
I've never danced with the devil in the pale moonlight, but I laughed hysterically as he shouted at two girls, causing them to lose their mind and jump into my arms.
Jason Besemann's Devil's Attic is quickly climbing through the ranks of Louisville's haunted houses to be positioned as a local favorite. Although, shorter than other local haunts, the quality of this haunt makes it worth the $16 entry fee.
One of the things that impressed me is the mechanical movement of some of the actors, which made it seem that they were hydraulic props. There is nothing like carefully assessing something as you approach, assuring yourself that it is indeed a prop only to have it leap from it's apparatus to be suddenly in your face.
Character interaction begins while you are in line. I loved the laid back and joking manner of the demon that keeps you company while you're in line. Two girls that were easy targets arrived in line behind us and were creeped out by his ghoulish appearance. They knocked the line ropes over trying to get away from him. I'm not going to lie. I kind of crushed on him a little. Any guy that lets you hold his heart is a keeper, right? Does that make me twisted?
The setting of the Devil's Attic is a rundown building near the corner of Seventh and Hill St. It is psychologically disturbing to think about, because a run down building in a forgotten part of town is exactly the type of place people imagine evil stuff taking place in. The concept of the haunt is that the devil has a building where he stores evil and lost souls. The atmosphere is set the minute the attendant opens the door, granting you access. As the door swings open, a puff of fog escapes, and a green laser light aimed directly at you instantly disorients you as you walk towards it and then have to turn right into the unknown.
You get to meet the big boss man right away. You enter the throne room of the devil, who informs you of what you're about to see. I was impressed with his improv skills as he had to convince the girls with us to go on into the next room. After leaving the devil's throne room to explore his attic, you come across a variety of deranged beings. This crew did a great job of recreating some key horror film icons and scenes, including Hellraiser, Saw, the Exorcist, and Thirteen Ghosts among others. I think the creepiest movie reproduction was the Ring girl coming at you from a big screen. If it becomes too much for you, there are attendants placed at exit points to help you out.
The use of specialized contact lenses on pretty much every actor also helped really transport you to a deranged place. These folks really utilize the magic of lighting as displayed by the way the black lights affect the colors of the contact lenses. I would say the lighting at this haunt really made the experience great for me in addition to the great cast. Every actor did a fantastic job. They also have a concessions stand available in addition to a custom hearse give-away.
I would like to see this haunt grow and be longer (takes less than 15 minutes to get through). It moved to a new location this year at 647 Hill St, which will be its permanent home. The price is a little steep but worth it when you think about the amount of cast to pay and the quality effects being utilized. When I left at the end, I wanted to go right back to the line and go through again. I wanted to spend more time in each scene really taking it all in. Part of the immense amount of fun I had may have been the beautiful skittish girls that kept leaping into my arms.