Brighton Asylum - "Brighton Asylum", "SubCULTure", and "The Bleeding Grounds"
- Brandon Chow
- 3 hours ago
- 5 min read
LOCATION: Passaic, New Jersey, USA
Photo above is property of Brighton Asylum
Photos above are property of ESCAPETHEROOMers
📝 ETR DECODER
🎭 EXPERIENCE: Brighton Asylum, SubCULTure, The Bleeding Grounds
📅 DATE VISITED: October 19, 2025
🎬 GENRE: Immersive
🧠 DIFFICULTY (Based on 5 ppl): N/A
👥 TOTAL # OF PEOPLE: Up to 25 ppl
🕒 LENGTH OF TIME: Approx. 10 Mins. (Once inside the maze)
💰 PRICE: General Admission: $50.87 - $61.47/ pp (all 3 haunted houses)
☎️ BOOKING TYPE: Public
🔓 ESCAPED/ COMPLETED?: N/A
🎭 THE EXPERIENCE
Brighton Asylum, the renowned haunted asylum complex highlighted on The Today Show, Cake Boss, Buzzfeed, ABC, NBC, FOX, and various media outlets nationwide, was closed in 1952 due to the disappearance of staff and patients, along with unbearable living conditions. Now, the asylum has reopened and is welcoming new patients! Brighton Asylum is an extensive walk-through dark attraction featuring frightening live actors, horror movie-style scares, and Hollywood-quality special effects. Remember... once you check IN the asylum, you may never check OUT!
Video above is property of ESCAPETHEROOMers
Photo above is property of Brighton Asylum
📖 THE STORY
Brighton Asylum, once housing the most troubled minds, has been in ruins for almost 60 years. Now, its doors are open again, exposing the terrors that have lingered in the darkness since 1952. Discover the sinister secrets inside—if you dare. Are you brave enough to endure?
Photo above is property of Brighton Asylum
📖 THE STORY
They were some of the most feared and dangerous individuals at Brighton Asylum. During a routine patient transfer, they escaped into the tunnels, adapting to the darkness and preying on anyone passing through. They'll attempt to deceive you. They'll attempt to recruit you. And if that doesn't work, they'll simply capture you! Can you escape, or will these inhabitants overpower your mind and spirit?
Photo above is property of Brighton Asylum
📖 THE STORY
Explore the deserted staff quarters on the abandoned second floor of Brighton Asylum, closed off since 1952. This is where the staff once lived, worked, and carried out their disturbing experiments. Discover the eerie truth behind why this once-busy floor was condemned, gaining the ominous title of The Bleeding Grounds. Will you leave with your sanity intact?
🎯 HIT THE BULLSEYE
Atmosphere: Outside, the Monster Midway area showcased horror CarnEVIL games, a horror museum, mini-escape games, a gift shop, and much more! It was vibrant, colorful, and welcoming. Inside, it was eerie, dilapidated, and filled with ghastly items.
Storyline: Brighton brings our favorite horror films with an insane asylum theme to life. The sadistic backstory of peculiar staff gatherings experimenting on mental patients is what serves as the final touch to this horrific experience.
Set design: The set designs truly established the mood; being inside a dim, aged warehouse gave it an authentic, decayed, industrial vibe. Upstairs in "The Bleeding Grounds", it resembled an old Victorian-era structure. There was an abundance of visual elements that perfectly captured the themes and ambiance of an asylum filled with lunatics and an ancient haunted house.
Actors: The actors remained in character, whether they were out in the open setting the scene or popping out for an unexpected jump scare.
Varying intensity: There were several unexpected jump scares that eventually started to feel repetitive. However, when it came to a climactic ending, Brighton Asylum did not disappoint.
🧩 MISSED THE MARK
Psychological elements: Set in a mental asylum, the overarching theme of disturbed residents should instantly establish a strong basis for what is anticipated. It would have been interesting to delve into the psychological fears common to most people and incorporate an element of surprise in that aspect.
🏹 TAKE A SHOT?
Unlike typical haunted houses, Brighton Asylum elevates the experience with contemporary techniques and a full-contact approach to unsettle and scare visitors. At Brighton, you'll explore "The Brighton Asylum" itself, an industrial complex that delves into other nightmares as well. In "SubCULTure", you will also traverse Brighton's underground service tunnel, which was once utilized for transporting medical supplies to other buildings.
For those brave enough, the 2nd floor staffing area known as "The Bleeding Grounds" is open! This area is where the staff once worked, slept, and experimented... it has earned its name for a good reason!
👋 CUSTOMER SERVICE
Location of the venue isn't that easy to find. The entrance is through a small alleyway that leads to their parking lot.
The parking lot attendants were not helpful and weren't very visible when directing traffic. We ended up driving in circles until we found parking on a residential street.
All attractions are indoors and there is some coverage if it rains on their main queue lines outside.
The line formations were organized with both a standard pass and a fast pass option.
They have security on staff every single night including police officers, retired police officers, and SORA licensed security. Customers will have to be wanded by a security officer before they will be allowed to enter the park, and a photo ID is needed if you purchased your ticket in advance. Additionally, there are cameras recording in every room of the haunted houses and in the queue line, midway and parking areas.
All the actors were professional and gave a satisfactory performance.
As media/ press guests, it would have been more convenient to have a wristband or some form of identification indicating that we were there to take photos and film, as consent had been granted before our arrival. The staff was somewhat rude each time I had to explain that I had permission.
ℹ️ ADDITIONAL INFO
Parking lot available. In addition, they also offer a large off site parking lot available at Clifton High School, 333 Colfax Ave, Clifton NJ 07013
Do not touch actors, staff, props, or sets. Violations = eviction without refund.
No weapons, alcohol, drugs, vaping, smoking, running, or disorderly conduct.
No cameras, flash, or livestreaming inside attractions. Photos/videos allowed outside only.
Refreshments vary night to night. They have horror themed chocolates, a non-alcoholic drink bar, various packaged snacks, hot chocolate, and various food trucks providing hot food and deserts.
Stay on marked paths and keep moving forward.
Anyone appearing intoxicated, impaired, or otherwise unfit may be refused entry.
Event includes stairs, darkness, strobe lights, fog, loud sounds, moving floors, and other physically demanding features.
Participation is entirely at your own risk.
In addition to the (3) haunted houses, Brighton Asylum also offers escape rooms, a horror museum, photo op stations, fear shop, and games!
Restrooms are available
Photos above are property of Brighton Asylum
Note: This is a limited run. The last day to book is November 1, 2025
(If you do decide to try this game, give us a shoutout or tag us on social media so we know you heard it from "ESCAPETHEROOMers"!)
Disclosure: We thank Brighton Asylum for comping our tickets for this game. Although complimentary admission was generously provided, it does not impact our opinion on the review whatsoever.
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