The Haunted Hotel (Louisville, KY)
“The Room Service Is Killer”
By Noah Wullkotte: Jollypumpkin@aol.com
Welcome to The Haunted Hotel where you’ll check in, but you won’t check out. The concierge invites you to this wretched hotel and wants to get a closer look at his victims for the night. Enter the Hellevator which is going straight to Hell. Don’t mind the other guests. Some are dead and others want your head on a platter.
Pain, agony and death are straight ahead where the most wicked and ravenous killers are hiding. Enter another dimension as you walk through a green laser light tunnel that illuminates the darkness. Nothing is off limits at The Haunted Hotel because the actors want to rip you to shreds. To say that the actors are extreme is an understatement.
You’ll be pushed, grabbed, screamed at and will have weapons inches away from your face. The Haunted Hotel is notorious for their chainsaw maze where the most extreme chainsaw killers come out of hiding. Some customers will survive and others will need their head examined afterwards.
The Haunted Hotel is full of high tech scares. You’ll be confronted by a killer car, mutant plants, multiple CGI props, a monster that busts out of a wall and so much more. It’s truly an assault on your senses. The loud sound of gun shots shatter the ear drums in an army bunker and the feces infested bathroom might make you a little sick.
The staff is on hand at The Haunted Hotel to make your experience the best possible. Make sure to tip the cleaning lady as she squirts you with her spray bottle. Your comfort is of most importance. At one point I was asked to sit down on a couch and was wrapped up in a blanket. This is an intense and somewhat bizarre haunt with things you won’t see everywhere.
Not everything is perfect though. The outside area has been improved over the years, but it’s not themed as well as the inside of the hotel and it leaves you wanting more. The detailing and lighting could be improved a little. The room with a demonic preacher surrounded by pages of the Bible on the wall is pretty controversial, but we think it could be taken up a notch. A few years ago it featured an actor playing Jesus Christ which may offend some, but I’m all for the extreme elements of a haunt.
But all in all, The Haunted Hotel is and has always been one of the craziest haunts in the United States. You know you’re in for a wild ride when the person who takes tickets licks the side of your face. Tickets are $2 more this season which makes it $20 a person. A VIP Fast Pass is $29 a person and it’s well worth the price on busy nights. Lights Off Zombie Outbreak takes place on November 8th and it’s $18 a piece. T-Shirts are only $8. We were in and out of The Haunted Hotel in about 20 minutes. Time varies based on how slow you walk or how fast you run. How long an actor interacts with a customer will also affect tour time.
When people think of Louisville Haunts, The Haunted Hotel always comes to mind. They’ve built a reputation over the years by not playing by the rules and taking scares to another level. It wouldn’t be the haunt season without touring The Haunted Hotel. Take a trip to Hell at The Haunted Hotel.
Length-9 Design-8 Props/Animatronics-9 Acting-9 Scare Effect-10
Final Stab: 9.0
www.hauntedhotelky.com