Where's the Scare?

"Will you walk into my parlour," said the Spider to the Fly is actually the correct quote and I stepped into three parlours to be exact for Halloween 2015. There are many choices out there in Illinois in terms of haunted houses. My goal is to narrow things down as the lines grow longer the closer to the holiday arrives.

One thing I discovered are most haunts are located out in the suburbs because of strict rules in Chicago. The idea of getting away with murder outside of the city scares me. None of these offerings are allowed to touch spectators, that brings a different level to things and involves signing waivers.

First off we have Disturbia: Screams in the Park located in Rosemont in the underground of MB Financial Park. This one stocks a bar at the beginning, which just adds to the fun. At one point my group got lost after pushing through the claustrophobic inflatable. We wound up in a storage closet and worried about whether to push on or stay there. There were some confining spaces that might work for some people but larger attendees might want to be careful. This one seemed a little too geared for kids in sections. There are over 35 rooms to pick from though and the area is great place to party.

Rob Zombie's Great American Nightmare returns for the second year at Villa Park. After speaking with showrunner himself Zombie explained that he loves the immersion experience. It showed with rock music, food, games, rollercoasters and that is before you even walk in the door!

There have been some changes this year. The maze now involves a hood being worn and shocks along the way. Neon colors and 3-D glasses bring the Captain Spaulding Clown School to life. The Devil's Rejects house has lots of gore and blood.

The scariest of the three was the House of Torment in Morton Grove. The actors involved were top notch. They know that less is more without a lot of overdoing it. This is the closest to t\The Walking Dead TV show that Illinois has. At one point in the library they ghouls came from every direction. At the end of one hallway a contorted girl sat on the floor and we had to drum up the courage to get past her. While I miss the naughty nuns of last year the school was still around and worked. Riding the CTA is not only scary in real life at times but this house cashes in on the idea with bodies hanging from the train's ceilings.

Make sure to set course to 8240 Austin Avenue with a tricky but worthwhile location to seek out.