Unreal Nightmares is now in its fourth season of operation, delivering devious frights to scare seekers of West-Central Indiana. However, this isn’t your typical haunted house where you get to walk through all willy nilly and just run past everything that scares you. Nope! You may not be able to escape at all unless you directly interact with, well, everything. If you bury your face into the back of your boyfriend here, it could cost you big time!
Combining several of the interactive elements of an escape room (i.e., locks, codes, etc.) with the acting, scenery, and props of a haunted house, Unreal Nightmares offers one of the most unique experiences we’ve encountered to date. So pay attention to everyone and everything; that is if you want to get out alive!
With a new storyline in place (more on this in ‘Theme’ below), our first interactions with the Unreal Nightmares cast started strongly! A straight-faced briefing and decontamination session with a member of the SDA turned awry very quickly. As we began to make our way through, we spotted a stuck field agent and a variety of ferocious fiends along the way.
In addition, some of the stand-outs from our excursion included the Doctor and Patient in the medical area. All of these were very much in character, demonstrated well thought out dialogue, and used their characters to interact with us in meaningful ways to help us (or hinder, in the Dr.’s case) to escape.
Others peeked at us through walls, had perfect timing to startle us with their reveals, indicated intense intimidation, quietly stalked us from behind, or maddeningly mutilated themselves (one was banging their head against the wall repeatedly). Just remember, Isaiah doesn’t like guests!
However, this was essentially the extent of our interactions with the cast this year. We’re presuming that an onslaught of actor attacks may hinder guests’ ability to complete the tasks necessary to proceed through the haunt. However, there were a lot of dead spaces in the maze where no locks were present that we feel could’ve benefitted from additional action. In addition, some actors employed common phrases, such as ‘Where are you going?’ and loud screaming.
Variety of Characters – (35% of score)
Complete, Finished Appearance – (30% of score)
Creative, Detailed Costumes – (20% of score)
Creative, Detailed, Realistic Makeup – (15% of score)
The haunt does exceptionally well in this category each season. Although they utilized a blend of masks and makeup, the details were unique and matched each character. Villain varieties included a flailing field agent, creepy doll girls and their enormous doll-like creature that looked like it came straight outta our worst (unreal?) nightmares, brutal-looking butchers, and maniacal medical miscreants.
Unreal Nightmares also has a talented makeup artist on tap! Rather than sticking with ‘2D’ techniques, we noticed many of the characters had layered and textured prosthetics, wounds, facial prostheses, and more affixed to their faces and bodies this year.
Our journey began with two agents, one of which had a rotting mass on the side of her face and one red eye! It was clear from the beginning that the infection was starting to spread throughout the complex. Others were experiencing similar skin slippage and were wearing HAZMAT suits, patient gowns, sewed-skin butcher aprons, and more. Some of the makeup extended down the lengths of their arms to further their dreadful demeanors. Others took things a step further with black funky stuff coming out of their mouths!
Masks were used occasionally, with the Doctor’s intubated iteration, Isaiah’s leather-like face covering, and the jarring jowled juggernaut near the end being the most memorable and emotionally scarring of the tour. The only things that really looked out of place were the clown-masked marauder and the random T-shirt that he was wearing.
If Masks, Effective – (25% of score)
Costumes Appropriate for Scenes, Themes – (30% of score)
Easy to Find, Navigate – (25% of score)
Safety – (20% of score)
Unreal Nightmares was very easy for us to find using Google Maps. When we saw a lit food truck outside, we knew it had to be the place! A large banner on the outside of the building, some decor, and painted windows made it clear we had arrived.
Free parking was available around the building, but the most notable lot was directly across the street from the building. Just watch for traffic. The haunt is cash only, so do keep this in mind, and they don’t have any restrooms on-site. However, there is a great gas station right down the road that they can direct you to if needed.
This year, the whole interior waiting area looked different. Guests were lined up and able to sit down on benches on the right side of the entrance, and a new gift shop had taken over the left side. We highly recommend checking out the spooky gifts they have to offer!
By the way, the food truck outside, Chum Chariot, has AMAZING food and drinks at great prices too! We highly recommend their Maleficent drink and homemade sweet biscuits of any flavor! The ladies in the food truck and everyone we met on the property were amiable and happy to see everyone. They were able to answer any questions we had. If you don’t talk to some of these staff members before leaving, you’re missing out!
This haunt utilizes tour guides, so each group has a guide with them throughout the haunt, should they need assistance with anything.
Unreal Nightmares still doesn’t have a website that we could find, but customers can find basic information on their Facebook page.
Staff Professional, Helpful, Friendly – (25% of score)
Ease of Finding Info Before Arrival – (20% of score)
Obviously a Haunt Before Entering – (40% of score)
Prepared for Experience Inside – (15% of score)
On the night of our visit, it was dark and rainy outside, but a banner and large, gory skulls on the front of the building reiterated that we were at a haunted house. The old brick building itself also helps set a threatening tone. It had large, tinted front windows allowing patrons to gaze inside. Also, industrial lighting, fog, and some very grungy walls decorated the interior waiting area. If this wasn’t a haunted house, we were going to find out what it was anyway!
Once inside, we noticed a lot more decor on the walls, A nasty spider above a doorway, and many different past victims were protruding from the walls. As shown in an attached picture below, one was something of nightmares with tons of teeth stuck to its face. Yuk!
In the main indoor waiting area, fog would blast from the ceiling every so often, and loud pops would go off, startling those waiting in line. This really helped build the anticipation of entering a haunted house. The occasional screams leaking out from within also had us wondering what was going on inside.
We became preoccupied with something in the waiting/gift area that appeared innocent in its intentions during our wait. However, after we messed with it for a few moments, something scared the living daylights out of us! We will not tell you what it was; just be sure to check out everything there is to offer!
Sound Effects Effective – (20% of score)
Creative, Original Scenes, Props – (30% of score)
Detailed Scenes – (30% of score)
Achieve, Maintain Suspension of Disbelief – (20% of score)
Mostly everything in Unreal Nightmares was constructed by their team of masterminds, so you can expect to see many fresh items or victims, depending on where you’re looking. This was even apparent in the waiting and gift shop areas this season. Just look at the walls; have you ever seen anything like those three-dimensional, bloody sculptures?
It’s mostly an old-school haunt as well. We remember noting a few animatronics, but they were gruesomely placed. Visitors will need to interact with scenes, crawl, and fit through tight spaces.
Sound, lighting, and fog combined into a rather disturbing atmosphere. Unreal is unique in that it uses the authentic atmosphere of the building to create the scenes in spots. Less does* work better at times with what they’re trying to do, but some larger areas were rather bare. Yes, they have constructed scenes as well, but the combination of both adds to the surrealism. At times, it made the mind wonder, ‘Where am I? Did I already go through that door?’ And that’s intentional.
When it comes to the sound, they, by far, utilize some of the most unnerving noises we’ve heard in a haunt. One sound was so unexplainable that we can’t even tell you what it sounded like, but as soon as it started piercing our ears, it provoked panic. It just wasn’t normal. Not only are they scary, but they’re also loud as they were able to pulsate the track throughout the whole building. We can only really note that the sounds changed in a few instances, and they were very obvious when doing so. They also utilized a realistic intercom announcement at the beginning of the haunt this year.
Actual startles from items and props themselves were few and far between, but everything worked together to make the mind wander and work against itself. It was very interactive, both mentally and physically. It’s hard to explain all of this without giving it away, but at one point, our team needed to use a computer to search for something. We couldn’t just look at it, we had to use it. Another time, we had to get something out of a vending machine. The rooms kept us guessing and guessing the entire way through.
Aside from grungy walls, tons of doors, and vents we needed to crawl through, we came across a ton of toys, stuffed animals lining the walls, a prop frantically peeling their facial skin off (they’d seen enough), authentic medical equipment, and stomach and gut-lined walls. Yes, we said stomach; we’re pretty sure the infection swallowed us!
SFX Effective at Scaring, Entertaining – (35% of score)
Could Tell What Theme Was Without Asking – (15% of score)
Theme Well Executed, Believable – (25% of score)
Location Authenticates Theme – (10% of score)
How Scary – (15% of score)
We didn’t feel like they were genuinely trying to follow a theme for the past few years. However, this season, we were given our main objective in the first room, making the terrors inside more clear.
Upon entering, Agent Lynn, who was clearly having some sort of makeup malfunction (in a good way), informed us that she and Agent Smith were with the SDA (Supernatural Detection Agency) and had been called to the location to do an investigation on the inhabitants inside. Some sort of infection had taken over inside, and she needed our assistance. Some of the inhabitants had escaped and staff had gone missing. Before our journey could begin, she had to decontaminate us first. Our job was to go in, find the security breach, and make it to the other side so the SDA could come in and finish their jobs.
Immediately upon giving us our mission, the agents were attacked by something malicious inside! We were left with only our group members and one field agent to traverse the halls and find the missing agent within the walls.
This theme was made very clear to us as we entered, but we feel that more insinuations as the visit progresses would be welcomed. Each group has an agent that walks with them (guide) and that in the future, that person may be able to help address how important it is to fully stay away from the infected and more. None of the characters inside really alluded directly to the theme or particular circumstances either. However, they aided in the fact that we were trapped.
In the end, it was clear there was no way for us to get away from the infection; we had to fight our way through it.
Provide Scares to Entire Group – (50% of score)
How Predictable – (25% of score)
Variety of Scares – (25% of score)
Unreal Nightmares takes quite a unique approach with its method of scaring. We didn’t encounter many jump scares here. Instead, the haunt is built to instill suspense in such a way that your group won’t catch up to any others. This does result in a longer wait to get in, but we think you’ll agree that it’s worth it once you’re inside!
For most of the tour, we were looking over our shoulders to see what could be lurking behind us. Characters would intimidate and stalk, which provided an overall feeling of unease. Although, we do feel like there were times when they could have added additional actor startles. Some did whack away at their surroundings with realistic weapons to show their lack of patience with us, causing us to fumble around, thus taking longer.
Searching for clues while running from madmen served as a distraction within itself. If you want to get away from them faster, you need to help your group out. Hopefully, the seasoned and common fears such as total darkness, confined spaces, and dolls won’t knock out some of your team members’ ability to help.
Although there were only two members in our group during this visit, it seemed that we were targeted reasonably evenly. In all, we felt that the pick-a-door section didn’t showcase as many encounters as it could. Although the fear of being trapped ensued, especially when the lights would randomly flicker out, it left a lot to be desired in the form of additional scares. Again, this seemed to be impacted by the number of scarers in this section.
The finale was very similar to last season, but we know you won’t see another like this. If you haven’t seen it yet, you’re missing out on their total onslaught of chosen monsters that can be in this area. Watch out for that crazy lady; she may be crazier than you think! She crawled out the door after us, loudly yelling as passersby laughed!
117 South Meridian Street, Jasonville, Indiana 47438
