October is here, and with it comes frighteningly fun weekend haunted houses, which have already sprouted up around Oakland County.
Close to home is Dementia, located at 2600 Club Drive in Rochester Hills, off Barclay Circle.
This haunted house exemplifies what these attractions are all about – scaring audiences and creating anxiety with simple, yet effective props and devices.
The event starts before the ‘victims? even enter the makeshift house, which consists of wood walls erected on the golf course for the attraction. The exit, which is just around the corner from the entrance cue, frequently spews groups of people, usually running full out from a chainsaw-wielding masked man. One group ran into some guests in the cue, so visitors would be advised to keep their eyes open.
Groups go in individually. This allows all members of the haunted house to concentrate on scaring the people inside the house. Visitors should not be surprised if the Halloween ghouls and goblins burst from nowhere and follow them silently and relentlessly. Combined with the disorienting atmosphere, the experience can be quite unnerving.
The house concentrates largely on still figures that suddenly come alive, usually moving swiftly toward the nearest guests (although those seeming more scared seem to garner more attention). In some cases, unusually tall or short still ‘statues? became active.
As far as its length, the maze may be disappointingly short for some. An overly curious spook impeding one’s way can extend the fun but, in the end, it lasts about 10 minutes.
Skipping Dementia would not be missing anything truly unique, but given the devoted and good humored crew, fair prices and dark atmosphere, this attraction is the perfect way to kick off the spooky season simply and effectively.
Dementia is one of the cheaper haunted attractions in the area, with prices as low as $10 for kids and $16 for adults. Refreshments are available.
The haunted house’s hours are 5 p.m. to dusk (for less scary tour) and 7 p.m. to midnight on Friday; 7 p.m. to midnight Saturday and 7-10:30 p.m. on Sunday.
Later tours are not recommended for children under 13-years-old.
Call 248- 852-3250 or visit hauntedrochesterhills.com.