All good screams must come to an end...

Thanks for making it another great season at Spirits on Sproat. We appreciate all the visitors this October, despite some crummy weather along the way. A reminder that we will be open from 6 pm until 11 pm tonight, Halloween evening, so come out and bid your farewells to Michael Myers and Jason Voorhees for 2021.

We leave you with our Spirits on Sproat official 2021 video, assembled from footage that our visitors recorded and posted themselves. Enjoy, and happy Halloween!

 

Here's the winning Spirits on Sproat video for 2021

And the winner of the 2021 Spirits on Sproat video contest is...
Bennett Anthony Nisbet, who submitted the following video earlier this week and wins 2 VIP tickets to Midnight Terror Haunted House in Oak Lawn. Congrats on a really fun video with great visuals and audio, Bennett!

Spirits on Sproat to open earlier than normal on Oct. 29-31

The bad news is that rain is expected in the forecast tonight and tomorrow. But the good news is that Spirits on Sproat will be open and operate as usual, regardless of the weather, so bring an umbrella and raincoat if necessary.

Also, we've decided to open one hour earlier than normal on Friday, Saturday, and Sunday. On Oct. 29, 30, and 31, Spirits on Sproat's hours will span 6 to 11 p.m. So if you need to come earlier than usual (and want to beat the big crowds), head out just before sundown and get your Halloween on pronto! Hope to see you soon!

(Note that our Oct. 28 hours will remain 7-10 p.m.)

Last chance to enter our video contest

Here's your final chance to enter the Spirits on Sproat video contest. Please post videos of your 2021 visit to Spirits on Sproat, to Facebook, Tik-Tok, Twitter, or another social media platform (using the hashtag #spiritsonsproat) by no later than noon Central time tomorrow, Oct. 28. We will choose the best video and contact the winner by late tomorrow; the winner will get 2 free VIP tickets to Midnight Terror Haunted House in Oak Lawn (a $90 value), and must pick up and use the tickets Friday, Saturday, or Sunday. May the best video win. Good luck!

P.S.--We need to be able to find/discover the video, which means it has to be tagged via #spiritsonsproat. It's easiest for us to find your videos if you post directly to our Facebook page (www.facebook.com/spiritsonsproat). 

Spirits on Sproat now open nightly through Halloween

Beginning tonight, Friday, October 22, your favorite Halloween house will be open every night for the next 10 days – through Halloween (October 31). For our full schedule, click here. Make your plans for a final visit (or two) to Spirits on Sproat before our 2021 season draws to a close. And don't forget to post videos of your visit to Facebook, Instagram, Tik-Tok, or Twitter using the hashtag #spiritsonsproat

Reminder: We need you to post videos of your Spirits on Sproat visit

If you plan to visit Spirits on Sproat soon, or have recently stopped by our haunt, we encourage you to take videos recorded during your visit and upload them to your favorite social media platform. So far, only two people have uploaded videos of their visit, and we could use a lot more to share with our followers and friends.

To make things simpler for you, we're now easing the rules of our Facebook video contest, which awards 2 VIP tickets to Midnight Terror Haunted House in Oak Lawn. Henceforth, our contest is no longer limited to Facebook video postings. You can submit your Spirits on Sproat videos to other popular social media platforms, including Tik-Tok, Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook. We simply ask you to tag your video using the hashtag #spiritsonsproat, which allows us to more easily find your posted videos. We're also extending our video posting deadline to October 28, 2021. We will review all videos posted through that date using the #spiritsonsproat hashtag, pick the best one, notify the winner, and give them 2 VIP Midnight Terror tickets (a $90 value).

Please post your recorded videos on your favorite social media platform soon so that you meet the contest deadline. Good luck, and happy Halloween season!

Meet Phantasm Phil

You don't stand a ghost of a chance against Phantasm Phil. That's because he's committed to haunting over the long-haul and has a seemingly unlimited supply of ectoplasm. Call Ghostbusters if you want, but they're unlikely to corral this transparent terror. Eager to learn more? Read on.

• Secret shame: Was once spooked by Casper
• Personal heroes: Lord of the Nazgul, the Dementors, Rudy Giuliani
• Voted in high school: Best school spirit, most likely to disappear after graduation

Meet The Jester

Some people call him the space cowboy. Some call him the gangster of love. Others simply call him The Jester, and he's bursting at the seams with grating quips and nefarious clownishness. Here's the 411 on this cartoonish character:

• Nickname: Two-face
• Little-known fact: Once sued the Joker for copyright infringement
• Famous for: Failing to make 15 consecutive kings laugh even once Weapons of choice: Bad puns, rotten rhymes, irritating voice

Meet Corpse Bride

Some people would practically kill to get hitched. Others would die of embarrassment if no one showed up to their wedding. And then there are unfortunate matrimonial wannabes like Corpse Bride, who plans to spend a honeymoon in Hades, minus her beau, who prefers a spouse with a marriage certificate, not a death certificate. Want to know more about Corpse Bride? Consider the following:

• Dirty little secret: Jilted at the altar by five fiancés in a row
• Nickname: Queen goth
• Archenemy: Divorce lawyers everywhere
• Sick of the preacher saying: Till death do you part

Meet Jack 'n the Box

Life is full of surprises, and the same is true of Jack ’n the Box, who likes to pop up on his victims, young and old. You can put a spring in his step by listening to his maniacal laughter. Want to know more about our newest clown? Read on:

• Favorite pastime: Reading children’s pop-up books
• Favorite season: Spring time
• Secret shame: Fired on The Apprentice for having hands much larger than Donald Trump
• Notorious for: Trying to eat Rudolph on the Island of Misfit Toys

Meet Crouchy the clown

When you're 10 feet tall, chances are you're going to have to bend down a bit to effectively scare mere mortals. Such is true of Crouchy the clown, who delights in mortifying visitors at Spirits on Sproat with his hip-swiveling monster motion. More fun facts about Crouchy: 

• Alias: The 10-foot terror
• Favorite song: Chubby Checker’s The Twist
• Known for: His killer smile and swiveling hips
• Little-known fact: Can contort a child into a balloon animal in under five seconds

Meet Slithers

Vermin don't come more king-size than Slithers, a cobra with a whopper of a bite and a mesmerizingly glowing pair of peepers. Here are more fascinating facts about this supersized serpent:

• Alias: Fang face, snake charmer
• Favorite TV show: Cobra Kai
• Personal heroes: Kaa, Medusa, Nagini, Snake Plissken, Roger Stone
• Archenemies: St. Patrick, the mongoose, antivenom, Joe Exotic (the Tiger King)

Enter the 2021 Spirits on Sproat Facebook video contest

Here's another great reason to visit Spirits on Sproat this year: You can win two VIP admission tickets to Midnight Terror Haunted House in Oak Lawn--a $90 value and a great opportunity to experience Chicagoland's best commercial haunted attraction without having to wait in a long line!

Here's what you need to do:

1. Take video during your 2021 visit to Spirits on Sproat. 
2. Post it to our Facebook page (at fb.com/spiritsonsproat) by October 24. (We'd also love for you to share photos taken during your visit, so post those, too.) 
3. Like us on Facebook.
4. Share your posted video on your own Facebook timeline. Make sure the post is public.

We'll judge the best video and award the winner the two tickets, which they can pick up from Michael Myers himself between October 26 and Halloween night.

A few tips on taking and submitting videos:

• We prefer horizontal video over vertical video (it fills up and looks better on the screen)
• We especially love footage of our live scarers (like Michael Myers and Jason) creeping up and scaring people.
• Please aim for a reasonable video length; not too short (at least 30 seconds) or too long (not longer than 3 minutes) please.
• Do not post video recorded in past years. Only post fresh video recorded this October, please.
• We will contact the chosen winner privately via Facebook around October 25 to arrange pickup of the tickets. Prepare to show a valid ID when you pick up the tickets.

Good luck, and happy Halloween season!

Meet Rockin' Granny

Ever get nostalgic about being a wee one and being coddled to sleep by grandma singing a lullabye? One look at Rockin' Granny will usurp that recollection and leave your skin crawling. Here's the lowdown on Rockin' Granny:

• Babysitting fee: four crow feathers, two eyes of newt, one mortgaged soul
• Secret shame: Put a hex on Simon Cowell after a failed American Idol audition in 2008
• Favorite bedtime story to read: The Babadook

Meet Beatrix and Blair

Men dream about a double date with beautiful twin sisters. But that would quickly turn into a nightmare if Beatrix and Blair were your dates for the evening. Instead of taking them out to dinner, you'd more likely end up as an ingredient in their witchy brew. Let's review what we know about this gruesome twosome:

• Catchphrase: Double double toil and trouble fire burn and cauldron bubble
• Personal heroes: Patty and Selma from The Simpsons
• Favorite haunts: QAnon conventions, Starbucks open mic night
• Dirty little secret: Refuse to admit that the Botox injections aren’t working

Meet Count Morlok

Not all vampires are planted firmly on terra firma. Some are vertically challenged, like Count Morlok, who loves hanging around our haunt in an offbeat way. Here's what we know about this bloodsucker:

• Favorite pastime: Hanging upside down and inquiring about your blood type
• Often mistaken for: A hairless chinchilla with bat wings
• Famous catchphrase: The whole world’s gone topsy-turvy
• Secret shame: Married a morning person named Dawn

Spirits on Sproat 2021 edition a big hit so far

Thanks for the awesome turnout this weekend to kick off our 2021 Spirits on Sproat season. So far, the feedback has been outstanding. Glad so many of you like all the new spooky animatronics and figures on display.

If you've not yet made it out, make plans to visit this coming weekend and experience our bigger/better haunt in person!

It's alive (almost)! Spirits on Sproat opens Friday

Halloween is right around the corner – and so is the start of our Spirits on Sproat schedule. Just a reminder that we officially open in two days, on Friday, October 1, from  7-11 p.m. For our full schedule, click here.

Michael Myers hopes to see you and your family this season. Please remember to bring and use a facemask during your visit, which we may require if COVID numbers increase.

Happy Halloween season everyone!

Midnight Terror Haunted House in Oak Lawn expands dates, rooms, actors, and props in 2021

In 2020, Midnight Terror Haunted House in Oak Lawn proved that a commercial haunted attraction could operate safely and successfully, despite the pandemic—and without compromising on scares. Fans rewarded that commitment to quality by coming out in droves and selling out most dates on the calendar, with no resulting cases of coronavirus reported.

This year, Midnight Terror plans to up the fright factor by going bigger and better than ever for its seventh consecutive season. It will nearly double the number of days on its schedule from last year, operating across a record 22 dates beginning Sept. 24 and ending Oct. 31. Additionally, Chicagoland’s favorite Halloween destination will add more actors, animatronic props, rooms, and special effects to its labyrinth layout, which boasts two connecting haunts under its roof, each with a different theme but both included with a paid ticket.

Visitors will also enjoy covered outdoor and indoor waiting as well as entertainment provided by a DJ, photo opportunities before entering and departing, and online ticket discounts during the first three weeks of operation. And unlike last year, a limited number of same-day on-site tickets will be available to walk-up patrons, while supplies last.

“We’ve improved how our costumed characters interact with the audience by building in more jump scares and surprises, too,” says haunt creator/co-owner Justin Cerniuk. “We’ve redesigned many rooms to evoke a different emotion or reaction, such as claustrophobia, fear of bugs, and smells that trigger terror. Our fan-favorite chainsaw alley that concludes the experience has been reimagined, as well.”

Perhaps most significantly, one of Midnight Terror’s two haunt themes has been updated. Formerly known as Black Oak Grove, it’s now known as Willow’s Nightmare, adding a new chapter to the continuing terrifying narrative of Willow, a wraithlike female haunted and possessed by evil beings. The other haunt, Factory of Malum, is named after a demonic overlord who has enslaved an army of monstrous minions hell-bent on preventing you from making it out of their industrial complex of creatures alive.

If you miss out on any of the fun in September and October, you can try to claim tickets to Midnight Terror’s popular annual Clown Takeover dates, Nov. 5 and 6, when the haunt is completely populated by evil circus dwellers (tickets start at $28).

To cater to families and the easily frightened, Midnight Terror will conduct daytime scenic tours from 1 to 3 p.m. on Oct. 30 and 31 for a reduced price ($20 per ticket). This allows groups of all ages to walk through the haunt with the lights and special effects on. On these dates, children are encouraged to arrive wearing Halloween costumes but must be accompanied by an adult.

Midnight Terror has been voted a top 10 haunted attraction in the entire country by readers of USA Today, rated as a 2020 top 10 haunt by TheScareFactor.com, declared the number one haunted house in all of Illinois by Fox 32 Chicago, and highly recommended by Thrillist, NBC, the Chicago Tribune, Patch.com, Haunted House Chicago, Illinois Haunted Houses, and others.

Cerniuk says his haunt will carefully follow updated coronavirus safety protocols and guidelines issued by local and state authorities. Check

Midnight Terror’s posted COVID-19 policies for the latest updates and details on precautions being taken.

Midnight Terror Haunted House is located at 5520 W. 111th St., Oak Lawn, Ill., 60453, just east of the intersection of Central Avenue and 111th Street. General admission per person starts at $28 online and $30 at the onsite ticket booth; VIP admission per person, which provides faster entry without having to wait in the general admission line, is $45. Or you can purchase immediate admission ($60 per person), which guarantees instant entry into the haunt.

Visitors can park for free on-site. The attraction is wheelchair accessible and open, rain or shine, from:
7 p.m. to 11 p.m. on Sept. 24 and 25, Oct. 1, 2, 8, 9, and 31
7 p.m. to 10 p.m. on Sept. 26, and Oct. 3, 10, 14, 17, 21, 24, 27, and 28, and Nov. 5 and 6
7 p.m. to midnight Oct. 15, 16, 22, 23, 29, and 30

For more information, visit MidnightTerror.com or email midnightterror.info@gmail.com.

Spirits on Sproat Halloween display returns in one month

Eager for some good news in 2021? Perk up, Halloween fans: Your favorite Halloween house will reopen for a new season in only one month, on Friday, Oct. 1.

For Spirits on Sproat's 18th season, we've decided to focus mostly on monstrous animatronics--you know, the kind that move, talk, growl, howl, laugh maniacally, and give you nightmares. Check out several new animated figures we're adding this year, which will bring our total number of props to nearly 100 (!). And while you're here, don't forget to be on the lookout for Michael Myers and Jason Vorhees creeping around.

Our 2021 schedule, which can be viewed here, calls for us to be open 19 days in October (weather permitting). Take time out next month--and a few minutes away from possible White Sox playoff games (go Sox!)--to come visit our expanded display (featured twice on Svengoolie's TV show), which is shaping up to be our biggest and best ever.

Please bring a mask, just in case. Depending on the COVID numbers at the time, and local rules/guidelines, we may require all Spirits on Sproat visitors to wear a mask to prevent spread of the coronavirus, as we did last year. (Thanks for being such good sports about that in 2020.)

It's time to get your Halloween on! See you next month...