Creepy Kids and Their Evil Toys Have Made the Culbertson Mansion Their Personal Playground this Halloween!
Hello, kiddies, it’s The Phantom of the Ville here amid the beautiful Fall foliage of New Albany, IN with a haunt preview of Literally, a Haunted House located in the Carriage House outside the Culbertson Mansion at 914 East Main Street in New Albany, IN. Like the Haunted Hotel in Louisville, this haunted house has a lot of history with the Kentuckiana area. It has been spooking the folks of this region since 1987. The mansion itself, which you can read about here ,http://www.louisvillehalloween.com/welcome-foolish-mortals-to-new-albanys-haunted-mansion/ , has been spooking folks even longer.
I spent the afternoon yesterday at Harvest Homecoming in New Albany, leaving just before twilight to attend the Caufield’s Halloween Parade in the Ville, but something drew me back across the bridge again to visit Literally, a Haunted House at the Culbertson Mansion. My old friend, Holly Crisler, has been working this particular haunt for many years now. Holly and I graduated from Ghoul School together many moons ago and she has been bringing her special witches’ brew of love for Halloween to this haunt every year since then. She told me months ago that this year’s theme would involve spooky kids and creepy toys, and after my experience last night I can tell you without question that the kids ARE NOT alright!
Some of the things I love about this haunt are the spirit of FUN and the sense of community it evokes. Many haunts sell themselves as the sickest, goriest freak show in town, attracting throngs of jaded, cynical teenagers looking for something depraved and sadistic enough to jolt their overstimulated attention. This haunt attracts an entirely different crowd, and puts on an entirely different show. Families and teens alike are found screaming and clutching each other as the AMAZING line characters walk up and down the queues taunting and entertaining the crowds, but they’re here to have fun with their fears. The Culbertson crew injects the ancient magic of the joy of Halloween into their haunt. This haunt isn’t meant to leave guests disturbed and physically upset by graphic imagery, but instead to give them an adrenaline shot of Halloween fun and send them off with a smile.
At least this is my theory, but that doesn’t mean the Culbertson crew doesn’t take pride in scaring the beejeezus out of people. In fact, they keep a chalkboard handy to update their score. Categories include Personal Dampening, Quitters, Pukers, Criers and the dreaded Craptastrophies! I saw them personally add to their tallies in a couple of different categories last night.
Even though there are indeed a couple of mildly gory spots and lots of scares inside the house, I would highly recommend Literally, a Haunted House to parents wishing to take their kids to their first haunt. I’m not saying this would be a walk in the park to an easily frightened child by any stretch, but if your kid shows any interest in spooky movies and/or the trappings of Halloween, this would be the perfect gateway haunted house to get them interested. It’s easily the best lit house in the region, and there are no completely dark areas to grope through, just wildly decorated chambers filled with lots of detail and colorful creepy characters.
Your adventure begins at the creaky gates of a fog enshrouded cemetery. You’ll have to make your way past open graves and coffins to escape the Monster Mash of living dead rising from their graves. Then you’ll make your way up the stairs and into the Carriage House itself where you’ll finding yourself standing atop a giant Ouija board! A ceremonial procession of possessed children will encircle you, chanting ancient spells and incantations that will open the gateway to the chambers beyond.
Your journey will take you past rooms full of creepy dolls, possessed toys and the dreaded giant Jack-in-the-Box. Ghostly children roam the halls beckoning you to come play with them. You’ll climb all the way to the attic, which is haunted by a creepy clown, and back down again until you reach “the end of the line” when one of your group will be singled out for a coffin ride while the rest of the unfortunate party will take the spinning vortex chamber to Hell! It’s not over yet. When reunited with your separated member, you’ll have to exit through the bedroom of a big kid who has grown large but never grown up, and he’s not happy about you trespassing through his playroom.
Literally, a Haunted House at the Culbertson Mansion is open every Friday and Saturday night in October from 7PM until the last screaming guest comes running out the exit. Admission is $13 and all proceeds go towards the restoration and upkeep of the mansion itself.
