What in the world? Of all the things I thought I would see and experience on Mackinac Island, a…read morekitschy, vintage haunted house was not on that list. But I saw the Orpheum Theatre right there in the middle of Main Street, with signs and arrows pointing to a haunted house awaiting inside. I'm a horror fiend, so how could I pass up an old-timey haunted house? There's no way I couldn't not stop in!
I happened to visit during the month of October, which is peak haunted house / Halloween season, but apparently, the haunted house at the Orpheum Theatre is open year-round during the tourist season.
This haunted house has been around for more than 50 years, and to be honest, you can kind of tell. But that's part of the fun! The monster wax figures throughout this walk-through haunted house look like they've been grinding for several decades (and they have!), so you will probably be laughing and screaming in equal proportions. My kids and I were groaning at the cheesiness one minute, and then screaming because one of those cheesy wax figures moved and scared us the next minute.
As you make your way through the haunted house, you'll peer into rooms and see mythological wax figures, make your way through a mirror maze, and go through a laser light area. Mostly, though, the haunted house is really dark, and you can't see much, which makes it even more scary when someone whispers in your ear. (Yes, that happens!) For some reason, the creepy, whispering disembodied voice chose to zero-in on me, and every so often, I would sense something near me, and then hear a whisper in my ear. I screamed every time! We had a wonderfully, gleefully scary 10 minutes or so, which is about the time it takes to make your way through the haunted house.
As of this writing, admission to the haunted house is $9 for ages 7 and older, and free for ages younger than 6 years old. It's completely worth the admission to experience this vintage haunted house.
