Houses Haunt Halloween

It is that time of year again where the freaks come out at night. Having worked in a haunted house for five years at Navy Pier I see both sides to the experience.

Rule number one is go early to the haunted house. It only becomes busier closer to Halloween. The lines grow long and, even though they seem inhuman, the ghosts grow tired.

The monsters in a haunted house can make or break it. House of Torment in Morton Grove is a perfect example of that. The actors moved and contorted in ways that were both creative and effective.

It felt like The Walking Dead television show as they popped out and followed us in droves. Four to five of them tag teamed us at a time. They don't touch you but they didn't need. The new thing this year is several ghoulies blow on you. This happened at different locations I tired and work around that rule of no touching.

The Frenzy and Nightmare High are two themes and individual houses on the Morton Grove property. There is a break in between where people can catch their breath.

House of Torment wins scariest out of the four I tried this season! For tickets and more information creep over to www.houseoftormentchicago.com.

Disturbia Screams in the Park returns again this year. This one plays on being pitch black in areas and claustrophobia. The tunnels of inflatables and long so if this freaks you out think twice.

The sewer was really amazing and what they have done with the place continues to evolve each year in the 20,000 square feet.

There are more than 35 rooms to explore and it turns black out with no lights on Nov. 4 and 5. More info is at www.disturbiascreams.com.

The 13th Floor Haunted House in Melrose Park was up to its usual tricks, Parking is confusing and will most likely become crazier closer to the big holiday.

The house is large in size and had a section of clown scares if that is your thing. There was a lot of pop outs and the employees worked more on that than actually becoming the character.

The werewolf in front was a hoot though and very energetic!

The name 13th Floor should be tied to something in the house if that's the theme to improve on it. There was actually a scary elevator used effectively in House of Torment. This haunt spot needs a revamp for the price or it might turn into a ghost town. For more drift over to www.13thfloorchicago.com.

For weekend fun head up to Gurnee for Six Flags Great America's Fright Fest. Celebrating 25 years of scaring families is something to be proud of.

The cast of characters were committed and scary, especially Nox, the demon overlord. The decorations were clever and turning out the lights at night really adds to the rides. Haunted houses require a wristband so learn more online at www.sixflags.com.