Any horror fan will agree that mid-September to November is our favorite time of year. This is the time when haunts open, ghost tours are plentiful, and scary movies can be found on almost every major channel. Thanks to Eli Roth’s latest creation, horror is alive and well all year long in Las Vegas, Nevada.
Goretorium aka The Delmont Hotel opened its doors to a star-studded red carpet event this past September in Las Vegas, promising to be one of the scariest haunts around, with 365 days-a-year access. I watched with gleeful obsession as the Goretorium Twitter account began posting photos and updates, and it soon became a regular in my Twitter feed conversations. I mused that a trip to Las Vegas and a visit to Goretorium would be a perfect romantic getaway.
The romance didn’t happen, but thanks to Daily Dead, the trip to Goretorium did. Three girlfriends and I arrived at Goretorium on November 19th with very high expectations. We wanted to be scared, freaked out, caught-off-guard and impressed. Thankfully, the staff and cast of Goretorium did not disappoint.
From the moment you step into the lobby area of Goretorium, you have entered the mind of Eli Roth. Innocent looking props that you are invited to touch or sit on, aren’t as innocent as they look, and the fun begins right away. The haunt is amazing, and there is no-doubt that the 10 million dollar budget invested into The Delmont Hotel is worth every penny. The Delmont Hotel is a 60’s era hotel owned by a cannibalistic serial-killing couple who used to chop up their guests and feed the meat to other unsuspecting guests. And now, the story and the family lives on at the Goretorium.
The Goretorium staff treated us to the VIP entrance, which includes a ride on a very interesting elevator, and ensured that our little party of four had to travel through the haunt alone! The line between staff, actors, and guests gets blurred a bit at this point. One of my girlfriends fell for it hook, line, and sinker, getting visibly upset with someone she thought was a “guest”, but in reality was an actor doing his job, quite well.
Once exiting the elevator, we were dropped into a darkened hallway, with no clear way to go. After a few moments, the four of us figured out which way to travel, and from that moment on, we screamed, ran, stumbled, pushed each other forward, and pulled each other back. My girlfriend Leila Porreca literally threw herself on the floor in terror at the site of a very large man, with a very large chainsaw.
It felt as if we had literally been transported into a horror movie and we were the stars. We joked afterwards that Leila was the girl in the horror movie that is paralyzed with fear, while the audience screams “Run! You fool!”, as she reaches her ultimate demise.
To give you a visual, we looked a bit like the human centipede, with myself as the leader, and Leila holding both of my hands behind my back, leaving me defenseless to what was in front of me. Jen was squished right behind her, and Candi was left to bring up the rear. There were often times that Candi was being followed by residents of The Delmont, whispering things in her ear.
This is a completely self-guided walk-through, which makes it even more terrifying. As the leader of your group, you honestly just don’t know which way to turn, and sometimes a wrong turn can be quite shocking.
This was hands-down the best haunt I have ever walked through, and that includes famous haunts that are said to actually be “haunted”. I don’t want to go into too much detail and ruin any surprises, but one of my favorite moments included a real live actor, who gets sucked into a meat-grinder, and for the life of me, I cannot figure out how that was done.
There is a wedding chapel scene (which is available for real weddings) that is totally unexpected and caused me as the group leader to back way up, unfortunately pushing my friend at the back of the line into more danger. The zombie room is not for the faint of heart or stomach, as maggots run rampant over body parts. The actors are eating other actors, as they plead for you to help them, or worse yet, join them.
The talent of the actors and the interactiveness of the entire haunt is very impressive. The actors are skilled in the art of surprise and improvisation, as they interact based on each individual guest's reactions, at times demanding you give up your name and answer their questions.
The exit out of The Delmont Hotel, although simple, is terrifying in its own way, especially if you’re prone to claustrophobia or have the friends behind you pushing and yelling at you to keep going. My group exited, a hot and sweaty mess, thinking the terror was behind us, only to have a few more scares as we stood on the balcony trying to catch our breath.
I then met with the general managers of Goretorium, who posed for photos, answered our questions, and treated us to a round of delicious drinks at the Baby Doll Lounge. The lounge is an open-air balcony, with blood-splattered tables and chairs, overlooking a gorgeous view of the Las Vegas strip and the perfect place to grab a drink and restore your composure.
At this point, my girlfriend Leila, who was the most shook up of the bunch, headed to the ladies room, and shortly after we heard her shrieking from the restroom. The general managers laughed as they gave me a knowing look, and we rushed to her rescue. Word of warning- don’t go to the bathroom alone.
There is so much going on inside the haunt that it is impossible to see it all on one trip. I wanted to truly get a good look at the amazing set designs, the visual effects, and the actors’ makeup, as it is all top-notch. So, my brave friend Candi and I went through a second time and saw things we hadn’t noticed the first time around. Again, we ended up a hot, sweaty mess, screaming as we went through.
Eli Roth’s Goretorium is all that it promises and more, including a one of a kind retail store, where you can purchase human limbs and souvenirs. You can also purchase Goretorium’s exclusive soundtrack, “Songs For The Demented Mind”, which comes from the twisted mind of musician DJ Ashba.
Horror fans around the globe should put Goretorium on their must-visit attractions, and the best part of all, it is open 365 days-a-year, and will constantly be updated with new scares and surprises.
I want to give a big thanks to the entire Goretorium staff for showing us a great time, and special thanks to the social media team, who continually taunted us with scary threats and evil thoughts on Twitter. Check out the Goretorium website for info on their end of the world party on 12-21-12, as well as their exclusive New Year’s Eve Party, both of which are sure to be an amazing time.
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If you missed part one of Daily Dead’s exclusive Goretorium coverage, visit the following link to read our interview with Goretorium CEO Robert Frey:
To learn more about Eli Roth’s Goretorium, visit:
You can also catch up with Leah Cevoli online at the following social links:
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