Wiard's Night Terrors 2022

Another year, another visit to Night Terrors. We seem to go to Night Terrors almost every year, making this a home away from home event for us. It is comforting to still be able to hit a haunted attraction I have personally been going to for almost 2 decades now. Indeed, there are a couple reviews up on this site for the event. So this will be more of a quick overview of the event, as well as a short review of the attractions this year and changes that have been made.

Our first event of the night was the Hayride of the Lost. The impressive sets of this event were more extravagant this year, with what felt like brighter lighting and smaller details being added into existing sets to make them grander. Animatronics are used to good effect in this one, and the trip is still kept to a decent length for the amount of actors they have on the trail. The issue of the ride being a bit unbalanced to the left side with actors has continued, which means sitting on the right is still a lesser experience. However, the build up to the finale on this one feels stronger, and the scarecrow factory at the end is a perfect finale this year. Still has its issues but we enjoyed this one more this year than last. The next attraction was The Asylum, which continues to keep up a frantic delirious pace like years past. The highlight is still the fog-filled white room, where you grasp around in the bright light to find the exit, followed by a dark hallway with voices whispering to you from all directions in the blackness. Moments like these keep the house a dreadful experience to run through, this year made stronger by actors that give their all. Creepy props really pop out this year, like a human marionette, and create nice diversions.

The Mindshaft is about the same this year, with another round of strong actors leading the way. Alternating between loud scenes filled with props to claustrophobic scenes with actors keep the pace hectic. The use of crawlspaces is perfect for making these feel like an abandoned mine that you have had the misfortune to stumble into. The were some slight issues with timing on this one, with props starting a bit too early for the whole group to enjoy. Still, a fun attraction to delve into.

Finally, we hit The Ultimate Haunted Barn, which was actually our least favorite attraction of the event this year. There seemed to be less actors than usual in this one, yet the ones in it still got great responses from the group. However, some props and scenes didn't hit as hard as years past, and some things were just confusing. For instance, a path where normally men and women are split up was blocked off and that results in a great scare opportunity being cut off. Still enjoyable to go through, but was a downer to see this one not be as good as last year.

Overall, Night Terrors is not only still a fun event to go to, but this year it is actually a bit stronger. The only issue is a slightly down year for the Barn. However, most of the event is feeling better produced, especially with a strong crop of actors that permeate the entire event. We have done this event a lot, and will continue doing it for a long time. We recommend this one for those looking for a good time that will last awhile.

8 / 10