Valentine's Day Sucks - Necropolis Underground (2022 Review)
Updated: Feb 19
Valentine's Day Sucks @ Necropolis Underground Haunted Attraction 7130 Western Select Dr. Indianapolis, IN 46219 http://www.necropolisunderground.com
Date of Visit: 2/11/22 Reviewer: Lindsay
-
When it comes to romantic activities, going to a haunted house probably isn't big on most couples' lists of things to do... actually, it probably isn't on their list at all. (Unless they're Halloween people, which all of us here at Haunted Honeymooners are.) The thing is, haunting is no longer solely a Fall season activity. It's become super common now for haunts all over to open for other seasonal events, such as Christmas, "Halfway to Halloween", and of course... Valentine's Day. This is where I found myself this past Friday night: hanging out in the seedy underbelly of a city built on death and decay, with fog and lively music rolling amidst a crowd of excited couples and haunt-goers. The holiday of love was fast approaching, and the denizens of Necropolis Underground- one of the largest haunted attractions in Indianapolis- were ready to party.
Valentine's Day Sucks is one of many seasonal offerings that now take place at Necropolis, which have also included Easter, Christmas, and even a summertime show. (BTW, pay attention to those fangs in the event's logo - they're there for a reason.) Admission to these special events remains more or less the same as the normal haunt season: $35 for General Admission, $50 for Fast Pass/VIP, and $70 for "Front of the Line" immediate access! Free parking is provided on site, with an attendant or two on hand to direct cars. However, it does fill up fast, so arriving early is recommended. For customers' safety, there is also a brief security check at the door before anyone is allowed inside.
Descending to the ticket counter downstairs, I noticed that it was appropriately decked out in strings of shiny red and pink garland, with paper hearts plastered here and there. That decor continued into the queue, where it seemed like the haunt's build team went with a sort of 80s/Lost Boys theme (also appropriate, given the name of their event!). Old school tunes, ranging from the rocking to romantic, boomed among an enthusiastic crowd, who danced and sang along as a handful of characters stalked (and slid) through the line. Something I really enjoy about this haunt is how interactive their cast is - in between scares, actors sang and danced right along with customers, occasionally taking a moment to interact with each other, too. Lurking by the fence, I watched a black winged anti-Cupid pretend to fire arrows at a lovely spooky lady as she danced over our heads. She reappeared later, chased me around a bit, and danced with me as well. The atmosphere was a perfect match for the dark, grungy feel of this haunted underground.
Just like the rest of their holiday events, all four of the Underground's houses were open for Valentine's: Nightmare House, Cemetery of the Damned, Dead & Breakfast, and The Bunker. All of them are fairly self-explanatory as far as theme goes; if you really want to know more about them, visit the haunt's website or check out our in-depth written review from the 2021 season (www.thehauntedhoneymooners.com). While some of their attractions had more decor than others, they definitely bumped it up overall from what I saw during Easter last year. Heart-shaped sunglasses were perched on corpses (and the werewolf in Nightmare), more shimmering garlands were strewn around, a few stuffed animals and roses - and hearts, hearts, hearts everywhere! They built a crazy impressive, fog filled "Tunnel of Love" entrance leading into the haunts, too. Something else I enjoyed was that many of the construction paper hearts stuck everywhere had mean, but funny things written on them. "Meh... you'll do." "Your mother doesn't love you and neither do we." "Your dad was better." These also served as a great distraction... I got popped at least twice by lurking actors when I stopped to read them. Loved it!
As it tends to be with these holiday shows, the cast of characters ranged from those appropriate to the holiday- like the aforementioned Cupid stalking the queue, or actors with heart makeup incorporated into their look- to ones that were more or less what you'd expect to see in a haunt. But let's not forget that this event's name is Valentine's Day *Sucks*, an obvious vampire reference - and those were definitely around, too. I was hounded pretty early on by a crazy redneck guy prior to entering Nightmare House, who made good on his promise that he'd see me later in the "love shack"! The Queen of Hearts greeting visitors outside of Cemetery of the Damned was not only a great actor, but also had one of the best character designs I saw all night. The nurse checking groups into The Bunker's waiting room was a fiendishly fun little lady, and my interaction with Dead & Breakfast's desk clerk was probably the funniest of the night... she had a couple of notes written up front, one of which invited you to "suck her balls". Which she offered, and indicated them on the desk when she caught me reading it. No ma'am, I'm good.
An extra shout out is in order for Cemetery of the Damned in particular: they completely threw me under the bus. Upon finding out I was alone, the Queen of Hearts promptly turned and screamed to the actors in the opening room "WE GOT A LONER!" Then they saw who it was, and I was officially screwed from that point forward. I think I got a whole two minutes of peace in there; otherwise, I was harassed from beginning to end. A pair of wickedly laughing monsters chased me to the exit, where I nearly had to throw myself out of the way of the giant wraith's boney clutches! The group waiting for the next house got a pretty good laugh from watching me stumble breathlessly out the door.
If you're lucky enough to escape from all four Necropolis haunts in one piece, don't forget that the Dead City Festival is waiting for you at the end! This new addition from 2021 allows groups to unwind and enjoy some reasonably priced activities that include games, a super cool escape room, axe throwing, and more. Want to buy a memento of your experience? You can find the merch counter here as well, selling shirts and other souvenirs.
Overall, I thought Valentine's Day Sucks was an awesome event. I occasionally ran into some spots that should have had actors and were empty, but it didn't impact the show that much. They did have several guest actors from other Kentuckiana haunts that I recognized, including the Haunted Hotel, Black Orchard, and Nightmare On Edgewood. I would like to see this place continue to spruce up all of their houses for the holidays, so long as it doesn't detract too much from their respective themes. However, like I mentioned earlier, they had a lot more stuff than I'd seen previously.
As for the haunt itself, Necropolis Underground is fun, scary, and a good value for the price - plan on at least 40 minutes to complete all four attractions if you go. It's a worthy stop for any haunt fan, whether you're visiting for one of their special events, or over the regular haunted house season. If you're interested in checking them out for yourself, keep an eye on their Facebook page; they are planning to open again in April for another Easter event.