Unreal Nightmares – Full Review

Unreal Nightmares is a Haunted Attraction located in Jasonville, IN.

117 South Meridian Street, Jasonville, IN 47438
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Haunt Type(s):

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Contact:

Features:

Free Parking, Restrooms/Porta Potties On-Site, Gift Shop/Souvenirs, Special Events, “Extreme” Attraction, You may be touched, You will NOT be touched, Original Characters, Indoor Waiting Line, Uncovered Outdoor Waiting Line, Indoor/Outdoor Waiting Line, All-Indoor Attraction, Family Friendly

This attraction was reviewed on October 23, 2021 by Team Zombillies.

Final Scores:

(15% of Final Score) Cast: 7.15

(15% of Final Score) Costuming: 8.58

(10% of Final Score) Customer Service: 8.48

(10% of Final Score) Atmosphere: 7.5

(15% of Final Score) Special Effects: 7.76

(5% of Final Score) Theme: 8.08

(15% of Final Score) Scare Factor: 8.11

(5% of Final Score) Entertainment & Value: 8.2

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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!

Cast Scores (15% of Final Score):

(20% of Cast Score) Did it seem like there were enough actors?: 7

(30% of Cast Score) How creative, believable and convincing were the actors?: 7

(20% of Cast Score) How interactive were the actors (verbally and physically)?: 7

(15% of Cast Score) How creatively & appropriately did they use dialogue?: 7

(15% of Cast Score) Was there a good variety of characters?: 8

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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.

Costuming Scores (15% of Final Score):

(15% of Costuming Score) How complete / finished did the costumes appear to be?: 8.5

(25% of Costuming Score) How creative / detailed were the costumes?: 8.75

(20% of Costuming Score) Was their makeup creative? Detailed? Realistic?: 8.25

(15% of Costuming Score) How effectively did they use masks (if used)?: 8.5

(25% of Costuming Score) How appropriate were the costumes for their scene/s & theme/s?: 8.75

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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.

Customer Service Scores (10% of Final Score):

(25% of CS Score) How easy was it to locate the attraction, park, and navigate the premises?: 7.5

(30% of CS Score) How safe was the attraction?: 9

(25% of CS Score) How professional, helpful and friendly were the staff members?: 10

(20% of CS Score) How easy was it to find their information before* arrival?: 7

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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.

Atmosphere Scores (10% of Final Score):

(60% of Atmosphere Score) How obvious was it that you were at a haunted house before entering?: 7.5

(40% of Atmosphere Score) How well did the atmosphere prepare you for what you experienced inside?: 7.5

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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!

Special Effects Scores (15% of Final Score):

(20% of SFX Score) How effective were the sound effects?: 9.25

(20% of SFX Score) How creative / original were the scenes & props?: 7.75

(20% of SFX Score) How well were the scenes detailed?: 7

(25% of SFX Score) How well did they achieve & maintain the suspension of disbelief?: 7.5

(15% of SFX Score) How effective were the SFX at providing scares / entertainment?: 7.25

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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!

Theme Scores (5% of Final Score):

(30% of Theme Score) Could you tell what the theme was?: 9.5

(50% of Theme Score) How well was the theme carried throughout the attraction/s?: 7.25

(20% of Theme Score) How well does their location authenticate the theme?: 8

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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.

Scare Factor Scores (15% of Final Score):

(30% of Scare Factor Score) How scary was it?: 8

(15% of Scare Factor Score) How well did they provide scares to the entire group?: 8.75

(25% of Scare Factor Score) How predictable were the scares?: 8

(15% of Scare Factor Score) How well did they provide a wide variety of scares?: 7.25

(15% of Scare Factor Score) How strong was the ending / finale?: 8.75

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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!

Entertainment & Value Factor Scores (15% of Final Score):

(30% of E&V Score) How satisfied were you with the entertainment received during the main attraction/s?: 8.75

(25% of E&V Score) How satisfied were you with the entertainment that’s available with* the ticket price, excluding the main attraction/s?: 7

(30% of E&V Score) How appropriate is/are the ticket price/s?: 9

(15% of E&V Score) Have they effectively used their available space?: 7.5

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To see how long it takes your team to escape, customers can purchase general admission tickets for $12.00 per adult and $10.00 per child, cash only. If needed, there is an ATM at a nearby bank. Tour times will highly vary per group, likely anywhere from 20-45 minutes, as this is not an ordinary walk-through haunted house. Each group must look for clues that are needed to proceed and it simply may take some longer than others.

This year, it took our group about 25 minutes to escape the infection. That brings the MPD (minute of entertainment received per dollar spent) to 2.08! This is the highest we’ve seen all season for a single walkthrough! Additionally, this is one of the lowest ticket prices we’ve seen all year.

As noted above, quite a few changes were made to the haunt’s indoor waiting area, so, in turn, it gives guests a bit more to focus on while they wait. Every so often, we witnessed Agent Lynn addressing the crowd, asking if they were ready. In addition, there was an arcade game set up in the gift shop area with over 8,000 games installed that anyone could venture over and play.

Unreal Nightmares takes the more suspenseful bits and pieces of an escape room and conjoins them with their own haunted house style. We doubt you’ll find anything else like this anywhere. As a few groups exited, we asked them what they thought, and although they had a decent wait in line, they all said they loved it!

If you get the chance to visit this attraction, we highly recommend it; just be sure to show up early as they are limited on how many groups can go through the attraction at a single time.

We’re telling you’ This is not a normal haunted house’ it’s unreal!

How Did We Get These Scores

Promo Images:

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Guest Reviews
Guest Average: 9.97 out of 10

xander richardson – 10/10 – October 21, 2022
This is the best haunt I’ve been to . I think I will be back next year

Gabe Harrison – 10/10 – October 16, 2020
This was crazy good. I’m 16 and went with a group of friends. Great incorporation with an escape …show more room and a haunted house. Fantastic animatronics and noises, music, costumes, scenes, etc. FOR $10!!! Will visit this over the big tourist haunted houses that charge $50 a ticket any day. Will be back next year, if not this year.

Chelsea – 10/10 – October 26, 2019
Loved this place! Gave the group I went with a good scare. Bunch of teenagers and a few adults. I …show more personally didn’t go through because of the strobe lights due to a medical issue. My husband knows how much of a horror fanatic I am. So when the few actors came out chasing our group and did pictures, he asked if they could send another actor out so I could see her. He explained the situation on why and they allowed me to walk in (because where she was, there were no strobes) and see her and take pictures. They’re genuinely nice, great people! They told us they wish they would have known before hand, and they would have shut the stobe lights off, so I could have experienced it myself. If you’re looking for a good time, with a great scare….this is the place to go!

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Past Awards

2022 Awards

Craziest Patients (Given by: Team Zombillies)

Most Unnerving Sound Effects (Given by: Team Zombillies)

Hardest Haunt to Escape Alive (Given by: Team Zombillies)

Xander the Clown - Xander Richardson (Given by: Team Zombillies)

2020 Awards

Scariest Actress - The Crawling Nurse (Given by: Team Zombillies)

Hardest Haunt To Escape Alive (Given by: Team Zombillies)

Most Unnerving Sound Effects (Given by: Team Zombillies)

2019 Awards

Best Homemade Masks (Given by: Team Zombillies)

Most Unnerving Sound Effects (Given by: Team Zombillies)