Bloody Valentines at Eloise Asylum: Controversial attraction holds Valentine's Day event

Nour Rahal, Detroit Free Press
·2 min read

Previously operating as a psychiatric hospital, the controversial Eloise Asylum Haunted Attraction is putting on a Valentine's Day event.

According to their website, "Bloody Valentines at Eloise Asylum" is a two-night, interactive Valentine's Day event for guests 18 and over. The Westland attraction has been revamped for the event — each floor with its own theme and activities.

Controversial or exciting?

Eloise Asylum will soon undergo a $4 million renovation to include a restaurant, bar, and hotel. Residents say using Eloise for entertainment is insensitive and exploitative to the patients who came to the asylum for treatment before its closing in 1982. About 7,100 patients are buried in the cemetery across from the building.

The Kay Beard Building in Westland.
The Kay Beard Building in Westland.

On the other hand, many on Facebook commented underneath the event posting about how excited they are to attend Bloody Valentine. One person stated, "this entire event is great marketing!" Another commented, "This looks like so much fun!!!"

What can be expected?

Guests can purchase snacks upon entry and mingle with "monsters" in the lounge as music plays, according to Eloise Asylum. "Guests will then head up to floor three where they can take part in interactive challenges, win prizes or explore their future with our tarot card and fortune tellers. Upon making their way to the fourth floor, guests will have a chance to search for paranormal activity on one of the most haunted floors in the building all while using real ghost-hunting equipment."

An actor at the intake window for the Eloise Asylum Haunted Mansion greets visitors to the asylum with a menacing smile.
An actor at the intake window for the Eloise Asylum Haunted Mansion greets visitors to the asylum with a menacing smile.

More: Former Eloise hospital gets state aid to become haunted hotel (freep.com)

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After searching the fourth flood, attendees will take a forgotten stairway down to the first floor for the haunted house portion of the event, in an all-new Valentine's Day look.

"It will be a highly immersive walk through an Asylum gone so very wrong," according to the event details.

Tickets are selling out

Tickets to the Bloody Valentines event on Friday, Feb. 10, and Saturday, Feb. 11, can be bought online. Attendees are asked to arrive promptly at their ticket times.

There are only three remaining time slots for Friday and four timeslots for Saturday. Multiple tickets are still available for certain time slots.

"For guests looking for a more intimate experience, consider our VIP offering," according to Eloise Asylum. The VIP experience gives guests access to "specialty areas and experiences," including a paranormal tour of the fifth floor and the hydrotherapy room.

Contact Nour Rahal: nrahal@freepress.com

This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Bloody Valentines event to be held at Eloise Asylum: Tickets, schedule