The Radley Haunted House

I attended three different event nights this year and each time I left with a smile on my face and was thoroughly impressed. The entire crew here is passionate about what they do and it shows in every aspect of the house. Thank you all, I’m definitely a fan now and will support you all in the future.

I was worried we wouldn’t be able to find parking as we pulled into the street and saw the gazillion people in line. Not to worry though, lots of parking available along the street and around the block! The line moves pretty fast too so we didn’t have to wait that long.
Attention to detail inside the house was amazing! I loved the creepy feel in each room and the actors were scary as hell. They were all very much into character and I found myself freaking out a bit! Wish I could have gone a little slower to appreciate the rooms more but my son was squeezing my hand for dear life and speed walking his way outta there! He was truly freaked out but couldn’t stop talking about it for the rest of the night. :)
Had an awesome time and highly recommend! The people putting on this event were friendly and helpful and the $ 5 off coupon for Emerald City Comics was an added bonus!

Prepare to be impressed. Those were the final words we heard as we timidly entered The Radley Haunted House. It was my first time but other members of our troupe had visited previous years.
Turns out those were prophetic words. We were impressed. And frightened. And completely caught up in the experience. And delighted by the attention to detail that makes this well worth a visit or two or three.
Apparently the planning begins in January and this year in addition to the set designer that was a costume pro, a writer and others who teamed up to make this was a very scream-​worthy effort. Four out of five skulls rating for sure (it would have to last longer to get a fifth skull).
I won’t spoil the fun for others but there were some exceptional creepy touches that were really effective without going overboard. Or should I say to the point of overkill?

DON’T FEAR THE LOCATION
Was I lost? It’s soooo weird driving through neighborhoods for something related to Halloween that isn’t a party of trick-​or-​treating. But lo and behold! A line of people, flashing lights, and eerie smoke suddenly appeared between suburban houses. Especially at night… this place set the mood. Parking wasn’t horrible. Although this haunted house was next to the park, I couldn’t see any obvious parking lots except street parking – parking was easy.
SUSPENSION OF BELIEF
Crazy detail! Even without the scareactors leaping out, I was seriously scared from just looking around me. It really felt like I (and my partner) were the only ones abandoned in a rundown orphanage. The scares were a little more typical though.
Sometimes timing was an issue because we’d run into the party in front and behind us which lessened the scares. Sometimes an actor would leap out at me… I’d get scared… but then wonder, «Hey, was that a kindergartener who just scared me?» (child actors are actually used to really get that orphanage feel). And before I knew it… the house seemed to end abruptly.
But I was very impressed by this house. I was totally cool waiting only 20 minutes. I was totally cool paying that small $ 4 admission. I will definitely return next year.

For 2013, the theme for the Radley Haunted house is «The Orphanage». Taken from their Facebook page:
The Radley Paranormal Research Team is on the verge of giving up on the Radley Orphanage case. One of our own has taken his life after days of lost sleep. He claimed «she» would not stop haunting his every thought. We’re all seeing her now. We need new recruit researchers, our fans to pick up the remaining clues. Under enormous pressure and scrutiny we open the reconstructed orphanage.
The sets are amazing. Be sure to pay attention to the black light painted walls, some scares are subtle, some are more. pronounced. But either way, this is one hell of a haunt! You’ll want to go through again and again.
The haunt is «free» but a suggested donation is $ 4.00 per head. I would suggest a bit more. They do –that– good of a job.