Fear on the Farm has a little something for everyone. Their tag line, ‘An experience unlike any you have ever experienced’ does fit this attraction.
While there are several attractions available to partake in, this review will be focusing on the two haunted attractions, Crescent Inn Haunted House and Bloody Mary Caverns. Each haunted house has its own story. Crescent Inn tells a story of a haunted roadside inn while Bloody Mary dives into the comic book world and takes you to an underground cavern. Their latest endeavor: partnering with Bobbie Weiner to create a trademark Bloody Mary Haunted House.
The location of the business moved to its current location three years ago, to a quaint hometown neighborhood, but don’t let that fool you. These guys have been in business for more than 15 years.
Oh, did I mention Fear on the Farm WV recently ranked #5 in the state of West Virginia for The Scare Factor’s Fan Favorite poll for 2019?
There seemed to be an ample amount of cast members. When they weren’t screaming at us, they were touching a shoulder here and popping up there. This isn’t a shy bunch either, they don’t mind a bit to get into your personal space. You will be touched. You will get screamed at. They will step up into your space, or simply block your path.
A stand out character we much enjoyed was the bellhop. He was witty, and bantered with us, staying in character the entire time. He also used the areas in his room to his advantage, in a way that was a little unexpected. We also appreciated the character we have dubbed ‘the outside guy’ for his chainsaw-welding enthusiasm to hurry us along our course while we were on hands and knees! We also experienced an energetic ‘cult boy’ that can make your skin crawl.
Variety of Characters – (35% of score)
Complete, Finished Appearance – (30% of score)
Creative, Detailed Costumes – (20% of score)
Creative, Detailed, Realistic Makeup – (15% of score)
Crescent Inn had some cohesive face applications, showing the overall theme of the haunt. We noticed some scaring and injuries. There were some grotesque rows of teeth added in as well.
Again, we enjoyed the little details on the bellhop’s uniform. Bloody Mary’s costume did look dark and dirty down in the cavern.
Some characters who were painted had bare, unpainted hands, but costumes in general were appropriate for their scenery. Dirty places contained actors who looked dirty.
When it comes to masks, some were hard for the actors to talk through so they could be understood.
If Masks, Effective – (25% of score)
Costumes Appropriate for Scenes, Themes – (30% of score)
Easy to Find, Navigate – (25% of score)
Safety – (20% of score)
Using GPS, we found the spot quite easily. While we did not see signage leading to the haunt, once we approached the place, there was a sign on the main road just in front of the driveway (and some flowy ghost guys) to let us know we reached our destination.
There were two friendly parking attendants directing us where to park in the gravel parking area just in front of the main attraction. Porta Potties were available just outside the haunt as well. In general, this haunt is not handicap accessible. This haunt is a physical one: you will be walking on uneven ground, crawling, wading, climbing, and sliding your way through. Be sure to wear comfortable clothing and athletic shoes because you will be moving a lot.
There were two places to get tickets with prices and bundles clearly visible. There was also a nice little souvenir shop, and a food trailer on site.
Staff was approachable, helpful, and very informative.
Fear on the Farm has an active Facebook page as well as a website. Unfortunately, the website does not explain the story behind Bloody Mary or Crescent Inn. They do have their basic information posted, including address, phone numbers, hours of operation, dates, attractions, ticket information, and directions.
They do more than haunted houses too! We got a sense that they are quite active in the community year long, not just Halloween Season.
Staff Professional, Helpful, Friendly – (25% of score)
Ease of Finding Info Before Arrival – (20% of score)
Obviously a Haunt Before Entering – (40% of score)
Prepared for Experience Inside – (15% of score)
As soon as we approached the parking area, we knew that we were headed to an event. The barn is professionally designed and painted by local talent in a haunted barn motif. There is music, and three painted hearses with the haunted houses’ names on them. There is a friendly fellow bearing a modern day haunted jack-in-the-box that will dart out at you and give you a startle. There is even a lighted photo booth available for those photo ops. The queue area is dark, but painted with bright paint that reacts to black lighting and you will get to make friends with Bubble Barf.
After each haunt, we were directed back into the wait line to prepare to enter the next haunt. While you’re waiting, you can enjoy a movie and hang out with some interesting characters in the queue area.
Sound Effects Effective – (20% of score)
Creative, Original Scenes, Props – (30% of score)
Detailed Scenes – (30% of score)
Achieve, Maintain Suspension of Disbelief – (20% of score)
There was a lot of screaming going on. We could hear loud music. Crescent Inn had nice detail throughout the haunt. We found ourselves looking above us at the candle light fixtures, to the jars of faces on dressers, and even walls with books plastered on them. The wet experience was well executed and entertaining. ‘The laundry room’ was beyond anything we could have imagined. We will never look at laundry the same ever again, that’s for sure! We found ourselves crawling through many unexpected areas.
The caverns were nicely constructed and sculpted. We did get to see a neat mechanism that makes one think of the ‘Pop Goes The Weasel’ toy, but a weasel you will not get.
Considering this haunt is reimagined and completely rebuilt every year, the details were nice to behold.
SFX Effective at Scaring, Entertaining – (35% of score)
Could Tell What Theme Was Without Asking – (15% of score)
Theme Well Executed, Believable – (25% of score)
Location Authenticates Theme – (10% of score)
How Scary – (15% of score)
For people familiar with Bloody Mary in the comics, the theme would be much easier to follow. While comics were plastered on the walls inside the haunt, they were small and difficult to read. A remedy could be to offer those blown up versions of the storyline on the walls in the queue area for visitors to read while they are in line.
Crescent Inn was very easy to follow. The theme was carried out in each room we entered. We all have a familiarity with hotels and overnight accommodations, so we were able to relate to that theme with ease. Everything fit together nicely and made sense.
Provide Scares to Entire Group – (50% of score)
How Predictable – (25% of score)
Variety of Scares – (25% of score)
There were times we were taken out of our comfort zone, whether it be navigating floors at crazy angles and slopes, demented beings screaming in our face, drinking bizarre looking fluids, crawling on hands and knees, or the classic touches to your back. The scares seemed evenly balanced. People in the middle might get touched, or the lady standing in the back of the group might get called out for special treatment. There were some sneaky actors, laying in perfect stillness until they were ready to let someone have it.
8325 Winfield Road, Winfield, West Virginia 25213