Stop #1 on The Baron & Sindee Nyte Michigan Haunt Tour had us heading 55 mile east to Mt.
Morris…Near Flint. The destination was a repurposed old Kroger building, now the site of a 10
year old haunt called EXIT 13 Haunted House.
The final approach heading into the haunt has you driving through a pretty run down section of
the city, but this only adds to the anticipation and attractiveness of an inner city haunt. Pulling
into the parking lot has you greeted by a large old structure with a large black facade. I'm
hoping they are in the process of adding a nice big EXIT 13 sign and other creepy building
ornaments, as that would definitely give the haunt street presence in an otherwise dull entrance.
Now, don't let the lackluster entrance dissuade you. Inside you will be hauntingly delighted by
their superior set designs…Which we will discuss later.
We arrived about 10 minutes before the gates opened on opening night. This was both a
positive and a negative thing. On the positive side we were 4th in line. We had great parking
and…Did I mention no long line! On the negative side, there always seems to be opening night
hiccups. These are to be expected and the minor outside issues did not distract from the haunt
itself. Plus, the staff were very informative on what the delays were and were very friendly.
They had a few fun characters roaming around the parking lot and the entrance line to help
pass time and get you fired up. The orange jumpsuit clown on stilts is quite cool and is a champ
on them stilts…He also liked wearing my glasses. Don't be too concerned with the
wolfman...He just likes to get VERY up close and personal and just wants to sniff you…Alot!
Once October hits and larger crowds swarm the grounds, more outside festivities and
characters would be great entertainment value. It would also help the larger crowds stay hyped
during the long wait to get inside. Like I mentioned before, it wasn't busy when we arrived and it
still took quite a bit of time to get in the haunt itself. I know all haunts do this, but I personally
am not a fan of the "fast pass" and I blame the dreaded fast pass for our extended wait.
Now, before we go inside the haunt I must provide this disclosure. Sindee and I have worked in
the horror industry for MANY years. We have built, promoted and attended haunts for over 40
years. That being said, we do not scare easily.
Before we enter the main entrance door you can hear the screaming of terrified patrons. The
pounding on walls. The roar of certain power tools! I believe we also heard someone
crying...This is a good sign.
Ok, let's go inside!
I am a huge fan of set design. This is what gets me excited and I base a good portion of my
overall experience on visuals. Sindee, on the other hand, is just begging for someone to really
scare her. We were both very impressed and excited for the hauntingly exquisite sets. From
the old Victorian parlor, the dining room, the kitchen and bar, to the outside of the "home" with its
creepy streets, tunnels and mazes, it was all eye candy and impressive. Realistic props,
lighting, atmosphere, they were all on point and really made you feel you were in its realm. So
much attention to detail was obviously put into this haunt and we genuinely appreciate that effort
in detail.
Now, Sindee is quite the ice queen when it comes to scares. If you scare her you have certainly
earned your pay and her respect. Although there were a few missed opportunities for some
good jump scares, (maybe due to lack of actors this early in the season) she did get spooked in
one of the pitch black tunnels. No spoilers here, but it is a good scare! It got us both pretty
good.
Walking through one of the swampy-like foggy streets you come across THE most amazing character. If we were handing out the best haunt actor award for this haunt...She would get it. She is small. She creepily follows you around making you uncomfortable…In a good way. And she is the best storyteller with her high pitched and sinister little girl voice. We both adored her and wanted to wrap her up and take her home with us. We just hope she doesn't get into too much trouble for taking "little shiny things". A few other standouts and favorites of ours were; Annebelle…What a great, well developed character. The two saloon girls (great makeup by the way) who gave Sindee a balloon animal. The Chimp. In true fashion of the vintage toy "Jolly Chimp" he is a terrifying bastard that will…Well, you'll see. There were some other good characters that you will likely remember or hope to forget, but we will leave them for you to decide. This is a good haunt. There were some opening day hiccups outside and inside, but these guys have been going strong for 10 years, so I'm confident they will iron these out in the next week or so. We had a great time and we certainly recommend getting off at EXIT 13!
Baron & Sindee Nyte
