Realm of Terror Haunted House

I’ve been meaning to go here for over a year, seeing that it’s always a top haunt in Illinois. It def did not disappoint. Thanks to Groupon, we were able to obtain a VIP ticket for a $ 30 value instead of the usual $ 45. The VIP package gave me and my mom a free shirt, line skip, and a free drink. As you walk towards the entrance, there is a twerking Santa for the lolz. The actors definitely were vulgar and intense but that just adds to the fun of it. Maybe I’m a dark person but parents who disliked it must be oblivious to the fact that the site says «Recommend for ages 16 and older.» Overall I had a great time and the rooms were all well done. Definitely go to the port a potties before entering to avoid peeing your pants

Okay so my two female friends and I went here on Thursday night around 8:00 on ¹⁰⁄₂₂. We go to at least one new haunted house every year and this year we chose Realm of Terror. The cost for general admission was $ 25 and the line was very short so we chose it. There were three groups of no more than 3 in front of us and we waited a total of about 60 minutes to get in. We were told that there were two other lines that they were letting go before us when we finally made it to the front. The wait seemed unnecessary since we had traveled from Chicago and there were less then ten people in front of us. There was a big guy with a broken hockey mask in front of us that was silent and very scary which was totally great and appropriate as he just made really scary noises with his machetes and got really close to your ear and growled. The other guy, he looked like he was a dentist maybe (his picture is above) was funny and spoke but at one point he scared my friend enough that she turned her back to him which then prompted him to say that «that’s good, that’s how I like it.» this was only a preview of what was to come inside the house.
I will say that the makeup and the props are fantastic!!! There is a significant portion of the house that is pitch black which I found annoying rather than scary.
There was one room with two men towards the end that had a plastic woman’s dismembered body (I think it was pregnant as well) on a gurney and one of the men claimed that «Dead and bloody, that’s how I like to F— her.» «They’re better that way!!!», he made several statements about her and our «pussies» as well. Now found myself wondering if we had been with men if they would’ve made those comments, and I doubt he would have. I get that there are many things that are scary to people and certain things that are particularly scary to women and while rape is probably at the top of the list for many of us doesn’t mean that is an appropriate topic in a haunted house. I would say since people are going there for a good time it has absolutely no place there.

This would have been a great experience except for the fact that some characters were so vulgar it ruined the experience. One individual in the first five minutes kept whispering in my ear disgusting things he would do to my v****a. I want to be scared, not grossed out by some employee who doesn’t know where the line is drawn. It was stupid and made me feel uncomfortable for the rest of the time, and its hard to make me uncomfortable. Others have complained about this here so I’m not sure why they haven’t toned it down. Get rid of the perverts and you’d have a great haunted house.

Great actors, great makeup! I have great scary memories of this place!

I will dispense with the preliminaries as per usual. We visited Realm of Terror on Sunday, October 26^th at approximately 8 p.m. Realm of Terror is located in its annual home in Round Lake Beach, within the Kristof’s Entertainment Center. Admission to Realm of Terror is now $ 16 with several options to save by using a coupon or purchasing tickets online. Another customer friendly feature is that Realm of Terror accepts major credit cards, both online and onsite for tickets.
The first of many major changes this season is the new wait line and entrance format. The ticket trailer and napalmesque gateway remain to «light» your way to the haunt, which is a precursor to the insanity that you are about to have unleashed upon you, but the wait line has now been shifted to allow better access to the bar and concessions while also allowing for a newly designed opening. Instead of walking down the dimly lit corridor after seeing the set up video, you are instead given immediate access to a more realistic elevator that takes you to the bowels of the Quixotic Labs testing facility that has now been overrun by their demented subjects and the victims of their heinous experiments.
The lab theme was first introduced in 2012 to allow for a more scalable haunt which was used to near perfection this season. The theme runs throughout the entire attraction, which is now significantly larger due to the removal of the white out and black out maze. While I missed both the insanity and ingenuity that made the mazes so unique; with their trap doors and mind altering music and fog these were hands down the most dizzying and closterphobic mazes I ever experienced at a haunt. But this change on the whole benefited Realm of Terror. It allowed for significantly more square footage to be dedicated to the haunt and kept the entire attraction single themed.
From the moment you exit the elevator you are hit with scene after scene of horrible experiments and the remnants of the terror that has unfolded. Room after room of gore await and attack all your senses. You are literally immersed in the bloodshed. From entrails being draped on you and live autopsy to navigating fecal filled rooms, the crazed minds at ROT did not leave one stone unturned. The gore does not end with the rooms either. Corridors are impeccably detailed and many contain gyrating corpses or extreme angles for you to navigate to your next horrific exhibit. This allows for some of the most impeccable transitions in the haunt industry, you are never taken out of their element and never return to your safe reality until you exit.
For all the quality in set design and detail, acting remains arguably the strongest part of the ROT show. Immediately upon exiting your car, you will be greeted with some of the most intimidating and intense actors around. With reckless disregard they will scale the area and run down their victims prior them entering the haunt. Once inside there is no downgrade in quality. Each room and corridor is filled with immaculately costumed actors which adds to the reality of the horror. They work their rooms, never breaking character and make use of some of the best placed scare boxes that you will experience. The actor’s intensity is also unrivaled and some even bring a thematic experience that needs to be experienced to be appreciated.
I have been visiting the Realm of Terror since it first opened and anxiously await what the demented minds do year after year. This year was bar none the most complete and well-​rounded haunt house that the ROT team has put on in their illustrious tenor. This was accomplished by adding size and scale to the house, while carrying a single theme throughout. The experience never disappoints and no haunt season is complete for me without an annual trip to one of the most intense and amazing haunted shows in the Midwest.
Happy Haunting.

I don’t want to say too much, but if you enjoy dark mazes, having no clue which way you should walk, using the walls to direct you, and just know that THINGS are lurking and are gonna get ya at any given time, then this HH is for you. Actor’s costumes looked great. Took us 30 mins to walk through. General admission was $ 22 … There was no line. Buy your ticket at Walgreens and save $ 7. This is an awesome deal. We couldn’t decide between Rob Zombie’s new HH or Realm. We chose Realm due to it’s ratings superior to Rob Zombie’s. Will definitely go back to Realm next year !!!

This star rating is for the house this year. Last year would have been a 5. I would say this was an off night, but when you’re a week out of Halloween, you kind of expect an A game to be brought. Quick recap of why last year was awesome. My group was sent through alone. It was just as crowded. But we had a unique experience full of surprises. This year was more of an assembly line, kind of similar to the line that makes statesville unbearable. The sets were great, again. The music wasn’t as loud, which was a bummer.
Last year seemed like a revolutionary year for haunted houses at realm of terror. Crazy cramped spaces with loud disorienting music. Actors coming at you from every direction. There weren’t wide open rooms like at most haunted houses and the actors weren’t talking to you, and giving some lame back story. Let’s be real, I don’t care what you did or what your mom did or what you’re going to do to me. Standing in a room doesn’t scare me when I see you there. Your story is just that, a story. What made realm awesome was that people were jumping out of places and getting in your face but then moving to the next. The loud music didn’t allow stories. This year was similar, but there weren’t any surprises because of the long line we ended up in. Actors should keep lines moving, but it seemed that no matter how many times we stood there to let the group ahead stay ahead, we would turn a corner and they’d be right there.
Props go to everyone at the house, because they are unlike most houses and you can tell they worked their butts off. The only problem with this business is that you not only need to be a step ahead your competition, you need to be a step ahead of yourself. They need to regroup and revamp this house for next year. It can be better. They are still better than other houses, but who wants to go to the same house year after year.
I’ll say it again, though. Great job on all the hard work. It shows. Time wasn’t wasted, I’m just saying that it could be better and should be reinvented a little.

Expertly executed, super disorienting, lots of great surprises. First time here. Intense, lots of strobe lights, creative visuals. The owner was very accommodating and friendly. We showed up at the very last minute that they were open and they were still cool. Also, they have a bar. Would highly recommend this to people who are looking for a good scare.

I was very very impressed with this haunted house. Dungeon of Doom may get a lot of attention here in northern Illinois but we decided to give Realm of Terror a try since it’s real close to Gurnee.
The place is real easy to find, orange cones and the staff direct you to the big parking lot in the back. Tickets aren’t super cheap. But we said what the heck and bought a pair as well as a «skip the line» pass. For a couple bucks more we got to cut the line and we got a tshirt as well.
Right away what stood out were the actors. They’re really charismatic and won’t hesitate to personally interact with you.
I’ve done my share of haunted houses and I must say that this one was much more fun. Instead of just having the actors jump out at you from a corner they had other things to mess with your fears. Not to give too much away, but they really do hit on every possible fear. Nothing claustrophobic though! :P Not too much gore either. What I really liked was the time spent inside. Some Six Flags Fright Fest haunted houses only take 5 minutes to go through. This one you’re in for a good 15 – 20 minutes.
Had some really good scares and a lot of fun. Actors do a great job and the makeup is very well done. Will definitely make it a yearly trip.

Thanks to Steven and the crew for a great time!
This Haunted House tries harder than most. This is an «in your face up… close and personal» effort.
Have a drink at the bar that is positioned for those waiting in line. This is a great idea. Have a Zombie, Long Island or just grab a beer to make the wait go a little quicker and to Olsen you up for the experience.
Monsters in the lines and plenty throughout the tour. This is one you have to try.
The tour takes a while and they send you through in small groups. It is a blast! Try this one… its worth your time and money. It’s mid price admittance and a top shelf experience. I really liked this one. Would love to go again… any takers ;-)
I also want to note that I experienced no vulgar talk as someone mentioned before.
Scare factor is 8.5÷10
The bar is a big plus.
The staff and actors are really into the experience… not one person was «phoning it in»…It was an on point performance.
The value is high. I’ve been to higher priced HH’s and this surpassed most without question.
Note: This is off Rollins road on the south side of the street behind Kristof’s. Plenty of parking back there.

COMPLETELY DREADFUL (IN A GOOD WAY)
This year has found me at yet another haunted house courtesy of Unilocal Elite. I’ve avoided these kinds of places for years ever since my early childhood in Cub Scouts when a group of us went to a haunted house, and I chickened out before I even went in. Cut to 30+ years later, and I’ve finally grown the testicular fortitude to endure these scare festivals.
The Realm of Terror in Round Lake Beach on Rollins Road was nearly empty on this misty evening. There are two lines for the attraction, with a fast pass letting you glide by the snaking queue underneath a tent. No matter. Since I had a free regular ticket, I waited a total of 10 minutes to get into the gorefest.
The overall sense of this installation is a kind of combination of House of 1000 Corpses mixed with Resident Evil. The atmosphere is thematically coherent. There are many separate rooms, but they track together in a way that makes them all seem to belong to the same place. An evil doctor scenario with the images of torture and experimentation threads through the experience. As for the layout of the place, it’s very claustrophobic and mazelike. Because of the crouching and ducking postures one must take to navigate the route, it creates an increasing feeling of vulnerability. Coupled with the fact that it is layed out in such a way that you have to come very close to the characters to get through, the experience got more and more dreadful as I moved. The paths are narrow. There are a lot of very dark dead ends. There are also many trap doors where people pop out at you.
By the end, I just wanted to leave as quickly as possible. It’s horrible in a good way.
My only point of comparison will be Fear City in Morton Grove. Fear City reminded me more of Tobe Hooper’s Texas Chain Saw Massacre, in that the atmosphere was thick with the sense that you were visiting someone’s home where there were all of these weirdoes who lived there. At Fear City, however, there were many very highly realized scenes which varied in style from home to alien encounter. The sets were incredibly detailed from a theatrical standpoint.
At Realm of Terror, the route is built in a scary way which adds to the fear without the need for so many varied tableaus. It zigs. It zags. You go up, and then down. The parachute tube is kind of fun too.
One disappointment with this experience was the last section of the Realm which was for all intents and purposes, a blind maze. You can’t see anything. You get stuck in corners and dead ends. It would have been unbearably more terrifying if there were more monsters in this section of the maze. There were a few, but I were reaching out in front of me in pitch black with a voice coming out of nowhere, it would have made me pee my pants. The last part of the haunt seemed like they gave up.
When they’re there, the characters delight in getting so close at this place that you can feel their breath on your face. I left not feeling exhilarated and happy, but rather with an ominous sense of doom about me. It’s nightmarish.

This haunted house was scary and it took us 45 minutes to walk through the whole thing. The actors were creepy, gross, and startling. The props were scary as well. There were a few tight corridors and places where we had to duck underneath props or actors, but my 3XL boyfriend made it through.
I screamed repeatedly as well as laughed through the whole thing.
A couple of us ended up with some fake blood on our clothing, but we were assured it would wash out. I would recommed leaving any clothing that can’t be machine washed at home though.
The only thing I did not like about this place was that a few of the actors made sexually explicit comments towards my boyfriend (several times) and myself (once). Although sexually explicit comments don’t offend me, I found it tasteless and my boyfriend said that it took him «out of the moment» and reminded him that instead of seeing monsters/​psychos, he was really looking at young local a**holes in costume. I went to this haunted house several years ago and they didn’t do this back then.

Unfortunately I would have given this 4 stars had they not had «Bad Santa» sitting in front giving the house giving a bad 1^st impression & the last most memorable event of the experience. We went on Fri, October 11^th which may have been opening weekend so we waited in line for almost 2 hours but the haunted house took flairly long to get through so It was worth it. The $ 7 off coupon from Walgreens was definitely the incentive in choosing this haunted house for the evening. I really liked the actors make up. It was hard to tell whether the rooms had actual people in the set up or scary props. Due to lack of characters allowed in this review I’ll emphasis what’s important to know. The worst, most memorable part was the bad santa character standing in front. Everyone was dumbfounded by his vulgar mouth yet no one wanted to fuel his fire. I actually took a video so I could record him! Telling me he was going to «F*** my mother & cum inside her»?! & When we left & had to walk past him sitting in a chair, he decides to flip us off w/​both fingers so I returned the gestures to where he responded «I bet you’d like that» I would have loved to have given him a piece of my mind but he’s not working for me or ruining profits for my haunted house. Nor would a loser like that bother me. But the haunted house could have been more memorable in a good way for many people had he not been there. He in no way was scary and if explicit language means offending paying customers then the haunted has the wrong idea of what peoples roles should be at a haunted house. It wasn’t a good 1^st or last impression! Also had horrible music blaring from a ceiling speaker in the waiting tent! My boyfriend couldn’t hear me & I was talking in his ear! How about some scary Halloween type music? Get rid of that bad Santa & random music & you have 5 stars! I’m sure after that. It’s a shame one person can ruin it for everybody else that tried so hard to do their job and that was to scare people!

This haunted house it unlike any other haunt iv seen before. The actors are very intense and never break character. They are truly «insane». Nothing in the haunt is untouched. Every room is detailed from floor to ceiling. I don’t recommend kids to go threw this. They will get right up in your face and don’t back down. They had this moving room with body’s swinging from the ceiling and I swear one of them was alive, very creepy. Great job Realm of Terror. Keep it up. I’m so coming back!

A very, very intense haunt! It was truly like living in a horror movie. If you want to get the crap scared out of you with some laughs in-​between, this is it. You may be laughing at something thinking «WTF?!» …and then they get you.
Upon driving up we weren’t sure what to expect because it was in an entertainment center adjacent to mini golf but once you get in line it begins — you’re entertained and stalked from the line and sometimes after –back to your car.
The actors costumes and makeup are right out of the movies. They move and stalk you in ways you don’t expect many make eye contact with you and are very interactive.
The sets and props are detailed too because everything around you is covered in something. If you go through a second time, you’ll notice things you didn’t see the first time.
The length of the haunt was much longer than we expected — it seemed to never end.
What we thought was a drawback (a haunt in an entertainment center), actually was a plus because after (or before), you can get a drink at the bar, bowl and grab some pizza.
Really a great value and one of the best haunts between Milwaukee and Chicago — we came from Wisconsin the last few years and it’s always worth the drive.

Bartender treated me like I was scum. Granted I just turned 21 the month before I went, but I paid extra money for VIP. In which you skip the line and receive a free drink ticket. My fiancé didn’t drink, therefore, gave me his free drink. The bartender rudely stated «okay. Where are you getting all of these tickets?!» When someone enters with a group of 6 and so far only 3 used their tickets. You can probably assume I got one from someone else in my party. By everyone paying so much extra money a ticket, it’s hardly like they were actually free. I did email the company about how rudely this women treated me and continued to act disgusted towards me, I never got a reply back. Customer service is clearly not their strong suite.
Anyway, as far as the actual attraction. I didn’t like how there was an actor who didn’t follow the no touching rule. He got the sticky fake blood on me and my fiancé. Also, they put my hair in their mouth. Wildly disgusting. There was also a small area featuring a random toilet. Since I was all the way in the back of my party’s line, I didn’t see it coming in the dark and banged my shin on it. Also, I experienced the same thing someone else stated in the strobe light maze. However I only saw one actor in it. We ran into a lot of people and its very easy to get caught in a corner with your party as well as two other partys. My mom had to get escorted out.
All in all, next time, I’m going to the one in Zion. It’s always been so much better than this one.

Ohhhh Realm of Terror. What high hopes I had for you, having driven ~1.5 hours to get the snot scared out of me. Lofty expectations that they were, the crew at RoT fell just short of them. Here’s why:
*Opening scenes in a haunted house (intros or lead-​ins, if you will) are critical to setting the tone for the entire haunt, and while Realm’s was promising from the start, it had nothing at all to do with the rest of the house. No relevance whatsoever! Sad.
*Excellent wait entertainment (not for children) was both amusing and perverse. Free swearing and graphic sexual content. My favorite!
*Intense, grotesque scenes inside, with some fantastic scares from air jets, animatronics, and human characters. All in all, some of the best production quality I’ve seen since Statesville. Hanging body bags were a nice touch.
*Vortex tunnel and ‘claustrophobia’ (air bags) are always fun to do. However, the crew did miss several scare opportunities – I saw several ‘spooks’ returning to their scare zones and one «off-​duty» ghoul who was checking his Blackberry. C’mon man.
*The biggest issue I had with Realm [the reason I decided not to award it 4 stars] was the dark maze at the end. As other reviewers have said, it’s a zigzagging hamster trail thru pitch blackness. No strobos, no helps or hints, nothing, nada. The only way to get out is to literally feel the walls with outstretched arms. A cool idea in theory, but in practice it was both frustrating and dangerous. I ran into THREE other groups at this point, and saw several people walking face-​first into walls, tripping over each other, etc. What took 10 minutes felt like an hour in that stupid maze. Not scary in the least, just annoying and a moderate safety concern.
Is it worth $ 15? Absolutely – if you live nearby. If salty language and utter darkness bothers you, then maybe look elsewhere. Because RoT has plenty of both.

This is my favorite haunted house! It’s in the middle of nowhere, but definitely worth the drive. I like this place because you get to go in smaller groups, the decorations are great, and it’s actually scary/​creepy. There’s also a fairly difficult maze at the end that involves going through fog and then a pitch black room in which you exit after finishing — it took us around 15 minutes and other people in there were definitely struggling and confused.

Just as the rating says… Meh. Took us about an hour and ten minutes to get here, no big deal, but I was expecting a really ‘WOW’ haunted house, given some reviews I’ve seen online. Unfortunately, the scares were minimal, makeup not so fantastic, and the rooms were just not very exciting (I think I’m spoiled because I’ve seen awesome makeup and décor at Statesville and Fear City)…also, the strobe lights and smoke during the final maze really irritated my eyes and throat… not very much fun and at that point we just wanted to get the hell out so we could get some fresh air!

Let me start off by saying that I went last year, and it was awesome. This year, terrible. The elements before the actual attraction were a bit off-​putting, but no big deal. I am there for the actual haunt, right? No way. It was not only over in an instant, but it was cheap. No good scares, barely any actors, and a dry/​boring walk through. They pushed us through in droves and didn’t even let us explore the «maze» component. Even though it was not expensive, we expected so much more. BOOOOOOO!!!