Features:
✓-Free Parking✓-Restrooms/Porta Potties On-Site✓-Food/Concessions✓-Gift Shop/Souvenirs✓-Special Events✓-You will NOT be touched✓-Movie Characters✓-Original Characters✓-Uncovered Outdoor Waiting Line✓-Covered Outdoor Waiting Line✓-Indoor/Outdoor Attraction
How Do We Get These Scores?
Our Rating System
UPDATE FOR 2022: Our former “Atmosphere” and “Theme” categories have now been combined and renamed “Immersion.” Our intent with this is to give more appropriate credit to attractions that have shown a clear focus on achieving and maintaining better customer experiences (both inside and outside the attractions) and developing creative storylines.
Each of the category scores in this review are calculated using a weighted average of several questions that we rate on a scale of 1 to 10.
The following breakdown explains what these scores typically mean. All of our Teams use this as a reference for providing accurate ratings:
10: “Peak Performance”This score is treated as if it has a chastity belt on it. “10’s” are reserved for the best of the best; those that we feel could not possibly improve on what they’re doing.
9: “Innovative and Groundbreaking”It rocked! Nearly everything seemed to go as planned and it was one of the best we’ve ever seen! These guys are leaders in the industry, and attractions like this are truly hard to come by.
8: “Solid”A high score on our scale. They had a good handle on it and, overall, they knew how to use it well. Most attractions can learn from what these guys are doing.
6 to 7: “Good”We could tell that a good effort was made. However, we’ve seen this done much better at other places, or can detect areas where significant improvements can be made. This is about the top end of what we’d call “Family Friendly.”
5: “Average / Fair”Compared to the competition, they weren’t the best, but definitely not the worst. Scares and Special Effects in this range are usually considered “Family Friendly.”
3 to 4: “Below Average”We could see that a clear attempt was made, but most other professional attractions are doing a much better job at this.
1 to 2: “Poor”It appeared that very little time, thought or effort was contributed to this aspect.
0 (Zero): “Non-Existent”No apparent effort was made to make this a significant contributor to the attraction.
Afterword:This rating system is standardized across all of The Scare Factor’s official haunt review teams. However, keep in mind there will always be minor differences between Teams, as we all have varying levels of experience. Regardless, we do our best to remain true to our core values, which is to promote all haunted attractions!Perhaps the biggest thing to remember is: sometimes the score – in and of itself – doesn’t tell the whole story about an attraction’s merits. This is why we provide detailed explanations for each category… to help you better understand how and why we chose the score/s that we did.We do our best to not let feelings or emotions rule our judgement, while also viewing the attraction through the lens of the typical haunt-goer. But, because all reviews with ratings are inherently subjective, this is nearly impossible to completely prevent. Though, when in doubt, we tend to give slightly lower scores than our original “gut feelings” to account for this, and also give the attraction more room to improve over time.We also do our best to be fair and consistent across all of the haunts that we review. We know that you’ll be looking at these scores and comparing them to other attractions, so we hope this review helps you out in that aspect.Do you have some feedback about our review system? Contact Us Here to let us know what you think!
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Final Score: 8.03
How Did We Get This Score?
Final Scores:
(15% of Final Score) Cast: 7.04
(15% of Final Score) Costuming: 7.72
(10% of Final Score) Customer Service: 9.02
(10% of Final Score) Atmosphere: 9.13
(15% of Final Score) Special Effects: 8.77
(5% of Final Score) Theme:
(15% of Final Score) Scare Factor: 7.27
(5% of Final Score) Entertainment & Value: 7.97
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Summary:
When Forest of Screams broke onto the scene in 2017, it offered something unique in the Cleveland market: a walkthrough multi-attraction stringing together the three main types of haunt: hayride, trail, and house.
Now in its third year, Forest of Screams is still singular in that regard. There’s no other format like it in the metro Cleveland area as visitors journey through the Forest of Screams Haunted Hayride, Night Stalkers Trail, and Mortuary Haunted House.
Forest of Screams maintains an appealing flow of experience through thoughtful scene sequences and skillfully executed set designs. The chilling cherry on top of this spooky sundae is a fabulous collection of high-tech effects.
Hayride: 8.15
Trail: 8.18
House: 7.77
Cast: 7.04
How Did We Get This Score?
Cast Scores (15% of Final Score):
(20% of Cast Score) Did it seem like there were enough actors?: 5.17Explanation:
Hayride: 4.5
Trail: 5.0
House: 6.0
(30% of Cast Score) How creative, believable and convincing were the actors?: 7.2Explanation:
Hayride: 7.4
Trail: 7.2
House: 7.0
(20% of Cast Score) How interactive were the actors (verbally and physically)?: 7.53Explanation:
Hayride: 8.0
Trail: 7.6
House: 7.0
(15% of Cast Score) How creatively & appropriately did they use dialogue?: 8.03Explanation:
Hayride: 8.3
Trail: 8.1
House: 7.7
(15% of Cast Score) Was there a good variety of characters?: 7.57Explanation:Hayride: 7.8
Trail: 7.9
House: 7.0
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We think the personnel were perhaps suffering from some last night-itis and weather wariness, as we visited on the ending date of their season and it turned out to be a very chilling and precipitation-filled evening. The cast was noticeably low or just not present at the beginning of the hayride, which had a little too much driving past trees, and the beginning of the trail (We’re comparing to what we experienced from the first two seasons).
Those who were there did a good job at their roles. The standouts of the entire night were the hayride’s competing coffin and crematory salesmen, who had an amusing interplay between both themselves and their audience.
Also on the hayride, the gent who harassed the wagon riders with a shock-stick displayed real dedication in coming back multiple times… to the chagrin of some and the delight of others. The voodoo villains/headhunters made an unholy ruckus on the wagon as they charged back and forth through the crowd.
The trail featured an opening ghoulie who got us coming and going out of his room, and an accused witch who pleaded with us to protect her from the village rabble. In the cemetery, one of the denizens greeted us with a shattering shriek. The house attraction, by far the smallest and shortest of the three sections, naturally contained the least performers; we counted half a dozen actors.
Hayride: 7.08
Trail: 7.14
House: 6.91
Costuming: 7.72
How Did We Get This Score?
Costuming Scores (15% of Final Score):
(15% of Costuming Score) How complete / finished did the costumes appear to be?: 7Explanation:
Hayride: 6.6
Trail: 7.4
House: 7.0
(25% of Costuming Score) How creative / detailed were the costumes?: 7.6Explanation:
Hayride: 7.4
Trail: 7.8
House: 7.6
(20% of Costuming Score) Was their makeup creative? Detailed? Realistic?: 7.7Explanation:
Hayride: 7.8
Trail: 8.3
House: 7.0
(15% of Costuming Score) How effectively did they use masks (if used)?: 8Explanation:
Hayride: 8.0
Trail: 8.0
House: 8.0
(25% of Costuming Score) How appropriate were the costumes for their scene/s & theme/s?: 8.1Explanation:Hayride: 8.4
Trail: 7.7
House: 8.2
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Makeups seemed to be predominantly corpse-like, pale faces with some accents, without a lot of blood, prosthetics, etc. The trail featured the best makeup, with nicely done jobs on its actors, including the accused witch, the guy in the first room, and the graveyard residents.
On the hayride, it was hard to see if the first couple of terrorizers had much makeup at all, but before long the coffin and crematory salesmen popped up with some nicely done faces, and coming to a good close with the inked-up headhunters. In between, chainsaw operators and butchers sported some bloody visages.
The costumes were probably around the average for what we’ve seen this year. Some good, some rather plain, and we observed some hoodies and street clothes on the hayride, perhaps from fill-ins on this sparsely casted night.
The salesmen looked good, especially the coffin proprietor, was very nicely done up in western wear, and the chainsaw and butcher people were decked out in bloodily grisly duds and aprons.
Hayride: 7.7
Trail: 7.85
House: 7.6
Customer Service: 9.02
How Did We Get This Score?
Customer Service Scores (10% of Final Score):
(25% of CS Score) How easy was it to locate the attraction, park, and navigate the premises?: 9.4Explanation:
Hayride: 9.4
Trail: 9.4
House: 9.4
(30% of CS Score) How safe was the attraction?: 8.73Explanation:
Hayride: 9.0
Trail: 8.4
House: 8.8
(25% of CS Score) How professional, helpful and friendly were the staff members?: 8.6Explanation:
Hayride: 8.6
Trail: 8.6
House: 8.6
(20% of CS Score) How easy was it to find their information before* arrival?: 9.5Explanation:
Hayride: 9.5
Trail: 9.5
House: 9.5
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Forest of Screams is located in Medina, nearby several other haunts. Medina County is very haunt-rich. We reviewed three within its confines this season, and there’s at least one other one to which we didn’t make it. This area is about an hour south of Cleveland.
The haunt was easily located by GPS. A large, spotlighted sign welcomed us to the site. Parking staff led us to the sizable free parking lot on gravel.
Food stands will take care of your hunger pangs. There was one frying up yummy foods like Oreos and Twinkies, and another served up dinner fare like hot dogs. There was also a well-stocked gift shop with outerwear, masks, some interesting horror movie memorabilia, and more.
Please note, in bad weather Forest of Screams may close, and they’ll send out messages via social media and the website. However, the wagons are covered… so if it’s lightly raining, or even snowing as it was on our visit, it’s usually a go and you won’t get soaked on the hayride. Nice touch! The covering also made us feel more enclosed and protected (from the elements, branches, and so forth, not the actors)!
The gravel trail was very walkable, nicely level, and smooth for the most part. As always, wear appropriate footwear on trails.
Forest of Screams has one of the best websites we’ve seen this season, with plenty of info to read before you go.
Hayride: 9.1
Trail: 8.92
House: 9.04
Atmosphere: 9.13
How Did We Get This Score?
Atmosphere Scores (10% of Final Score):
(60% of Atmosphere Score) How obvious was it that you were at a haunted house before entering?: 9.13Explanation:
Hayride: 9.5
Trail: 9.4
House: 8.5
(40% of Atmosphere Score) How well did the atmosphere prepare you for what you experienced inside?: 9.13Explanation:
Hayride: 9.4
Trail: 9.4
House: 8.6
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Forest of Screams had a very neat all-outdoor hub. From the ticket area that’s housed in a large barn-like structure, we proceeded to the hub of food, merch, and more. A tall werebat puppet and a really tall pumpkinhead puppet display made for great photo opps.
On this cold night of snow, hail, and sleet, a huge (we mean huge) roaring fire surrounded by benching was a real treat. It looked like there was about half a tree in there shooting up flames and making us feel toasty!
The covered hayride queue featured video monitors playing hilarious horror movie-themed videos, plus a tree creature animatronic that awoke periodically to deliver a speech about how the forest became corrupted and should be avoided. In the trail queue, we admired the cool entryway that resembled the front of a castle, right down to the impressive looking gargoyle on top.
All in all, a very appealing set-up!
Hayride: 9.46
Trail: 9.4
House: 8.54
Special Effects: 8.77
How Did We Get This Score?
Special Effects Scores (15% of Final Score):
(20% of SFX Score) How effective were the sound effects?: 8.47Explanation:
Hayride: 8.8
Trail: 8.7
House: 7.9
(20% of SFX Score) How creative / original were the scenes & props?: 8.97Explanation:
Hayride: 9.2
Trail: 9.1
House: 8.6
(20% of SFX Score) How well were the scenes detailed?: 9.3Explanation:
Hayride: 9.4
Trail: 9.3
House: 9.2
(25% of SFX Score) How well did they achieve & maintain the suspension of disbelief?: 8.67Explanation:
Hayride: 8.8
Trail: 8.8
House: 8.4
(15% of SFX Score) How effective were the SFX at providing scares / entertainment?: 8.33Explanation:Hayride: 8.6
Trail: 8.5
House: 7.9
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If you like high-tech effects, you’ll find a little slice of heaven at Forest of Screams. They served up some wonderful lighting, and demonstrated a solid handling of fog… which can be particularly tricky for outdoor haunts. They boasted a pretty good laser swamp, too.
But first and foremost, Forest of Screams always impresses with its sophisticated and involved set design. A few favorites: The cemetery on the hayride was oozing with creepy, moody atmosphere, bathed in fog and eerie lighting. The stone church really brought it all together, especially with being topped off by a deep red light in the belfry. It looked straight out of a Hammer film. Another cemetery, this one on the trail, provided an extensive stroll through gravestones, arches, and tombs.
The zombie/containment area gave us a lengthy walk through ruined barriers and obstacles, filled with sirens and puppets and a deeply cool animatronic of a zombie straining at a chain, reminiscent of ‘Bub’ from Day of the Dead.
The closing section of the hayride, kind of a cross between a voodoo village and headhunting grounds, really impressed with scenes of mayhem and carnage. After entering the castle-like fa������ade, the beginning of the trail went through corridors that continued with the medieval flavor, including a captive dragon!
There’s no doubt Forest of Screams delivered the biggest and best collection of animatronics we saw this season. From a giant cloven-hoofed, white-furred demon to an awesome looking angel of death who rose up on wings, from convulsing ghouls to an enormous creature resembling the ‘xenomorph’ from the Alien series, Forest of Screams conjured up an amazing amalgam of animatronical awesomeness.
Hayride: 8.97
Trail: 8.9
House: 8.43
Theme: N/A
How Did We Get This Score?
Theme Scores (5% of Final Score):
(30% of Theme Score) Could you tell what the theme was?:
(50% of Theme Score) How well was the theme carried throughout the attraction/s?:
(20% of Theme Score) How well does their location authenticate the theme?:
This score is left “N/A” when we believe the haunt is trying to target a random variety of themes or phobias, rather than a single overarching “Theme” or “storyline.”
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Scare Factor: 7.27
How Did We Get This Score?
Scare Factor Scores (15% of Final Score):
(30% of Scare Factor Score) How scary was it?: 6.63Explanation:
Hayride: 6.6
Trail: 7.2
House: 6.1
(15% of Scare Factor Score) How well did they provide scares to the entire group?: 8.07Explanation:
Hayride: 8.4
Trail: 8.3
House: 7.5
(25% of Scare Factor Score) How predictable were the scares?: 7.4Explanation:
Hayride: 7.3
Trail: 7.9
House: 7.0
(15% of Scare Factor Score) How well did they provide a wide variety of scares?: 7.37Explanation:
Hayride: 7.6
Trail: 8.1
House: 6.4
(15% of Scare Factor Score) How strong was the ending / finale?: 7.43Explanation:
Hayride: 8.2
Trail: 6.5
House: 7.6
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As mentioned in the Cast section, the attraction was somewhat short of actors on this night. As a result, there was a dearth of scares provided by actors. The ones who were there did their part well, but we felt like the scariness was down overall from years past primarily because of reduced cast size.
The voluminous animatronics contributed to scariness. Several of them gave us good startles, and the other ones were always great to look at and helped to establish a creepy mood. We can say the same concerning the detailed and expertly built sets.
The finales were better than most we’ve seen this year, especially the hayride (headhunting village) and house (a crazily shaking animatronic that ambushed us coming around a corner).
Overall, Forest of Screams is not particularly gory or bloody, and could probably be considered as being on the family-friendlier side of the spookiness spectrum.
Hayride:7.44
Trail: 7.57
House: 6.81
Entertainment & Value: 7.97
How Did We Get This Score?
Entertainment & Value Factor Scores (15% of Final Score):
(30% of E&V Score) How satisfied were you with the entertainment received during the main attraction/s?: 7.67Explanation:
Hayride: 8.2
Trail: 8.0
House: 6.8
(25% of E&V Score) How satisfied were you with the entertainment that’s available with* the ticket price, excluding the main attraction/s?: 8.3Explanation:
Hayride: 8.7
Trail: 8.2
House: 8.0
(30% of E&V Score) How appropriate is/are the ticket price/s?: 8Explanation:
Hayride: 8.0
Trail: 8.0
House: 8.0
(15% of E&V Score) Have they effectively used their available space?: 7.97Explanation:Hayride: 6.8
Trail: 8.6
House: 8.5
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The whole attraction lasted 45 minutes: 26 minutes for the hayride, 14 minutes on the trail, and 5 minutes inside the house.
General admission is $28, for an MPD (entertainment minutes per dollar spent) of 1.61, on the higher end of the scale. A speed pass (front of the line for all three attractions) is $38. Group rates are available for 15 or more.
Considering the entertaining hayride queue, the roasty-toasty fire, the fun hub with food and puppety photo opps, Forest of Screams presents a pretty solid value. It’ll be especially entertaining for those who like to take in great sets, and fans of animatronics and other high-tech effects. There’s no shortage of those things at Forest of Screams!
Hayride: 8.06
Trail: 8.14
House: 7.72
How Did We Get These Scores
Our Rating System
Each of the category scores in this review are calculated using a weighted average of several questions that we rate on a scale of 1 to 10.
The following breakdown explains what these scores typically mean. All of our Teams use this as a reference for providing accurate ratings:
10: “Peak Performance”This score is treated as if it has a chastity belt on it. “10’s” are reserved for the best of the best; those that we feel could not possibly improve on what they’re doing.
9: “Innovative and Groundbreaking”It rocked! Nearly everything seemed to go as planned and it was one of the best we’ve ever seen! These guys are leaders in the industry, and attractions like this are truly hard to come by.
8: “Solid”A high score on our scale. They had a good handle on it and, overall, they knew how to use it well. Most attractions can learn from what these guys are doing.
6 to 7: “Good”We could tell that a good effort was made. However, we’ve seen this done much better at other places, or can detect areas where significant improvements can be made. This is about the top end of what we’d call “Family Friendly.”
5: “Average / Fair”Compared to the competition, they weren’t the best, but definitely not the worst. Scares and Special Effects in this range are usually considered “Family Friendly.”
3 to 4: “Below Average”We could see that a clear attempt was made, but most other professional attractions are doing a much better job at this.
1 to 2: “Poor”It appeared that very little time, thought or effort was contributed to this aspect.
0 (Zero): “Non-Existent”No apparent effort was made to make this a significant contributor to the attraction.
Afterword:This rating system is standardized across all of The Scare Factor’s official haunt review teams. However, keep in mind there will always be minor differences between Teams, as we all have varying levels of experience. Regardless, we do our best to remain true to our core values, which is to promote all haunted attractions!Perhaps the biggest thing to remember is: sometimes the score – in and of itself – doesn’t tell the whole story about an attraction’s merits. This is why we provide detailed explanations for each category… to help you better understand how and why we chose the score/s that we did.We do our best to not let feelings or emotions rule our judgement, while also viewing the attraction through the lens of the typical haunt-goer. But, because all reviews with ratings are inherently subjective, this is nearly impossible to completely prevent. Though, when in doubt, we tend to give slightly lower scores than our original “gut feelings” to account for this, and also give the attraction more room to improve over time.We also do our best to be fair and consistent across all of the haunts that we review. We know that you’ll be looking at these scores and comparing them to other attractions, so we hope this review helps you out in that aspect.Do you have some feedback about our review system? Contact Us Here to let us know what you think!
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