REVIEW: reichland asylum

NOVEMBER 2, 2021

review: reichland asylum

The weekends leading up to Halloween are always completely overwhelming for most haunters. You are forced to pick and choose where you go (depending on location) while also trying to fit in 8 or 9 mazes per night. Dozens of great mazes pop up during this time and they are only open for a few days. Riverside’s own Reichland Asylum is one of these mazes where, outside of their scaled-down pop-up at Midsummer Scream, we hadn’t experienced them in their entirety. This year we finally were able to visit them and we were thrilled with our experience.

Reichland Asylum is situated on a street lined with numerous Craftsman homes. As you walk up to the haunt you already feel like you are on the set of a classic horror film. You can hear the distant screams from the Asylum echoing off the exterior walls of the neighborhood homes - building the suspense as you get closer to the haunt.

As we waited in line we were impressed with the cursed Asylum’s exterior - a multi-storied, dilapidated edifice. Littered throughout the front yard were customized tombstones and even real caskets. The towering visuals of this set were very impressive and set the tone for what lay within.

Once inside the Asylum we met the maze’s protagonist - a demented patient named Matthias (played by David Schoelen who is also the drag cosplay legend "Dragpool") - and his fellow insane residents. There was a mix of undead nurses, neglected patients, and even evil clowns. These scare actors were giving it their all and interacting with everyone who came through. The sets were beautifully rendered and contained an impressive amount of detail, incorporating high quality set painting and props (like the VW Bugs parked within the walls). The built-in windows gave previews of rooms that lay ahead, through which you could see shadows of characters yet to be revealed. Our favorite moment during one of these previews was the zombie nurse who lurked slowly in the shadows and never said a word. We saw her multiple times and her timing was always perfect as she creeped around.

Reichland Asylum is a Southern California classic. We are so happy to have had a chance to finally visit it in all of its glory. For those who missed it, please add it to your list for next year as an essential haunt to experience.

VC

November 02, 2021

Hauntsofla.com

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