House of Anguish at The Culbertson Mansion (New Albany, IN)
“Eugene Lagriffe’s Macabre Marvels”
By Noah Wullkotte: jollypumpkin@aol.com
This year Literally a Haunted House at Culbertson Mansion has been renamed House of Anguish. Every season this intense haunted house has a brand new theme and practically every scene is new as well. We arrived on a Saturday night. It was dark and stormy. It was raining cats and dogs on the way up to New Albany, Indiana from Cincinnati, Ohio. This definitely made the haunt spookier than ever.
House of Anguish welcomes you to Eugene Lagriffe’s Macabre Marvels. You’re going to seeing things that only your worst nightmares could conjure up. Just imagine if a dark and sinister carnival freak show came to town and unleashed evil and unspeakable horrors. This is House of Anguish in a nutshell. A person in your group will be given a ticket that can be used throughout the haunt. Keep it or else.
There are a variety of scenes that will have you shaking your head in disbelief. A Siamese twin monster isn’t quite complete. You better leave or you’ll become part of this grotesque creation. House of Anguish does a good job keeping you on the edge of your seat. You never know what lurks in the darkness at this special haunt. This is an old school haunt with emphasis on acting and character development. The scenes aren’t very detailed, but they can be quite scary at times.
Play a game of ring toss if you saved your ticket. See if you can win a prize. Spin around and around in a wooden box and have a wild and crazy ride inside a casket. You’ll meet some crazy characters. The twisted baby was one of my favorites and it had me backing up because I couldn’t anticipate what was going to happen next. A mutant clown squeezes a horn as he stares at you. Hands come out of the wall and you’ll meet the haunt’s mascot character known as Anguish.
There are freak show posters that decorate the walls. Carnival style music plays throughout the carriage house. There are also some eye catching props that will surely raise the dead. The massive killer rat will have you running for cover and the bear wearing a tutu is something you would see at a family circus. The clown in the electric chair was pretty cool and so were the electric firecrackers.
This haunt is on the shorter side at only 10 minutes. House of Anguish could be longer if there were more characters that used dialogue instead of grunting or growling. The graveyard was unfortunately dismantled because of the storm. This scene adds a little bit of length to the attraction. House of Anguish is an unusual haunt because the characters are some of the most unique around. They’re truly freaks of nature and indescribable.
2004 marks its 40th year of fear. Tickets are $18 per victim. This is a little high since House of Anguish is around 12 minutes in length if you include the graveyard that wasn’t be used. But it’s also one of the cheapest haunts in the area and one of the more unique haunts you’ll encounter. The Christmas Murder Mystery will be held on December 13th & 14th. Tickets will become available on November 13th. Be sure to check out their Krampus event known as Krampusnacht on December 20th & 21st. Magic at the Mansion features Magician Phillip Rivera and dates will be announced in Spring 2025. Proceeds from all events go towards the restoration of Culbertson Mansion.
House of Anguish knows how to stick to a theme and offer a unique experience that’s unlike anything in the area. We definitely recommend that you check them out this Halloween season. Anguish is waiting and will you become one of the many freaks that haunt the carriage house?
Length-6 Design-7 Props-7 Acting-8 Scare Effect-8
Final Stab: 7.2
www.houseofanguish.com