Lester, Alabama, is a town of around 200 on the northern edge of Limestone county. Looking at a map, it’s easy to say that Lester is in the middle of nowhere. Alternatively, it’s in the middle of everything, an hour or less from cities and towns across north Alabama and southern middle Tennessee. For scare lovers, the Lester Haunted Hospital waits hungrily at 30338 Lester Rd, not far off Alabama Hwy 99. This shiny gem of a haunt lives up to its name, residing in the former D.E. Jackson Memorial Hospital since 2010 and supporting local charities with its proceeds.

Photo by WyldArt

The line at Lester Haunted Hospital contained about 40 people when we arrived around 9:00pm on a Friday night. The waiting area was covered and was adjacent to a small courtyard with bleachers, a few tables and a small concession stand. The haunt wastes no time getting started. The night I visited there were numerous characters working the entry area including Dr. Death, Mr. and Mrs. Smiley, and Mini-Me. The entry line hinted at the bright colors and high visibility of the settings and characters ahead. Strings of orange and violet decorative Halloween lights hung just below the roof over the waiting area. Some of the characters wore UV makeup or costume elements, adding shine to their look and brightening the area around them.

The Lester Haunted Hospital is a guided tour of a collection of pop culture frights winding through the old clinic. Small groups and solo guests get combined at the door, but a guided tour means never running into another group. On this night, Parker led our group of seven as the guide. She had an interesting way of tracking her guests. The last person in the group was designated Polo, as in when she yelled Marco, the designee yelled Polo to assure her the group was all present.

Photo by WyldArt

After a short crawl through a padded tunnel, we entered the haunt proper, confronted by a mad doctor pursuing a patient through two rooms. This scene showcased what the waiting area had hinted: this haunt features the best use of lighting I have seen. The rooms and the doctor were vividly colored, using a combination of black lights and fluorescent paint to brighten the room and show off the well-decorated settings and actors.

The next few rooms included a chainsaw maniac, Jigsaw pedaling his iconic tricycle while victims of his cruelty suffered nearby, and a stark room containing Numskull from Silent Hill. These scenes were indirectly lit from above, allowing the settings and characters to be appreciated in the even light.

Photo By Rae Taylor Photography

These first few scenes also demonstrated another thing the Lester Haunted Hospital did well, using multiple actors per setting.

The well lit path through two rooms dedicated to Stranger Things used light and shadow to create a different effect. The colorful fluorescent setting, bordered by a sprawl of darkness, separated only by a rickety fence created a more intense shadow for concealment. The sudden appearance of the Demogorgon screeching and lunging at the fence put the jump in jump scare. The actor maximized the creepiness by withdrawing just enough for the horrible five-petaled maw of the monster to remain dimly visible.

Photo by WyldArt

The Lester Freak Show was the most vivid of the settings and another encounter with multiple characters. Menacing actors waited behind cages and ticket booths before popping out to mingle with guests. The rooms glowed nearly purple with streaks of neon bright paint shining in the black lights

The next few scenes of butchers and chainsaws featured a multitude of actors converging aggressively on our group. The alternating light and dark of strobe lights made the chainsaw characters stand out like stop motion edits as the engines revved and howled. The strobes shifted to a dim red constant light, making it easier for the characters to interact up close with their victims. Although Lester Haunted Hospital is a no-touch haunt, there’s a good chance you’ll receive a friendly pat on the shoulder or bump into an actor passing by.

After the tour, I spoke with lead creative designer/showrunner Scott and ticket agent/planner Jessica to learn more about the haunt. I learned the haunt frequently included live music and food trucks. They were absent at the moment, drawn away by the Annual Old Time Fiddlers Convention in nearby Athens.

Photo by WyldArt

Scott also answered the numerous questions I messaged to him late after the show. Lester Haunted Hospital is an all volunteer, all charity enterprise. The proceeds from the haunt support the local high school and the Angel Tree program at Christmas. The volunteer fire department, which works closely with the haunt on safety and preparedness, is also supported. Scott told me that haunts are just in his blood. His father was part of the popular Goodsprings Haunted House, in nearby Anderson, until it closed after a 30 year run. The scare and scene ideas come from everyone at the haunt, and although he couldn’t pick just one as a favorite, he loves the way the actors bring their characters to life with their own twists and personalities.

During the off-season, the haunt family likes to get together for activities ranging from movies and cards to brainstorming new ideas. He credits the haunt workers with keeping the Lester Haunted Hospital moving forward, acknowledging that without them, it’s just an empty building. A haunted, empty building, he says.  That’s to be expected from a hospital with a 60 year history.

Photo by WyldArt

For more information about Lester Haunted Hospital, check out their Facebook, Instagram and website. For information about similar events, check out our Event Calendar.

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