Evil Intentions owner says haunted house won’t open in Elgin this fall, citing permit issues

The owner of Evil Intentions Haunted House says he will not be moving his popular attraction back to Elgin this fall due to “unresolved building permit issues” and will look for a new location for 2027.

The Elgin City Council in July approved a conditional use permit allowing Evil Intentions to open in the former Heider Electric Co. building at 80 N. State St.

Mike Fitzpatrick said in an email that his company had been working on the building approval process for seven months, “expecting to work collaboratively through the remaining requirements.”

“Unfortunately, despite repeated efforts by our development team, we were unable to obtain the building permit necessary to proceed,” Fitzpatrick said.

Elgin officials said city staff “worked extensively with the development team in an effort to help the project proceed while ensuring that the use of the building met building and life safety requirements.”

Josie Beecher-Crotty, Elgin’s communications and engagement manager, said the project, which involved converting an older industrial building into an entertainment venue, required various improvements to meet safety standards.

“Ultimately, Evil Intentions’ development team was unable to provide a complete, code-compliant set of development plans within their time frame to begin construction and meet their planned opening schedule,” she said.

The haunted house was located in the former Elgin Casket Co. building off Bluff City Boulevard for almost 20 years before moving to Maple Park two years ago.

Evil Intentions had hoped to move into the long-vacant five-story, 21,000-square-foot building in time for this year’s Halloween season.

“We are disappointed by this outcome,” Fitzpatrick said. “We believed Evil Intentions would have been a positive addition to Elgin, and we are sincerely grateful to the residents, community partners, our crew, and our guests who welcomed the project and supported us throughout this process.”

Fitzpatrick said Evil Intentions is vetting opportunities to bring the award-winning haunted house “back to the Chicagoland area” in 2027 and is accepting proposals for locations.

rwest@dailyherald.com