Get ready to come along with me on a walkthrough of The Darkness with animatronics-only (no actors)!

Located in St. Louis, Missouri, The Darkness Haunted House is one of the major players in the U.S. for a traditional walkthrough haunt. I remember first learning about it one summer when I was in junior high school. I saved all my money from my summer job to buy the entire HauntWorld DVD set and proceeded to spend hours upon hours watching and re-watching the series’ haunter tips, location walkthroughs, and hilarious skits from Dr. & Laura Lady of the Horror Hotel in Chatfield, Ohio. The videos were made by The Darkness owner Larry Kirschner and I vowed that I would one day travel to Missouri to see his creation first-hand. 

It took me a little over ten years, but when I finally made it out to TransWorld’s Halloween & Attraction Show, I immediately signed up to go on the behind-the-scenes tour – and boy did it live up to the hype! The team of haunters that create each room have top-notch skills in fabrication and design. They take guests from the deepest regions of the jungle to a yeti’s ice lair, from a cannibal’s kitchen to a sinister circus. I love going back every year to revisit my favorite areas and check out what’s new. (Maybe one year they will finally replace that horrifying spider room. A girl can dream!)

This year I had the opportunity to accompany Sharp Productions & The Haunted Attraction Network on a private walkthrough with full show lighting and animatronics. Of course, I jumped at the chance – and then jumped quite a few times from the scares within the haunt!