Final Scores – By Category:

Cast (20% of Final Score): 8.23

Costuming (10% of Final Score): 8.21

Customer Service (10% of Final Score): 10

Immersion (10% of Final Score): 8.06

Special Effects (15% of Final Score): 8.3

Scare Factor (20% of Final Score): 7.73

Entertainment & Value (15% of Final Score): 8.2

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Final Scores – By Attraction:

Attraction 1: 8.29

What do you get when you combine a family’s passion for haunting with incredible natural talent? You get The Ritual, an awesome haunt, that has been earning quite the reputation in Englewood for the past five years. In addition, The Ritual is open seven days a week so that, as the owner, David, explained, people don’t have to guess or figure out whether they’re open because they’re just open! Despite being situated in an unassuming strip mall, guests in line would be wise to take the advice of the gregariously grotesque gentlemen milling through the queue by preparing an offering before reaching the door because that docile façade does little to betray the fiends waiting just on the other side.

The cast at The Ritual did a terrific job of working the well-designed spaces that were created in the labyrinthian path that is the haunt. The haunters displayed a range of behaviors, from balefully stalking us to unnervingly scurrying around our feet, from menacing at a distance before seeming to vanish into thin air to leaping over a wall into the middle of our group to threaten disembowelment.

Though there were a few spots that may have benefitted from another actor or two along the way, we knew we were never alone, as cast members seemed constantly in the wings, if not in our path. One particular actor took masterful ownership of a darkened hallway adorned with a slowly strobing light, flowing with such synchronized steps that he appeared to move and not all at once before simply vanishing in a flash of darkness.

Clearly the cast was well-trained and quite enthusiastic about scaring the living daylights out of the visitors to their respective parcels of swampland!

Combining well-done makeup with unique masks, the costumes at The Ritual are deceptive in their simplicity, which is fitting for the theme of the haunt. Cannibal swamp dwellers aren’t likely to be wearing garish outfits and true believers are likely to be in ceremonial robes. Nevertheless, the details shone through, with the gore and grime understate, but apparent on the overalls of flesh-eaters, and the darkness of the hoods successfully swallowing up whatever was within.

Similarly, some of the makeup was obvious and ghoulish while at other times it blended beautifully with a mask or prosthetic to hide the natural flesh below. Whether it was a straightforward ghillie suit or a painstakingly crafted topcoat and mask, the costumes at The Ritual well fitting for their respective scenes and sets, furthered the immersion into the haunt.

The customer service at The Ritual is, in a word, exceptional. Locating information about the haunt is incredibly easy, with all of the pertinent details on the haunt’s website, Facebook page, Instagram, Youtube, and other social media. Getting to the haunt is as easy as following your map app of choice.

There were no safety concerns, and the pathway was clear and flat. The entire building is occupied by the haunt itself, but there are porta-potties between the building and the ticket booth, including one that appeared to be accessible to people with disabilities.

The non-haunt staff is as friendly and helpful as it gets, consisting largely of family members of the haunt staff and owners, who all play their parts to help make The Ritual the haunt that it is. For example, on the night we visited, we got to see several visitors leaving in various states of hysterics, whether laughing or screaming. Then, a family that included a younger boy (I would estimate 9-11 years old) arrived. Although the haunt offers glow necklaces for folks who don’t want as much of a scare, the child began crying as they got closer to the entrance, and the non-scary staff jumped into action. They offered to let him through with a flashlight, kept the line actors at bay, and ultimately offered him a seat to hang out and wait for his group to go through.

While the majority of haunts have a protocol for when someone is too frightened to finish, the care and concern they displayed for the young guest was notable. Meanwhile, another haunt-goer, who left screaming, returned for another round a few minutes later. Recognizing him, the staff let the cast inside know, so they could prepare a special experience… perhaps an invitation to dinner.

Puns aside, that level of care and concern for customer satisfaction, whether too scared to enter or raring to go through another time, regardless if it’s a Tuesday or Saturday, is truly remarkable!

The creators of The Ritual did a good job of creating a haunt vibe, and we can’t wait to see how they will grow. The space between the haunt and the ticket booth, which is situated in the parking lot across from the haunt, creates a welcoming queue line courtyard area. It could be expanded upon by including more interaction (games, photo ops, concessions, or a gift shop). For now, the space is well-filled with a roving queue cast that keeps it lively throughout the expanse.

The storyline of the haunt is very easy to find on The Ritual website and is straightforward: You’ve wandered into a cannibal’s lair that is situated in a swamp, and you might be the next sacrifice!

Despite the building being fairly nondescript, the haunt does a great job of creating a wild, outdoor feel on the inside. Although the immersion was rarely broken in the haunt, there were a few spots that were a bit unadorned. After the haunt, visitors exited a few feet from the entrance, helping to build anticipation for the folks queued to enter.

The Ritual opts to focus on quality set builds including entire structures that one can easily imagine being mired in a bog. Accompanying those scenes, The Ritual boasts some impressive special effects. From thrashing animatronics to a few special surprises, there’s a lot to wade through in the swamp! The haunt also excelled in its use of uncomplicated, yet effective effects; just enough to disorient and distract at times, and at others, causing us to jump out of our skins.

In one spot, while walking near one of those shack facades, you could clearly hear the sounds of crickets chirping in the distance. However, in most of the haunt, the intonations of the cast and our own screams provided the soundtrack. Ultimately, the special effects at The Ritual are well done and join seamlessly with the cast, and set to provide a murderous atmosphere for the residents of the swamp.

As you may have gathered from the anecdote about the boy who was too scared to go through the haunt, including that the attraction has a less-scary option for those who need it: the folks at The Ritual are more invested in haunt-goers having an amazing time than in terrorizing them.

That’s not to say that The Ritual’s haunters do not bring the scares, because they most certainly do. The cast has a knack for weaving its way through the set to continually antagonize the guests before disappearing and doing it all again. Some menaced, others followed, there there were ones who stayed in our way making us squeeze by. Some approached aggressively while others retreated into the darkness.

Given the design of the set, we were never quite sure which corner held the scare, creating a tension that continued to rise until it was satisfied with a scream. With all of the detail and focus put into the haunt, it was a little surprising to find that the ending was fairly anticlimactic and abrupt, but given that same detail and focus, we look forward to seeing what the minds behind The Ritual can do with a finale in future years.

The Ritual is a great haunt focused on bringing the love back to haunts and the haunt industry in general, prizing guest enjoyment and comradery, which is apparent in visiting.

Everyone we saw leaving the haunt had a big smile, if their mouths weren’t agape in mid-scream, that is. Although the haunt vibe outside of the attraction would benefit from a little more to prepare folks for what’s inside, it’s an enjoyable place to queue up and return to after the scares.

With tickets starting at $25 for general admission, faster VIP entry running $44, and a third option for immediate access that can only be bought at the box office, the cost of a visit is about average for the metro area. If you’re looking for an affordable, fun haunt that’s guaranteed to leave you smiling, make sure to visit! The Ritual is open seven days a week through Halloween night, with lights-out shows on November 2nd and 3rd!