Haunted Hollows Fest & ‘Scarier Than You Think’ Haunted House Now Open At Will County Fairgrounds

PEOTONE, IL — It took 20 truckloads, six people and many hours to transform a horse barn on the Will County Fairgrounds into a haunted house—and it turned out even better than they could have imagined.

Manteno residents Andy Lee and Daniel Steffan, along with a small but mighty crew, spent countless hours over several weeks bringing their vision for Haunted Hollows Fest to fruition, creating a spooky spot featuring a haunted house, kids' activities, concessions and photo ops.

The festival is open now, and runs Thursdays through Sundays through Nov. 2 at the fairgrounds, 710 S. West St. Family activities include an inflatable maze, games, photo backdrops, tractor-pulled barrel rides, and a family activity barn. A pumpkin patch offers pumpkins, corn stalks and hay bales for sale, and live entertainment is set for Saturday nights, with a focus on bringing in local talent.

The haunted barn gives a good scare—it sent the Manhattan Patch editor screaming—complimented by the family-friendly fun.

"It’s a nice play to go, spend the day, spend a couple of hours," said Chris Redmon, who helped with construction and creation. "If you’re just going for the festival, it’s great for little kids."

And the haunted barn?

"It’s so good," Redmon said. "It’s better than I thought it could be."

'A gargantuan effort'

Lee, who owns Lee's Rentals of Manteno and Steffan, a community member heavily involved with Boy Scouts, had originally hoped to hold the event at the purportedly haunted Diversatech property in Manteno.

For sheer spook factor? Diversatech was the name given to the former Manteno State Hospital campus in Illinois after it closed in 1983 and was redeveloped into a business park beginning in 1986. In the 1930s, the hospital was hit by typhoid fever, killing dozens of patients and staff. Doctors also reportedly experimented with electroshock therapy and lobotomies there, and it's known by paranormal enthusiasts as one of Illinois' most haunted places.

Would have been ideal for a haunted house, no? (For those brave enough, at least).

Ultimately, parking capacity and street width proved too problematic, leaving Lee and Steffan in search of a new venue.

With ample parking, plenty of land, livestock barns and several outbuildings to accommodate their plans, the fairgrounds were ideal.

Lee and wife Maureen, Steffan and wife Erin and Redmon and wife Beth started prepping the grounds the day after the fair ended. Hours spent taking down stall walls and leveling out the ground in the horse barn to create a twisting trip through jump scares, ghoulish scenes and creepy characters.

But the work started long before then, Redmon said.

"I helped build a lot of the elements of the haunted house," he said. "Me and Daniel Steffan’s family—his kids, wife Erin—we built all this stuff in a church in Bonfield."

Then they loaded everything up and brought it to the fairgrounds.

"Six people moved that stuff there and set it up," Redmon said. "We had help from other people here and there—it was literally a gargantuan effort to set all that up.

"It’s hard to understand how much work it is. ... Converting a house barn into a haunted house, while very difficult, is obviously possible."

Steffan and Lee have been scheming this concept up for years, Redmon said, though it was a larger-scale effort to figure out how to use the space and buildings on the property.

Fantastical creatures—a lurking scarecrow and glowing pumpkin-headed skeleton—appear throughout, perfect for photos. An "electric chair" sits empty, for parents to take a seat and kids to "flip the switch." Outside, a hand-built faux guillotine awaits a head to drop into its bucket.

For fun, grain-bin pop-a-shot and other kids' games are positioned in covered buildings.

Haunted barn actors can be spotted strolling the grounds—Michael Myers of "Halloween" isn't shy about taking photos.

Every aspect is part of a plan perfectly executed, Redmon said.

"Dan had the vision of all this," he said. "He's been collecting this stuff for years."

'We need people to come'

In addition to converting the horse barn into a haunted house, many elements found at the fest are handmade or built, Redmon said.

Steffan worked 18 hours a day to bring this to life, he said.

"It’s a passion for him," he said. "He wants it to be the best it can possibly be."

Photo backdrops, a map of the most haunted spots in the country, signage throughout and more were all created by volunteers. The concession stand is "Beetlejuice"-themed, and snacks (popcorn, pizza, cotton candy, apple cider) priced affordably.

The haunted house is indoors, with a covered waiting area. In the event of inclementweather, the festival yard may be closed, but the scares are still on.

The heart-pounding adventure is expected to take guests 25-30 minutes to complete (unless, like the Manhattan Patch Editor, you're being dragged by a pre-teen so scared she just wants to get it over with). Expect dark and twisty hallways, flashing lights, jump scares, and creepy (and creative) vignettes around every turn. Children under the age of 13 must be accompanied by a parent or legal guardian. The haunted barn is not recommended for children under 13 but, they say, you know your child better than they do.

"It’s scarier than you think it’s gonna be," Redmon said, laughing.

A vendor fair also features goods from 50 small businesses from the tri-state area, according to the fest's website.

Entry into the fest is $5, with a separate $35 fee for the haunted barn. Tickets for the haunted house must be purchased in advance online—save yourselves having to pull out your phones on the spot—and a waiver is required. Entrance into the fest is free with purchase of a haunted house ticket.

Entry into just the fest can be purchased at the gate, with cash and card both accepted. Concessions, souvenirs and more are sold separately inside.

A lineup of entertainment and themed Community Days can be found on the Haunted Hollows Fest website.

The fest is designed as a fundaiser for Manteno Boy and Girl Scout Troops, Redmon said. Lee and Steffan have a contract in place for the next two years at the fairgrounds—and it'll only get better.

"He (Lee) still has more stuff, for next year," Redmon said. "All next year, he’ll be building that stuff."

He hopes people will see the creativity and passion behind the haunted house.

"It’s definitely unique," he said. "There’s no other haunted house like it. Most of ‘em are either really short, or you pay a lot of money and you don’t get a lot. This one, you can go at your own pace. Take pictures with stuff inside. If you want to take pictures with the actors, you can. Take pictures! Post them on Facebook! Tell people how much enjoyed the work we did.

"There’s a lot of love put into it.”

KNOW BEFORE YOU GO

Haunted Hollows Fest
Will County Fairgrounds, 710 S. West St., Peotone

FEST HOURS

• Thursdays, 4 to 10 p.m.
• Fridays and Saturdays, 4 to 11 p.m.
• Sundays, 4 to 10 p.m.

HAUNTED HOUSE

• Thursdays, 6 to 10 p.m.
• Fridays and Saturdays, 6 to 11 p.m.
• Sundays, 6 to 10 p.m.