Industrial Terrorplex (Jeffersonville, IN)
“Clowns and Madmen Unite”
By Noah Wullkotte: Jollypumpkin@aol.com
Every night at 8:15 hundreds of bats infest the chimney of the Industrial Terrorplex in Jeffersonville, IN. For some reason these nocturnal animals gravitate to this building. Do they know something we don’t know? Is there evil that lives inside this factory of fear or are they just looking for shelter to keep warm during cold nights? They might be resting from the last meal they consumed, but no one is quite certain.
This year the Industrial Nightmare Complex has rebranded itself as Industrial Terrorplex and has removed their attraction Pitch Black. I was never a big fan of this 30,000 square foot dark maze. Pitch Black was fun the first year I went through, but got old after a few years where nothing really changed. It was more frustrating than fun. Thankfully Pitch Black has been replaced with 2 brand new attractions called Carnevil and Infected.
Carnevil 3D is a 3D clown maze that requires the use of 3D glasses for the various paintings and effects to come alive in glorious 3D. The haunt begins with a cage maze that has splashes of flourescent paint and is inhabited by two little people. The maze is the same as it was when it was part of Pitch Black, but it’s been modified to fit the theme of a clown house. Overall this is a welcome addition to Industrial Terrorplex. I particularly enjoyed the crazy clowns who used loud handheld horns with bright lights to startle people.
It’s a fun attraction with little things thrown in to make it more unique. If you are a big fan of horror movies, you’ll notice that this haunt uses some music from Stephen King’s It. If you were a fan of Pitch Black, you’ll be happy to know that a small part of Pitch Black lives on at Carnevil. But this attraction’s main focus is being fun and scary instead of confusing
The second new addition to Industrial Terrorplex is Infected. You’ll begin your tour by taking a ride on a rickety elevator that has one of the most twisted elevator operators around. He’ll breathe in your face and even try to whipe a bugar on your clothes. It’s pretty intense and a great start for the new haunt at Industrial Terrorplex. Infected focuses on mutants, areas infected with radiation and more. It’s a quality haunt that brings a lot to the brand new Industrial Terrorplex. You’ll ecounter infected humans, mutant animals, an out of control German Shepherd and everything you would expect from a nuclear holocaust. The Distortions Unlimted Gargoyle scare (aka Shocktronic) has been removed from Industrial Nightmare and has been placed in the new Infected.
There’s a great mix of haunts available at Industrial Terrorplex and for only $28 you have a night full of entertainment without breaking the bank. Industrial Terrorplex’s most popular haunt, Industrial Nightmare returns and includes the innovative and ground breaking rooms you’ve come to expect from them. Industrial Nightmare was one of the first haunts to introduce the impressive swamp scene that simulates drowning in a dark swamp. The large claustrophobia tunnels (large air bags) represent the dark water while the bright green laser light represents the glow of the alligator infested waters and midnight sky. You’ll feel like you’ve been submerged in water and you’re lungs are about to fill up with H2O. Other fan favorites return like the large nuclear wasteland that is guarded by a massive mutant like creature that is ready to take a bite out of you while he’s surrounded by barrels that have burst and flooded the scene with water.
A relatively new scene that was added in recent years is the haunted strip club that features a girl dancing on a stripper pole as Rob Zombie music plays in the background. Watch out for the red chair. He’s a sneaky bastard. You’ll enter a plethora of scenes like horror movie reenactments of Halloween, Friday The 13th and more. These scenes could be more realistic though. Michael Myers victim’s house had plastic pumpkin pails on its porch railings instead of real lit pumpkins. Purchasing some cheap pumpkins, carving them and sticking candles inside would make the scene much more authentic and believable. It’s a good scene, but needs little things added here and there.
The actor playing Michael Myers was not very convincing or threatening either. He did little except for following us which is an injustice to the Halloween franchise. I like how Industrial Nightmare plays homage to these classic horror flicks, but much more could be done with them to take the scenes to the next level. These horror movie reenactments are poorly lit and improving the lighting would make the scenes more eye catching and memorable. Poor lighting can destroy a scene and the detail that was put into it is thrown out the window because no one can see it.
Industrial Nightmare uses what’s known as Shocktronics. Shocktronics are props that look like traditional animatronics until they magically come alive and you realise that the prop you were looking at was actually an actor in a suit. He or she was mimicking an animatronic to fool the customer. Last year’s Gargoyle has been replaced with the new Goreliath from Distortions Unlimted. If you aren’t expecting it, it will definitely scare you. Over the years Industrial Nightmare has phased out many of its industrial themed rooms, but there are still some areas that feature laboratories, hazardous areas and more. When it comes down to, Industrial Nightmare is the highlight of your Industrial Terrorplex experience.
Last, but not least is Dementions. Dementions features rooms that only a sick and twisted serial killer could think up. If you’re a big fan of the Michael Jackson trial, then you’re in for a treat. Wacko Jacko lives inside Dementions and offers you his prized possession, a pair of little boys underwear. It’s weird just like good ole Michael. Be careful what you do or you might end up getting the chair in Demention’s electrifying jail. There are many bizzare scenes at Dementions from a large boy who’s out to kill Santa because he didn’t receive the right toy to a shower scene with a startling surprise. But Dementions isn’t just about freaking customers out. There are some innovative scenes like a gas chamber that shakes violenty and fills up with colorful fog before your confrontation with Saw’s Jigsaw. You’ll then proceed to enter a vortex tunnel while Johnny Cash’s Ring of fire plays and the tunnel resembles an actual ring of fire.
No haunt is perfect and Industrial Terrorplex has its faults. Chainsaws can be scary if used correctly in a haunt, but the Industrial Terrorplex over does it. There are just too many actors using chainsaws and after you’ve seen 3 or 4, it starts losing its impact. Carnevil 3D could be improved since there’s nothing that really sets it apart from other 3D clown themed attractions. Hopefully it gets better over time.
Nothing has dramatically changed about Industrial Nightmare and Dementions except for a couple things. If it’s your first time you’ll be blown away. If you visit the haunts every year, you might be let down a little. With that being said, Industrial Terrorplex is still one of the best multi haunt attractions out there with innovative scenes you won’t see at most haunts. If you are close to Jeffersonville, Indiana then you owe it to yourself to visit the Industrial Terrorplex. It’s only $28 for a 4 haunt combo ticket, $18 for Dementions and Industrial Nightmare and only $18 for Carnevil and Infected. Don’t mind the draconian gargoyle on the side of the building. He guards the haunt and doesn’t bite too much.
Final Stab For Each Haunt
*Industrial Nightmare: Length-8 Design-8 Props/Animatronics-9 Acting-8 Scare Effect-9 Final Stab: 8.4
*Dementions: Length-7 Design-8 Props/Animatronics-9 Acting-8 Scare Effect-8 Final Stab: 8.0
*Infected: Length-7 Design-8 Props/Animatronics-8 Acting-8 Scare Effect-8 Final Stab: 8.0
*Carnevil 3D: Length-7 Design-7 Props/Animatronics-6 Acting-7 Scare Effect-7 Final Stab: 6.8
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