2006’s scariest haunted house in Chicagoland returns to downtown Aurora

By JESSICA SABBAH

Looking for a scare this Halloween? The Nightmares Basement Of The Dead is right up your alley.

Nightmares Basement Of The Dead is located at 42 W. New York St., Aurora, just west of Hollywood Casino. The cost is $12.

The haunted house runs through Oct. 31. The hours are 7 to 11 p.m. today and Saturday, and 7 to 10 p.m. Sunday through Wednesday.

It is recommended for ages 13 and older due to the “extremely graphic nature” of the haunted house.

“I think people from college would really enjoy what we do,” said George Carpenter, the owner of the haunted house. “We do some off-the-wall stuff.”

The haunted house is in its fifth year of operation and its 7,000 sq. feet are full of scares in a nearly 100-year-old basement.

“Last year, we were voted the scariest haunted house in the Chicagoland area,” Carpenter said. He also said his haunted house has more scares than most.

“We’re pretty much different in our haunted house because we created our own characters,” Carpenter said.

Two of the original characters include father and son, Al and Imus Kilya, horribly disfigured from a steam explosion and who still lurk for revenge. Other characters include Zamiel and his Hell Army, Alucard, Jarod Hess and Twitch.

“We take pride in everything that we do here,” Carpenter said.

Parking is available at casino parking garage on Galena for $2, valet parking at parking garages across from the casino at New York St. for $5, and metered parking is free after 5 p.m.