Ever since my father took me to a haunted house maze in Los Angeles as a young child, I have been fascinated by horror attractions. The seemingly sadistic performers that night delighted in making a little boy cry. In my adult years, I’ve come to love Halloween and everything associated with it, now stoically not blinking an eye like I’m Michael Myers when I walk through some of the many elaborate, Hollywood movie studio quality mazes in Southern California. Director Tom Munaco’s documentary Closed Casket takes us behind the scenes of one such popular haunted house maze called Evil Intentions, which has made quite a name for itself in the suburbs of Chicago.
The movie has a brisk runtime of only fifty-one minutes, so you’re not going to get an in-depth Ken Burns type of minutia-detailed treatment here, but it is a cool sneak peek behind the curtain for fans of the industry such as myself. Evil Intentions owner/founder Mike Fitzpatrick takes us on a tour of the now-defunct Elgin Casket Company, which served as the location of the maze for the past fifteen years, with the film documenting the final season there.
Fitzpatrick explains how he started the haunted house maze in his garage all the way back in 2005 with some friends and expanded his homemade project out to a couple of locations until it became his career and eventually became the top haunted attraction in Illinois in 2022. From the Evil Intentions actors, makeup artists, set builders, costume designers, actors, and coordinators down to the patrons, you can see that everyone involved has a passion for it.
“…popular haunted house maze…”
The actors talk about enjoying the freedom of being able to help craft their characters, and how cool it is to be getting paid for such fun work. Some share stories of the Elgin Casket Company location being actually haunted, and one performer even hopes that the evil spirits follow the group over to their new home.
I had a good time watching the clips of the finished Evil Intentions haunt and then hearing from all those involved behind the scenes about all the hard work that goes on for months beforehand to make the magic happen. Another highlight is watching the performers psych themselves up before the show starts, with one of them describing it as akin to athletes right before a ballgame because both groups cheer enthusiastically in order to get the adrenaline flowing.
Closed Casket also takes a peek at the top haunted industry convention titled: Transworld. It features all of the latest horror products such as sets, costumes and animatronics, which is intriguing in and of itself. Need a guillotine, a tunnel with colorful lights, or a harness for acrobatic stunts? Transworld is the place to be.
Evil Intentions seems like a cool, spooky environment for everyone involved. This documentary caters to those who are interested in seeing what it takes to truly put on one of these haunts. The eccentric, mohawk-wearing owner Mike Fitzpatrick says that the haunt industry is more than just “carnies,” which is what most people think. Closed Casket dispels that notion in a concise and entertaining way.
"…caters to those who have an interest in seeing what it takes to truly put on one of these haunts."
