Lance and his troupe are back at it again this year at the Dayton Scream Park. The lost souls are roaming around the trails in the dark so you have no idea what is coming at you or what to even expect. You will eventually stumble across your first building and think of it as a place of refugee but when you shut the door you realize you are in a blacked out maze. All we have to say is good luck! Dead ends will become your friends. My one hint is to look for the unusual and you may find your way out. Then off to Hollywood you go where you have to rehash the nightmares that made you wet the bed when you were a child. However you look at it, DSP gives you 2.75 minutes for every $1.00 you spend, which is a kick ass deal. So whether you are easily scared or looking for entertainment, this is your place. Remember this haunt is outside on a dark trail so weather plays a role and be sure to dress accordingly.

Dayton Scream Park has a frightfully amazing crew. On the night we attended there were 60 actors inside the scream park. They are all volunteers and each night the haunt is open they come back just to collect your screams with no other incentives. The cast does amazingly well staying in character even when their role is to be on the ground in a dark trail. One thing that this cast does well is utilize their surroundings. For example there was a guy that “ziplines” over your head in the trees. Have you ever had one person stand out the most in a haunt for you? For us on that night Butch was our guy. With his skeleton earring and his stories, he had us engrossed from the moment we got to him.

Dayton Scream Park keeps costuming and makeup basic and there is a good reason for this. The haunt and trail take up 20 acres of outside space. There are makeup artists on hand but some of the amazing work you will not get to see due to the actors location or the lighting. It also wears off quickly and then they need to pull the actors out to touch up. With that being said, they utilize masks and they do it very effectively. They have some unique creatures using masks and parts of masks. The only place where you will see a mask that you may recognize is in The Hollywood area. Being outside plays a factor in the items they wear. They keep this basic for safety for the actors and to deal with weather elements. However, basic does not mean boring because they do basic hauntingly well.

Dayton Scream Park is well lit with free parking. Your GPS should take you to it, however, ours got us a little lost. Lance and his team has ordered signs so that if your GPS does what ours did you can just follow the signs. If you think you are really lost just call their number and Lance personally answers. His philosophy is he doesn’t like recordings so he will not play a recording. With that being said, the rest of the staff is professional and very helpful. They are everywhere even on the trail to help if needed. While you are standing in the queue you will come across some ghoulish creatures who have made it off the trail. They like selfies. Just remember this haunt is outside and dark so take your time.

The moment you pull up you know your are in for a night of entertainment. The shining of lights and all the vendors will be ready for you. The night we attended there was no music but it was not quiet. You could hear the chatter and laughter of large groups. Mostly importantly you could hear the screams from the trail and the motorized sounds from different equipment. The creatures roaming around give you a good sense of what you might expect when you are told go to the light and turn right.

DSP is one of the few haunts that maximizes scares with the use of sounds. Not just any sounds but realistic sounds because they are actually using pieces of machinery that make those sounds. Most of us are used to the sounds of chainsaws but what about a 4 wheeler speeding behind you or the creaking chain as the victim in the cage swings back and forth. Nothing like being on a dark trail where your scenes are crazy and the sounds are amplified. The sounds they use help all the scenes. They use things like shipping containers and tire stamps and random [stuff] to help with their special effects, which we think is creative.

Dayton Scream Park says it all in the name. It is a place where all the horde things are looking to collect your screams no matter what it takes. With that it has subsections that cause screams. First is the trail. Nothing like cool, pitch black Fall nights to bring out a good yell. Then their is the Rat Trap where if something doesn’t scare you, you might loose your sanity trying to get out. Next is Hollywood which is sure to bring about a scream when you come face to face with the one you hated as a child.

DSP does a good job at bringing scares at multiple levels; on the ground, in your face and even above you. They also provide scares to everyone from being anxious, claustrophobia, old childhood nightmares resurfaced and many more. Being outside and in the dark makes it hard to see things so it is not easy to predict or see what may happen to you or a group member. Just when you think you have it figured out guess again because they have distracted you.

Dayton Scream Park offers you 2.75 minutes of entertainment for $1.00 that you spend. It took our group 55 minutes to complete it all. This is a self guided tour so time may vary depending on your group and how fast you can find your way out of a pitch black maze. For $20 general admission tickets it is a good deal for at least an hour of scares.