The 7th Street Haunt (Louisville, KY)
“A Portal of Fear”
By Noah Wullkotte: Jollypumpkin@aol.com
Next to Expo 5 in Louisville, Kentucky is The 7th Street Haunt. It’s only in its second year of operation, but has quickly become one of the most talked about haunts in a city known for the Kentucky Derby and College Basketball. Parked outside is the Ghost Busters Ectomobile (aka Ecto 1) and actors are dressed from head to toe in Ghost Hunting Gear. Chainsaw Maniacs terrorize customers waiting to get inside. Once inside, you’ll be asked to get your picture taken holding a weapon of your choice. You can purchase a copy to remember the scary times at The 7th Street Haunt.
You’ll next enter the queue line before being allowed to enter the haunt. A zombie is locked up in a jail cell and suddenly breaks free. Windows are boarded up and there are barrels with toxic waste spilling out. A TV has a video playing with rules to live by. You can watch the video at www.7thstreethaunt.com. It goes into detail about this year’s storyline which is much different from the previous year.
An actor dressed as a soldier guards the entrance to Ward 9 and interacts with people waiting in line. According to him, we are the first customers from Ohio to go through the haunt this year. We only waited for 10 minutes before he opened the doors and allowed us to enter The 7th Street Haunt.
The 7th Street Haunt has a story, but most people won’t understand it unless they watch this year’s video. It involves a freak train accident and a woman’s dying need to bring her deceased husband back by any means possible. Her dabbling with the occult opens up a portal that releases ungodly spirits and creatures into the small town of Fort Harmony. The town is forever changed. You must survive your tour through The 7th Street Haunt or else.
The 7th Street Haunt is new and improved. There are brand new scenes that are detailed and very creative. One of our favorites is the new coal mine which features a miner in his mine cart. The church of sin is quite startling and has a nun who is tied up by a demonic priest. The haunt’s protagonist Etta Mcaul is featured in the possession scene. She tries to bring her husband back to life as she is surrounded by candles and is possessed by some ungodly entity.
Other scenes involve a graveyard, a witch doctor and even an old man banging his golf club against a disgusting dinner table. But we of course can’t forget about the pervert stroking a broom and forcing us to smell panties. Yes, you read that sentence right. He’s creepy as hell and that’s a good thing. The acting has been stepped up a notch and the haunt has a better flow to it. It feels like a much more complete haunt compared to its debut season.
The 7th Street Haunt has made some major improvements for the 2013 season and can easily compete with well established haunts in Louisville. The acting is better, the set design is inspiring and it’s longer. It’s 13 minutes long which is 3 minutes longer than last year. Tickets are $18 a person and you can get $5 off with a coupon, work ID, school ID, or military ID! Click here to print out your coupon. $18 seems high, but it’s about the going rate for haunts in the area. There are plenty of concessions available as you exit the haunt. We had some of Momma’s Pulled Pork which was delicious. Tell Charley Chainsaw we said hi.
Length-7 Design-8 Props/Animatronics-7 Acting-9 Scare Effect-8
Final Stab: 7.8
www.7thstreethaunt.com