Land of Illusion Haunted Theme Park is known for its dedication to bringing the scares to each and every customer, night after night. After 13 years of business, LOI has grown considerably. What most fans don’t know, is that this terrifying Haunted Theme Park had a much darker history before it was ever converted into an entertainment venue. Prepare for a telling of the facts that we have gathered so far…
The grounds that the Land of Illusion now encompasses were once a cemetery and asylum for the local criminally insane. In 1834, one Bradley H. Carver met and fell in love with the young Violet Newsom at the annual Butler County Fall Festival. Carver searched for a plot for his marital home, and found the cemetery. A year later the newlywed’s home was finished, and the cemetery’s long dead inhabitants were uprooted, and moved. The Carver’s began noticing strange phenomena inside the home after living there for just one month. Bradley Carver nicknamed the presence they often felt Agatha. Further research and interactions with mediums revealed that this twisted spirit was a former asylum patient, and was tortured and alone for most of her short existence. Agatha was buried in the cemetery after one of the guard’s nightly games turned sinister, and she was murdered.
After a few short months of sharing their family home with Agatha, the once-good Dr. Carver awoke one night and brutally butchered his wife and unborn child. Mediums believe this was Agatha, possessing the body of Dr. Carver in a jealous grab for his attention. When Dr. Carver regained his composure, he realized what he had done, and lost his mind. Locals tell that from that point on Dr. Carver led a reclusive life in his homestead, and the townsfolk didn’t see him except when they needed medical attention. Dr. Carver’s mind grew warped over the years and he fixed steel bars to every window, and began “experimenting” on small animals and any trespassers. Stories began spreading around town about Dr. Carver’s madness and the townsfolk gave him the nickname “Dr. Psycho”.
By the fall of 1877, the stench coming from the home was so powerful and pungent that authorities forced their way into the home. They found something that burned a deep, dark nightmare into the collective consciousness of the entire Miami Valley. Authorities burst into the basement, only to find dozens of decomposing bodies, and signs of the abuse and punishment were easily evident. Local law enforcement found the late Bradley Carver in the attic, his body strung up from the rafters, and rats feeding on the physician.
The case of all the missing townsfolk and strange noises and smells was finally closed, but the terror didn’t end there. One local family, the Chrisman’s, bought the property in the early 1900′s. They used the land as prime agriculture grounds and the years passed without incident….
In the late 1980′s, the founder of LOI, Brett Oakley worked as a volunteer fireman. The local fire department was called out to the farm one grim evening. They found both the oldest Chrisman son and his mother dead in the home. The firemen found the oldest son in the basement, his 350 Pound uncompromising frame silhouetted in the light from the window slats. The steps were destroyed so that Chrisman could be carried from the home, and the sight, sound, and feelings from the home traumatized local firemen for years.
As part of a fundraising effort, Oakley volunteered to erect a “Haunted Trail” at his home on Myers Road in Madison Township. The trail became so popular that after a few short years, Oakley had to look for a much bigger property. The once beautiful Chrisman family farm was chosen, and the land passed from Chrisman to Oakley. Work quickly began on the brand new “Middletown Haunted Trail”, planned to be at least three times the size of the attraction on the Oakley family plot.
As the years went on, more and more scenes and various sets were added to the Middletown Haunted Trail. Eventually, Oakley knew he had to build more attractions to keep the customers guessing, and to provide a terrifying evening for everyone. Work began on the construction of additional attractions, one turning the old pig barn into a carnival-style funhouse, and the other rebuilding Dr. Carver’s estate into an attraction. Workers immediately knew something was wrong when they broke dirt for the funhouse, as human remains were discovered. It appeared that Dr. Carver himself had fed several victims to the pigs, and these poor souls had been at the bottom of the pig barn for all this time. Apparently, the case isn’t closed, and the happenings have only just begun…
Over the years, more variety was needed at the park so it was decided to construct the Temple of Terror and more recently the Voodoo Bayou Shanty. During construction of the Shanty, more bodies from the cemetery were discovered, and workers made the mistake of relocating them. Now, it seems as if spirits have decided to wage a war on the haunted attractions, its employees, and its patrons.
During off-season construction, one construction crew working on Dr. Psycho’s Haunted Estate reported strange happenings inside the home at night. The foreman was patrolling the area and came upon a girl in a flower-print dress, whom disappeared into the infamous “Washer and Dryer Room”. When the foreman attempted to give chase, the door slammed in his face, and the house came alive with thumps and screams. The foreman actually had to be taken by ambulance to the hospital after a severe panic attack verging on a psychotic break, and construction crews began refusing to enter the home at night.
This past off-season, the team leader for the attraction Curtis Carpenter reported that, while he was working on adding detail to the scenery, the house came alive. “We were in there alone, and the sun had just set. There was no one else in the entire park, and we felt an eerie and disconcerting feeling upon entering the estate. When I went upstairs to check on a noise I heard, the animatronics came alive throughout the estate. Something tripped every animatronic simultaneously…” Our brave team leader made for the door as quickly as possible and had the opportunity to escape what had been described as the Gateway to Hell itself. “That isn’t the only occurrence we’ve had this year,” says park owner Brett Oakley. “Things have gone from weird to outright dangerous out here.”
The LOI media team decided to check it out for ourselves. We ventured into Dr. Psycho’s Haunted Estate late one Friday after the park closed. Our equipment, including several camcorders and cameras all had batteries die within seconds of each other as soon as we reached the upstairs of the estate. Several actors accompanied us on our adventure, including many who’ve experienced things like dolls moving, bumps in the night, spotting the girl in the flower print dress (thought to be the infamous Agatha herself), and even an attack on the actor playing Dr. Psycho. “Everyone in the room was terrified, needless to say we didn’t stay very long. Something is very wrong with that place when the lights are out” said the Media Team Leader.
The strange and scary occurrences happening at the park aren’t relegated to Dr. Psycho’s Haunted Estate alone. Actors on the Middletown Haunted Trail have reported rocks being thrown at them from the hills behind the attraction. Security sent to investigate didn’t even find footprints. Many actors working inside the once pig-barn, and now the Killer Klowns 3D Funhouse report being physically attacked. “I was out behind the tent to the carnival scene, when I heard something whisper ‘get out’. I was kind of freaked out by that, but not as bad as the shove that came directly after the whispers” said one veteran Killer Klowns employee. She reportedly was shoved to the ground by unseen forces and now warns customers and fellow employees to be wary of what can happen in these spaces.
The Land of Illusion isn’t just a Haunted Theme Park, it appears it may really be haunted. Last year’s attempt at proof, by a group of “ghost hunters” resulted in the veteran group of hardcore ghost-attics leaving the park much earlier than they planned on. “We try to tell people to be careful when they are out here, because the park itself is only half of what’s scary about this place,” says owner Brett Oakley. “How can we assure anyone’s safety when these things are happening?” he added. The Land of Illusion is known as Ohio’s premiere haunted theme park, and the only one to offer so many different attractions for one low price. Be on the lookout next time you visit the park, and always remain alert, because you can never tell when something truly paranormal will happen. Can you handle what locals have termed “The Gateway to Hell”?
