Asylum Haunted Scream Park (Louisville, KY)
“Mutant Clowns, Oh My!”
By Noah Wullkotte: jollypumpkin@aol.com
Asylum Haunted Scream Park is 42 acres of fun and fear. There are a variety of attractions including Darkness Falls on Asylum, Zombie City, Xterminate: Mutant Clowns and Zombie Hunting: Urban Paintball Experience. You’re bound to find something that is sure to get your heart racing. The first haunt we toured for the night was Darkness Falls on Asylum.
Darkness Falls on Asylum is a detailed haunted trail that lasts 25 minutes, but could be longer depending on how fast you walk. This isn’t a warm and fuzzy nature hike. This is a dark and eerie haunted trail that consists of just about any type of themed scene you can think of. Lighting has been improved this year with many scenes using led spotlights. I was pretty creeped out by the group of mannequins that were illuminated with blue lights.
This is a haunted trail that doesn’t overdo it with music or sound effects. Many times the sounds of nature like crickets and animals walking in the woods is much scarier. Your imagination can be a very frightening thing. Darkness Falls on Asylum features many themed areas including a cursed church, spooky graveyard, shanty town, the haunted stables, Hell’s Diner and more. The Butcher’s Maze was well designed and I like how they separate people from their group. The acting is good and there are some memorable characters. The witches were very convincing especially the one who handed me a bag of sand that’s used to ward off evil spirits.
There are fewer and fewer haunts that have a ball pit which is disappointing. Darkness Falls on Asylum has its own version. You’ll enter a boiler room where you’ll travel down a slide before being burned alive. This is a haunted trail with unique features. This is a fun haunt and you never know what’s watching you in the woods.
Next up is Zombie City.
Zombie City is simply phenomenal. It’s a live interactive horror movie with incredible acting and some intense scenes. This is a unique haunt to say the least. Enter Blackwood City where the Pandora Virus has turned the innocent into flesh eating zombies. You’ll be grouped together with other people as you try to escape the madness. This is a very theatrical haunt where each scene helps further the story. The crazy characters are the star of this attraction.
There are many unique characters you’ll meet along the way. This includes a family of cannibals, Dr. Theodore Riker, god fearing worshipers and a cast that’s quite impressive. This isn’t your run of the mill haunt. You’re going to have to complete a few tasks in order to escape. I had to eat a handful of worms to receive a security pass. There are many scary scenes and effects. You’ll feel the heat from flames and have the floor collapse underneath you.
You’re led by a female survivor who’s equipped with a gun and flashlight. Expect the unexpected at Zombie City since anyone can be infected by the Pandora Virus. At a certain point, we were instructed to walk slowly in order to pass a group of zombies who were ready to take a bite out of us. Zombie City is a long haunt. It clocked in at exactly 30 minutes, but the time flew by since we were all having so much fun. I could go on an on about how I much I enjoyed my experience at Zombie City, but I don’t want to ruin the story that you’ll be apart of. All I can say is that there isn’t another haunt like it. Yes, the sets could be more detailed. But it’s supposed to be a realistic experience where you feel like you’re part of a scary movie. If you have to choose one haunt at Asylum Haunted Scream Park then Zombie City should be at the top of your list.
Xterminate: Mutant Clowns is a laser gun adventure where you’ll face off with mutant clowns. There’s no story or real scenes, but it’s fun none the less. The actors playing the clowns do a good job and get up multiple times after being shot. This lets everyone have a chance to shoot some killer mutant clowns. You’ll be led through the 18,000 square foot arena by you guessed it, a clown. There could be a larger variety of props and more detail, but that’s really not the point of this attraction. Tour time varies depending on the pace of your group. We were in there for nearly 15 minutes and we were pleasantly surprised by this year’s theme. Sometimes it can be a hit or miss with clown themed attractions, but Xterminate: Mutant Clowns is more scary than it is goofy.
Last on our agenda was Zombie Hunting: Urban Paintball Experience. This paintball attraction was introduced in 2015. There’s not too much to say about Zombie Hunting since everything you need to know is in its name. You’ll hop aboard a military bus as you navigate through various scenes and structures that are inhabited by zombie flesh eaters. There are some interesting zombies including one that throws his food at you. There are other zombies that get up close and personal as they walk right next to the bus. One issue I had was that there just weren’t enough zombies and it was a little hard to see out of my goggles. I did have a good time pumping some paint into the living dead. Tour times is around 15 minutes.
Tickets are $20 per attraction. A Scare Pass is $28 and includes admission to Darkness Falls, Xterminate and Zombie City. An All Access Pass is $40 which saves you $40 if you purchased tickets to each attraction separately. VIP Scare Pass is $48 and VIP All Access Pass is $60. Click here for discount coupons. There are games, concessions, a sideshow act, Scare Bus and more in the Carnivale of Lost Souls. Slenderman Live Action Experience takes place on September 8th, 9th and Thursdays in October. Tickets are just $10 and the Fan Package includes admission and a souvenir photo for $20. T-Shirts are available onsite for $15.
There’s a reason we visit Asylum Haunted Scream Park every season. There’s a variety of haunts and it’s plain good haunted fun. We highly recommend Asylum Haunted Scream Park. You’ll have a great time!
Final Stab For Each Haunt
* Zombie City: Length-10 Design-8 Props/Animatronics-7 Acting-10 Scare Effect-9 Final Stab: 8.8
* Darkness Falls on Asylum: Length-9 Design-8 Props/Animatronics-8 Acting-8 Scare Effect-8 Final Stab: 8.2
* Xterminate: Mutant Clowns: This is not your typical haunted attraction and has not been scored.
* Zombie Hunting: This is not your typical haunted attraction and has not been scored.
www.asylumhaunts.com