This one is a must see. There are 2 large sections to the haunt, tons of actors that keep you very entertained while you wait in line, and plenty of special ef...

This one is a must see. There are 2 large sections to the haunt, tons of actors that keep you very entertained while you wait in line, and plenty of special effects that put other haunts to shame. The only reason I don’t give this one a 5 is because it’s too overwhelming. The scares come one right after the other that it’s kind of desensitizing. Still a top haunt though.

Ok so I must admit, being someone that is short on money and noticing the actual pricing of this location I made sure to take a very critical look at this haunt...

Ok so I must admit, being someone that is short on money and noticing the actual pricing of this location I made sure to take a very critical look at this haunt when I visited. Overall, I must say that this by far was the BEST haunted attraction I have been to in YEARS! It is most definitely worth the price you pay to visit as they have TWO lengthy haunted houses that you gain entry to when you purchase your ticket. They obviously have a lot of money in this haunt as the animatronics and other technology used throughout the house comes in various shapes, sizes, and attacks from any and all angles! You are definitely not safe entering either of these haunts as they have some seriously professional actors around every corner that obviously know the art of scare. I am not one to jump in haunted houses, actually I'm usually the one to stare back and smile at actors who are trying their hardest to make me pee my pants, but there were a lot of parts that made me duck and flinch or quicken my step, as I hadn't expected the levels of 'attack' that they actually hit. If I wasn't being put on edge and having my senses violated through this house I was either way; constantly enjoying myself in some manner, as I comically was able to watch others reactions in areas that may not have gotten to me. To see a friend crawl on their hands and knees through a tight space while screaming is by far the most amusing thing I have ever seen in a long time. Looking at the haunt from an artistic approach they really did a number on using space provided and appealing to the crowds. You will be walking through angled tiny hallways, unleveled walkways, venturing through small tight spaces that come in various ways, twisting corners to face the unexpected and being put in some VERY uncomfortable situations- no matter what your phobias may be. This location is an attraction that rises FAR above the rest in the Chicago-land area, and for me; this is a place that I will happily visit next year with high expectations and excitement.

Statesville was the last stop on the Chicago Haunt Tour and it was the best produced and most intense haunt on the tour. Zombie Army did an amazing job this yea...

Statesville was the last stop on the Chicago Haunt Tour and it was the best produced and most intense haunt on the tour. Zombie Army did an amazing job this year. All the new toys look great and the hard work they did really shows. The acting was dead on and a special shout out goes to my Chocolate Lover in the rules room as well as the guy we interrupted in the shower. If you want aggressive, in your face scares, this is the place to hit this season. Don't get thrown off by the price, it is worth it. We spent well over an hour on the Prison grounds and were entertained every minute of it. Go to Statesville this season and say hi to the Captain for me.

INTENSE! They did a great job of touching on most people's deepest fears. Clowns, tight spaces, complete darkness and insane asylums just to mention a few. The ...

INTENSE! They did a great job of touching on most people's deepest fears. Clowns, tight spaces, complete darkness and insane asylums just to mention a few. The smells (particularly in the shower part) make this experience realistic and over the top! Kudos to the actors who work inside the "prison", I don't know how you do it. I was pushing the person ahead of me to hurry up and get through.

Statesville was the best EVER! Well worth the money to get in. Killed (pun intended) about 2 hours of the night. It took that long to go through it. Lots of peo...

Statesville was the best EVER! Well worth the money to get in. Killed (pun intended) about 2 hours of the night. It took that long to go through it. Lots of people and I didn't hear anyone complain after they finished. The actors were awesome and really got into their rolls. I would tell you the best parts but just in case someone reading this didn't already go through, I don't want to ruin it. Hint: The ground isn't really moving.

The last stop on our chicago haunt 2010 and they saved the best for last. Each year I bet they add on to it as we had not been there for over 4 years. This is...

The last stop on our chicago haunt 2010 and they saved the best for last. Each year I bet they add on to it as we had not been there for over 4 years. This is the longest of the three haunts and with the most actors. They found out what your fear was and then exploited it if they could. I would say that if you had to choose only one that this would be the one as you could make a good night of it.

Thank You for coming on the Chicago Haunt Tour with us. I agree, we did save the best for last. Hope you can make the next tour and see what Statesville does to top this year, I know we all will enjoy it.

This could be the best haunt in Chicago land, though this house...ahem prison is not for children! The actors are superb and they play with you while you are wa...

This could be the best haunt in Chicago land, though this house...ahem prison is not for children! The actors are superb and they play with you while you are waiting in line so I really enjoyed that.

In addition there is a cafe & gift shop. This is definitely a place you could spend your entire evening and have fun. This was the perfect end to the Haunt Tour because it was the top choice I think. I have been many times and I always enjoy myself. Though if you are timid or even somewhat vulnerable to fights this is not the place for you, very intense. Kudos to all the actors!

Statesville prison was my favorite of the 3 haunts I visited last Saturday. I couldn't believe how many actors were at this place. It was pretty amazing to walk...

Statesville prison was my favorite of the 3 haunts I visited last Saturday. I couldn't believe how many actors were at this place. It was pretty amazing to walk through both the prison and city of the dead and see probably over 100 actors running the place. The scenes were very detailed and the special effects were great. This is definately a big budget attraction and you can tell they put a lot of money into their haunted house. They always add more to their site each year and it is always getting better and better. I highly reccommend this to anyone who is hard to scare. I think this place will scare even the hardest to scare person.

This place definitely seems like the bigger budget kind of place. With that said its good to note that the bigger the place, the bigger the crowds and the bigge...

This place definitely seems like the bigger budget kind of place. With that said its good to note that the bigger the place, the bigger the crowds and the bigger the wait. Overall i enjoyed myself, i went to Statesville last year and I noticed they actually changed quite a bit of it. This time around i think i had a better time thanks to the fact that i had an idea of what i was coming into and the weather was really nice. The experience here is similar to that of Dream Reapers, a lot of around the corner jumps and banging on stuff real loud to make you jump... just on a larger scale. Once thing I liked was the consistent theme throughout the entire ride. The only major turnoffs for me were the crawlspaces throughout the ride, I'm a big boy so having to bend over and go through a tunnel is not my idea of fun.

Our last haunt of the night, and it exhausted me. The actors were wonderful, they made a somewhat long wait in line go much faster. They seemed to be the best...

Our last haunt of the night, and it exhausted me. The actors were wonderful, they made a somewhat long wait in line go much faster. They seemed to be the best staffed haunt of the night. It does have a prison atmosphere and the tourists are (sort of) yelled at and herded like prisoners. But not enough to make you uncomfortable. And, once again, it was VERY, VERY DAMN LOUD!!!!! Unfortunately the decibel level made it pretty much impossible to hear the introductions. The "warden" appeared at the very start and probably said something very scary and important, but I didn't hear a thing. Another vertigo bridge!!! My companion told me that it would help if I hopped. It didn't.

The City of the Dead was next. Maybe I was just too overloaded and exhausted, but I have to say I didn't get it. It looked very atmospheric and there seemed to be some good actors within, but I just plain didn't get it. Someone suggested that be the first thing you go through. That might be a good idea.

But, all in all I still recommend this as a very, very intense AND LOUD!!! haunt for adults and older kids.

This was the last haunt of the evening with the Chicago Haunt Tour 2010. This place blew the first 2 out of the water. They had lots of actors messing with us w...

This was the last haunt of the evening with the Chicago Haunt Tour 2010. This place blew the first 2 out of the water. They had lots of actors messing with us while we were waiting. All of the actors really got into their roles, They built up the anticipation from the get go. It was amazing how much they had going on and all of the different scenes. I'm pretty sure "Bubba" in the shower scene that rubbed chocolate sauce all over himself had a slight crush on my husband LOL. I really enjoyed the excitment and entertainment of not knowing what was going to happen next. I had a blast! Way to end the 2010 Haunt Tour!

This was the last stop on our Haunted Bus Tour and it was a perfect way to end the night. I have been to Stateville several times over the years and it is alwa...

This was the last stop on our Haunted Bus Tour and it was a perfect way to end the night. I have been to Stateville several times over the years and it is always a frightenly good time. They have some of the best actors I've seen, which is one of the key parts to having a great haunt.
The only thing I didn't like was the areas where you are basically doing a duck walk to get though. I'm not a tall guy, but it was not enjoyable to get through those areas.
This has always been one of my favorite haunts and we will be back again next year for sure.

Event Length : About 30-35 minutes to get through both the prison and city of the dead.

Actor Performance : Excellent. There are sooo many actor...

Event Length : About 30-35 minutes to get through both the prison and city of the dead.

Actor Performance : Excellent. There are sooo many actors at this haunted house which is what really makes it stand out as being one of the top in the Chicago area. They have great costumes and totally get into their roles. Even though we visited near the end of the night, the actors were very energetic, scary, and did a great job.
I loved the entertainment in the one room where everyone had to get into lines. The actor here made random patrons do various tasks to entertain the rest of us. He made random patrons have a dance competition, do the hokey pokey, and the chicken dance. It was sooo funny.

Customer Flow : We ran into the group ahead of us a few times. Mainly because they were walking so slow. The actors tried to keep groups seperated, but sometimes it was tough for them to do it.

Appropriate Ages : 16 and up. This place is very intense and graphic.

Props/Special FX : They have very detailed scenes! Especially city of the dead. Fountains and lighting, it really truly looked like an ancient jungle city that was haunted. The beginning room with the warden is very cool as well.... a nice surprise awaits for you there I don't want to spoil it.

Costumes/MakeUp : Very good costumes and make-up. Some are very detailed, you can tell it took some time and artists who knew what they were doing. It looked very professionally done.

Summary : Statesville Prison is one of the most intense haunted houses I have ever been through. It seems like there are hundreds of actors inside the attraction! There are so many of them and they all do such an incredible job. I have reviewed Statesville in the past and they missed the mark because patron flow was so bad. This year they did a much better job, I am glad I gave them a second chance. Statesville is one of the scariest attractions in the Chicago area, it is definately worth checking out. It is worth the price of admission due to all the actors and professional-grade props and special effects.

By far the best haunted attraction I've been to in a LONG time. I too was on the Chicago Haunt Tour last night, and I wished we could have started with this on...

By far the best haunted attraction I've been to in a LONG time. I too was on the Chicago Haunt Tour last night, and I wished we could have started with this one! Everything about it is great. Actors are good, sets good from what I could see, and it's a good length. I also agree the volume could be lower-I couldn't even hear half of what the actors were saying in some parts.

But I do have some things to note: If you are a klutz, be careful. I actually banged my leg on a corner box/platform of the "mental institution" wing. It hurt, and it hurt enough that the actors backed up and left me and my husband alone. They say that the actors won't touch you, but they get very close. I had someone who actually moved by hair enough either by talking that close to my head or by touch-I'm not entirely sure. I had to tell him to back off when he did that.

If you have only money to do one haunted attraction this year do this one if you can swing it!
It was very worth it.

I visited Statesville as part of a one night, 3 haunted attraction outing. This place was awesome and by far my favorite. The actors that come up to scare you...

I visited Statesville as part of a one night, 3 haunted attraction outing. This place was awesome and by far my favorite. The actors that come up to scare you while waiting in line are phenomenal. They are scary, entertaining, and keep you on your toes while you wait. In a world where everybody hates clowns, these clowns are the best I have seen. They will scare you, entertain you and suck you into their red and white world of sheer clown horror.

There is no let down from the rest of the attraction either. The rest of the actors seem to be professionals and not just high school kids at a part time job. The animatronics are very cool and there were even some that I had never seen before. The make up and costumes were top notch as well. In a nutshell, I wouldn’t change a thing about Statesville Haunted Prison. If you want to be scared and only make it to one location this year, treat yourself to the best and go there. Happy haunting…

Statesville Haunted Prison and City of the Dead is perhaps the haunt that draws the biggest crowd in Illinois. Maybe Dream Reapers or their sister haunt, The Fe...

Statesville Haunted Prison and City of the Dead is perhaps the haunt that draws the biggest crowd in Illinois. Maybe Dream Reapers or their sister haunt, The Fear at Navy Pier come close, but the line at Statesville is usually long. Fortunately, it’s never dull.

Statesville has a zillion queues and staging areas outside the actual haunt and being in one is nearly as exciting as being in the haunt itself. The folks who run Statesville (Zombie Army Productions) understand that no haunt is good enough to make up for an hour or two of boredom and cold waiting in a line outside, so they keep the crowd entertained.

The theme of Statesville Haunted Prison is, well, a prison. And of course, aside from crazed inmates and ferocious guards, prisons also have a lot of clowns. Or so it seems. So even while waiting, there are plenty of scares to be had for those that fear the law, the lawless, and those that just suffer from acute coulrophobia.

Once inside Statesville, folks are treated to a short intro to the theme of the haunted prison. It’s effective and sets a good mood.

From there, the haunt is a standard walk-through style but with a HUGE amount of energy and lots of claustrophobic places. If you’re prone to claustrophobia, this haunt will drive you nuts. Literally.

The theme of the haunted prison is maintained throughout the majority of the haunt, with a few creepy circus aspects thrown in. It’s huge and well-staffed with high-energy actors who get several training sessions per season. There’s no want for actual actors getting close and creepy with you.

Personally, this haunt is also too loud for this antiquated vampire. I caught a scream right in one ear and couldn’t hear out of it for half an hour. Which was okay because I was deafened for the continued journey to the City of the Dead.

After exiting Statesville, folks go right into The City of the Dead. Not as active or intense as Statesville, City of the Dead does have a very consistent theme and uber-cool set design. And though I didn’t care for the volume of Statesville, it is a definite experience by the time you walk out. City of the Dead isn’t so much and it’s a little bit of a bummer ending with that haunt. I think it would be the perfect primer if the walk-through order were switched.

Both City of the Dead and Statesville have more pressure walls (you know, those black sheer satin walls that push against each other that you have to squeeze through? Commonly called “birth canals”?) this year with one being really clever. Instead of bring ten feet tall where you lose yourself inside it, this particular one is waist high and about thirty feet long. As you wade through, the floor drops down causing you to almost swim through. While doing that, a wired actor leaps toward you and soars just above your head! Pretty cool!

Also worth mentioning is the bathroom scene in Statesville. Braving the crazy cold (it’s no warmer inside the haunt than out), one committed actor is topless and covered in what looks like feces. He blocks the exit of the room and gets uncomfortably close. I’m not saying it was fun, but it was unique and memorable.