Scarefest Scream Park: A harrowing festival

Driving ever closer to the spotlight that has long been in the distance, the tension rises as the stretch of road seems to be as dark as can be. You continue going towards the spotlight like a moth to the flame. Finally, you reach the turn off, and a large area of lights strung across the place, observing walls that contain a cacophony of sound. Loud music plays off from the side, while screams echo from deeper in the woods, while large blasts of noise ring out. Was that a gun? There is only one way to find out, and you decide to step through the gates, into a festive atmosphere. People hang out by a fire, talking about their experiences. A band plays off to your right, with people trying to pay attention to them, while also keeping an eye out for wandering monsters. You are now at Scarefest, and what you will soon experience is an event with highs and lows, but overall will satisfy your craving for horror.

Hayride of Doom

This one started out rough. Even while getting on the hayride, it was obvious that the speaker and microphone set up on our ride was having some difficulties. This really didn’t help our narrator, who didn’t quite seem up to the task yet. He was stumbling on his story, and if he was following a script, didn’t fully have it down yet. The actors along this half also seemed to be having some trouble hitting their spots, sometimes having the vehicle pass by completely before going for a scare. It must be said however, that the night we attended was opening night, and these are all issues that are likely to be worked out over the course of the season.

The second half ramped things up drastically. Without going into the details too much, the original narrator gets replaced, and this new narrator had it down perfectly. Not only did he have the story down but was also cracking jokes that had the group laughing. The actors were also more effective in this half. They took advantage of their surroundings well, creating some good scares. They used props and animatronics to amp things up and provide some decent distractions. The hayride is listed as being family-friendly, and based on that goal, this hits the mark. It gets scares without being too intense and would be a good warm up for those lacking bravery in your group. Although the first half made it feel uneven, I expect that to get better as the season goes on, and this to become a great starting point hayride.

2.75 / 5

Terror Zone Maze

After following a lit path along the back of the park, you reach this diabolical maze. Fog seems to seep out of every direction. Music is pounding, sometimes loud enough to not let you hear yourself think. Sometimes strobe lights flash incessantly, confusing you on where you can even go. Other times the maze is so dark your only hope is to feel around and hope you can find a path. You may find yourself in tents with claustrophobic halls, or outside, seemingly so close to the exit, yet just out of reach. During all this the monsters in the maze are watching you, taunting you, and getting you to jump, finding pleasure in your frustration.

This is an incredible experience. This is easily the best maze I’ve seen at any haunted location. It is well designed, making you feel totally lost and helpless. The actors can hit a nerve and are good enough to make you question your decisions. It is a tough maze and can take awhile to find your way out. Once you do make it out, the feeling of accomplishment is unbelievably rewarding. After escaping, we took some time to watch others come out, and not many did over the next 20 minutes, despite there being a sizable amount of people in the maze. This one is amazing and is an early highlight to our year.

5 / 5

Forest of Darkness

Right next to the maze, this trail through the woods is filled with all sorts of characters, offering everything from trips through their carnival, to meat you can surely trust is edible. This is a fun walkthrough, going from set piece to set piece, with actors that take advantage of the dark and foliage to jump out, or using sets and props to elicit a desired response. The actors here are enthusiastic, being very talkative. We had some enjoyable conversations throughout, especially with a certain backwoods man who had a weird sense of hospitality.

The walk is of a decent length, taking us around 15 to 20 minutes to go through. The sets are distinctive and guide you into where the story is going before you even see an actor. One issue with this trail is some sizable lulls at points. There was at least one section where we walked for at least a minute or 2 before running into an actor. Areas like this broke the tension and it started to feel like areas between sets were safe zones. Once again, this was opening weekend, and this might’ve been a case of fine tuning the attraction for the season. Despite this, the trail is still an enjoyable time, providing some good scares and laughs.

3.5 / 5

Castle of the Dead

The main event. This house has been around for a long time, even before it was at Scarefest. In years past this has been a fear-inducing machine, with screams echoing loud from inside its walls. This year is no exception. The design of the house is a strong point. Every corridor is confined, letting claustrophobia set it. Sections of the house sends you in circles, until a monster decides to show mercy and let you down a different path. Great prop and animatronic work support the actors, who all seem to be at the top of their game. Ceilings will get low, objects will swing down at you, and the sounds of chainsaws just seem to get closer and closer.

Castle of the Dead is easily Scarefest’s scariest event. The actors are raucous, the twists and tight areas keep you feeling unsettled, and animatronics and loud noises do their best to disorient you. Some issues did arise though. Some timing did seem off with a few of the actors, which may have been getting used to the season, or due to us running into the group in front of us. Also, at times there did feel like some small gaps in scares, or scenes where it felt like there should be a scare, but no payoff happened. Again though, opening weekend. Despite these small flaws, this is a great house, and is a perfect way to end the night by getting the heart racing.

4.25 / 5

Overall

Scarefest Scream Park is a great event for those looking for scares. If you want low-level fright, the hayride and maze will provide a memorable experience. If you are looking for terror, the trail and Castle are waiting for you. Scarefest has been a place we have visited several times over the years, and it great to still see it be such an enjoyable experience, and I’m positive it will get even better later into the season, and years beyond.

3.75 / 5