RECAP:  A paralyzing terror awaits and it’s ready to consume your soul at this mainstay Indianapolis attraction now celebrating its 41^st season!  Self-described as the darkest, dingiest, creepiest and scariest haunted house, Fright Manor is comprised of Psychomanthium and a second subsection simply called The Manor.  The former gets underway down a dimly-lit corridor that discovers monsters lurking in the shadows, ready to attack from all angles with escape found only by crawling through a very small opening!  Spooky sounds fill the air as the passageway leads into a an area of glowing masks where slide down panels and a surprise or two await prior to a face-to-face encounter with a large mechanical fiend that has a sledgehammer for a left hand and a saw blade for the right!  His cohort, a squealing, pig-faced mauler lunges forward threatening intruders with a circular saw as the route continues past puking ghouls; and into a room decorated with Jason Voorhees masks, one of which is alive and delivers a wickedly laughing assault!

Apparitions mysteriously appear on the walls of a dark corridor as the course detours through "Terror in the Woods" where an intimidating grave digger slams his shovel on a coffin in an old, run-down cemetery.  Hidden in the foliage is the satanic 666 Church that finds a preacher who’s been bloodied and left for dead outside Camp Crystal Lake in a well-built Friday the 13^th scene that witnesses Jason being implored by his mama to KILL!  Crossing a wooden bridge seemingly eludes the notorious slasher, but Voorhees unexpectedly reappears for a second life-threatening altercation!  

The Manor segment commences when a crazed, jailbird skeleton breaks free from his enclosure sending the exploration into a squabble with the infamous Dr. Butcher armed with a spark emitting circular saw!  Nitrogen barrels crash down and fire crackers explode overhead down a dangerous passageway that leads into a witch’s kitchen, where pots and pans rattle on the walls as the wicked sorceress exclaims, " I've got an empty cauldron to fill, and you look like the perfect size!" then warns, "I'm putting a curse on you all!"  Dodging her evil spell by scampering through a secret panel in the back of a fireplace on all fours unveils a succession of scares including a gathering of "Scream" Ghostface killers, one of which is alive; a polka dot room; a circus starring a cannibal clown and his partner Patches, armed with a baseball bat; an electrocution, where the iron-grated flooring vibrates in unison to the lethal voltage; and another conflict with the circular saw goon who gives chase into “The Portal to Hell” – a claustrophobic squeeze that dumps into a movie recreation of “Halloween” for a face-to-face standoff with the murderous Michael Myers!  Sidestepping “The Boogeyman” lands right in the middle of your worst nightmare, as Freddy Krueger materializes waving his razor-sharp, bladed fingers while fiercely asserting, “You’ll never wake up again!" and whispering, "Sweet Dreams!"  The relentless Elm Street villain continues “coming for you,” promising, “You can NEVER leave!”  Better lock your door when you get back home!

Still to come is green, laser-lit marshland that unleashes a swamp monster surprise, then it's back inside for a double chainsaw chase-out courtesy of a smiley-faced clown teaming up with a gas-masked assassin pursuing potential victims all the way back to the parking lot outside Fright Manor!

ANALYSIS:  Psychomanthium and The Manor join forces to form the 2023 installment Fright Manor, which can always be counted on to deliver legitimate scares the way they’re supposed to be.  What they might lack in fancy props they make up for with creepiness, unexpected startles, and downright frightening sights.  Soundtrack is loud and complimentary all through the haunt.  Heavy breathing and moaning is heard on one occasion injecting a bit of humor to the experience, and providing a source for a few (in)appropriate innuendos.  Lighting is just right for the occasion, and multiple attack zones are cleverly built into the sets providing actors more than one opportunity to engage and interact with patrons!  Jason, Michael, and Freddy scenes are favorites, and extremely well done!  The attraction has always been appreciated for incorporating long-standing "haunted” traditions into the adventure like secret passages and crawl spaces, as well as more modern technology like their claustrophobic tunnels.  Best performers include Pigface, Myers, Circus Clowns, Witch, Dr. Butcher, smiley-face and gas-masked assailants, and Freddy, who stole the show!

General admission costs $25 ($20 for military, police, firefighters, and senior citizens with photo ID), and parking is free.  Proceeds benefit The Southport Little League.  Pay them a visit to support this annual fundraiser and join Fright Manor in celebrating its 41^st anniversary as "Indy's Scariest Haunted House!"