It’s a real, decommissioned mine with a real, rickety bridge that crosses a real underground lake. There are even guys in wetsuits hiding in the lake, grabbing you when the lights go out. It’ll scare you even though you know it’s coming. The Cave is huge and includes many blackout sequences, laser and strobe trickery and a ton of surprises.
The sign at the entrance warns that you'll be touched, you might get wet and that there are real bats on site. This is all true, enough to make the Cave one of the area’s most frightening haunts, but the over-the-top performances by the professional cast make the experience a crazy, deranged nightmare.
You’ll encounter a mad scientist wielding and firing a real gun (blanks), an undead civil war soldier demanding a tribute and the Devil, who eats souls before your eyes. Visitors are also forced to sit in an electric chair and ride the lightning and are condemned to prowl a psycho-infested maze.
The only downside is that the massive number of visitors who can fit inside the cave sometimes get backed up in the maze and it can feel more like you’re waiting in line than spelunking. Still, the Cave was truly one of the most intense and amazing ones we’ve ever visited. Blood-curdling and shocking, it’s a can’t-miss for those serious about Halloween.
THE WAIT: The line can last up to an hour. It takes more than 50 minutes to explore the cave.
DETAILS: Open 7 p.m.-midnight Fridays-Saturdays through Oct. 31. 4392 Swisher Mill Road, Lewisburg, 937-962-5602, www.hauntedcaveatlewisburg.com
THE DAMAGE: $13, $5 children 10 and under. Save $1 with a coupon on the Web site.
CITYBEAT RATING: NC-17
