Celebrating its 37th season, Fright Farm remains one of Western Pennsylvania’s favorite annual attractions. Known for reinventing its haunted experiences each year, the event begins with a 20-minute haunted hayride that transports guests to a haunted house for a 40-minute immersive walk-through. This season’s theme, ‘Entombed,’ includes sections like The Hallow Grounds, Cursed, Shallow Wharf, Hotel Hawthorne, The Tomb, and Slaughter Hollow – each with their own unique scares.
Visitors experience a wide range of atmospheres, from chilling hotel scenes to Egyptian-inspired settings, with transitions between areas smoothly executed. Annual updates keep the entire attraction feeling new and exciting. Even familiar themes gain fresh twists, ensuring no two visits are the same.
The hayride, an enduring feature, was notably improved this year. The team’s revamping and redesign of several scenes made it more enjoyable and memorable than ever.
When we visited Fright Farm, there were about 130 cast members, likely the largest cast we’ve seen at this attraction. It may sound like a lot, but Fright Farm’s sprawling size means even 200 actors wouldn’t seem excessive. From the beginning of the Hayride of No Return to the end of Slaughter Hollow, every actor was high-energy and performed convincingly to keep guests entertained and scared.
Throughout our visit, interactions with the cast felt believable and fully immersed us in each theme. On the hayride, for example, we passed a graveyard with zombies who convincingly crawled, growled, and limped among the gravestones. A key moment was traveling through the Christmas-themed section, where we encountered Krampus and, it seemed, Jack Frost – both engaging with guests and making the scene memorable.
As we entered the house’s first themed area, a cast member wielding a shovel greeted us, pretending he wanted to bury us. Throughout our journey in the Hallow Grounds, other cast members stayed in character and were engaged with us. We then advanced to the Cursed section, where witches attempted to perform rituals on us, aiming to make us their next victims. The other cast members in this part played the unfortunate former victims of the witches. These cast members were very engaging and interactive with us.
After exploring a few more themes, we arrived at Hotel Hawthorne. Once inside, we were greeted by cast members acting as hotel staff. The front desk attendant seemed to be stuck in time, and other staff appeared trapped as well. Of all the themes, The Tomb and Slaughter Hollow stood out for offering the most engaging cast member interactions.
In The Tomb, cast members pretended they were vacationers who had ended up in Egypt. While passing through, we encountered several mummies that were roaming around us. The section concluded with a memorable appearance by Anubis, which wrapped up the experience extremely well.
Lastly, we made our way to Slaughter Hallow. This attraction was the most intense, so if you don’t want to go through, you can skip it. The cast members here interacted with you a lot, and they will touch you here. We couldn’t really hear what they were saying since it was so loud, but they were very intense in this section, making it the most memorable throughout our whole experience. We really recommend going through this section!
The costumes, masks, and makeup were consistently impressive throughout the entire experience. During the hayride, we were struck by full-body costumes in the barn that looked like Five Nights at Freddy’s characters and a very realistic Krampus. Inside the house, the trend of excellent costumes and creative combinations of masks and makeup continued. We appreciated the variety and effort throughout, but the most memorable included: the hotel employee costumes in Hotel Hawthorne; the vacationers in Hawaiian shirts, sun hats, and very realistic-looking mummies in The Tomb; and the especially well-made masks in Slaughter Hollow.
The night that we came, we only saw a couple of queue line actors roaming throughout their expansive midway. We weren’t one hundred percent sure what he was supposed to be, but it was a white raggy outfit with a white raggy mask. They weren’t scary, but they were super funny and entertaining. The one queue actor would come up behind people and scare them with his jug that he had stuff in, and it would rattle and after he scared them, he would skip going, ”la-la-la-la.”
After entering the address, we arrived right at our destination and were greeted by helpful parking attendants who guided us to park. From there, the ticket booth was visible in the distance, and the staff working there were very accommodating. Porta potties were conveniently available near the ticket booth and midway.
The attraction felt safe, with no visible tripping hazards, but be aware of stairs and some uneven surfaces both indoors and outdoors. Staff and security across the property were friendly and welcoming. The website was user-friendly and made it easy to find information prior to our visit.
When arriving at this attraction, you do not wait in line at all. Instead, they have a number board, and they put a number on your wristband, and about 50 patrons board the hayride. While sitting outside in the midway waiting to go in, you can see the haunted house in the distance with its flashing lights, which looks creepy. After getting off the hayride, you will need to wait in a small line to get into the haunted house. This is only a 5-minute wait. While standing there, you get a creeped-out feeling because outside of the house, you can hear some of the actors and patrons screaming from a distance, so you don’t know what to expect.
This haunted attraction didn’t follow a specific storyline, but it offered a variety of different themes throughout the walk-through. We prefer this approach, since it allows for frequent changes in atmosphere without being restricted by a set narrative. The experience kept us immersed the entire time, with continuous surprises that attracted our attention. Everything appeared well organized, and we didn’t notice anything out of place. We also appreciated that fog machines and speakers were kept out of sight.
The attraction maintained a great flow throughout. Every time a theme was completed, a clear sign directed us to the next section, and the atmosphere shifted instantly to match the new theme. We really appreciated this, since many attractions don’t offer signage between themes. After exiting, guests can take photos, then walk upstairs and conveniently re-enter the midway area to enjoy additional entertainment and prolong their visit.
We experienced a wide variety of sound effects throughout the attraction, and the speakers were consistently loud and clear, helping create a highly immersive experience. Some highlights included low-lying fog rolling from the cemetery, dramatic fire effects from the alien UFO crash, and a cast member with an alien gun that exploded loudly. Other memorable moments were two large skeletons singing, a dragon animatronic blowing fire, and the entertaining clown barn scene. In this scene, a cast member was shot out of a cannon that exploded, but when the stunt failed, the ‘wah wah wah’ song played, adding humor.
After the hayride, we set off on foot to explore the expansive Fright Farm attraction. The team’s commitment shone through the numerous special effects and intricate settings. Entering the Hallow Grounds, we were greeted by thick fog, the sound of thunder from hidden speakers, and lightning effects illuminating the walkway. Our path led us to a stunningly crafted church that felt like an authentic sanctuary. In the Shallow Wharf, the bell continuously rang, adding a cool atmospheric touch.
The attraction enhanced certain scenes by incorporating scents to intensify the effects. Some smells were so unpleasant they could make you gag, while in the Hawthorne Hotel scene, you might notice a distinct old lady perfume. These added scents significantly improved the sensory experience throughout our visit.
21. How scary was it? (35% of score): 8.75
22. How well did they provide scares to everyone in the group? (15% of score): 9.13
23. How predictable were the scares? (25% of score): 9
24. How well did they provide a wide variety (types) of scares? (10% of score): 9
25. How strong was the ending / finale? (15% of score): 9.63
Overall, the attraction was quite intense and scary. The hayride, aside from the Five Nights at Freddy’s scene, was the least frightening part. If you’re not a fan of chainsaws, you may want to skip this haunted attraction, since there are about ten or more chainsaw-wielding maniacs roaming around. We appreciated the dedication of the cast members, who did their best to scare and startle us. When they weren’t being scary, they made a point to entertain.
Over the years, Fright Farm has adopted a variety of new ways to startle and scare guests. One method we discovered is the use of ‘boo pedals’ in several locations. When a cast member presses a boo pedal, it triggers flashing lights and a sound effect, allowing the actor to jump out and frighten visitors. This is a newer and more inventive scare tactic. During our visit, we saw cast members jump out from all directions – front, behind, and both sides. We also noticed some areas where actors attempted to scare us more than once.
For us, the scariest part was Slaughter Hollow – a truly intense area that you can skip if you prefer not to be touched or risk getting wet. Inside, the combination of flashing lights and blasting heavy metal music creates a disorienting atmosphere. We loved just how thrilling this theme was. Cast members would grab you just enough to make you feel uneasy. There were also loads of impressive, terrifying masks. Thanks to PJ, Fright Farm’s show operations manager, for crafting such detailed and creepy masks.
Although the attraction lasts about an hour, it often feels longer. General admission covers the full experience. Ticket prices vary by date: in September, they are $35 on Fridays and Saturdays. In October, tickets cost $25 on Thursdays, $40 on Fridays and Saturdays, and $30 on Sundays. If you want an Xpress pass, prices are $55 on Thursdays, $70 on Fridays and Saturdays, and $60 on Sundays. This brings the Minutes Per Dollar (MPD) score to 1.74, much higher than average!
For groups of 25, you can reserve a private tent and bonfire, plus get your own personal hayride. Admission costs $60 per person for general entry, or $90 per person for the Xpress pass.
Each ticket comes with added entertainment. As you move through the venue, enjoy various photo opportunities and encounter actors in the queue lines. Live bands and DJs play every day to help the wait go by faster. If you’re interested, you can also play a variety of midway games for an additional charge before entering the main midway.
There are plenty of food options here, with a snack stand outside and an inside stand featuring homemade pepperoni rolls, pizza, and other treats. Fright Farm stands out for having the best food selections of any haunted attraction we’ve visited, which we’re grateful for since we always come hungry before or after the event.
Fright Farm features a spacious and well-stocked merch shop with something for everyone. We appreciate their wide variety of merchandise and the collectible items that make your visit memorable.
Overall, we were very satisfied with Fright Farm’s performance this year. This was truly the best experience we’ve ever had here, and we can’t wait to see what they come up with for next season. Fright Farm is famous for its chainsaws, and while we made it out alive, will you escape?
2043 Springhill Furnace Road, Smithfield, Pennsylvania 15478