Deadland Haunted Woods Review (2026)

The guest experience started the attraction off strong. The ticket window staff were friendly and welcoming, and security was very helpful as well. The front-of-house actors we encountered were kind, informative, and willing to interact with guests.

Getting to the property was easy with GPS, and on-site parking made arrival convenient. Free parking is always a nice bonus, especially at a haunt where you’re likely to spend some additional time on the property before or after your trails. Overall, the property had a relaxed and organized feel. There was plenty to do beyond simply walking through the two attractions, which made it feel more like an evening event than a quick haunt visit

Portal immediately takes advantage of its outdoor setting with a trail that leads you through the woods, where you can hear things moving around you while you’re surrounded by darkness and fog. The lighting was particularly effective because it wasn’t excessive. There was enough light to guide you through the trail, but not so much that it took away the creepy feeling of being in the woods.

One of the visual highlights was a blacklight-glowing Alice in Wonderland tea party. It created a completely different look from the surrounding woods and was a fun twist on the familiar story. The spider tunnel was another memorable section. It was tight, creepy, and uncomfortable in exactly the way a spider tunnel should be. I also liked the use of pallets to create a defined path through certain areas. They helped guide guests where they were supposed to go without making the trail feel overly artificial.

Unfortunately, we did miss the finale on Portal. We could smell that familiar chainsaw scent toward the end of the trail, so we knew something was supposed to be happening nearby, but the chainsaw wasn’t there when we were excited. That’s always a little disappointing because a strong finale can be the last thing guests remember about a trail.

Where the Roots Remember takes immersion a step further by building the entire attraction around its story. The three witches – Morelda, Vesper, and Nix – each have a role, and they’re being summoned back to the land as developers attempt to clear it for housing. The trail includes several smaller rooms and structures built along the path, and each one had appropriate theming. One example was a greenhouse filled with plants, which fit naturally into the story and helped break up the trail visually.

Because the attraction is outdoors, the natural environment becomes part of the set. Trees, darkness, fog, and the sounds coming from somewhere deeper in the woods all contribute to the experience. You aren’t just walking through a series of rooms. You’re walking through the land that the story is about.

Portal had some fun effects that caught our attention, including a vibrating bench and creepy lullaby music. Black lights were used effectively, and wolf growls added another layer to the woods. Then came the Christmas music. Queue Oogie Boogie.

Where the Roots Remember had some particularly interesting environmental effects. Before entering the trail, there is a truck playing the story that helps tell the story of the woods, giving guests some additional context before they head deeper into the attraction. The laser swamp was another standout. It included catfish and matching sound effects, creating a cool visual environment.

There were also flaming lights at the entrance to another section of the woods, along with some excellent fog that stayed low to the ground and helped obscure what was ahead. Sound design was used well throughout the trail, including creepy sound effects followed by moments of silence. That silence is important.

A haunt doesn’t need to constantly bombard you with noise to be effective, and the quieter moments made us more aware of everything happening around us. The thunder tunnel was another highlight. The effect was strong and, when combined with the actors and other elements around it, created some great timing opportunities for scares.

The characters throughout both trails were one of the stronger parts of the experience.

The Portal front-of-house actors were very animated and delivered the rules in a fun way rather than simply giving the standard instructions and sending us on our way. Once inside, the actors generally had creative dialogue specific to their scenes. The Pied Piper had a great creepy laugh as he asked us if we liked rats. The Mad Hatter wanted us to have a very happy unbirthday, while Oogie Boogie made us look forward to Christmas.

And Oogie Boogie’s voice sounded remarkably like the character. Medusa also reminded us not to look at her, which was a little difficult considering she had snakes covering her head and body. There was one actor who relied primarily on screaming as their scare. That style isn’t my favorite, but it was the exception rather than the rule.

Janet, the front-of-house character for Where the Roots Remember, was hysterical. She rapidly laid out the story for us in a fast-talking performance and explained that she is – or perhaps was – a real estate agent for the property. Her makeup and outfit were great and immediately established the character.

The masks throughout this trail were particularly impressive. We saw masks representing plants, trees, raccoons, and more, and they were all remarkably realistic. The raccoon may have been our favorite mask of the night. The Wendigo mask was another standout.

There were also some fun character interactions along the way. At one point, a character wanted us to pass along a hello message to Nora. Apparently, he’s a fan. And then we met OSHA. As the finale, OSHA/ demolition crew was getting ready to tear the land down with chainsaws, which was a fitting way to bring the story about development and the destruction of the woods to a close.

Portal used the environment creatively for its scares. Actors appeared from the ground, popped out from behind trees and other props, and used structures throughout the trail as hiding places. The use of a school bus and old tractor trailers as rooms was particularly effective because it provided enclosed spaces within the otherwise open woodland environment.

That change in environment helped keep the trail from becoming visually repetitive. Where the Roots Remember had a particularly fun “is that actually an actor?” element. Several times, we initially thought something was simply part of the scenery, only to discover that it was a performer waiting for the right moment.

The trail also made good use of distraction scares. We’d be looking at one thing, only for something to happen somewhere else. One particularly effective moment involved looking at a hearse sitting in the woods, only to have someone pop out at us. Another great scare involved a scary ghoul with a devilish laugh. The timing was excellent because the character’s laugh hit right as the thunder effect went off.

That’s the kind of coordination between actors and special effects that can take a good scare and make it much more memorable. The finale featured a double chainsaw scare in tight quarters, with blood-splattered corrals making the escape even more uncomfortable.

We spent approximately 17 minutes in Portal and another 11 minutes in Where the Roots Remember, giving us a combined haunt time of approximately 28 minutes. The cost for both trails was $40, giving the entire experience a 0.70 minute-per-dollar (MPD) score. While that falls below our $1-per-dollar benchmark, there is more to the value here than simply the time spent inside the trails.

For that $40 price point, guests get two distinctly different haunted trails, each with its own story, characters, environments, effects, and scare styles. You’re not simply walking through the same attraction twice. There is also plenty to do around the property before or after exploring the trails, including merchandise, a food truck and snack stand, the Rare Oddity painting area, and multiple photo-op areas. Fire pits and picnic tables provide places to hang out, and free on-site parking is another nice perk.

With the additional activities and amenities, you can easily make an entire evening out of your visit rather than simply arriving, walking through the trails, and leaving. While the combined 0.70 MPD is below our average benchmark, we felt the $40 price point was reasonable for two unique trails plus everything else available on the property.