Nightmare on Edgewood (Indianapolis, IN)
“Momma Will See You In Your Nightmares”
By Noah Wullkotte: jollypumpkin@aol.com
We arrived on a warm Saturday night. A psycho with a flame thrower could been seen shooting fire high into the sky. We noticed right away that the ticket booth had a new paint job. It features a Grim Reaper with a scythe in one hand and green flames in the other. Light up banners of icon characters like The Surgeon and The Executioner decorate the wall and there’s a projected sign that reads “Nightmare on Edgewood”. We luckily got the chance to check out Nightmare on Edgewood’s new Fear Chamber. Let the Oracle decide your fate as you experience smells, 4D audio, touch and more. It’s only $6 and you must get your ticket after you purchase your haunted house ticket.
What can I say about Nightmare on Edgewood? It’s a sensory overload at its finest. It’s one of those haunts you look forward to all year long. New this year is their zombie head archway. Let the great spirits talk to you. One of the zombie heads tells the rules and they all eventually try to eat you. The Executioner leads you to the queue line as you walk past skeletons that decorate the walls. Edgewood Cinema welcomes you to Nightmare on Edgewood. The facade mysteriously opens up to reveal the angel of death holding on to his victim. Demons pull him down to the pits of Hell. This animatronic used to be part of the Nightmare on Edgewood hearse.
This isn’t your run of the mill haunted house. The actors touch, use vulgar language and they’ll invade your personal space. This is a very interactive experience that’s unlike anything else in Indiana. It’s phenomenal. Nightmare on Edgewood consists of 3 attractions. These are Unhinged, The Factory and Conley Farm. But we consider them sections that form one big haunt since you won’t be waiting long in the small queue lines. Speaking of queue lines. The one for Conley Farm is a foggy swamp.
Nightmare on Edgewood features unique special effects that you’re not going to see at many haunts. The trash compactor is a room where the wall closes in on you and the floor falls from underneath your feet. This can be found in The Factory. The brand new cattle trailer in Conley Farm simulates a truck driving as you’re treated like a piece of meat. It’s scary and fun as Hell.
There are so many high end animatronics at Nightmare on Edgewood that it’s hard to remember them all. But I’ll do my best to highlight some of my favorites. You’ll go head to head with a giant crocodile and a massive wild boar. Other props include an zombie usher that comes out of a drop panel, more zombies, a giant wolf head that attacks, an animated fuse box, killer spiders, an angel of death statue, slabs of meat and much more.
Nightmare on Edgewood is intense beyond belief. I’m always a little leery entering a room because I never know what’s waiting for me. This is a crazy haunt with crazy characters. They don’t hold back for a second and you will get touched. The dentist wants to see your pearly whites. Don’t worry if he does a little procedure. You don’t need all those teeth anyway. The doctor/surgeon is ready to examine you. He needs a kidney and he’ll gladly cut you open to find it. Momma is a cannibal hillbilly with a cattle prod and she’s not afraid to use it. She’ll see you in your nightmares. Experience baptism by blood and you will get wet. Meet sparky the electrician who isn’t quite right. A sick freak wants to play hide and seek and bury your body in a steel barrel.
Meet the owner of Edgewood Cinema. She’s worked so hard on her film and you’re going to be in the starring role. A possessed girl knows what you did as furniture and more moves in the bedroom. It’s like a scene out of The Exorcist, but Nightmare on Edgewood style. Choose a weapon in The Factory and kiss your ass goodbye. Nightmare on Edgewood is quite unique and we’re not going to mention all the horrific scenes.
Total tour time was around 40 minutes give or take a few. There are a variety of rooms you’ll experience from a movie theater lobby to a forest full of jack-o’-lanterns. Nightmare on Edgewood has it all. Don’t you dare use the bathroom. It’s disgusting. Get a bite to eat in the kitchen. Do you like delicious brains? Nightmare on Edgewood is in a league of it’s own. It’s an interactive nightmare brought to life.
General admission is $35, Fast Pass is $55. You can purchase a General Admission Chicken Ticket where you wear a bright yellow “chicken” vest, signaling to the actors that you don’t want the full contact, hands on interactive experience. A Fast Pass Chicken ticket is $65. The Fear Chamber is a $6 add on. Please don’t forget to keep your ticket stub. There’s a $5 off coupon on the back that you can use for your next visit. Use promo code THURSYAY to save $5 on General Admission for Thursdays. On October 11th and 12th, donate one case of water to hurricane relief and get your choice of a free t-shirt or $10 off one general admission ticket for that night.
The 6th annual LGBTQ+ Night is on October 11th and the doors open at 7PM. The Lights on Trick or Treat Tour is on Sunday, October 27th from 2-4 PM. December 13th and 14th, they’re running two haunted attractions (Unhinged & Conley Farm) with a special yuletide twist. You’ll be in true jingle hell as you work your way through festive scenes of holiday horror and carnage. Save $5 when you purchase tickets online. Ticket prices increase when you buy in person at the door.
Nightmare on Edgewood features many props that decorate the queue area and there’s a concession stand down below. You’ll enter their gift shop when you exit the haunt. This is where you can buy yourself metal horror cutouts, hoodies, shirts and more. There are also photo op stations including a Twerking Zombie which used to be at Fear Fair in Seymour, Indiana before they closed down.
Nightmare on Edgewood brings their A game once again. This is an extreme haunt, but the actors are very professional and they know how far to take it. Do yourself a favor and put Nightmare on Edgewood near the top of your list this Haunt season. Nightmare on Edgewood has been scaring Indianapolis to death for 47 years and it’s one of the best haunts you will experience.
Length-10 Design-9 Props-9 Acting-9 Scare Effect-10
Final Stab: 9.4
www.nightmareonedgewood.com