Emily Mack
It’s officially fall. For some, that means apple cider donuts and socially distant trips to the pumpkin patch. But for those a little more hardcore, how far would you journey to get your Halloween kicks?
Videos by Rare
Nestled along the Mississippi River in Mount Caroll, Illinois, there is a haunted house teetering on the edge of a cliff. The yard is littered with gutted Oldsmobiles and skeletons. The sides of the mansion are overrun with wild vines. And the price for admission? Just $15. It’s Raven’s Grin Inn, the local oddity that keeps Halloween alive year-round. Standing outside the gates of Raven’s Grin Inn for the first time, you might think you know what comes next: a typical twenty-minute terror show, two stories crammed with strobe-lights and fog-machines. But what awaits inside is so much more than meets the eye.
Raven’s Grin Inn on Wild Chicago
Like a good ghost sighting, the story of Raven’s Grin Inn has become a legend itself and is inextricably tied to the community of Mount Caroll, Illinois. Jim Warfield, the mansion’s eccentric proprietor purchased the estate, a Victorian-era former hotel, in the 1980s for a steal. Since, he’s spent his life rehabbing the inn, carving out tunnels, extending the basement, installing drawbridges, trap doors, and a creepy wine cellar. Every inch of Warfield’s project is covered in monster memorabilia, most of the decor recycled from found objects. The result is a sensory escapade full of imaginative mannequins and colorful coves. Despite the decades of enhancement, Raven’s Grin Inn feels fundamentally classic. The style thrives on 1950’s camp – think waxy lagoon creatures and staticky televisions — clearly influenced by the horror movies Warfield grew up on.
With that level of detail, it’s no wonder that the tours are mostly well-lit. Raven’s Grin Inn is not about giving visitors the grisly chills. Instead, it offers an immersive artistic experience for folks of all ages who want to engage with the wacky funhouse that Warfield has built. Warfield, a joy buzzer of a man, guides all the groups himself. He lives at the haunted attraction with his wife and displays a true zany passion for his life’s work, as reviews will note. While the website lists each outing as one hour, they’ve been known to last much longer. Silly gags end with explanations of how some rubber mask came to be designed or discovered. Jump scares are followed with behind-the-scenes glances at Warfield’s careful construction. Acting as the inn’s proud carpenter, electrician, marketer, storyteller, and gracious host, every tour by Warfield contains a personal touch. The uniquely performative setup results in a theater of the strange that’s equal parts comedy, history, and fright.
One of the Most Extreme Homes in America
Raven’s Grin Inn is located at 411 N Carroll St, Mount Carroll, IL 61053. In addition to individual tours, groups of ten or more can rent the space privately for an epic game of hide-and-seek. Although Raven’s Grin Inn is famously open year-round, it is unfortunately currently closed due to the Covid-19 pandemic. This will be the first Halloween that Jim Warfield is missing. For now, you can support this special inn through their Etsy store and follow online for further updates: hauntedravensgrin.com
