Although I have not been scared by haunted houses since I was a young child, it felt like divine intervention to see Indy Scream Park was opening its doors in early September.
Despite the drive being awful (unfortunate Indiana construction), I have no qualms about the park itself. It may be my love of attention, but the energy of the employees was superb — whether it was the greeters at the gate or the scare actors dispersed in the park, they really made my whole experience entertaining. This is true especially for the ones in Monster Midway, full of iconic terrors and unique scares, that were funny and gave my boyfriend and I a good laugh.
We arrived right as the park opened, so some of the attractions were not open yet, like the outdoor haunts that only open at dark. I have to say that Lockdown is my favorite haunt that they have. Not only were the employees working the entrance fun, but the experience was the most immersive to me as well. I originally went through without a glow necklace that allows the actors to touch me and had my boyfriend wear one instead to see the process of him getting separated from me. I appreciate that I never felt like I was in danger, and this haunt had some of the best character archetypes like various prisoners (innocent or not) and a compelling night guard, with a variety of interactions.
Afterwards, I went through the attraction with a necklace to get the experience myself and genuinely had so much fun. The storytelling of the actors is something that is not appreciated enough because they can read so easily if you are someone to be scared or joked with, and they catered to my experience so well as someone who does not scare easily.
I would recommend getting the VIP passes if you do not plan on getting there at the opening of the park because it gets busy very quickly. Also, getting there early means you get to see as the various actors get dispersed to their haunts via different actions like corralling and rushing, creating a spectacle for the audience of park goers.
I would say the only thing I would love to see improved is the pacing of some of the attractions. Groups are limited to the size of three, which would seem like it would be ideal to move quickly, but some of the attractions such as Backwoods and Nightmare Factory: Blackout in particular that were more difficult to traverse through or fear inducing meant it was really easy to catch up to the group in front of us, especially if they were slower. This means I was unfortunately pulled out of the immersive experience it aims to curate, but it did not ruin the experience whatsoever. It is just something to keep in mind as you go through the attractions.
The Goods
- The chemistry of the actors with one another
- The aesthetics of the decor from Monster Midway to the attractions was fitting and inviting
- The scare actors were a great laugh and fun time
- All-night access to the various attractions in Indy Scream Park
The Bads
- It was not that scary, but that is more me than the park or actors
- The pacing of the events
