another point in the haunt. Fiery LEDs and a plume of white smoke rose up under a shrieking witch as she was burned at the stake. Bare walls? You aren’t going to find any in this place… every single one was dressed up in some way, whether that was through adding 3D textures like skulls or the total bloodbath that was Bloody Mary’s room.

Nor was any expense spared when it came to automations or props. I narrowly avoided getting chomped by Monessa, The Devil’s massive skeletal dragon, and witnessed sights like Imhotep’s body rising from his tomb and a possessed girl thrashing about on a bed. There was a super cool effect leading into the Hellraiser scene where a wall literally opened up to grant access to the realm of the Cenobites. To boost this score even further, I’d love to see the Attic continue to flesh out scenes with additional props, animatronics, and effects where room allows for it.

As you might imagine, all of those nasty souls cooped up inside the Attic weren’t in the best of moods. On the contrary… after burning for so many years, they were mad as HELL and they sure let me know it! The Devil’s minions came at me from nearly every direction and definitely weren’t afraid to get up close and personal. (I hope you don’t value your personal space – they aren’t gonna respect it in here!) They (loudly) mocked and threatened me, screamed, struck walls with props or hands to create sharp noises, and used both boo spots and portions of their sets to pop out unexpectedly. There were moments when multiple actors teamed up to heighten the scare; the vampires were a particularly devious duo and Some intentionally got in my way and tried to block me from escaping their scenes, or even trailed after me for one last parting shot after I’d fled!

Most scares were actor-based, but that Devil certainly had some tricks up his sleeve. There were a few scares involving impressive “stalkaround” costumes or actor-matronic puppets. One of them was part of a distraction scare pulled off so flawlessly it about sent me to the floor! I felt that scream in my soul!

My journey through this fiery underworld lasted approximately 11 minutes, bringing the Attic ‘s MPD (Minutes Per Dollar) score to 0.44. That is on the lower end of the full minute I like to see from a haunt, especially when the base ticket price is $25. However, for the power-packed show I received, I absolutely feel it was worth what they charge for admission. Lulls in the action were few and far between as I was going through- they had me genuinely fearing for my life in there- and the show quality was nothing short of superb. “Quality over quantity” is the name of the game here, and they pulled it off beautifully. (I was also alone and scared to death, which probably hastened my search for the exit!)

The Devil is always seeking new souls to add to his collection… and he’s waiting for you! Stop by The Devil’s Attic this haunted house season and let them show you one HELL of a scary good time.