13th Floor Haunted House Chicago — Attraction in Leyden Township

I spent $150 for two people. You have to pay extra for a ticket that's good for any time of day rather than a select time. They don’t tell you before you pay in any terms and conditions that you have to sign a waiver, you do, otherwise your tickets won’t scan, not sure how that's legal.

THEN, they have the entire parking lot for the building they've used blocked off. The parking could easily be free as this place already has a parking lot but no, they block it off and commandeer it, you have to pay $20 cash or $25 ZELLE to park here. Or get a VIP pass (which sounds so pointless) So unprofessional that they even make you use zelle if you need to pay with a card. It's ridiculous they don’t give free parking given how expensive it is.

First, the haunted house itself. The guys outside walking around the line before you go in were the best part of the attraction. They were fun and interactive. But other than that, it was pretty stupid and not worth the money AT ALL!! Inside the haunted house are multiple themed areas. You've got things like aliens, zombies, pirates, an ancient Egyptian path, werewolves etc. But there's no real consistency or narrative to any of it. It felt really random and half baked. Any time you start kinda getting into one theme, it changes. You'll have one werewolf guy walking around a part, then you'll walk 5 feet and an alien "scares" you.

But that's the most important part right? IS IT SCARY??? NO!! It's not scary at all! Me and my date were laughing more than anything. At some parts we maybe got slightly startled by a few things, but never truly scared by anything. The most scared we got was for 2 seconds with the chainsaw guy, but only cause it startled us, and maybe in a strobe room, but only because the floor was wobbly and we almost fell.

Other than that, the employees seemed like they weren't having fun, they were mostly being lazy , didn't make any sound, or made no effort to time their scared well or anything. You'd either have the monster just stand there silently, or when they'd hide and pop out to scare you, they'd do it with horrible timing where you already walked past, or way before you got to them, that's even if their "hiding" spot wasn't super obvious.

There wasn't that many monsters either. There were some, not a terrible amount, but a large amount of the stuff was animotronics or just dummies.

THEN!! At one point during the haunted house, we walked through this room with monsters, and there's an employee in plain clothes, looked like a manager, just standing there in the door of this little room connected to the room we were in!! Completely ruined the immersion.

All in all, it just wasn't scary at all. It could maybe be scary for an 8 year old, or if you're super skiddish. They need more employees, they need better training, better positioning and hiding spots, and all around it needs a better narrative, story telling, and tension. Bring in a horror expert or something.

I got two tickets and then this little Frankenstein escape room, and this zombie shooting thing. Do not buy these, they are pointless. The escape room is extremely short, you do 2 things before you win, and it's not very good in terms of leading you to the answer, we won, but it wasn't fun, not a lot of opportunity for group problem solving. The zombie shooting thing is really dumb, you get a gel ball (basically orbeez) gun and just shoot it at two of the employees dressed up as monsters who just walk around and let your shoot them. No immersion at all, no real reaction to getting hit, and the guns don’t even work. The guns jam literally every 10 seconds or so. You get 5 minutes, and even if your gun jams and you have to go get a new one, it still takes away from your time. When I got a new gun the girl just tried shaking and hitting the gun to get it to work, then gave it back, still jammed, then she gave me a new one. She was nice and all but it was stupid.

It's just not worth the money. They squeeze every dollar they can out of you for a mediocre experience. Go...

This review is long overdue, but we visited this haunted house last year and the experience was a mix of impressive and disappointing. For context, I’m a seasoned haunt enthusiast, traveling across the country to visit both seasonal and year-round attractions. I’ve also worked professionally in the industry. That said, this haunt was bizarre. Some parts were great, others downright frustrating.

Arrival & Parking: We were dropped off and met some friends who parked near a nearby brewery. After drinks, we walked over to the event. The haunt has its own parking, but it’s $20; a major red flag. I’ve never encountered a haunt (outside of theme parks like Halloween Horror Nights) that charges for parking. Worse, my friend’s car was towed, along with several others’. Two guys in the lot seemed to be watching people and calling tow trucks, possibly regardless of whether people visited the adjacent business. It's unclear if the haunt was involved, but the situation left a bad taste and is enough to make me not return or recommend the place. Even if unrelated, the whole ordeal was unacceptable.

Security Check: This was a bright spot. A brief security screening on entry. More haunts should adopt this.

The Midway: Underwhelming. No clear info was available beforehand about what the midway included. Other haunts I’ve visited offer food booths, immersive bars, themed games, photo ops, and more. Here, it was a gravel lot with some amazing scareactors, but otherwise dead space. There may have been a drink window, but almost nothing else. For the high ticket and parking prices, I expected more entertainment or atmosphere.

The House: This is where the haunt shines. The sets, props, costumes, animatronics, and craftsmanship were top-notch. Seriously impressive! However, the storyline was hard to follow, and the house would have benefitted from more actors to enhance immersion and pacing.

The Gift Shop: Another letdown. I usually buy a memento (shirt, cup, sticker, etc.) at each haunt, but walked away with nothing. Much of the merch looked like generic Halloween imagery with the haunt’s logo slapped on; uninspired and not compelling.

Overall Thoughts: I don’t recommend this haunt. Great sets and craftsmanship aren’t enough to make up for the frustrating experience. I evaluate haunts holistically. Not just on their house, but the full event. Compare this to Sir Henry’s (less elaborate, but more enjoyable overall), Netherworld (highly detailed, free parking, and incredible midways), or Paranoia (two long houses and engaging extras). This haunt’s midway had no food booths, games, or visible “extras” like their advertised secret bar or mini escape rooms (the bar costs extra, unclear on others). If you’re promoting features, they should be visible and inviting, not hidden or paywalled without clarity.

Also, their “two haunts” claim felt misleading. It seemed like one continuous walkthrough with no clear break or change in theme. Nothing like the distinct dual-house format at premier attractions like Netherworld.

Final Verdict: Save your money. If you're willing to travel, go to HellsGate instead; it’s worth the trip. Between the poor midway, misleading layout, and exploitative parking/towing situation, this haunt doesn't deliver the full, immersive experience I’ve come to expect from top-tier attractions. A haunted house isn’t just a walkthrough; it should be an event. This one...

This was my first time ever going to 13th Floor, and as a fellow haunter I was super excited to get to experience this haunt. Granted, it was during the Valentine’s Day theme, but I was still excited. However, I was left disappointed. My partner bought the tickets and added on the date night package, which was well over $100+ all together, and then we had to pay $25 for parking. I’ve never been to a haunt where you had to pay for parking before— ever. So that was a huge shocker. We went through after waiting in line a little bit, and were CRAZY rushed through the beginning of the haunt which irritated me. You want people to experience the attraction and take in everything, so why are the actors rushing us through and not letting us look? I get that you don’t want people lollygagging and backing up the wait times, but expecting people to run through is crazy. I can’t even tell you what the beginning was about, that’s how rushed it was. Anyway, the haunt itself was decent and the actors were good for the most part— I saw a lot of them just off to the corner talking to each other though which was disappointing. There were other parts throughout the haunt we were rushed again too, and I should also note that in the date package, you get access to a “secret bar”, to which you’re given the tiniest shot I’ve ever seen or taken. At the end when we were supposed to get our pictures that came with the package, I was almost cut out of them because the photographer didn’t adjust it to accommodate my height. I am well under 5’0, so to barely be in the pictures my partner paid extra to get on Valentine’s Day was upsetting. My partner was confused on if that was all we got because he could’ve sworn there was something else included in the package, but we checked the email and nothing was said about anything. It wasn’t until I went on the 13th Floor website to look at the package that we saw that we were supposed to get a blood drop pendant. So over a $100 was paid for a rushed experience, two very-tiny-and-totally-not-worth-it shots, two badly cropped photos, and no necklace. I don’t think I’d come back here, which is sad because I love supporting...