Statesville Haunted Prison: Lockport, Illinois
Statesville Haunted Prison: Lockport, Illinois
Statesville gives quite the first impression. An imposing structure that sprawls out in front of the queue, alarms blare while emergency lights give out their warning. The sounds of chainsaws revving cut through the night, with the screams of victims follow quickly behind, leaving them running out of the exit. Demented prisoners roam the line, inciting the crowd by getting scares and performing physical feats to shock and entertain. Music blares throughout the queue creating a cacophony of chaos. Chaos is the apt term for Statesville, a mission statement for what those who dare to go inside can expect to experience. For the last year, Statesville has opened its gates.
Both Statesville and HellsGate are run by the team of Zombie Army Productions, and there are some obvious similarities between the events. The opening preshow rooms for both events feature the same elements, with The Warden overseeing visitors at Statesville and The Twins watching over festivities at HellsGate. Similarities can be seen throughout the house, which is of course to be expected. It is in how the houses are different though, that the genius of Zombie Army shines through. HellsGate is a more moody, slow-building tension event, focusing on building a creep factor that makes it a unique event. Statesville on the other hand is loud, with a blaring soundtrack, booming special effects and actors that are constantly screaming. It is this approach that allows Statesville to stand out and be effective. You are supposed to be in a prison that has been run over by the worst of the worst inmates. It makes perfect sense that the house should be as loud and chaotic as possible. Being designed this way helps to draw guests deeper into the story being given.
Set design for the house also helps to create a unique unnerving atmosphere. The cold, drab world of the prison is mixed in with extremely tight corridors where inmates jump out of the walls. This dark, claustrophobic environment creates a situation where visitors will always feel on guard. Impressive use of spacing and blending of scenes also helps to make the scale of the house feel massive. In one part you walk by windows that show a prison bus that has certainly seen better days, and a few minutes later after snaking through the halls, you soon find yourself going through the bus itself. This results in a feeling that if you see it, you will experience it, creating a sense of dread. This is used perfectly when you walk past a female ward with crazed inmates and see a large room on the other side, and it hits that you will soon have to make your way through the room that is designed to induce delirium. Also, when things change harshly at points it ends up having a larger impact. After walking through prison areas and through boiler rooms, it is a shock to come upon the clown wing. Hitting a random area that is bright and colorful after not experiencing anything else like that creates a lasting impact and also makes the mind realize that something is seriously wrong.
The halls of this prison are filled with crazed and energetic inmates. These actors give it their all, adding to the insanity-filled atmosphere. Each character feels fully fleshed out, and it results in the actors having room to work their craft in some unique ways. The clowns feel different than the inmates that live like rats in the pipes, scaring off any who enter their territory. Like their sister house, it is notable that the actors have been given superb training and coaching on how to maximize scares. One issue however is that because of the noise produced within the halls of Statesville, it is almost impossible for the actors to interact on the same level as HellsGate. The only option for actors is to go for scares which does somewhat makes everything seem uniform. Still, the actors are very effective at their jobs.
Another issue with Statesville is the same one that came up with HellsGate. If you are the front of your group as you are pulsing through, you will experience less scares than those further back. It is not fun to realize that the best stuff happened just behind you. However, the pacing of the house is notable, for using the same checkpoint system that HellsGate uses. Seriously, more houses need to use this concept. Preventing the long single file line from forming is one of the most commendable aspects of the house. In too many houses has the flow been ruined by consistently ending up at the back of the group ahead. Such a simple idea that more people need to take.
Statesville is another fine showing by the Zombie Army crew. This long running house is unfortunately in its last year but is making sure to go out with one last bang. A fantastic house that will be missed, if you have the chance to make it out to this one during it’s final season, make sure to do it.
9/10
