the mommy avenger

In anticipation of the Halloween season, we were invited* to check out Castle of Chaos in Midvale, Utah this weekend. This haunted attraction has some very nice accolades, they were named one of America’s scariest haunted attractions by the Travel Channel, one of the top ten haunted houses in America by USA Today, and Utah’s best haunted house by Hauntworld.com. That’s high praise! It takes a lot to scare me because I’ve spent a lot of time lurking through dark hallways and corridors in haunted houses throughout my lifetime. I’m not easily phased. However, Castle of Chaos has gotten me a few times before.

I’m the giggly girl, normally, as I go throughout a haunted house. I love it, but really, I can’t explain to you enough, it takes a lot to scare me. 

I don’t know how, though, because no one knew a thing about me beforehand, Castle of Chaos is one haunted house that got me last year. Somehow, this awesome haunted house found a way to capitalize on the few things that really get me. It was as if someone had discovered the inner workings of my brain and found out exactly what creeps me out and customized an experience to maximize my fears. It was incredible!! While it takes a lot to scare me, I do have a few things that mess with me a bit–closed in spaces, hands covering my nose and mouth, and Michael Meyers from Halloween. Yeah, they got me on all counts!

Knowing my experience last year, I was thinking this year it would be even harder to get me. But, with their brand new expansion, I had to go back and see. All winter long, this venue has been upgrading and expanding, ending up with a new layout 50% bigger than last year. I couldn’t wait to see what was in store for our family!

Castle of Chaos operates year round with a variety of themed escape rooms. Come September and October, they open a special haunted house. This long-running attraction has something for everyone. Whether you are new to haunted houses and are nervous of going through, or whether you are an experienced thrill-seeker, Castle of Chaos will not disappoint. It’s best to purchase your tickets online to select the perfect time-slot for your group. If you show up the night of, which is totally fine, you could be waiting a while. If you purchase a VIP pass, you can skip the wait, which is always a good thing. 

When we arrived, I could already see some differences from last year. More had been added to the ambiance on the outside where you wait to go inside. Then you go into the entrance where an entirely different start to the castle had been created. When visiting the Castle, you can select one of four terror levels to enhance your experience. If you come on a weekend, one more level is available–level five, the Ultimate Hands On Horror. This has me very intrigued. So, our family, the daredevils that we are, selected level four X-Scream Hands On Horror. We signed our waivers, grabbed our wristbands and put on our glow necklaces to indicate we were all ready to be touched, restrained, moved, or threatened. At any point, if we were no longer comfortable, we could just rip off the glow necklace and be left alone. I wasn’t worried–I am all about the scares!

Although, I’ve been through before, this year was completely different. I felt like I had never been here before, everything had changed. Which is great, you don’t want the experience to be the exact same as the year before. My senses were on alert and the fun had begun. There were many points in the haunted house where I was startled, but I was feeling pretty confident I might make it out unscathed. Because of the level I had selected, I interacted with actors in the castle on numerous occasions. In fact, they did an incredible job interacting with each of our group. Every one’s experience was completely unique but equally thrilling.

I loved the actors, the costumes, the set, the special effects, every little detail. It was so well done. I especially loved the fear level I picked because it really made the experience so fun for me. But, if being touched or taken away from your group isn’t for you, just select a lower level of fear, you are completely in control of your comfort zone. As all of my group picked the same level as I did, they all agreed it was perfect for the experience we were hoping to have. I, however did not make it through unscathed, as I originally thought I would. At one point, something happened to me that caught me so off-guard that I screamed a blood-curdling scream that scared my family because they had never heard that noise come out of me before. They got me good! I’m pretty sure everyone outside the building could hear me, too. It was an absolute blast!

I can’t elaborate much more on the experience, as it really is just something you have to find out on your own. All I can tell you is that I love to make this a yearly visit. I still need to find out what level five is all about, and I definitely want to come back to experience one of their legendary escape rooms. I absolutely loved our experience at Castle of Chaos. Of all the haunted houses I have attended in Utah, it is the most intense. I highly recommend you get your tickets and make sure it is on your list of places to visit this October. You won’t regret it! Castle of Chaos is open now throughout the Halloween season.

To learn more about Castle of Chaos and purchase your own tickets, visit them online.

^{*we were invited to facilitate a feature, all opinions are my own*}