Mayhem Mansion-“The Return of Elizabeth”
Genre: Haunted House
Location: 13966 Decoursey Pike
Morning View, KY 41063
Runtime: 20 min
Website: www.themayhemmansion.com
There was a death in this mansion and the restless soul of Elizabeth still lives strong. Do you dare enter this house of pain and torment and relive its haunted past or will you fall victim to its haunted curse?
This is City Blood’s 2010 review of Mayhem Mansion.
What’s Good About The Haunt?
Mayhem Mansion is an old school haunt that focuses on creepy atmosphere and intense actors. From the moment you arrive, a feeling of dread overwhelms you. You may be asking yourself if this place is haunted or not just based on how intimidating the house looks. Mayhem Mansion is the creepy house on the street that your parents warned you about.
Before entering the haunt, you’ll get a chance to watch a short movie explaining the history of the house and why it’s haunted. This is a well produced film that will have your mind racing thinking about what evil spirits and twister ghouls live inside Mayhem Mansion. After you’re finished watching this 5 minute film, it’ll be your turn to enter the 2nd floor window of this spooky old house. But do you dare enter Mayhem Mansion or will you become one of the dead who resides in this house of the wicked?
Mayhem Mansion is a dimly lit haunt with a plethora of scenes you would experience in a real life haunted house. This includes a bar serving shots of blood, a music room with a piano, a dining room with a bloody brain, a funeral layout featuring the corpse of Eliazbeth, a sewing room with grandma, a butcher scene, a disgusting bathroom, an old fashioned movie room, various dark hallways and more. Much of the haunt is dark and consists of hidden doors, tight passage ways and some very creepy characters.
One of the most effective scenes at Mayhem Mansion takes place inside the sewing room. This area of the haunt is occupied by a haunting old woman (AKA Granny) who gets closer and closer to customers while quietly singing. Hopefully you’ll make it out in one piece. It’s creepy to say the least. Mayhem Mansion has a lot of scary scenes thanks to a great cast of actors.
The actors at Mayhem Mansion are very intense. They’re up close and personal and don’t shy away from touching. You’ll experience a librarian throwing a book up against the wall and even a girl who slowly crawls on the floor while reaching out for her next victim. This is a very dark and twisted haunt with some very twisted characters. There were numerous times where I was pulled on and grabbed. If you can’t handle being touched, you’ll definitely be freaked out at Mayhem Mansion.
What’s Bad About The Haunt?
There are some standout characters at Mayhem Mansion and then there are actors who overact. It’s ok to scream a little to catch a person off guard. But if that’s all you’re doing, then you definitely need more training. A mediocre actor can ruin a well constructed scene and this happened a few times throughout the haunt.
Mayhem Mansion has some startling scenes, but quite a few of them lack music. The absence of music works great in a dark room if you’re trying to create tension, but if you want a scene to be more dramatic, you need to incorporate music that reflects the room. Since the backstory of Mayhem Mansion deals with a distillery, there should be more props and scenes that deal with the storyline.
There’s a bar and a few beer barrels inside the haunt, but that’s not enough. The addition of skeletons covered with cob webs near machinery found in a distillery or the scent of liquor in rooms would be a great touch and would help with creating a more realistic haunt. If you are going to have a great backstory, then your haunt needs to be centered around it.
The majority of rooms co inside with the storyline, but that’s if you decide to read about the house’s history online or remember everything the film in the beginning discussed. A lot of the actors are dressed in period clothing, but it should be taken to the next level and expanded upon. Everything in the haunt should reflect the early 1900s and include old fashioned music and characters using dialogue typical of that era.
Customer Service:
$12 isn’t an outrageous price to pay for an attraction like this, but it could be more reasonable. $9 or $10 would be more like it. Unfortunately there isn’t a coupon available on the website. Hopefully in 2011 one will be available to print out. If one haunt isn’t enough for you, then make sure to buy a combo ticket for both Mayhem Mansion and Haverford’s Hollow Trail. You can tour both attractions for $18 or Haverford’s Hollow Trail for $8. You can re-enter both attractions for $5 a piece. Please visit Mayhem Mansion’s website for all the details on pricing. I didn’t notice any concessions available except for some Mayhem Mansion T-Shirts available at the ticket booth. But I could I always be wrong.
Final Thoughts:
Since the last time I toured Mayhem Mansion in 2008, there have been some dramatic changes made. There are less rooms with just darkness and instead there are some pretty creative scenes with a great cast of actors that stay in character the entire time and don’t let up for a second. There could be more detail in rooms, better props and it could be less confusing with its trap doors and hidden passages. But when it comes down to, this is a pretty high startle haunt with some memorable scenes and stand out actors. If you are looking for an old fashioned haunt with a spooky setting, then Mayhem Mansion is the haunt for you.
Length-9 Design-7 Props/Animatronics-6 Acting-8 Scare Effect-8
Official Score – 7.6
Fun Facts:
*Much of the profits made off of Mayhem Mansion go towards Boone County Fraternal Order of Police.