Waverly Hills Haunted House Review (2026)

Waverly Hills switched some things up this year for their Halloween season. What was in previous years- the entrance- is now a one-way exit, so if you ever searched the directions before this haunt season, look again. Once we got up the secluded lane to the building, staff were at the edge of the parking area, taking donations and directing vehicles into the parking lot. Parking gave us the first full-on view of just how towering and intimidating the Waverly Sanatorium really is. One of our group members had witnessed to what length the ticket line can grow, so she opted to buy her ticket online, while the rest of us purchased ours at the base of the hill at the entrance.

After a short trek up the hillside, we were at the entrance of the sanatorium. There was a food truck with a few drink and food options for anyone needing a quick snack and porta potties throughout the public area for guests to use. After the queue lines, we were directed to the stadium seats for a short story projection show.

The story does not, however, prepare one for the clowns! The 3D clowns were a sight to see for sure. The artistry and hand-painted designs are almost hypnotizing to look at; we were all in awe the entire trip. Leaving the 3D area, we were immediately reminded of where we were: the dark, damp halls of Waverly Hills, and just when we thought we were out of danger, we were surprised with one final undetected scare at the end.

When our blood pressure went back down, we went in to visit the gift shop and extracurricular activities available. On the night of our visit, the coffin rides were in full swing, but we never saw the zombie brain toss, possibly due to short staffing. The manager also explained, before we left, that there will be new escape rooms opening after haunt season, expanding the entertainment options at Waverly.

Waverly is a building that requires no special adornment to transform it into a haunt. The building itself is spooky enough. That did not stop the Waverly Hills team from going above and beyond, though, incorporating projection mapping displays on the building to entertain those of us in the queue line. If you didn’t realize Waverly was a TB hospital before coming, you’d have the right idea before you went in – there is a point in the display where the building appears as if it’s struggling to breathe that we have not stopped thinking about since we were there. It also incorporates other parts of Waverly’s history, like from Woodhaven, and ties in some other elements of the haunts, such as the clown section.

Walking through the building, seeing the real parts mixed in with the haunt, blurring the line between the two made for a haunt that’s as fun to walk through as it is to look at. The clown section was especially beautiful, utilizing 3D and neon effects. It does feel a little disjointed, though, with the hospital section being so on theme with the building. We still enjoyed getting to walk through, though.

Even when we were just waiting outside, suspenseful music played to get us pumped for Waverly’s show. The haunt puts on a projection-mapped pre-show that’s nothing short of incredible, and all groups are treated to this prior to going in. There was more great use of audio there: crackling as the building went up in flames, coughing, groaning, and cries of agony from suffering patients, etc. (We loved seeing the building’s history as a TB hospital included!) Inside the house, we heard both carnival music and some rock playing throughout the extensive 3D clown area. And they were tiptoeing through the tulips in a hospital gone completely corrupt.

This season, Waverly’s team mostly had to make do with what was available as the haunt has recently come under new management. There are plans to add on in future seasons. With that said, they did pretty well with decorating most rooms. We did see a few where the walls either looked kind of plain or were covered in black plastic. Some scenes matched the “haunted hospital” vibe, while others were generally scary themes (like the aforementioned clowns). We came across a lot of bodies, blood, medical equipment, some awesome static prop clowns – plus a few animatronic ones, designed to be distractions or elicit further jump scares. Scattered here and there were impressively tall and creepy figures, meant to intimidate groups as they passed. We found ourselves wondering, “Are these going to move, or stay still?” You can bet we were hoping for the latter! Plates and dishes full of “yummy” (it wasn’t… at all) food were bountiful in the hospital’s cafeteria, and at one point, we had to navigate a vibrating floor.

A good number of sensory effects were used at Waverly. Mood lighting was done well in most portions of the house. They also had fog; we were particularly impressed by the fiery, almost infernal glow bathing the lobby, created by both orange light and the fog. Lasers, and not one but TWO vortex tunnels, were some other neat effects.

Clowns, nurses, and PYRAMID HEAD! OH MY! This weekend we got to experience the horrors inside the Waverly Hills Sanatorium. Now, to native Kentuckians, the Sanatorium itself is a character. When you enter these halls, a whole host of badies wait to torment you.

The Sanatorium features a good and varied cast. It features clowns, nurses, patients, spirits, and even some beloved horror-game features. There are some dead spots throughout the haunt where it would have been nice to see the cast spread out a bit more.

The character designs really shone through. The costuming looked great; the makeup was honestly next level. The clowns were covered in a UV-reactive paint that, when paired with the 3D glasses you are given, makes a fantastic visual. And one specific example of the special effects makeup that truly shines is a man with a head wound deeper into the Sanatorium.

The characters do stick to more traditional jump-and-scream scares, with one nurse featuring a truly spectacular scream that honestly needs to be in a movie and solidify her as a true scream queen. One of the few characters that had a larger speaking role unfortunately was very hard to make out his words due to the mask he was wearing with his costume.

The actors do a good job of making sure everyone in our party of four got a good scare; we were all almost hoarse from screaming by the end. They do make sure to add in a good sprinkle of unique dialogue and banter with the guests.

Be sure to come by and visit all the entities that are trapped in the Sanatorium. Do your best not to join them forever.

Some fears are primal. They’re an instinct that drives us, that we immediately understand. The fear of sickness is one of those. Walking into the lobby of Waverly, as thousands of patients did before us, waiting to be admitted – that’ll send a shiver down your spine if you stop to think about it too long. Playing into this fear is such a smart move.

Making our way through the haunt, one room that stuck out was a pitch-black room, filled with a mist timed to the sound of a person coughing. A relatively simple scare, but one few other haunts could pull off like Waverly, given its history. From creative scenes like that, to incorporating hospital and gore, to actors engaging with us to sell their characters, it shows a willingness to get creative with the scares. We would like to see more actors throughout, as some scenes relied too much on props or scenery to keep the scares going. The finale this year was a one-person show, and while they did a fantastic job going after entire groups solo, a larger or more intense finale with more actors to better match the rest of the haunt would do wonders here.

Overall, however, we were happy to be terrified by how well they were going after our entire group, leaving no safe spots to hide as we walked the halls of Waverly Hills.

It must’ve taken the staff at Waverly Hills a lot of work to cure these patients: our group checked out of the hospital within 18 minutes. With a base ticket price of $20, that gives Waverly an MPD (Minutes Per Dollar) score of approximately 0.90 – almost a full minute inside per dollar spent! That’s a pretty good value. We had a few lulls in the action as we progressed, but for the most part, we were entertained the whole way through and had an awesome time.

In short: solid comeback for a place that’s been a spooky staple in Louisville for years. Welcome back, Waverly! We’re so glad to have you in the local scene again. There’s nothing quite like a haunted house that’s in a location said to be genuinely haunted, especially one of the most well-known ones in the United States. Stop by and check out the hauntings- real and fictional- at the Waverly Hills Sanatorium this season.