Dead Rising

Dead Rising is an intimate haunt located in the back area of a strip mall near a McDonald’s in Crestwood, Illinois. (The McDonald’s is key for anyone needing to use the restroom, as this haunt doesn’t provide restrooms.)

Dead Rising isn’t your typical walk through haunted attraction with winding dark corridors and monsters popping out with shaker cans, it is much more interactive. After purchasing my VIP ticket to bypass the 30 minute wait I was placed with 4 youth from the general line. The actor tried to split up the groups of friends and place one from each with me, however I do believe the entire line knew each other. I didn’t ask, but had the impression they were somehow a large group of classmates.

The groups are limited to around 5 people due to the immersive nature of the scenes and the space in the small rooms. I have been attending many haunts alone on my Midwest trip, so it was kind of fun to be placed with kids that were so excitable. At one point they nearly trampled me to escape a clown. I enjoyed watching the actors interact with them more than my personal experiences.

I felt like the opening elevator scene took an especially long time, but other than that the scenes were effective and timed perfectly. The actors did a great job of playing out their scenes. I personally found it to be more of a fun immersive, than a scary haunt. I won’t be in town for their adult event, but I spoke with someone about it and apparently it’s an even more immersive version including blood splatter, adult language and more. It’s a unique event and a good stepping stone for those interested in immersive haunts.