Fright Manor (Indianapolis, IN)
“Indianapolis’ House of Terror”
By Noah Wullkotte: Jollypumpkin@aol.com
Fright Manor consists of 3 haunts which are Camp Dead Wood, 7 Deadly Sins and Psychomanthium. We consider them 3 themed areas that make up one large haunt. Camp Dead Wood is an abandoned summer camp where the staff is out for blood and there are some demented actors you’ll interact with. A man dressed as a gorilla went bananas as he hit an aluminum bat against the ground.
Fright Manor has a few dark hallways that can be scary and unnerving. There were a few times where I jumped which is hard to do considering how many haunts I’ve toured. In the new mine shaft I was definitely caught off guard as legs fell from above. It was a simple prop, but it got me.
There are some wild and crazy actors. A few use weapons that spark and some of the characters can be intimidating. Jason Voorhees was great as he stalked us at Camp Crystal Lake and Michael Myers was creepy as he lurked in the darkness. Some would consider Fright Manor an old school haunt, but that doesn’t mean that you’re not going to see some impressive props. This haunt is full of eye candy. You’ll see a skeleton that shakes steel bars, a vomiting ghoul, various claustrophobia tunnels and so much more. You’ll even see Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump in the Serial Killers Hall of Fame.
You’ll need to squeeze through tight spaces, crawl and walk through the darkness as you tour Fright Manor. This is a haunt with a variety of rooms including a clown birthday celebration, cold storage, a séance room, hospital, tool shed and much more. We really enjoyed the Jason mask room. This is an old school room that you rarely see anymore and it can be quite effective if the actor is well hidden. The hospital was very memorable and pretty twisted. The doctor helped give birth using a power drill. 7 Deadly Sins is pretty good and it can be fun trying to identify the deadly sins as you explore each room. Psychomanthium is the final haunt you’ll tour and it’s the scariest as well.
There are some areas that need some improvement. Many of the rooms don’t have a soundtrack which is great for dark hallways since it creates tension. But it’s not so great for rooms that could be improved with scary music or sound effects. Lighting could also be improved especially in Camp Dead Wood. The actors are very enthusiastic, but there aren’t enough eye catching props and this attraction isn’t as memorable as the others.
Zombie Alley is a great deal at $5. We had fun shooting flesh eaters with our light guns. It can be a little scary as you enter each area looking for the living dead. The actors do a good job and they’re convincing as zombies for the most part. Tickets are $20 for general admission and a combo ticket including the haunts and Zombie Alley is $25 per person. It’s $35 for VIP which includes Zombie Alley. Terror in the Dark Lights Out takes place on Thursday October 6th and Thursday October 13th. FFA members get in for $10 during FFA week. Zombie Alley is a separate haunt with a $5 charge. Military, police, EMT, etc get in for only $15 with ID. There is a concession trailer near the line with various tasty treats and refreshments available. Fright Manor’s Christmas event takes place on December 9th and 10th and tickets are $15. It includes 2 haunts which are Christmas at the Crenshaw House and Nightmares at Christmas.
Fright Manor is 30 minutes of frightening entertainment. You know that if the local church is protesting in the parking lot then it must be pretty scary. We always make sure that Fright Manor is part of our schedule because it’s truly a unique haunt. It has old school elements, but features some quality animatronics and some convincing actors. So, if you’re heading out to Indianapolis then make sure Fright Manor is on the list of haunts you tour.
Length-10 Design-8 Props/Animatronics-8 Acting-8 Scare Effect-8
Final Stab: 8.4
www.frightmanor.com