Nearly everyone, at one time or another, has had an experience with a haunted attraction of some sort at Halloween time here in Illinois or somewhere else in the country. It’s who we are, and it’s what we do at this time of year.
Now, you may be someone who did it once and found that once was more than enough, or you may be the sort of Halloween lover who just can’t get enough haunted house/scary place visits under your belt before October 31st rolls around.
Many years ago, I spent the Halloween season working at a haunted house attraction, and the thing that jumped out at me more than anything else was the amount of people who…um….had some…how do I put this…bladder difficulties during their visits. I mopped up a lot of pee, let me tell you. But, that’s the glamorous lifestyle of the haunted house employee.
“You guys know that the monsters aren’t real, right? Right?” (Getty Images)
If You’re Looking To Be Scared Like You’ve Never Been Scared Before, All It Will Take To Get There Is About An Hour From Rockford
MentalFloss.com, in a piece entitled “The Most Terrifying Haunted Attraction In All 50 States,” took a look at the scariest Halloween attractions across the country from haunted houses, mazes and hay-rides to the ones located in theme parks and even abandoned prisons to name their tops in each and every state.
Here in Illinois, MentalFloss.com gives the nod and thumbs-up to this place in Aurora:
Basement of the Dead, Facebook
Basement of the Dead, Facebook
There are few things spookier than basements—and Basement of the Dead, located in Aurora, Illinois, takes those scares and ratchets them up to 11. The story revolves around a boiler explosion at Walker Laundry that maims two workers, who then disappear; soon people working in the laundry begin to vanish, only to later show up in pieces at the mouth of drainage pipes. The workers are still there, obviously, ready to snatch whoever comes into the basement next. Visitors report that Basement of the Dead has excellent actors who rarely fail to get a jump out of their victims, and the sets, music, and lights add to the terrifying vibe. There’s also a 3D haunted house. Basement of the Dead is open from late September to early November; you can get your tickets here.
