The Haunted Hotel (Louisville, KY)
“Gribbons’ Revenge”
By Noah Wullkotte: jollypumpkin@aol.com
You’ll check in, but you won’t check out at The Haunted Hotel. There’s a reason why the line is so long at this extreme haunt. It’s unique, intense and nerve wrecking. It’s a different breed of haunt for sure. Thomas Gribbons is the proprietor of The Haunted Hotel and he welcomes you to his fine establishment.
There are monsters that lurk in the shadows of The Haunted Hotel. They call this place home where murder, mischief and mayhem are common place. You’ll meet a massive roach that goes by the name Pestilence which means a fatal epidemic disease, especially bubonic plague. The green room has been taken over by mutant killer plants that get closer and closer to eating you alive. Watch your back as a blood thirsty wild boar comes at you from the side.
The various creatures aren’t the only thing you need to worry about during your stay. There are psychopaths and madmen that have run amok. A poor man can be seen screaming inside the shower as his victim is torn to shreds. The madness of The Haunted Hotel has gone straight to his head. This is a dark and twisted haunt with rotting and stained walls. There’s no safe place to run. The elevator has malfunctioned as it violently shakes and the elevator operator tries to murder you. Pray to you walk away with your head still attached.
This is a dirty and grimy hotel, but that doesn’t mean that the maid doesn’t want to keep a clean place. You’ll meet her in the laundry room where she doesn’t like dirty boys. Sparks fly at The Haunted Hotel and the fog is very dense. Praying won’t get you anywhere since The Haunted Hotel’s church is cursed with a possessed woman who contorts her body like a pretzel. There are plenty of great special effects at The Haunted Hotel from a semi truck that blares its horn to a vomiting ghoul inside the nuclear wasteland. The pipes have busted as water pours out.
The Haunted Hotel is an intense haunt. You’ll be grabbed, pushed and verbally assaulted while loud metal music blares. Their approach to scaring their victims is very hands on. Their chainsaw maniacs are some of the best around, but they didn’t seem as enthusiastic compared to previous years.
We were barely chased throughout the chainsaw maze. We didn’t get much attention until the last few seconds we were exiting the haunt. I wasn’t grabbed once throughout my journey and the various characters seemed a bit restrained. That’s not to say that it wasn’t an intense experience. It definitely was. I was looking around every corner waiting for the barrage of scares to come my way. Scares come from every direction. Even barrels fall when you least expect it.
We were in and out in about 15 minutes. There were few dead spots. We were either being attacked by a giant prop or confronted by some type of crazy character that wanted our heads on a platter. General admission is $25 which seems to be the going rate for many haunts in the Louisville area. Fast Pass is $40 and Front of the Line tickets are $60. There are plenty of queue line actors that roam the grounds and you can remember your experience by purchasing a Haunted Hotel Hoodie, T-Shirt and more. On December 3rd, 10th and 17th, The Haunted Hotel will have its Curse of Krampus event. It’s sure to be a very scary Christmas.
The Haunted Hotel is one of our favorite haunts in the Louisville area. It’s brand of balls to the wall horror is truly appreciated. Since 1991 The Haunted Hotel has been putting fear into the hearts of haunt goers. That’s 32 seasons of scares and we’re looking forward to 2023.
Length-8 Design-9 Props/Animatronics-9 Acting-9 Scare Effect-8
Final Stab: 8.6
www.hauntedhotelky.com