Basement of the Dead Haunted House
Aurora, IL 60506
- Nominee - 2023 Haunt of the Year
- Winner - 2019 Haunt of the Year
- ...and 3 more awards
Basement of the Dead:
In the late 1920’s, Walker Laundry opened at 42 West New York St. and became Aurora’s largest laundry Company. Around 1945 Imus Kilya was working there as maintenance engineer. His son Al came to work as his assistant in 1960.
Heat for the building and steam for the presses was supplied by a coal fired boiler installed when the building was built. Al and Imus continually complained that it needed to be replaced, but management wouldn’t spend the money. In 1964 the boiler exploded maiming and scalding Al and Imus. They never returned to work and rumor was they had vowed to get even.
Under the streets and building were sewer lines and tunnels well known to Al and Imus. A year or so after the explosion people from the laundry started to disappear and body parts were found in the river near the drainage pipes. Al and Imus were suspected but never found. The laundry eventually closed and the basement was never used again. Businesses have come and gone but nobody stays. Basement Of The Dead is proof that Al & Imus still exist and have made this basement their home.. The mutilation and horror you will witness is so shocking, you'll wish you never entered.
Shattered, the smashing clown, lost all sense of being human the day his famous sledgehammer trick malfunctioned, killing his wife and partner. He knew it had to have been the roadies fault for setting up the trick incorrectly or the pressure he felt from the crowd to do one more stupid trick! The hate and pain devoured his soul. Evil was all that remained. He went through the crowd like a hammer goes through a skull. When his rampage was over, 30 audience members and 15 workers found their final resting places in a puddle of their own blood. That was the last night Shattered the smashing clown was ever seen.
Rumor has it that the clown took refuge down in the darkest depths of an old building at 42 W. New York St. The locals call the building the Basement of the Dead. The story goes on to say that Shattered spent his time in exile praying to demons and learning to spread his evil across dimensions. His vivid nightmares are now becoming part of his resurrected circus. The rumor also says that all the souls he took that night followed him down there. They are keeping the smashing clown company.
Now, the circus tent is reopened! Can you hear the pipe organ in the distance? Shattered the smashing clown is longing to make you scream again. The show must go on! Come see SHATTERED Circus, The World’s Best 3D Nightmare.”
SO COME WALK THE BASEMENT OF AL & IMUS KILYA. IF YOU’VE GOT THE GUTS!
| Hours of Operation | 7 pm - 10 pm |
| Admission Cost | Instant Admission: $89.99 VIP Ticket (Best Value): $49.99 General Admission: $34.99 |
| Payment Accepted | Cash , Credit Cards |
Videos
Photo Gallery
Nearby Attractions
-
Basement of the Dead Legendary Escape Rooms
0.0 miles away
-
Pumpkin Daze at Abbey Farms
4.0 miles away
-
Cane Garden Cemetery
4.3 miles away
-
Oswegoland Park After Dark
4.4 miles away
-
Amber Fields of Brain
4.7 miles away
-
Whitethorn Cemetery
4.8 miles away
-
Reviews
We are from Europe, on a month-long US trip. Our friend here took us to The Basement of the Dead, and it was amazing. The haunted house had lots of robots and cool special effects. Great customer service as well. We would certainly recommend this place to all.
October 2019
| Fun Factor | |
| Haunt Value | |
| Scare Factor |
4 out of 4 people found this review helpful
Would totally recommend going!!! There were lots of scares and cool special effects. It keeps you guessing so that you can't anticipate what is waiting for you ahead. A few times I really had my heart in my mouth lol
October 2019
| Fun Factor | |
| Haunt Value | |
| Scare Factor |
1 out of 2 people found this review helpful
Scared me to death! A bit expensive but the houses are huge and very detailed. The attractions were elaborate and intense scary. Definitely going again and bringing more friends.
October 2019
| Fun Factor | |
| Haunt Value | |
| Scare Factor |
2 out of 2 people found this review helpful
Terrific haunt. An intense scary experience for adults and teens. Definitely not for young children.Truly worthy of 5 stars!
September 2019
| Fun Factor | |
| Haunt Value | |
| Scare Factor |
2 out of 2 people found this review helpful
Got spooked so many times!!! Always someone waiting around the corner to scare you! It was scary and was fun enough to make me want to return.
September 2019
| Fun Factor | |
| Haunt Value | |
| Scare Factor |
2 out of 2 people found this review helpful
This is one of my favorite haunt houses. The waiting area was like a party hub. Enjoyed the evening with a lot of photo ops and can also shake a leg with the zombies. Had time to visit all the haunts and entertainment kiosks and we tried out everything inside the house, including the laser tag. The staff was friendly and polite. The actors were thorough with how to scare people and were quite energetic. No regrets in repeating their horrible cruel act to how many ever people. It was an evening well spent.
April 2019
| Fun Factor | |
| Haunt Value | |
| Scare Factor |
2 out of 2 people found this review helpful
I was always fascinated by haunted houses. That was the main reason why I and wife decided to visit Basement of the Dead. We had a great time there. Great props, animatronics, and professional actors who would make the life difficult for the visitors. The 3D haunt was awesome freaky. You got to walk a bit through the haunted house to get to the escape room. The puzzle was challenging, but not much of any story involved. Ticket prices were reasonable. Check it out if you love haunted houses.
April 2019
| Fun Factor | |
| Haunt Value | |
| Scare Factor |
2 out of 2 people found this review helpful
I and 8 of my family members visited the Basement. We had a great scary time there. Nice props and animatronics. The actors did a great job scaring the crap out of most of us. My nieces were screaming throughout. The haunted house was spooky and long. It was also pretty dark in places. The 3D haunt was good, but more actors would have made it still better. Escape room was exciting for the kids. We managed to find out way out just in time. We also got to meet the owner of the haunt. Overall, a haunt worth checking out.
January 2019
| Fun Factor | |
| Haunt Value | |
| Scare Factor |
2 out of 2 people found this review helpful
The haunted house had lots of good bone chilling scares that made us scream. Each haunt had a very strong story line and it ran through the entire house with actors complimenting it well. It was hard to judge from where you get the next scare. Escape room was not that easy. We put our heads together to solve the puzzles and get the clues. Definitely the most terrifying experience…it shivered my nerves out!!
November 2018
| Fun Factor | |
| Haunt Value | |
| Scare Factor |
2 out of 2 people found this review helpful
I went here last night with a group of friends and had an awesome time with the monsters in the haunted house. The entertainment was full on and it started right from the waiting area. There are tons of actors and they fill up the entire haunt from the waiting area to the inside. With characters like serpent and chainsaw, there was enough of entertainment that made us forget the boring task of waiting in the line. The haunts were great and engaging. The actors were interactive as well as funny. Like in a horror movie. We loved it and will continue to visit.
November 2018
| Fun Factor | |
| Haunt Value | |
| Scare Factor |
1 out of 2 people found this review helpful
Share Your Experience
Haunt Owners
| Visitors to This Page: | 95,624 |
| Clicks to Attraction Website: | 13,078 |
| Last Edit to Your Listing: | Aug 22, 2025 |
All information on this page was submitted to Long Island Haunted Houses and was believed to be accurate at the time it was posted. Please report any inaccuracies here.