Wouldn’t you know it? The minute we go to Raymond Hill Sanitarium to visit our crazy relative all hell breaks loose and we have to fight to escape with our lives. Yes, it is Halloween, yes, we know the inherent risks involved, but we just couldn’t resist a chance to see the legendary Ward 13!
Evil Twin Studios, the endlessly creative folks behind Raymond Hill Mortuary, have returned for 2015 with Ward 13. From their website…
Since its earliest days, rumors about the Raymond Hill Sanitarium have circulated. Rumors of neglect. Rumors of abuse. And most disturbing of all, rumors of an undocumented area where finding a cure was secondary to exploratory experimentation. This was the one thing patients feared more than death…
WARD 13
Situated in South Pasadena, at the South Pasadena Educational Foundation, Ward 13 begins simply enough. A guard greets you as a visitor to the facility and begins to walk you through the halls for a tour. Faintly, unnerving sirens indicate that there is a major problem going down at the sanitarium. The guard becomes increasingly unable to pretend that nothing is wrong, asking us to check doors along the abandoned hallways, looking for a way to safety. It becomes clear that patients have broken loose and are running free through the asylum. The guard locks us in the sanitarium panic room for safety and we are shoved into pitch black. That’s just the beginning.
What follows is a tongue-in-cheek visit through the mad house. Mistaken for patients, we are checked in, and we begin to wander the halls during the chaos. Surprisingly, each scare is particularly unique. There were no repetitive, push-button scares, no endless screams, and not a single slider glove, clacking at us. We found passage through imaginative passageways, corridors, and even enjoyed a psychedelic hallucination.
The most rewarding aspects of this walkthrough comes from the remarkable set design and decoration, the actors, and the surprising amount of sinister humor. Walkways that appear to have no passage unfold before you. The actors, all unique, carry a similar, nefarious tone. You don’t know whether to laugh or scream, but it all ends up coming out the same.
Founded by Todd Schroeder, Evil Twin Studios, the production company behind Ward 13, is located in South Pasadena, CA. Todd’s team includes Scott Peterson, Jennifer Bandich, Russell Eaton, Mike Brunner, Michelle Britt, and Cindy Valenzuela produce and operate the annual haunted attraction.
Despite the scares Ward 13 has a far more benevolent goal. The proceeds benefit SPEF (South Pasadena Educational Foundation). In the “off” season Evil Twin Studios specializes in creating frightening scenes for film, television, haunted attractions, and private events. www.eviltwinstudios.com
For eight insane nights, WARD 13 will electrify guests, literally, at 1020 El Centro Street in South Pasadena, CA. The haunted attraction will be open Fridays and Saturdays from 7:00 to 11:00 PM, October 9, 10, 16, 17, 23, 24, 30, and 31. Tickets ($15 online, $17 at the door) are available via www.eviltwinstudios.com.
We highly recommend this ingenious little haunt. We are pretty much crazy for it.
