Business Name: Haunted Angelus – Indianapolis
Location: 8829 East Washington Street, Indpls. 46219
Date: October 12, 2012
- Accessibility- ****
- Performance/Reliability: - ****
- Problem-Solving/Conflict Resolution: ****
- The Intangibles- ****1/2
- Overall Experience- ****
It’s not very often that The Gimp actually gets invited anyplace, so I was ecstatic to find myself invited to check out Indy’s newest haunted house, Haunted Angelus. Haunted Angelus is located on the Eastside of Indianapolis at 8829 East Washington Street on the grounds of Patriotic Fireworks.
Haunted Angelus actually started in 2007 with a haunted house in Hudson, Florida that just so happened to be located inside The Angelus, a well known Florida group home serving 32 individuals with profound disabilities. Billed as one of America’s largest “accessible” haunted houses, Haunted Angelus has been a partnership with Patriotic Fireworks from day one, with Patriotic owner Don Surenkamp serving as a longtime sponsor and also being centrally involved in the house’s creation. In Florida, the idea came when Surenkamp realized that The Angelus was quite large and also 100% wheelchair accessible. Haunted Angelus was born as a fund-raiser for The Angelus. Because it’s a fund-raiser, it attracts quite a few volunteers ranging from always having a few individuals from the actual home to children and youth volunteers from the area.
But what does this have to do with Indy? Well, this year Indianapolis has become home to the second Haunted Angelus thanks to continuing support from Patriotic Fireworks and Funworld. Surenkamp has been involved with the fright business since the 1980′s, when his family owned an Indianapolis Halloween shop. The Indy Haunted Angelus again benefits from tremendous support offered by Patriotic Fireworks that includes space directly attached to Patriotic Fireworks, costumes and special effects. They work to keep the costs low so that there’s lots of profit for The Angelus.
The Haunted Angelus in Florida has had ample time to grow, and it includes a host of extras on top of its 20+ rooms of scares. Additional features include a pirate ship, a trail, a hayride and more. The Indy Haunted Angelus isn’t quite that fancy yet, but it’s still an impressive venue. I didn’t count the separate rooms I encountered, but I’m guessing right around 15 or so. They also do offer an outdoor trail in Indy that is right outside after you’ve finished with the actual haunted house. They have hopes to expand the venue next year and are hoping to perhaps make the haunted house even more distinctly separate from Patriotic Fireworks in an effort to create more of a spooky aura for the venue.
As I noted early in this article, I was “invited” to experience Haunted Angelus as a means to both test its accessibility and in an effort to help promote it. As a haunted house that is both supporting the disabled community and openly seeking customers with disabilities, I was happy to accept the offer. Thus, in full disclosure, I did get in for free.
Let’s start off with the basics.
Is Haunted Angelus in Indianapolis 100% wheelchair accessible?
The short answer is “No,” but it is mighty impressive and it’s quite clear (maybe too clear…more about this later!) that the actors, goblins, ghosts, monsters, etc. have been trained on dealing with disabilities. As you arrive at the location, you arrive at a free-standing building with a large parking lot. There are approximately parking spaces clearly marked for individuals with disabilities, though I will stress that they are marked only with the symbol on the concrete rather than the metal signs that would actually make them legally enforceable. They are not technically ADA compliant, though they are wide enough that they should work for most customers. I will also note that there’s typically ample parking around the parking lot, so parking shouldn’t be a hindrance.
To get to the haunted house, you must enter through the main entrance to Patriotic Fireworks (They hope to change this next year). This door is a single glass door that opens outwardly – definitely not wheelchair friendly, though I definitely give kudos to the staff for being friendly and helpful. That said, the goal is always independence and I could see where some folks with mobility issues would have a challenge with this door. Once inside, you’ve entered the store and to your left is the path that leads to the haunted house (which includes mild winding through a roped off corridor that is pretty much wheelchair friendly).
I knew it was going to be an interesting night when I arrived for my visit and was greeted by Kara, one of Indy’s core volunteers, who promptly greeted me warmly and pointed me towards her husband, a local pastor who was dressed as the devil. Being a pastor myself, it definitely got a chuckle out of me.
One of the initial problems may very well have been that I did arrive prior to the house’s opening, which allowed me to experience several of the costumed characters prior to our encounters inside the haunted house. I’d already established myself as a friendly guy, though I did get a huge laugh when one customer entered the store and looked at me for a few moments before looking at me directly in the eyes and asking “Are you real?”
In terms of customer service, one of my initial concerns was that I arrived at about 6:45pm. This is 15 minutes after the Haunted Angelus website gives as opening time. The website also stresses that things do get scarier after 8pm. While a crowd hadn’t yet gathered, it was still a tad bothersome to have the house not open until nearly 30 minutes after my arrival. On opening weekend, that would have been acceptable but this is now the third weekend and those kinds of bugs should have been worked out.
You wait for your turn to enter the haunted house in the corridor. On this particular night, the aforementioned devil was manning the station and I couldn’t help but be moved as I watched 4 small children chicken out just as they started to go in the door. You are greeted by a host of loud monsters as you go in the door, complete with the obligatory wall pounding and spooky sounds. It’s no surprise that it would intimidate smaller children, though I found the majority of the thrills and chills more in line with “Hotel Transylvania” than “Sinister.” You weave your way through the house’s various rooms, ranging from deranged surgical areas to cemetery scenes to full-on experiences with a host of madmen, monsters and mayhem ranging from the very familiar to the more obscure. Haunted Angelus uses a host of children and youth, and some are either seriously amped up on caffeine or just downright spooky. There’s a spontaneity to it all that’s a bit refreshing, though it doesn’t always lead to being immensely frightened. From what I observed, it appears that this haunted house can get different volunteers on different nights. Some of the volunteers are quite imaginative and energetic, while others mostly stick to what they’ve been encouraged to do. As I noted earlier, they’ve clearly been advised about disabilities and for the most part they really bordered on too courteous when it came to my own wheelchair. While I certainly wanted to move from room-to-room without obstacles, it also felt like they were being just a tad cautious with me. On the flip side, nearly every room was separated by plastic covered doors (It kept making me think of “American Psycho”) and the actors were quite good at moving in just the right way to allow a person in a wheelchair to pass through without breaking character and without it being overt that they were helping (though they were). As I was alone, this was appreciated but it also reminded me that this might be an experience best shared rather than having someone in a wheelchair try to go it alone.
Inside the haunted house, there were no areas that could not easily be navigated by a person in a wheelchair. While the rooms are dark, there’s enough visibility that only someone with vision issues would have difficulty. While there are props in every room, they are spaced well and leave ample room for wheelchairs. The entryways to each room are, for the most part, quite passable with the possible exception of someone having only minimal upper body use. It should go without saying, of course, that someone who is easily startled may not want to have this experience alone if being startled can lead to a fall or a mobility issue. On multiple occasions, you are greeted at the door. While this isn’t always done in an overtly frightening way, it is done suddenly and without notice. However, for the most part, individuals with disabilities can easily navigate every room within Haunted Angelus.
The outdoor trail, on the other hand, is both a bit more challenging and a bit more disappointing. The trail is, perhaps, made out to somewhat resemble one of those trails where every turn you make could be the wrong way. Because it’s an outdoor maze, you’re dealing with the night sky (it would have been remarkably disappointing during the light). As you enter the maze, you become immediately aware that the entry is narrow and dark and filled with sounds. I expected this to be the most frightening experience at Haunted Angelus, and having read some feedback regarding the Florida location I became aware that many people regarded the trail as the highlight. For the first few corners, this is the case. The first couple corners, in particular, are pitch black and downright unnerving despite a surprising lack of actual scares/characters. Several corners are downright scary, and the entire maze carries with it the presence of this completely deranged youth who looks like he belongs either in “Deliverance” or in “Texas Chainsaw Massacre: The Beginning.” He keeps screaming about Mama, and he never breaks character.
He was awesome.
It’s also fairly likely that you will run into Freddy Krueger, whom I am imagining gets much more frightening after 8pm. He has an intimidating presence, much like an earlier experience with Michael Myers (a presence that to this day I continue to find unnerving). On the down side, however, there were several corners near the end where there were no characters to be found and I found this to be a rather anti-climactic winding down of the entire experience. I also found myself wondering if this particular area could really be considered accessible, though I certainly never struggled myself. I’m doubting that someone in a power wheelchair could truly get through every part of the maze, though my gut feeling tells me that you would have no trouble finding a companion among the many volunteers and staff.
As you end your time in the maze, you are actually outside and at the back of the building. You will exit through the parking lot and return to your vehicle. This area does offer flat terrain and should be no problem for individuals with disabilities.
It’s a tad more difficult than usual to assess customer service, because my visit was planned and it was known that I had arrived. The only two issues really noted were: 1) The aforementioned later than expected opening, and 2) The overall feeling that the actors/volunteers were a tad more considerate of the wheelchair than they needed to be. I found myself wishing that at least one had really had the balls to have gotten into my face or at least actually touched the chair. Admittedly, not every person in a wheelchair would want such an experience, but one does expect a bit more “in your face” in a haunted house. At least a couple times, it almost felt like I was Moses parting the Red Sea. Of course, it probably didn’t help that I made some laugh with my endless supply of foot jokes and comments about lost limbs. I also have to acknowledge that I did arrive before the “witching” hour of 8pm, the advertised time when things do get scarier.
For families with small children, it should be noted that you can also carry a glow stick and the various scary beasts, goblins, monsters and such will not jump out at you. It makes it a much more family friendly experience (though, as I learned tonight, some kids just aren’t ready!).
The scare factor? I’m tempted to go back after 8pm one of these nights, but for the before 8pm crowd the scares were modest at best. I’ll let you in on a little secret. This was my first ever visit to a haunted house, and I honestly expected that I would find myself as jumpy as I typically do even in only modestly frightening horror films. Instead, I found myself more admiring the performances and intrigued by the handicraft. There were, of course, a few jumps – especially when there would be more than one character per room. However, for the most part Haunted Angelus was more creepy and fun than actually frightening. It was a LOT of fun, though. After 8pm? I have a feeling that it gets much more frightening as the actors put a lot more energy into their performances. My gut was telling me that before 8pm, there’s a “wall” that exists between the actors and the guests. After 8pm, my sense is that the wall comes down.
I’d put wheelchair accessibility at right about 90% overall, a far greater rate than one will find in most businesses (though I certainly can’t compare it since I haven’t visited other haunted houses!). However, it’s hard not to admire a haunted house that is openly inviting individuals with disabilities and giving the profits to an organization serving those with disabilities. Here’s the vital info:
The Haunted Angelus is open for 18 Nights of Hair-raising Terror this 2012 season..
Days open: September 28,29,30, October 5,6,7,12,13,14,19,20,21,26,27,28,29,30,31
Hours of Operation: Fridays & Saturdays 6:30pm – 12:00am
Sundays & the Weekdays that we are open 6:30pm – 10:00pm
For information on pricing, which is easily competitive with most area haunted houses, you can call them at 317-500-GRIM. NOTE – They also have special deals for those individuals in wheelchairs, so this could be a terrific opportunity for area residential providers to offer an unusual recreational opportunity to residents at an easily affordable price. Check it out. Volunteer. Support the cause. They also use youth volunteers, and I’m almost certainly they’ll use volunteers with disabilities (they do in Florida!).
