Hammer Brothers Haunted Circus Review (2016)

Hammer Brother’s Haunted Circus has been fortunate enough to acquire many of the amazing actors from The Scare Fair. Many of them have between 5-18 years of experience and they are great at what they do. Each one that I came across was horrifying, yet intriguing. To run the many aspects of all the attractions, it takes about 90-115 cast members. In the Freak Show, my shout-out goes to the Jack in the Box and Teri and Gayle. In the corn maze, the slaughterhouse and the barber shop get shout-outs. At one point in the barber shop, I thought I was literally going to get my neck slit. Something about the actors being allowed to touch adds a whole other element.

The Hunt is home to 34 of those actors. They are zombies that are ready to eat your brains every night and they’re good at what they do in their areas. I definitely want to give this whole group a shout-out because there is something about letting people shoot you at close range with paintballs that impresses me.

I stood there with my mouth open as I learned that the cast does their own makeup and costuming. They do exceptionally well in this area, as some of them have many years of experience from being employed at Scare Fare. The costuming for each character fit in their scenes really well. The fortune teller in the Freak Show stood out to me, as well as the Ring Master.

The Hunt gets a special mention for lack of protection gear. They want to give you the most realistic experience of a zombie that’s really after you, so the actors do not wear any protective gear.

Matt told us many times that he loves to talk to people and hear what his customers have to say. Many of the ideas and concepts that you will see in all of the attractions came from his conversations with people. Matt has a love for his attractions and you can see it. You will come across many employees who will be eager to help you with any questions or concerns. Speaking of which, safety is a major concern and they handle it well with having safety systems in check, up to code and having continuous communication with each other. Free parking is a bonus and you will also find concessions to get a warm drink and other items. The one cool thing they have is the Scare Fair’s fire ring. It is to show love and respect for an amazing haunted attraction that came to an end.

Imagine driving down a country road with farms as far as the eye can see. Then there’s a huge, red and white circus tent in the middle of a farm field that’s lit up with eerie lights. Well, you don’t have to imagine it, because it’s at Hammer Brother’s Haunted Circus. As we pulled up, I remember saying to myself, ‘This is creepy good’ and it reminded me of a set for a movie scene. As you walk through the eerie lights and get closer to the tents, you can hear the creepy circus music with chilling screams.

Adrenaline will be the thing that courses through your body for The Hunt. You will get loaded with a protective mask and a paintball gun that feels like the real thing. You then go through your training and you line up. When they say ‘go,’ you will be led on foot into a field filled with zombies that are looking for you (and they will touch). Your breath will speed up and your heart will race.

The Freak Show utilized things that you would see in a circus to bring out the creepy factor. The perfectly-placed lighting and sound effects are frighteningly-delicious. Am I allowed to say corn is a special effect? The farmers that actually use the land plant a hybrid corn and those stalks are 8- to 10-feet tall, which helps keep you guessing in the corn maze. Fog is another big effect. Matt told us he is a ‘fog junkie’ and there was no shortage! The fact that it was being used in all the proper places made it even more amazing.

The Hunt has many special effects that are needed to make this the amazing game that it is – from the lighting and sounds to the lakes and lights. We also cannot forget about the guns that had to be modified for use in this game.

You can tell the haunt has some amazing people working in it that know what they are doing. This is a touch haunt and they WILL touch you. I can say that it just adds a whole other creepiness factor that gave me chills; there’s nothing like having scissors held at your throat or being locked in a room with no way out while you wait to become slaughtered. Also, there’s always something creepy about an outdoor attraction that feels like it continues to go and all you can hear is the taunting from creatures and the screams of victims as they try to make their way out of a corn maze that is not forgiving.

The Hunt is not as scary as in-your-face nightmares. It does, however, offer you the scariness of a real-life situation where you’re trying to survive. Like I said before’ the adrenaline kicks in, your breaths get louder and your heart thumps. It is a different level of scary.

This is the haunt that keeps on giving. Our Team literally spent 2 hours trying to go through everything and, when we thought we were done, guess again! We think this is a good deal for all that this haunt has to offer:

Walk-Through Cornfield w/ Freak Show: $12
Paintball Wagon Trail: $18 (extra paintballs $5/100)
Combo for both: $25 (Save $5, *subject to wagon availability*)

The Hunt is Zombie Paintball on the ground, defending yourself against zombies who are really trying to attack you. If you are a gamer and a fan of first person shooter games here is your chance to live it out in person, the safest way possible:

The Hunt: $30 per person
MUST RESERVE ONLINE, IN ADVANCE
Limited Availability
Only runs from 8-9 PM

If you are looking to do just The Hunt, you can. If you’re looking to do just the haunt, you can. If you want to do only the wagon ride, you can. When you combine them all, however, you get an action-packed night!