I’m hanging out at the bottom of a short flight of stairs that lead toward a massive brick building. It’s late September, and the night has gone cool and quiet; a hint that the Autumn season is finally settling in. Despite the rather… monstrous… appearance of at least two of my new companions, everyone I’ve met outside has been friendly enough thus far.
‘Enjoy it while it lasts,’ I remind myself, eyes drifting towards the top of those fateful stairs. For once, I make my ascent to the door ahead- illuminated by ominous red and purple light- the vibe is going to change very quickly. Just beyond that door is a gateway to the fires of Hell itself: a place where Satan has gathered many of the worst villains and monsters throughout history and locked them away for his own amusement. Tortured and angry, they were waiting for me- and anyone else who finds their way here tonight- within the confines of… The Devil’s Attic.
The Devil’s Attic- located on West Hill in downtown Louisville- has been scaring the HELL out of haunted house fans for an impressive 16 years. Since the dawn of time, The Devil has collected the souls of the most wicked beings he can get his claws on, locking them away within his “attic”. There, they’ve been left to fester in the flames, waiting for new victims to inflict their evil upon once again. So, what does Satan have in store for visitors this haunt season? Read on to find out.
NOTE: I entered The Devil’s Attic completely alone and did not join another group.
For many years, The Devil Himself has gathered evil souls, stashing them away in his own circle of Hell – where they’ve since burned in torment. He had quite a collection the night of my visit, ranging from villains pulled from famous movies to classic horror themes… and a few original surprises to boot! And after years of torture in the fire, you can imagine how happy most of them were to see me. (Read: not at all.)
The Devil was a fantastic introductory character and an absolute riot to interact with. That actor ad-libbed perfectly. (Apparently, we are married now? I’m not complaining.) Another great improv character came in the form of the imp-like Minion, who I enjoyed some brief banter with… before he sacrificed me to the vicious and voraciously hungry vampires in the next room. The fully transformed werewolf let out one of the most bestial and authentic howls I’ve ever heard from any haunt actor – loved it! A pair of executioners, one of whom had set about whipping an unlucky victim, declared my soul unclean and wanted to deliver me to the same fate. I will note I was given a little something special to carry during my walkthrough: that of Bloody Mary’s baby… and holy hell, she was p*ssed with a capital P when she saw me with it in my arms! Geez lady, I was just following orders. Tall, loud, and intimidating, Dr. Heiter tried to convince me of the benefits of consuming human waste – which his newest “patient” was munching out of a bed pan and offered to me. Gross! Mid-exorcism, a highly agitated priest ordered me to my knees and had me prayin’ to the Lord… I had a feeling prayers weren’t going to save me in this place. In the Texas Chainsaw scene, Grandpa was among the more interactive characters I encountered. Not only did he waggle a severed tongue at me (ick), he even grabbed someone else’s face and tried to stick it to mine!
The Attic had plenty of actors, and there were no dead spots anywhere. A few even followed me just short of the next room – I turned around at my own risk! They were also incredibly energetic; with some exceptions for characters where that behavior wouldn’t have been appropriate, the majority of them were going balls-to-the-wall in their scenes. While this is a largely scripted haunt that includes a great deal of interaction between the actors and their sets, it doesn’t allow for a lot of wiggle room when it comes to guest interaction. However, I noticed they’ve been adding it where they can, and it was definitely appreciated. The dialogue for their characters also got an overhaul, and past visitors will recognize that it’s somewhat different this season.
An attraction as theatrical as it is scary, The Devil’s Attic takes the look of their actors very seriously. Some appearances had higher degrees of detail than others, but they all ultimately got the point across as to who was a certain monster, who was a horror movie character, who was a victim etc. The black armored suit The Devil wore was a great costume, as were the elegant white dresses on the vampires, the shawl and cap on the Egyptian priestess, Medusa’s crown of serpents, and the full-body appliances on a hallway ghoul that made them appear to actually be rotting. Several actors wielded props to enhance their act and get further scares: axes, a taser, a dagger, and an enormous chainsaw (!) were among those I saw as I went through.
A good mix of makeup and masked looks were put together as well, and care was taken to ensure that an actor’s skin wasn’t too bare, or eyes weren’t blacked out under masks. Many of the masks were of the fancy silicone variety and even included matching sleeves with monstrous hands. A lot of actors sported SFX lenses to add a new dimension to their look.
I did spot a victim whose pants appeared to be a little too clean in comparison to the slash wounds that covered her arms and face, and one actor seemed to have minimal or no makeup on.
Finding The Devil’s Attic was quite easy. There’s a banner hanging on the front side of the building if you’re approaching from the intersection, and on the other side a sign reading the haunt’s name sits above the front door, lit up in red and purple. Parking is free, and a parking team was on hand to guide arriving cars to available spots. The ticket booth was clearly marked. Ticket prices were $25.00 for General Admission, $35.00 for Speedpass, or $50.00 for the RIP Pass, the last of which is a newer offering that takes a customer straight to the door with no wait. Their parking lot was well-lit, and they had a visible security presence to ensure safety. Both ticket lines were also clearly labeled, and plenty of staff members were around in case anyone needed assistance.
The Attic’s website not only included fun tidbits about the attraction, but also had answers to the majority of questions a potential customer may have prior to visiting. I would recommend adding something about whether the actors can touch patrons- they did have a rule stating patrons are not to touch actors- and if the attraction is handicap accessible.
An almost infernal red glow was cast over much of the building outside; a hint to the journey through Hell I was about to begin. Rock music played and a movie was projected on a screen to keep the line occupied, while two roaming monsters- Orlock and Scarecrow- entertained and scared waiting groups. The haunt exited towards a merch trailer where people could purchase their souvenir photos, t-shirts, and other goodies. Tricked Out Pumpkins and Skarekro Art were both set up as vendors on the night of my visit.
True to its theme, The Devil’s Attic mainly consisted of scenes from horror movies- some familiar, some a little more obscure- as well as classic monsters and periods in history where terrible things took place. There were vampires and werewolves, The Black Plague, The Human Centipede, Hellraiser, Texas Chainsaw Massacre, and many more. A brand-new scene has been introduced for 2025 that I won’t spoil, but I thought they pulled it off well and it was a great addition to the haunt.
I did not notice any major immersion breakers on my adventure. There were no exposed speakers, fog machines, or drink containers left out in the open by actors. I did spot at least one member of security, but being dressed in black and standing in a shadowy area made it harder to see them.
The Devil’s Attic is a high-tech attraction that uses a large variety of special effects to add realism to each part of the house and boost the show’s intensity. To start with, you won’t see any bare walls in the whole place. Every single one was layered with some degree of entombed bodies, bricks, props, splashes of blood, or other designs corresponding to the current or upcoming scene. Plenty of other neat props were placed in every room, as well as places you might not expect… make sure to look UP as you explore the Attic… you might find things like severed heads, bones, and the corpses of less lucky visitors hanging above you! A decent number of animatronics and other SFX were also included throughout the haunt, like the animated corpse of Imhotep rising from the grave and the foggy green swamp I had to pick my way through.
21. How scary was it? (35% of score): 9.6
22. How well did they provide scares to everyone in the group? (15% of score): 10
23. How predictable were the scares? (25% of score): 9.4
24. How well did they provide a wide variety (types) of scares? (10% of score): 8.7
25. How strong was the ending / finale? (15% of score): 9
Although this haunt does include some automated scares (and a couple of *killer* puppet-based ones), The Devil’s Attic is a largely actor-driven show. Which means the majority of the scares coming at you will come from live people – and I’ll warn you right now, they were out for blood the night I came through! Attacks came from just about every direction and multiple tactics were deployed: distraction scares, actors working together to harass or entrap me, at least one came from a drop panel, others burst out from well-concealed hiding spots. Most characters, where appropriate, were incredibly aggressive – loud and completely unafraid to get right in my space. One of the puppeteers came at me so hard with the monster they were operating I was convinced they were going to whack me with its claws! Yikes!
It took me approximately 13 minutes to get the HELL away from The Devil and all his minions (and boy, they did NOT make it easy). With a base ticket price of $25.00, that gives The Devil’s Attic an MPD (Minutes Per Dollar) rating of 0.52. This is on the lower side compared to the full minute we usually like to see from haunts. For the sheer intensity of their show and the quality poured into it, I felt it was completely worth the cost. Their actors were so energetic, and each scene was crafted so well that they had me genuinely wondering if I was ever going to escape… or join the many tormented souls trapped there forever.
Are you brave enough to venture into the fires of Hell and see what evil things The Devil has stashed away in his collection? Check out The Devil’s Attic this Halloween season… if you dare.
647 W Hill Street, Louisville, Kentucky 40208