The Creep Haunted House Festival (London, OH)
“A Festival of Fear”
By Noah Wullkotte: Jollypumpkin@aol.com
London, Ohio is a small town with less than 10,000 people. The only haunt in town is The Creep Haunted House Festival at the Madison County Fairgrounds. Our trip to London, Ohio consisted of cornfields, darkness and deer. Fireworks could be seen in the distance as they lit up the night sky.
It took us about an hour and a half to make it to the The Creep and I was in awe when we finally arrived. I’ve been to plenty of screamparks in my lifetime, but I would have to say that The Creep has one of the best setups I’ve ever seen. It’s called a haunted house festival for a reason. There are food trucks, fire performers, drum players and costumed characters who interact with customers. The place is beautifully decorated with pumpkins, hay and plenty of fog.
You can sit down and watch a movie at The Sinister Sinema. It’s an outdoor sitting area with a large projection screen. If you’re not in the mood for a horror flick then you can catch one of the many nightly acts that perform near the entrance. The Creep has plenty of queue line actors. Some are quite scary and others are humorous. My favorite was the mutant rat. The scarecrow holding an axe was pretty entertaining as well.
While we were at The Creep we noticed a small shack. We weren’t sure what was inside, so we decided to take a look. The Creep does something I’ve never seen another haunt do. They have a Pale Night Production’s Zombie Attack animatronic inside a shack instead of part of the haunt. It’s like a separate side attraction. Some people were afraid to step inside, but most people had enough nerve to check it out. You will get wet.
The Creep consists of 3 haunted attractions. They are The Residence, Madhouse and FR3AD’K. The Residence is an old dilapidated house with spirits who’ve taken over. Lights slowly flicker and an owl can be heard in the background. The floors are unstable and you’ll even walk up hill. You’ll enter various rooms like a dusty attic with large mannequins that resemble doll babies that are deteriorating. Did something move or was that your imagination?
Dolls with glowing eyes decorate a wall and are ready to attack. The Residence is a detailed haunt with dark rooms and a few actors that can be intimidating. I was creeped out by the old woman in the sewing room. She wanted to take measurements. The first room you’ll enter is quite creative, but that’s all I can say without ruining the surprise. Overall we were impressed with the level of detail and our only real complaint is its length. The haunt is 7 minutes long.
Madhouse is an insane asylum from the depths of hell. Welcome to Adner Heights where the restless souls of patients will no longer sit in silence. Madhouse is a 40 year old hospital with the most sadistic patients around. You’ll experience the morgue, the sleeping quarters, a disgusting bathroom and more. Madhouse is creative with some of their scenes. You’ll see a large snake bust out of a corpse’s chest and you’ll even witness a crazed lunatic eating from a toilet. Madhouse plays homage to A Clockwork Orange with its Cinematic Aversion therapy scene. A helpless patient is forced to watch hours of video in hopes of changing him. Total Tour time for Madhouse is 8 minutes. The actors are quite good and the entire haunt is well themed.
The last haunt you’ll experience is FR3AD’K. FR3AD’K is a 3D attraction with Killer Clowns and some mind blowing 3D effects. Put on your 3D glasses and enjoy the ride. If you have a fear of clowns then you will be petrified as you walk through FR3AD’K. An issue we had with the haunt is that the circus tent maze is too long and it can become a little frustrating. It’s not very confusing and doesn’t add much to the haunt in our opinion.
The rest of the attraction is quite enjoyable and there are some unique effects. The moving floor was a nice surprise. You’ll also get the chance to press a button which activates a clown animatronic. The haunt’s fun, but it isn’t as intense as the other attractions at The Creep. Tour tour time is 7 minutes. There is a common occurence with the haunts at The Creep. They’re too short and you’re left wanting more. If they were longer then the scores would be much higher.
The Creep Haunted House Festival has a very bright future in London, Ohio. The haunts are highly detailed and there’s so much entertainment in one place. Tickets are $12.99 for one attraction, double haunt admission is $20 and general admission for all 3 haunts is $24.99. Skip the lines with RIP Fast Pass Admission for $34.99. You can easily upgrade your ticket if you decide that you want to. Tickets include admission to Creeper Commons. Parking is $5 a person on Fridays and Saturdays which is high for a haunt, but isn’t the worst we’ve seen. Shirts and sweatshirts are available to purchase. There are plenty of concessions available like hamburgers, Funnel Cakes and more. There’s also plenty of porta potties in case nature calls.
The Creep Haunted House Festival has great detail and tons of entertainment in one place. We had a blast and we think you will too. If you’re in the area then check out what The Creep has to offer. It’s one of the best Screamparks in Ohio and it’s only going to get better as the years go on.
Final Stab For Each Haunt
The Residence: Length-6 Design-8 Props/Animatronics-8 Acting-8 Scare Effect-8 Final Stab: 7.6
Madhouse: Length-6 Design-8 Props/Animatronics-8 Acting-8 Scare Effect-8 Final Stab: 7.6
FR3AD’K: Length-6 Design-7 Props/Animatronics-7 Acting-7 Scare Effect-7 Final Stab: 6.8