Haunted Farm of Terror: Party till you die
Pulling into the parking lot, it doesn't take long to find out what Haunted Farm of Terror is all about. A hayride loads in the distance, music blasting out of the speakers on the wagon, while lights spin endlessly on top. Cheers of those about to ride mix with screams of those being chased out of the house. Meanwhile, people sit next to a bonfire while a movie plays on a big screen, some people enjoying food from the nearby Roadkill Cafe. Haunted Farm of Terror gives off a vibe of a fun Halloween party, and that vibe runs throughout the entire event.
Walking up to the entrance of the haunted house, the hospitable clown at the down informs you that the house will be a series of 3 different houses, each growing in size. In retrospect, I wish this wasn't said. The house does feature decent set design, with some good prop work, but no section sticks out enough to feel like a completely new area. Maybe we heard wrong, but we swore the third house was supposed to include a maze, and got confused when we took two rights, and had finished with it. In general the house comes off as a bit confusing, with theming being good, but all over the place. However it is does have some great portions. For instance, a disgusting kitchen near the beginning, as well as a strobe light and fog filled small room where you must find one of the doors to get out. There is an overall lack of cohesiveness, but it overall is still entertaining.
The true highlight of the house are the actors. Making good use of every nook and cranny, they managed to deliver some good scares throughout the house. Some threw in some nice improvisation after delivering scares, or when a group ahead had slowed down to a point where we caught up, and they had to create some space again. Actors were very energetic, and seemed to truly enjoy getting scares, with one laughing gleefully about other groups reactions as we drew near. Actors are the key to what drives a haunted attraction, and this house managed to get some very good ones.
3/5
It's not hard to find out when your wagon for the hayride approaches. It's easy to spot the lights and hear the music as it pulls out of the woods. Once on the wagon, music continues to blast until you get close to the woods. Here the narrator tells the story of the original town on these lands, as well as their most infamous resident, the local undertaker. What follows is a trip through the remnants of the old town, all the while music blasts from the front of the wagon. Sets are pretty good here, with strong use of special effects like air cannons, interesting lighting, and some animatronics. Sadly not all of the animatronics were working on our trip. For instance, an alligator that would seem poised to attack the wagon, doesn't move at all. Also, immersion is broken a few times by the nearby paintball attraction, where the buses lights shine through the trees making for a bit of a distraction. The biggest issue is just not enough actors are on the trail. There seemed to be quite a few sets where people would be, just no one would show up. A great junkyard scene at the end only has a couple people, where even just one or two more would make a huge impact. However, the actors that are on the trail are great at their job. Sticking around for a bit after the initial scare, actors will make multiple trips around the wagon, garnering screams from all around. Some will even jump on the wagon itself, getting scares from those focused on the trees around them, and not what may be lurking just over their shoulders. Credit really has to go to how good the actors are here. They provide a huge spark of energy that makes this hayride thrilling. If this hayride just managed to get all effects working, and added some more actors this one could be a classic.
3.5/5
Haunted Farm of Terror is worth visiting for the atmosphere alone. It feels like the proprietors really want visitors to have fun, get scared, and just have a great time, and it is hard not to. Whether relaxing by a fire watching an 80's slasher film, or nodding along to whatever song can be heard from an approaching wagon, it is a fun place. Both the house and hayride are good attractions, featuring very strong actors, and with a couple adjustments it would not be a stretch to believe that Haunted Farm of Terror could be truly amazing.
Overall- 3.5/5
