We returned to Edge of Hell for their 50th anniversary! This haunt that resides in the West Bottoms of Kansas City is a staple in the community. They do an excellent job retaining what makes the attraction great while keeping things fresh for returning guests!
We were extremely impressed that this year’s visit was just as great as last year’s! Edge of Hell’s 2024 season features a new cast of characters, some updated scares, updated areas, and an overall more aggressive scaring experience than last year!
We encourage you to visit Edge of Hell for yourself if you have yet to visit to experience all the twists and turns firsthand. Continue reading if you would like to learn more about our latest visit!
The cast at Edge of Hell continues to impress us. While it was clear that there were returning actors, there were very few actors who portrayed the same character as last year. This is not something we see at a lot of attractions and we feel that this allows the actors to broaden their acting abilities, while utilizing the areas in a new way!
The ghoulish queue actor returned from last year, jump scaring us and other guests alike! When he is not scaring us to the floor, we love watching him scare other guests who are waiting in line.
We also want to highlight the “Cardinal,” who wore a Cardinal Copia-inspired outfit with his head completely covered in gore and claw gloves. He moved very elegantly and quietly, so one moment you see him from afar, and the next he is right over your shoulder! Not only was he creepy, but he also had moments to bring out his silly side, which we had fun with.
Rat Man or “Rat Brat,” as we have been told, had live rats that she was carrying and hiding with her suit, and was even putting the rats in her mouth! Our team consists of rat lovers, so the rat party was certainly a highlight.
As we were waiting in the queue, we watched as a Hat Box type ghost, draped in chains and a tall top hat came lingering down, staring down hard at us, which only built anticipation. As we began climbing the stairs, he disappeared into the next room, waiting for us to enter to pounce. He lingered around us, providing a perfect distraction for his partner in the same room to jump out at us with a live snake draped over his neck!
The next couple of actors got up close and personal, with some light touching involved. This includes getting combed and ankle-swiped by the prisoners. The Werewolf was one of the most aggressive actors of the evening. As you are crawling through a dark tunnel, he would growl in your face and howl and even threaten us by saying, “I will drag you down here” if we hesitated.
We did have a couple of brief conversations with some of the cast, including Grandma, a husband shooting cowgirl, and a hilarious moment of fake enthusiasm from Saint Peter.
The actors retained a lot of the same high energy as last year, climbing along the set design in certain areas and taking control of their space. Even while there wasn’t as much dialogue as last year, we did see a lot of diversity with the verbal and physical interactions throughout the cast, and each gave us a glimpse into their character’s personality!
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)
Every character had a distinct look that coordinated with their area. No actor looked out of place or not related to their area. There were many original characters present in the haunt, and it was a treat learning about each of them. Common tropes were not overplayed or excessive in Edge of Hell either. The costumes looked well made and detailed to fit each individual personal style and story.
This year featured a lot more chains on certain characters, which they used to their advantage. We also really enjoyed the colorful polka dot character at the beginning of the Hell area who blended in super well with their surroundings! We definitely saw this as an improvement and good use of the 3D glasses area where in the previous year the actors felt slightly out of place.
We love how the details in each character’s outfits truly feel as if they live in the area they are placed in! The distress and aging in their outfits were very well done.
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)
The staff at Edge of Hell / The Beast were very welcoming and accommodating! They have a new system for VIP tickets this year that greatly helped with the queueing process, preventing the space from getting too crowded or making guests wait for an excessively long wait time, even if you are in general ticketing.
We love getting to speak with the staff, who were very open to conversation before and after the haunt, even asking for direct feedback after our experience! Getting to hear their stories and how dedicated they are to the haunt was wonderful to hear, and we truly felt their passion for what they do.
Of course, there were no safety concerns, but we do advise you to be aware of where you step and for the occasional swinging doors, as they may swing back at you faster than you expect. Also, keep in mind that this experience is very in your face, which includes some animatronics touching you, rubber snakes from above, and whipping air wires swiping at your legs.
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)
The immersion has only improved since our last visit! This time, we did not see any animatronic operators or machinery. There were a couple of moments where the illusion was slightly broken by a character telling us where to go or to keep our glasses on when we weren’t sure when it was okay to remove them. Other than that, we were locked in, and so much happened back to back that it hardly left any room for us to think about anything else besides what was in front of us.
The scenes blended very well together as we traversed through each section of this purgatory!
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)
While a lot of the animatronics remained the same, it did seem like they included new animatronics to the roster, which provided some of the biggest scares of the night! The bat/vampire animatronic at the beginning still got us as we’ve forgotten just how big and low it really gets, and the dog attack in the next couple of rooms over had us SCREAMING our heads off from how it was concealed in the dark with perfectly timed strobe lights and loud sound effects! Each animatronic was very well placed and utilized. One of the best placed animatronic scares happens as you are climbing through a tunnel system where a severed head pops out of the wall right in front of you! As we mentioned with the dog attack jump scare, the lighting and sound effects were effective across the board, creating a very nice atmosphere and aiding the jump scares very well.
The set design, like last year’s, was extremely impressive and made you feel like you were on a movie set. It hasn’t changed much from last year, but there were definitely a few changes that made it feel fresh and new.
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)
As this was our second time venturing through Edge of Hell, we expected to not be nearly as scared as we were last year. We were sorely mistaken. Even while we were able to predict some of the scares, a lot of those predicted scares brought in a new element that took us by surprise! The big finale jump scare at the end, while we saw it coming as it was the same as last year, the actor in the room was much more aggressive and ran straight at us this time, which really shook us up!
This purgatory of a haunt is intense from start to finish and will not let up until you have left the building! With a vast variety of characters, impressive scenery and special effects, and well-placed animatronics, this haunt is an aggressive trip through Hell and back.
We encourage you to visit Edge of Hell, even if you have in the past, as you will likely experience new scares than the ones you’ve had previously!
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)
This year, we got through Edge of Hell in about 22 minutes. Tickets are priced based on the day you visit, as starting ticket prices are $27 on Thursdays (except October 31st), $32 on Fridays, and $37 on Saturdays online. Single VIP tickets can also be purchased at starting rates of $57-$67. Combo tickets can be purchased for Edge of Hell and the Beast from $44-74, depending on the night you visit.
We were so excited to come back this year, and it did not let us down! We are so grateful to visit Edge of Hell during their 50th anniversary season, and we congratulate them for hitting this remarkable milestone!
We are already looking forward to our future visits!
1300 West 12th Street, Kansas City, Missouri 64101
