RECAP: Located at The Starlight Roller Rink in Northern Kentucky, Underworld Fright descends into madness and mayhem before you even step inside! A tormenting clown prowls the queue and ticketing areas, immediately setting an unnerving tone for the chaos that awaits inside!

The journey begins through an upright coffin, plunging guests into a forgotten storage room filled with nostalgia and neglect - dusty roller skates, cobweb covered arcade machines, and eerie echoes of the rink’s past. A dark corridor introduces a menacing rabbit before leading into a nightmare of hanged dolls; each dangling from the ceiling and walls as a small child softly sings “Ring Around the Rosie” as a baby carriage quickly rolls across the floor seemingly of its own accord!

A spider-infested hallway; bubbling, glowing cauldron; and a pitch-black, horn-honking maze distort direction in advance of a face-to-face encounter with a deranged lunatic wearing a straightjacket and violently bouncing and ricocheting off the walls. Progression through a grotesque sequence of severed heads swinging from hooks, a filthy bathroom, and a jail cell where a frantic prisoner shakes the bars in desperation soon stumbles into a butcher’s den where Leatherface himself dismembers a human torso on a gurney before turning his chainsaw on YOU!

Terror continues through a hospital X-ray room that finds an upset, blood-soaked patient ordering intruders to, “Get out!” Then, it’s onto a chilling morgue lined with plasma-stained body bags, and a candle-lit cathedral that offers no sanctuary only confrontation as a bloody nun whispers unholy words and warnings! Lightning flashes and thunder rumbles as rain comes down in the midst of a haunted graveyard on the outskirts of the ghillie monster-infested woods.

From there, the path winds its way beyond a trophy room displaying animal heads, and through a hallway of grasping arms protruding from the walls and into a grimy barber shop where a drunken barber offers “close shaves” that end in various forms of mutilation. An adjoining kitchen boils with dismembered craniums and serves up unappetizing helpings of some sort of “chili” made from human ingredients! Exploring the bedroom discovers a possessed girl crawling upside down across the blankets as a would-be killer emerges out of the shadows grinning from ear-to-ear, armed with a deadly hammer!

On the horizon, a green, laser-lit swamp hides a monstrous, mist-spraying alien convulsing in a fit of rage, and a cleaver-wielding maniac seeks to expand his collection of decapitations! Pushing through a claustrophobic tunnel teases a conflict with Nightmare on Elm Street’s Freddie Krueger, but the notorious slasher never appears. Suspended pool noodles accompany the way into The Psycho Circus highlighted by flashing projections of Pennywise, and a subsequent high-decibel blast into a terrifying run-in with Art the Clown, who provides the final chase-out of Underworld Fright!

ANALYSIS:  Now in their third season, Underworld Fright continues to deliver quality seasonal entertainment. Rainy cemetery continues to dominate its performance with the presence of thunder and lightning accompanying the misty precipitation that actually falls in the graveyard! Cauldron, swamp, and spraying alien are favorite props. Soundtrack is good throughout.

Barber gives a standout performance, as does possessed girl bending over backwards and crawling across the bed. Art is likewise memorable. Meat cleaver attacker and Leatherface also deserve honorable mention. Dialogue in general needs improvement across the board as there are presently too many screams and/or laughter.

Freddy, Polka, orange-haired clown, and girl trapped in wall are missed. A few high-impact props are also absent including wheelchair that rolled across the room on its own. 

Underworld Fright is open Thursdays through Sundays from September 27^th to November 1^st. Hours of operation are from 7 - 11 PM. General admission is $20 on Fridays and Saturdays; $15 on Thursdays and Sundays. Roller Rink can be added for an additional $5.

Pay a visit to Underworld Fright and enjoy one of the most affordable Halloween attractions around!