This attraction was reviewed by Team Zombillies, Team Lone Wolf, and Team Enchanted Seance on September 19, 2025.Fog poured from two towering reactors, spilling across the Ohio Renaissance Festival grounds in Wilmington, Ohio, like a warning that something wicked was brewing.
Brimstone Haunt isn’t your average haunt stop – it’s a full-blown night of screams, snacks, and sinister surprises. With three attractions to tackle: the harrowing Haunted Hayride, murky depths of The Bog, and the mind-twisting Psychosis, there’s no shortage of ways to tempt fate.
Between haunts, you can catch your breath (if you have any left) in the midway, complete with concessions, the Liquor Lab, the Beer Barn, and extra thrills like Zombie Assault and midway games. Whether you’re here for the scares or the social vibe, Brimstone knows how to keep guests hanging around all night.
“Bad things are about to happen, really bad things”
Overall Scores Per Attraction:
Brimstone Haunted Hayride: 8.04
Psychosis: 7.74
The Bog: 7.8
Haunted Hayride:
The Hayride featured the most extensive cast of the three haunts we experienced; every scene featured at least one monster waiting to ambush our wagon! The Penitentiary, Circus, and Slaughterhouse stood out for having the greatest concentration of actors, keeping the energy high and the scares constant. The Drive-In Theater scene was especially memorable, though it could benefit from a few additional “victims” to better fill the space and heighten the tension.
The Headless Horseman quickly became a group favorite, delivering an eerie and commanding presence. Some scenes, such as the Body Shop, could be improved with the use of microphones, as key dialogue was difficult to hear over the loud audio track. The carnival section also left a strong impression, though the cast’s impact could be elevated with sharper, more intimidating dialogue to match their physical energy.
The finale introduced a lone survivor attempting to fend off an alien-like horde. While creative, this scene would feel more believable if the character carried a weapon to match his dialogue. Adding a few more monsters to the scene would also increase the intensity and deliver a stronger closing moment.
Psychosis:
The cast of Psychosis delivered an energetic and highly interactive performance, staying in character and mainly keeping the intensity high when we came across them. They were aggressive, engaging, and unrelenting in their pursuit of scares. A standout moment came from the actor who lured us into a game of rock-paper-scissors, only to reveal that we had “chopped off” their fingers – a clever and memorable interaction that quickly became a group favorite.
The timing of the scares felt precise, and none of the actors seemed out of place within the attraction. However, the first half of the haunt felt noticeably light on performers, with our first significant interaction (outside of the elevator) not occurring until about midway through the outdoor section. While the attraction makes excellent use of special effects, it would benefit from a larger actor headcount to maintain a consistent energy from start to finish.
The Bog:
The Bog has undergone not only a name change in recent years but also a complete thematic and directional overhaul, and with it, a noticeable shift in its cast. While several fan favorites remain, guests will also encounter a variety of new characters woven into the timbers. The cast delivered well-timed scares and effectively played on our senses to heighten tension. One particularly memorable moment came from a clown who stalked us through multiple scenes, chanting our names in relentless pursuit. Many of the characters reappeared throughout the haunt, skillfully resetting to surprise us from unexpected dark corridors.
This season also saw the return of several beloved characters, including the vampire, the boogieman, the ice cream clown, and the demonic teddy bear girl. Though some of them had relocated to new scenes, they blended seamlessly into their environments. One absence was felt, however – the Doctor, who has been missing from her scene for the past couple of seasons. We remain hopeful for her return in the future.
Creative scares were sprinkled throughout, bolstered by well-placed SFX triggers that heightened several interactions. While many were effective, a lack of fog in certain areas made it easier to spot actors before they engaged, slightly diminishing the impact. Additionally, some sections of the trail – particularly the cinema, barber shop, and bar – felt empty of performers. Introducing more monsters in these spaces would help sustain momentum and elevate the overall experience.
Haunted Hayride:
Brimstone’s Haunted Hayride featured several interesting characters and outfits, each more chilling and startling than the last. Most outfits we saw were unique, such as clown prisoners, with black and white jumpsuits. Some classics made appearances like zombies, and these were teenage zombies in high school letterman jackets! One even had an intestine hanging from her mouth!
The Headless Horseman of Wilmington was in full colonial attire, which made his scene even more realistic, holding a hollowed-out head illuminated by a candle. At a slaughterhouse, we witnessed a filthy, mutant pig-headed man, covered in dirt and blood. However, one of the slaughterhouse actors felt a bit out of place wearing khakis and tennis shoes, shirtless, he wielded a chainsaw and had on a clown wig. It felt a bit out of place, as did the monster at the end, whose only costume was a mask and a jumpsuit. It would feel more realistic if he were wearing the same military uniform his counterpart was wearing. The carnival and the machinery plant had the best costumes, featuring a couple of kids that appeared to be made out of candy with sprinkles as makeup and blue and pink body paint to look like a lollipop, and Charley from the machinery plant, who had a fantastic headgear piece on that used a green light to illuminate his grizzly face paint!
Psychosis:
Next up was Psychosis! A descent into madness and insanity fueled by adrenaline and terror, this trip into the dark corners of torment has evil characters lurking around unsuspecting corners. The costumes in Psychosis were fairly basic and stuck to a general theme of industrial workers. We were greeted by an elevator attendant who was dressed appropriately, as one would be, complete with bloody, smeared clothing and face. From there, we encountered one of the most disturbing masks of the evening, a gray and wrinkled featureless mask that had a sinister crooked smile. He had a metal glove that sparked along the side of a trailer! Other than him, all the cast had similar costumes and disturbing facial wounds or bloody faces; it would definitely benefit from some additional masks and further soiling of the uniforms to really drive the fear home.
The Bog:
The Bog was the last stop on our visit to Brimstone, and it was a race against the clock to escape before the fog consumed us and turned us into the horrible creatures that were once townspeople! These once normal people have been infected with a black substance that turns them into green, hellish demons that lurk on the ground. The actors in the Bog featured great facial pain and tattered garments that looked like they had been attacked by other bog creatures. The bogmen were fully decked out head to toe in great, freaky outfits that startled even the strongest members of our group! Even deeper into the Bog, we found ourselves face to face with one of the strangest costumes yet, a teddy bear mask that blended in perfectly, and a monstrous ice cream man! These fun and whimsical characters made the Bog feel even more surreal!!
Perhaps the most stand-out costume of the night was the vampire with a full silicone mask, featuring large ears on the sides of the face! They even had a severed head prop that they chucked right at us!
Brimstone’s website covered most of the basics we needed before heading out, but we’d love to see more details added to the FAQs – things like whether parking is free, what happens during rainouts, and a more precise breakdown of which attractions are indoor versus outdoor for first-time guests.
While Google Maps took us right to the entrance, seeing it was a little tricky, as the light above their sign was very dim. Additional signage or dropping the iconic hearse or the amazing semi-trailer sign in the hayride would be a surefire beacon for haunt goers to know they’ve arrived at the correct location.
Once on site, however, everything was smooth sailing. Parking was free and plentiful in their massive, well-lit lot, which is a welcome perk compared to haunts that tack on extra fees. Staff were plentiful, friendly, and welcoming, and the entire attraction was easy to navigate. This is actually one of the easiest trails we’ve walked – no tripping hazards, no roots grabbing at our ankles, just wide and well-marked paths. Visibility was good throughout, though we did have one heart-stopping scare on the stairs as we exited the bus.
Haunted Hayride:
One of the first things we noticed was the vintage farm truck and new signage for the Hayride, which was a welcome addition! We quickly realized this was no ordinary hayride as we approached the trailers. A wicked clown dressed in an orange jumpsuit glared at us from a corner of the trailer. Once seated, he quickly sprang up to tell us what exactly we had gotten ourselves into. The feeling of being helpless and trapped promptly took us over, as the tractor pulled away with us. We were taken deep into their twisted world in a field in the middle of nowhere. The sound of the loud music and the darkness swallowed us. We were warned that our nightmares were about to become reality. And that they did.
While the Hayride didn’t stick to a singular theme, the areas we found ourselves in were very apparent. Once in the Brimstone Penitentiary, the distressed walls and sounds of inmates being executed put us right in the middle of the chaos. Would we be next? Prison guards yelled at us, fully immersing us in the experience. After escaping the prison, we were guided through parked cars at a drive-in. Was this “Night of the Living Dead”? There was no smell of popcorn – only death and rot.
Several vehicle (and an animal) pursuits ensued, leaving us trapped with nowhere to hide! An amber rotating light sped toward us. Suddenly, headlights appeared; we had angered someone. Screaming tires and the engine rev were just a sampler of what was coming. Watch out for the headless horseman! The wooden planks made us feel like we were crossing into Sleepy Hollow. And no, we did not want to ride on that magic carpet!
The sound of heavy metal in the distance filled us with fear. Everyone knows heavy metal equals death. There had to be something waiting to kill us! The sounds on the hayride helped the immersion set in; we already had emotions running wild before we even made it to the upcoming scenes. Side note: Make sure all masks are tucked in. There was one that took us out of the immersion. Also, some of the soundtracks were abrupt in changing between scenes.
Psychosis:
The exterior of this madhouse has been majorly improved over the years! A trip into pitch black halls fully immersed us in an adrenaline-filled nightmare. The darkness and loud music are meant to disorient, and it worked! A janky elevator ride took us deep into the madness, helping us feel like we were too far in to make it back out! While many areas of this attraction are meant to be experienced in the dark, we could still see some transitions and areas that weren’t as decorated as others, and that, along with the smaller number of actors during our visit, pulled us out of the immersion. For instance, there was an electrical shock room where it felt like something significant was missing, along with a room with an empty chair and blood splattered on a screen or window behind it.
The Bog:
Fog was starting to settle in, and the sound of creatures moving in the bog was very unsettling for all of us. The abandoned town made us feel like we were out there alone. Just us and The Bog! At times, green lighting made us feel like we were heading deep into a swamp. While we wish there were more fog, the lighting does help you feel like you are deep in a bayou.
Everything was aged and distressed, with strange, black, and green vine-like veins starting to take root on everything. We came in contact with bogmen, and many of the townspeople who were no longer “normal,” which helped drive the idea of the Bog home. Each scene featured its own special touch and made us feel like we were in an old town that was taken over. This trail also had quite a few bare scenes, sometimes leaving us wondering if we were in the right place.
Brimstone Hayride:
While we waited to depart towards what would no doubt be our doom, creepy music played in the background. Lots of audio was used throughout our ride: rockin’ tunes, a prisoner’s gruff warning in the penitentiary, a frantic backing track in the Drive Thru Theater – just to name a few examples! We noticed some custom set pieces, like the aforementioned theater’s brightly lit sign. Other appropriate additions to the hayride’s scenes were an inmate thrashing in an electric chair, parked vehicles illuminated in red light at the theater, and a towering animatronic boar monster.
Many areas included props and set details to add to their realism. The prison’s cells had chipped paint and mildew running down the walls. Jack O’Lanterns were brightly lit along the Headless Horseman’s hollow. Outside of a cannibalistic hillbilly family’s shacks, freshly slaughtered pigs were strung up. Some set pieces were crazy big, too, such as the many decommissioned vehicles we rolled past. Sensory effects were also deployed in several spots. Fire shot high into the night. Strobes accentuated sets, props, and animations. An alien that had freshly broken out of its containment in a military bunker spat venomous “saliva” (water) at us on the wagon.
Some scenes were highly detailed, while others were slightly less so but still got the point across. With the full understanding that this is an outdoor attraction and therefore at the mercy of the elements, we’d love to see more added where possible.
Psychosis:
True to its name, Psychosis came across like a haunt meant to play off patrons’ fear of the unknown – and we could tell it was carefully constructed to do that job well. Most of the house was dark or dimly lit from room to room, with two portions even sending us outside! Some effective lighting techniques included flashing red lights in one area and a flickering overhead light in a darkened corridor, leaving us wondering what might be lying in wait for us ahead. Audio mostly consisted of rock and metal tracks, and was loud as hell, which helped to increase our anxiety.
Due to the dim environment, it was sometimes hard to make out props and set details. However, we noticed textures like bricks and rotted spots added to walls, a few corpses, the mirror or window in what looked like a funeral parlor was quite grimy, and stacks of metal barrels formed a maze in a factory scene. Adding additional props and details will help to make this attraction even more intense.
The animatronics and effects included in this attraction often made our walkthrough even more treacherous. A realistic elevator shook, rattled, and rolled as it delivered us to our fate. Black walls squeezed us in the form of a claustrophobia tunnel. Beyond the window of a living room- where we could tell murders had recently taken place- a thunderstorm boomed and flashed ominously. We were nearly torn apart by a gigantic bloody saw at one point, as well as fired at by a massive killer robot!
The Bog:
The woods at night are creepy enough on their own, but the black tendrils stretching from the trail’s facade were a frightful warning that The Bog was preparing to swallow us whole. Along our trek, we found ourselves surrounded by the ambient sounds of nocturnal critters. Frantic music played in more intense areas, as did old-fashioned tunes in an abandoned bar. Yes, abandoned… It seemed that the town that once existed here was devoured by the darkness long before our group arrived. Wall textures on the various businesses included bricks, lattices, posters, and newspapers. Tendrils of vines hung from the ceiling of what was either a greenhouse or an attic (we noticed some random stuff there besides the greenery). A bell rang amidst a school’s rusted lockers. The walls of the doctor’s office were disgustingly grimy, and the windows were busted open. In the operating room, old medical equipment and devices littered the scene.
For props, we noticed some junked vehicles tucked within the foliage of the forest. An animated zombie, trapped in a cage, thrashed furiously against its confines. The bar was filled with shelves of spirits – anyone want a drink? Too bad they seemed to be closed… All the chairs were stacked up on tables. We aren’t going to spoil where it was or what it was, but at least one massive actor-matronic puppet was used, too. Also, the added animations on the trail were placed effectively and provided great startles!
Strobes illuminated multiple spots, like a few of the old businesses and the greenhouse/attic (which was pretty cool, as it looked a bit like a thunderstorm effect). Lighting wasn’t just used to accentuate scenes – it also cast eerie hues of blue, green, yellow, and red against the surrounding trees along the trail. Fog provided a spooky effect as it spilled out before us in one area, and when we encountered some clowns, we had to enter a spinning vortex to escape.
As mentioned above, adding more fog would help to make the trail even spookier. Scenes had varying levels of detail, and while they all looked pretty good, some could have used a bit more.
21. How scary was it? (35% of score): 7.53
22. How well did they provide scares to everyone in the group? (15% of score): 8.07
23. How predictable were the scares? (25% of score): 8
24. How well did they provide a wide variety (types) of scares? (10% of score): 7.37
25. How strong was the ending / finale? (15% of score): 5.32
Brimstone Hayride:
The hayride most definitely keeps your heart racing and anxiety on a new level. The feeling of being trapped on a moving trailer is very disheartening. A new horror jumps off and on during many scenes. The loud music makes you feel like you are in a very chaotic atmosphere. Not knowing who or what to expect next. And the crazy drivers coming after us!? Nice touch! Definitely scared the pee out of some of us!
The scares targeted the wagon very sufficiently. Nearly every surprise and scare could be seen by everyone. Actors made their way to all sides of the wagon. For the more intense experience, we do recommend sitting closer to the back, but the vehicle pursuits will undoubtedly come up to the sides of the wagon, too! Our favorite type of scare on this ride was the suspense of never knowing when a large or loud vehicle was about to come roaring up behind us!
We would love to see a more emphasized finale. After being chased multiple times and having just a few actors on the wagon during the last scene, it doesn’t feel like the ride should be over. Something to attack all sides of the wagon (double and triple taps), using multiple types of frights, would be extraordinary to see here!
Psychosis:
The fear of the unknown is a very valid fear. So, weaving within the blacked-out halls was quite horrifying! Once again, the loud music intensified and made us anxious. We were constantly wondering what would happen next. The actors we encountered had great timing and did a good job of interacting with and scaring us.
Many of the scares seemed to target the front of the group. However, the creature in the barrel area worked very hard to scare the majority of our group! Some loud sounds were already effective at keeping us on edge, but we would love to see more visual surprises like the actor with an air hammer. His intensity and that loud sound left us high-tailing it outta there!
The Bog:
Walking out in the woods at night can be unnerving on its own, but the eerie green glow of The Bog took it up a notch. The pale-skinned souls who this town has long cursed made the trek even more chilling, and the bogmen lurking in the shadows were masters of concealment. No matter how hard we looked, we couldn’t spot them until it was too late. The one who uprooted right in front of us nailed the scare! More creatures like that, especially bushmen blending seamlessly into the natural trail, would crank the tension even higher!
That said, The Bog ended up being the least frightening attraction during our visit. Some areas leaned heavily on set décor without much else happening, leaving long stretches of downtime where the scare factor dipped. More fog would be an easy fix to help hide lurking monsters or effects, and even simple, sudden noises could go a long way in filling those longer spaces in between scenes. But overall, The Bog was nowhere we would want to stay!
Brimstone Haunt gives you a lot of show for your soul. Our night clocked in at 42 minutes inside the attractions, which lands at a 1.0 MPD (minutes of in-haunt entertainment per dollar) with the $42 General admission price. That’s right on target, especially when you consider unlimited re-entry is included – meaning if you’re up for another round of chainsaws and chaos, you can dive right back in!
Brimstone offers plenty of ways to scale your night. The Ultimate Experience ticket includes unlimited haunt entry plus extras like Cranium Crusher, Monster Operation, Axe Throwing, Zombie Assault, and Hallow-Ring Toss – a nice mix of midway mayhem if you’re looking for more than scares. There are also single-attraction tickets, Family Fun Nights with no scares, and Fast Pass add-ons to keep the lines from haunting you.
On top of that, the park accepts credit cards, tickets are cheaper online, and the midway atmosphere (complete with a giant bonfire and games) makes it easy to hang out long after your first scream! Every ticket also comes with plenty of extras, including interactive roaming characters and several themed photo ops to capture the night. Be sure to check out the food and drinks, too. The farm-fresh mixtures and loaded nachos were a hit with our crew!
With variety, length, and flexibility, Brimstone proves once again to be a haunt destination worth the trip, “Where your screams may become their opera!”
525 Brimstone Road, Wilmington, Ohio 45177
