Chainsaws roar above me, monsters pound on the panels enclosing me. I’m trapped in a series of narrow switchbacks, separated only by chicken wire, allowing the strobing flashes to penetrate the entirety of this cage. Clowns laugh, giggle, and chuckle—and when I finally make it to the end, a pitch black tunnel awaits. I get on all four and climb through it, down one way, turning, and continuing on. I have no idea how long I’m in the tunnel, but I turn another corner, and I see an escape. It’s lit in green and it extends down, down, down. A passageway to hell. I close my eyes as I slide down the shaft towards the Tomb of Darkness. Caitlin Manor Haunted House is back with a two story haunt that includes a slide this year.

Caitlin Manor Haunted House is a home haunt in San Bernardino, CA—but not your traditional home haunt. Now in its eighth year, Caitlin Manor Haunted House is a traditional walk through experience in which you navigate very tight corridors, as you walk, shimmy, and crawl past room after room of animatronics, horror memorabilia, and of course, dozens of scare actors. This home haunt further differentiates itself by being one of the longest home haunts we’ve attended, giving you nearly twenty minutes of content to explore.

Before we continue, I do want to say that this is the most claustrophobia inducing experience I have ever attended. While there are ways to exit the experience if it becomes too much for you, the haunted house is characterized by its extremely tight passageways, crawling tunnels that are far longer than most haunts, and switchbacks navigated in pure darkness. If any of those terrify you, don’t take their warnings lightly. But if any of that excites you, don’t hesitate and make your way to Caitlin Manor Haunted House now.

Caitlin Manor Haunted House is divided into four main sections: Clown Room, Zombie Island, Freddy Vs Jason, and Tomb of Darkness. The clown room is a series of switchbacks, all themed to Pennywise and other horrific clowns. With disco balls and strobes filling the tight space with light and actors dressed as the main horror force from It, it becomes a sensory overload, making even the toughest haunters panic a bit. Zombie Island introduces you to more tight corridors, this time filled with a collection of body parts, animatronic zombies, and LED panels displaying a hungry horde just beyond view. Freddy Vs Jason is—you guessed it—more tight passageways with Freddy and Jason just beyond the chicken wire, fighting each other as you fight your way forward. And finally, Tomb of Darkness may just be the tightest section yet, all in complete darkness.

While this sounds like a claustrophobic’s nightmare, the Caitlin Manor staff have safety at the forefront of their mind, placing two guides with each group. One guide leads the group forward so they do not take a wrong turn—and a second guide trails the end of the group, ensuring that no one is lost and anyone that needs an escape can get it.

While the haunt has lost some of its footprint compared to our visit in 2019—most notably the removal of the bar scene—Caitlin Manor is working to bring that back for next year, sans fog. We spoke to creator, Augie, who tells us he has big plans for what could come of that. But don’t fret, this year has some of the best parts—including a second floor which includes the passageway to hell: a slide down into the depths below.

As always, the actors here are incredible. Augie has recruited many of his athletes from the baseball and football teams he coached (and many actors we recognized from years prior) as well as neighboring children to become his scare actors. These actors can navigate the space with ease, appearing almost everywhere, climbing above you, below you, and through every open panel in the walls. Their pounding against the walls and roars of chainsaws echo through the space, creating a true sense of being trapped.

The one area of improvement that Caitlin Manor Haunted House can focus on is reducing its group size. We understand that it is difficult, especially with long lines outside and limited guides, but the feeling of being trapped is only accentuated when there’s a group of people in front of you and behind you, further trapping you in the already tight corridors. If this bothers you, we highly recommend trying to be at the front or the end of the line.

We support Caitlin Manor Haunted House each year in part because we love it—it’s incredible—but also because it serves as a charity for Augie’s daughter. Diagnosed with metachromatic leukodystrophy, this haunt has provided her with the ability to get a handicapped van and much of the care she’s needed. So, if you want to attend a fantastic—and actually scary—haunted house, or just want to help improve the quality of life of someone, we highly recommend attending Caitlin Manor.

Overall, Caitlin Manor is a haunt that actually scared me, with switchbacks and tight passageways that push the boundaries of comfort, creating a sense of claustrophobia and fear that I rarely feel in other experiences. It incorporates the neighborhood, a good cause, and a love for horror films together in a perfect blend that feels like a passionate love letter to Halloween. Come from 6-7 for no scares and just have fun navigating these tunnels or stay for 7-11 where the true fear truly starts. Just don’t get lost in the tomb of darkness—the guides might not be able to save you.

For more information about Caitlin manor, checkout their Facebook page. For information about similar events, check out our Event Calendar.

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