It goes without saying that Waverly Hills Sanatorium is known as one of the most haunted places in the world. But, did you know that they also put on a Halloween haunted attraction during September and October each year!? Indeed they do, and now you and your friends can tour this one-of-a-kind building and behold the horrors within!
For this tour, you won’t be carrying flashlights or cameras in search of ghosts or other paranormal activity. Rather, the lower level is decorated extensively with all sorts of scenes, props and creepy actors that will attempt to scare you even more than walking in the front door did’
Join us as we recap our 2019 tour of Waverly Hills Haunted House in Louisville, Kentucky!
Despite the fact that this was opening night at Waverly, it was obvious that the crew was ready to have some fun with their victims! It’s common for Waverly to have huge crowds for their haunted house, but it was actually pretty dead on the night of our visit due to a local music event. We didn’t have any groups catch up with us, which allowed us to take our time walking through to enjoy each character’s skit.
Before entering, we met Twisty the Clown (more on him later) who stayed in character 100% and tormented all of us waiting in line until we went inside.
In the indoor waiting area, several characters interacted with us, including one creepy guy who was holding a baby doll and had the world’s largest sh!t-eating grin! We’re not sure what he was amazed by, but he was staring right at us and wouldn’t look away! Just when we thought we’d gotten rid of this creepy guy, he started stalking us throughout the whole show, randomly showing up within the scenes with that same, ‘I’d really like to kill you’ grin on his face. Folks, we haven’t seen an actor do this in a long time and it was a welcomed feature of the attraction (though we’re not sure how many groups will see him in one night). At one point he even took his doll and repeatedly slammed it up against the wall. Not only did he know where we were at all times, he showed he was not to be messed with as well!
Aside from our extreme stalker, it wasn’t moments after we entered when a clown came sliding across the floor at us! This was totally unexpected within the first minute of walking into the attraction and very effective when you have 3D glasses on!
The iconic characters that we came across all played their parts well with Freddy Krueger having the best vocals. A crazed hillbilly sporting a skin mask knew our names and he was downright verbally demanding and energetic. And speaking of names, if they hear yours, they will use it!
We also came across a patient (or nurse?) in a hallway that was one of the most unnerving characters of the night. If you visit Waverly Hills and she’s there, you won’t be able to miss her! Charley Chainsaw was another stand-out villain as he chased out the exit with his gas-guzzling chainsaw.
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)
It was unseasonably warm on the night of our visit, which is important because it can lead to some incomplete or less-elaborate costumes than what you’d typically see in a cooler setting (monsters don’t like to get overheated). We did see a few incomplete pieces, so this may be why.
For the most part, the costumes worked with and matched their respective scenes. They utilized a mixture of masks and makeup to enhance their facial features. The iconic characters that we came across were sporting appropriate attire and their builds were believable for the characters they were portraying.
Some of the medical staff looked like they had been trapped working within the sanatorium for years. One even had a spit mask on and she was covered in blood, so we can only assume that if it weren’t for that protective device, we may have quickly become her next victims!
Some of the most memorable costumes included Slenderman, Freddy, the sliding clown, and the snake guy.
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)
Our GPS took us right to Waverly Hills but, as their site suggests, be sure to enter at Gate B from Dixie Highway and Paralee Lane. Don’t use the old entrance next to the golf course; that is how you will exit when you leave.
Waverly has a giant parking lot and it does cost $5.00 cash to park. There were flaggers stationed across the huge gravel lot that helped us find the best parking spot. Navigating the grounds was easy, we just followed the lights and ticket booth that could be seen from the parking area.
We goofed up and forgot to stop for enough cash before we arrived. The ticket booth informed us that we could use our credit card in the gift shop to get cash. The only thing about this is… the gift shop is on the complete opposite side of the building from the ticket booth. So, we had to walk all the way around the building and back (Waverly is huge, btw), but at least we didn’t have to leave the premises. The gift shop also accepts credit cards for anything you might decide to purchase after the tour.
All of the staff we encountered were friendly and helpful. You’d think they’ve done this before or something! The parking lot attendants even tried to shine a light on the building so we could get a good picture at night.
Pertinent information about Waverly’s haunted house can be found on their website under ‘Visit Us’ and then ‘Haunted House.’ You can find ticketing information here and even purchase tickets online. They also have an FAQ section for those looking for more detailed information.
Although it wasn’t raining on the night of our visit, most of the queue line is outdoors. On rainy nights in the past, we’ve noticed tents set up to cover the waiting area, but they were not in place on this particular night. Be mindful of what you might want to wear to wait outside in the rain or cold.
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)
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)
During the walkthrough, we came across a huge mixture of effects. From an ultraviolet 3D section where we were given glasses to fully see the effects, to a dungeon, strange rooms of a house, a lab, and various medical areas. It’s very likely there’s something here to quench your haunt-desiring thirst.
One of the most notable effects was their dizzying vortex tunnel. Now, we walk across a lot of these each haunt season and this was one of the best by far this year! They also had taken some human skin and patched it together to make some furniture. Now that’s how you recycle!
But that’s not all folks! We also found a lot of blood, chains (for holding victims down to torture them, we’re sure), various greenery, a well-detailed lab, an effective giant dog and strobe combo, hints that we may cross paths with a familiar movie character, authentic City Morgue body bags, giant monsters, and a huge meat grinder that they weren’t using for hamburgers’
In some areas, the sounds were very effective while, at other times, we didn’t hear anything at all. Loud hard rock music, zapping sounds, ICP, and great sounds in the catacomb area were heard. But, the most unnerving audible effects were the loud bell and the sounds around the Slenderman character. Holy cow! We can definitely see why he drives some people mad!
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)
Provide Scares to Entire Group – (50% of score)
How Predictable – (25% of score)
Variety of Scares – (25% of score)
Just how scary was it? Well, the building alone is enough to send chills down the spine of some and, you just never know, you might come in contact with a real ghost!
We were paired with two other small groups during our tour. Even though we were all targeted on multiple occasions (thank you creepy stalker with the doll), they seemed to hit on the very front of our group the most. Side note: if you walk through with someone that the actors know, they may tend to pick on them a little bit more than everyone else, but it’s definitely still entertaining to watch, nonetheless. The other people with us had no idea what was going on, so they were utterly shocked to see how this poor patron was being handled!
Even for opening night, we were impressed with some of their timing. Just when we would look away from a scare, it would reveal itself to us at the perfect instant! They had some great hiding spots that helped with this as well. At times, even a security guard nailed one of the members in our group and he wasn’t hiding at all.
Waverly contains a lot of different phobias within their walls. From tight spaces and dolls to snakes and clowns, we’re sure they’ll hit on several of your fears during your tour.
One of the most effective scares of the night got nearly everyone in the group at once; it was quite an escaping surprise! The finale of the haunt involved a chainsaw chase out. We stuck around to watch a few other groups come out behind us. One had a younger girl in it and we’re sure she surprised even her family with how fast she moved out of that exit! It was all knees and elbows, for sure.
4400 Paralee Drive, Louisville, Kentucky 40258