The creek on the stairs, the ghostly chill down your spine, and the splatters of dripping red blood on the wall were all things we experienced while walking around the haunted attraction, better known as Eloise’s Asylum. Eloise’s Asylum is an old psychiatric hospital from the 1900s that has been turned into a haunted house. The hospital was named after a patient: Eloise Dickerson Davock. It started as a poor house and farm but was eventually developed into an asylum, sanatorium, then hospital and finally a haunted attraction.
One last turn, and there it was. The building. A brick-laid, copper-brown, broken-down building. Driving into the parking lot, our hearts were racing. Our hands were shaking. Our eyes were filled with fear. Walking from the parking lot to the building, the actors were congregated outside by the entrance. The actor that scared us the most was a man with a scarecrow-inspired mask, creeping towards us. His body was low to the ground, tweaking his hide from side to side, our eyes filled with fear as we ran towards the VIP entrance, away from the building. Holding each other’s hands, we slowly turned every corner with caution. We heard eerie music and saw fog machines that filled the air. The building was filled with actors, moving and shaking pieces and parts and lastly history. We scurried as fast as we possibly could up the stairs, to where we wanted to be; away from the horror.
We were lucky enough to go behind the scenes and see where the scare came to life. Upstairs was where the food and drinks were being served. Not only was dinner upstairs but its where “backstage” was located. The actors and actresses were getting their makeup done. The makeup artists were using the airbrush technique to paint the many colors, the cracks, the highlights, etc. They do this to create a realistic spooky look. To simulate cuts, bumps and bruises, the artists put latex and fake blood on the actor’s faces. The makeup, hair, and dressing rooms were all located in old psychiatric patient rooms.
After exploring the dressing rooms and the backstage area, we went to dinner. It was delicious. They had options for everyone (gluten free and all). We thought dinner was going to be our safe space, but we were wrong. While eating, actors roamed around the room, going up to each table— and to people in line— and scaring them. The actors were all dressed differently. One girl was dressed as a nurse, holding and chewing on a rubber foot. Another had huge scissors and crept up behind you to pretend to chop your hair off. While waiting in line, an actor went up to people and lunged at your ankles. No one was safe.
After eating for a while, we continued to look around the building and saw more patient rooms, a filing room with patient files, and many more cool things to do with the original hospital. We were too scared to go through the haunted house. So, once we were done exploring, we decided to leave. As we were leaving, an actor was standing at the exit. She looked at us, and in a creepy tone said “leaving so soon?” We shook our heads up and down and started walking faster as she came running after us. Then, as we were about to get out the door, a man popped out from behind it, scaring us. We ran outside, and straight to the car.
Arriving at the car was a relief. Going to Eloise Asylum would’ve been more enjoyable if we enjoyed haunted houses like others, but we still had an incredible time. It was interesting to see how many people it takes to make something like this come to life. It was also interesting to learn about the background of the asylum. We both highly recommend going to experience Eloise’s Asylum next time you’re feeling up for a good scare.
