The Haunted Hotel remains one of the most extreme haunts in the Louisville area in 2012 for their 24th year in operation. This year, they are under new ownership by Brian Stich and Kevin Stich, former owners of Wolf Creek Haunted Forest. ‘Louisville’s longest standing and scariest Halloween attraction’ has had many improvements and changes made this year, totaling at 18 to 20 new scenes! But this haunt has a long standing reputation of keeping their customers coming back year after year, and the new owners are off to the perfect start in making sure this continues to happen. If you are looking for an intense, in-your-face attraction from beginning to end, this is one haunt you don’t want to miss! But remember, the cost of your stay at the Haunted Hotel will not be made in dollars and cents; instead the toll will be your soul!
There are between 25 and 30 paid, high-energy characters that have checked into the Hotel for the 2012 season. This year, the cast is a little more different than normal. Since Wolf Creek Haunted Forest is no longer open, some of the original actors from there and some from the Hotel have been brought together to create the Hotel’s new crew! The cast has gone through four sessions of training, and the original Hotel actors have taught Wolf Creek actors what working in the Hotel is all about. Not only can you not tell the difference, they’re back with a vengeance! These guys (and gals), know their roles and play them to the limit and beyond! They are in-your-face, very interactive with the entire group, and seem to have stronger dialogue this year.
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Costumes used throughout the haunt are mostly made in-house from scratch. They are gory, bloodstained, and most look very realistic. There are many masks used throughout the haunt, but most are silicone and the rest have been purchased from overseas so you shouldn’t come across any that you have seen before. Each costume matched their respective scenes as the theme evolves throughout the haunt which added greatly to realism. Some of the most memorable characters were the innkeeper, the elevator ‘operator,’ the clowns, the Nazi zombie, the demented dominatrix, and we even caught someone taking a shower!
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Once you are on 4th street, all you pretty much have to do is look for the flashing red and blue lights of the Louisville Metro PD blocking off an adjacent street. Once you arrive at the Hotel, they should direct you towards the proper parking area, which is the same as last year, only this year parking was free! The lot is rather small though and dimly lit, but we believe the convenience store next door to the haunt is available for parking as well. Once you are ready to purchase tickets, the ticket booth is located on the side of the building by the exit of the haunt. There are several portable restrooms located in the front yard of the Hotel for your convenience. T-shirts are also available at the ticket booth, one for $8.00 or two for $14.00 which is a screamin’ deal! In case you have any questions or concerns, friendly staff can be found in the ticket booth and at the entrance of the haunt. In case you get hungry or need something to drink, there is a convenience store right next door! Once inside there are clearly marked exits throughout, and a few thresholds to watch out for. Make sure you are careful as you escape their demented elevator!
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The atmosphere of the Hotel has improved this year. As soon as we got parked we could hear loud spooky music coming from the haunt. This immediately got us ready to be scared! There was still thick fog coming from the attraction and hovering around it which helps this spooky old building look even spookier. As we started walking towards the building we began to hear yelling, chainsaws, screams, and unexplainable noises escaping from within the walls of The Haunted Hotel. Also this year, there were several actors roaming around interacting with the crowd, and of course the exit’s location being next to the ticket booth never ceases to provide everyone with a laugh!
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Most of the special effects are made from scratch but some have been reused and modified to the increased demands of the new owner. There are so many things going on inside The Haunted Hotel, we don’t even know where to begin without giving it all away! The outside maze is still in place but a vortex tunnel and a pitch black tunnel have been added and are used to their fullest extents! Random animatronics, strobe lights, fog, chainsaws, and some of the bloodiest props around help Haunted Hotel bring your wildest nightmares to life! Realistic sound effects and loud metal music are used in most of the scenes and add a final touch to make each scene more disturbing.
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The theme of the Hotel is just that, a hotel! The theme was brought to life and stood out a lot more this season than in the past. Imagine that the characters from your worst nightmares have rented rooms and decided to take over the entire Hotel! Each room and character were in context with the theme; a bedroom was even included towards the beginning of the tour, but it seemed to drift more towards the ‘anything could be in here’ factor as we progressed.
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The Haunted Hotel has been known to scare some of the strongest souls out there, and this year is no different. However if you are one of those that are pretty hard to scare and they don’t succeed, don’t worry they won’t let you off as easy as other attractions! They will continue to pry at you until you give in. This is one thing that sets this haunt apart from a lot of others, they don’t give up, no matter how hard you are to scare. The cast you will meet in the Hotel are very dynamic, aggressive, and in-your-face. They also know how to use distractions very well, and will most definitely use them to their advantage. Different levels of scares delivered from the Hotel include: slight creepiness when you first arrive, to startles, jumps, screams, and possibly even panic or feeling as if you need to run for your life! If you have been to the Hotel in the past and thought the actors were extreme, imagine them being able to touch you, which is an intensifying change that has been added this year.
3000 South 4th Street, Louisville, Kentucky 40208