Unreal Nightmares features a unique style of haunted house that mixes an escape room with complete and utter terror. A ghost hunt gone terribly, terribly wrong, we were tasked with finding missing agents throughout the haunt and getting them back to safety. What seemed like an easy task was found to be near impossible. This not-so-little haunt is found in Jasonville, Indiana, in a factory that was abandoned many years ago and has since been possessed by various creatures seemingly from Hell itself.
The Cast of the night blew me away. Eidola seemed to stand even higher than before, and the other doll in the room was just as eerily creepy. The different types of scares just between the two of them while we were trapped in the doll room were impressive all in themselves. Stalkerish one minute and a demonic screech coming from Eidolas’ non-existent mouth the next, the one doll tried to entice me to play with her, but I was too afraid of becoming possessed myself if I even looked at it, so I politely declined.
Besides the dolls, we encountered a man with tubes coming out of his face in various directions. We also met a cook from hell, along with many uniquely designed creatures that came at us from everywhere. The final boss was a standout as well, looking like he was designed to take on anything. We had a guide and also encountered a couple of presumably lost agents crying desperately for our help in rescuing them.
There were several scare tactics used from the cast of the night, and each cast member played their role in my demise. Threats, taunts, screams, and various types of banters brought an intense amount of pressure, making it difficult to perform. These creatures were not just believable in their roles; they made me feel as if I would never escape, doomed to become lost in the mix of terror.
Each cast member wore different attire. There were plenty of masks spread out for the lineup of the night, and each one was unique to the role played. You could tell the masks were hand-made and not store-bought, and the details that each one possessed were out of this world, or maybe from under this world.
The cook’s attire was a standout of the night. His mask featured a smile that screamed carnivore. The smaller doll in the doll room wore a mask tattered and worn, yet foundationally stable, making her face look a lot older than her small body would suggest. Eidola and her creepy mache face and features were another standout that my soul just cannot forget to mention. Just looking at her feels like there is a chance to be possessed, or have my soul stolen, one of the two.
I did notice a few bare skin moments under some of the masks, that maybe your typical haunt goer wouldn’t be able to pick out of the crowd. I would suggest a small makeup application that matches the color of the mask around the eyes to make the details pop even more!
The costumes, masks, and makeup fit in with the demonic creature takeover I experienced that night. Simply put, they were beautifully evil.
Unreal Nightmares is a super easy place to find, and that is probably because they want us to find it easier to keep me forever if I get there on my own after all. A simple input in the GPS brings you to a red-lit sign screaming Unreal Nightmares at you. You literally cannot miss it. Parking is right across the street. Although, it would be nice to have some signs at the very minimum to direct you where to park.
They do not have a website, but their Facebook page provides most of the details you need, such as ticket prices, location, and dates and times. A few details, like how they offer a touch pass, could be details that customers would like to know. They do offer giveaways on their Facebook page, so check it out and like and share some posts for a chance at some free tickets!
Other than not being able to see where you’re going in parts of the haunt, there were no obvious safety concerns during my visit. The owners and staff are still some of the friendliest people I have ever met. They answered all of my questions and were very accommodating to anything I needed. I see them treat everyone the same! They don’t let me get away without telling me to drive safely – simply sweet people.
Before entering the haunt itself, I was in an area where it was segregated into 2 different rooms. On the left were merchandise, concessions, and a place to buy your ticket and grab a glow bracelet if you chose the touch route. The room on the right was the waiting area where benches lined the walls and patrons sat or stood anticipating their turn to be tortured. The walls were blood-stained, and different heads and objects came out of the walls, screaming, “Haunted House.” This haunt is completely indoors, except when the night gets busy and the line ends up out the door!
It was nearly impossible for me not to stay immersed once inside the attraction itself. The escape room aspect has a lot to do with this. Trying to find specific numbers to get to the next room, while my senses were on overdrive from the cast, scenery, and special effects kept me simply present. I had no time to think about what was next or what had just happened because each room left me immersed in a different, specific, and unique way on its own.
At the end of the haunt, I was tossed into a side street, followed by several actors. This helped the ending not end so abruptly, creating a unique slow fade that made me feel like maybe these creatures were serious about taking my soul.
Can I just say unreal? No, but seriously, this haunt takes special effects to an entirely otherworldly level. The loudest whispers I have ever heard haunt the hallways and rooms of the majority of this nightmare. Deafening, disorienting, and can I just say deadly. Some screams I couldn’t tell if they were coming from speakers lining the halls or from cast members themselves. The sounds that come out of some of the actors, like Eidolas’ screech, or the final boss’s growls, are pure demonic.
Animatronics flailing in midair, or some I couldn’t tell were real until they flung at me, finally noticing it was unalive, to say the least. I had to put gloves on my hands and sort through a mix of disgusting blood and guts to try and find clues to get to the next room, use a real vending machine, sort through coolers, crawl through filing cabinets, and other small and tight spaces just to get to the next scene!
I walked through a doll room layered with stuffed animals, toys, and an Ouija board. I walked through a kitchen filled with more blood and guts than just one person could eat, a break room lined with booths, dirty, dusty, and gory, and the final room had to be my favorite, though, leading up to it, lined with seemingly hives and leading to a room filled with nests.
This place is truly made from nightmares to give you nightmares. Again. Unreal.
21. How scary was it? (35% of score): 8.3
22. How well did they provide scares to everyone in the group? (15% of score): 9.72
23. How predictable were the scares? (25% of score): 8.9
24. How well did they provide a wide variety (types) of scares? (10% of score): 9.23
25. How strong was the ending / finale? (15% of score): 9.4
Possessed just doesn’t begin to cut it. Unreal Nightmares gives you two options: touch or no touch. I obviously had to choose the touch option. For me, that made this experience a lot scarier. I was threatened and taunted by the cast of the night. Senses on overdrive, not knowing what or who to listen to, having a difficult time discerning who to trust. I shouldn’t have trusted annnyyy of those demons. One actor threatened to cut off my fingers, while others were telling me to go one way, and yet others were telling me not to trust them. It was highly confusing and disorienting, making this incredibly anxiety- and adrenaline-inducing. I was grabbed at, hair played with, followed, stalked, stared at like my soul was going to leave my body, and probably cursed along the way.
Our guide did her best to help us, desperately trying to give us clues and lead us in the right direction, but this was made impossible not only by the cast of the night, but also by other tactics. One section of the walk-through was an incredible white-out area. I am used to the completely black tunnels or mazes where you can’t see anything. This haunt changed it up to a white out maze. Forcing me to find my way with bright white lights and fog, causing extreme disorientation and inducing a fear of not only the unknown, but also when this was going to end?! It didn’t take me too long to get through that section because the guide was basically holding my hand through it. Although a kind gesture, it would have added even more suspense and fear if she had allowed me to try and figure it out on my own for just a tad bit longer.
I was in a group of 2, and we were both incredibly frazzled, she oh so much more than I was. At one point, an actor had to break character and ask her if she was really okay, because she was freaking out that badly.
The finale was a swarm of actors, coming at us from literally every direction, up high, down low, front, back, and all the sides. They attempted to keep me forever, and when I finally got away, they stalked me for a little bit longer, not ready to let me go. Intense, fantastic, and scary indeed.
If I had to describe my night here in one word, it would be… unreal. I understand completely why the name of this haunted house is Unreal Nightmares. Not only is the experience unreal, but I literally went to bed with visions of it at the front of my mind, drifting off to sleep, still a little worried that my soul would somehow be captured, even though there is distance between me and the creatures of this haunt.
Unreal Nightmares took me 35.5 Minutes to walk through, and with their cost of only $15, this makes their MPD 2.37!! Over double of the 1.0 that we like to see in a haunt. You may have to wait in line a bit to get your tickets and go through, but this haunt is well worth that wait! They do have a fast pass option available, and I do recommend grabbing that! They have concessions, some of the cheapest shirts for their merchandise selection, and a fun little warm-up game that creates anticipation and an unreal energy that follows you during your visit! I just have to say it one more time… simply… UNREAL!
117 South Meridian Street, Jasonville, Indiana 47438
