This attraction was reviewed on September 23, 2023 by Team Lone Wolf.

The scene before me is what I can only describe as ‘pure Halloween’. Strings of lights glow softly over the wide grass lawn. Buildings, offering photo ops and merch, are outlined in gleaming purple and orange LEDs. A pleasant scent of wood smoke hangs in the air, sourced from bonfires burning into the night, its sky illuminated by the cold half-moon and dotted with stars. Distant, shadowy figures race across the grounds; young patrons scream and laugh while being pursued by the shrill roar of chainsaws. I’ve just arrived at one of Indianapolis’ most well-known ‘scream parks’: Hanna Haunted Acres.

Hanna has been around for a LONG time – over 25 years! With six different haunted attractions (including a lengthy hayride), carnival games to play, vendors hawking fresh eats and sweet treats, several free photo ops, and much more, the Acres offers more than enough to fill a whole night for any group of haunt-goers. Up until now, I had only visited once, waaay back in 2018 – so when I saw an opportunity to return and give them a review, I was excited to see what had changed from five years ago. The answer: a whole lot!

(Important Note: I experienced Undead Underworld, Acres Manor, and Cannibal Chaos completely alone. In The Horror Fields, I entered alone, but often encountered other groups trying to find the exit. For Freakshow and Hanna Haunted Hayride, I was placed with groups of other customers.)

A colossal cast of creepers had taken over this scream park, and even when you weren’t inside the haunts, you were never completely safe! In addition to the horrors in the houses, a good number of monsters also roamed the grounds. Among the ones I spotted were movie characters (Art the Clown, Michael Myers), multiple clowns, a ghillie suit monster, and chainsaw maniacs. I was fortunate enough to avoid their attention… but many other patrons weren’t so lucky!

THE HORROR FIELDS: There were more maniacs prowling than I remember from my first visit, and they did well with working the maze. Characters ranged from more movie monsters (Jason Voorhees, Ghostface) to some a little more original (skull-faced jester, chainsaw-wielding clown). This cast wasn’t the most interactive with groups, but they did play off of each other to achieve scares. Right off the bat, a nasty nun threw me under the bus, calling out to the aforementioned clown: “Chainsawww! Come and get her… hurry!” Other dialogue included evil giggles (clowns), sudden grunts or shrieks to startle customers, threats, and taunting. One character asked where I was going, then stated he’d give me a whopping ONE second to run. “… ONE! Here I come!” Yeah, I skedaddled.

UNDEAD UNDERWORLD: Quite a few grim ghouls and reapers lurked in the shadows of the caves, with many so cleverly concealed, you wouldn’t notice them… until they wanted you to! They were also creatures of few words, limiting their dialogue to guttural hisses and growls and bizarre chanting. I did encounter one who waited for me up ahead – when I drew closer, they laughed and scurried off to sight unseen! (When actors are close to groups, some menacing words- whispered or growled- would help to make this house even more unsettling.)

FREAKSHOW: A good-sized crew of creepy clowns inhabited this fiendish funhouse – both inside and outside! While waiting to enter, I spotted Sketchy hanging out with groups, taking photos… and stealing the occasional scare. He noticed me watching and gave a little goodbye wave before my group went inside. “It’s playtime!” one clown girl delightedly sang out upon seeing us. She, and another female clown, continued to interact playfully as groups made their way through. Most of the other clowns only cackled loudly in attempts to startle, or honked horns in lieu of dialogue. We did encounter an *irate* male clown with facial hair, who didn’t care much for our sluggish pace. “KEEP. GOING,” he bellowed, and continued to take his bad mood out on us as we scooted past him.

ACRES MANOR: This mysterious mansion had a reasonable number of spectral lords and ladies occupying it, along with their hired help. Shortly after I entered, a staff member in the dining room cordially- if not a bit sinisterly- invited me to “Stay for dinner?” Another chastised, “You’ve been invited, awfully rude of you not to stay! You’re first up on the menu!” (Well, that confirmed my suspicion – I *was* dinner.) Stepping into a nursery, a lady demanded that I “play with her baby!” but let me tell you… that child had seen far better days. Everyone in here seemed to want to keep or eat me and didn’t deviate much from that. “Would you like to stay forever?” one spirit inquired, and was responsive to my “no ma’am”. “How disappointing,” she frowned.

CANNIBAL CHAOS: The family of farmhands occupying this sinister slaughterhouse numbered just enough to keep it adequately covered. In addition to the hillbillies you’d expect, the cast included some surprise characters – like the big, scary steer! Holy COW! The matron in the farmhouse kitchen didn’t appreciate my intrusion, and snapped that the “cannibals would eat me, and cook me up like a human stew!” Another young lady pleaded with me not to leave, because “we haven’t had dinner yet – we’re sooo hungry!” Sorry ma’am, no Bacon for you. A tall, dark-haired good ol’ boy, seeking to stick me like a piggy, wouldn’t let me off the ‘hook’ as easily as the others… he jammed it into the wall and blocked me from the exit!

HANNA HAUNTED HAYRIDE: As our wagon rattled and rolled through the trees, I noticed the woods were kind of light on night creatures lurking within them. We did come across some fun freaks, though! The wicked worshiper- backed by a towering, booming demon- was an interactive standout, shrieking at us to “Save our souls!” When one brave rider asked about her own, she snarled, “I don’t have one!” Threats of devouring our flesh and blood followed, along with “You’re all gonna die!” as the wagon pulled away. (Man, that chick was MEAN.) A shaggy werewolf paced along one side of the trailer, growling, then climbed on the back and let out a low howl. Later on, we had a run in with a camp of rednecks, one of whom was eager to show off the ‘tools’ his family liked to play with. (He asked if we could guess which was his favorite. One guest’s answer of “a hoe” got the whole wagon laughing.)

Most of Hanna’s monsters were made up in a solid array of masks and makeup, and many of the costumes were what you’d expect for the characters they represented. They weren’t always super fancy, but you could usually tell who- or what- you were supposed to be looking at, both for the roaming cast and in-haunt actors.

THE HORROR FIELDS: The nefarious nun’s makeup was a favorite here – she genuinely creeped me out! Jason Voorhees, Chucky, and Ghostface all wore movie-accurate masks with complete costumes. Chucky even had a knife! Other characters, while not amazing, looked like they belonged in a haunted corn maze. The only one I felt could use some costume love was the chainsaw guy lurking near the exit, who had bloodied- yet normal- clothes on.

UNDEAD UNDERWORLD: Tattered rags and hooded black robes adorned nearly every ghastly ghoul in the house. Most wore skull or monster masks; I noticed little makeup on anyone. There was one actor who looked very young and their face was nearly bare within their robe, which made them seem out of place among all the reapers.

FREAKSHOW: While a lot of good masks were used, some of the clowns wearing them had black outfits that didn’t match their look. (These tended to be clowns who were positioned for pop-out scares and didn’t have a lot of visibility to patrons, so maybe that was why.) A few wore makeup, and I remember seeing the odd jester-like costume. The loud, intimidating male clown had a bright, garish outfit to match his makeup, my favorite look in the house. Some clowns carried horns for both atmosphere and scares.

ACRES MANOR: The mansion’s staff were professionally dressed in maid hats and neat dresses. As expected, its residents wore slightly classier outfits, save for the one older spirit standing in her nightgown in a parlor. Just about everyone had their face made up to resemble ghosts, and I don’t recall any masks being used.

CANNIBAL CHAOS: As this was a slaughterhouse-themed attraction, most of the characters I came across wore what you’d expect from a family of cannibalistic creeps: overalls, farm clothes with some wear and tear. Some were a little more in touch with their… animal side, like the actor wearing a pig half-mask, and the other with a steer mask and matching arms! A few wielded weapons to make their characters more believable. Makeup seemed to be minimal and I remember seeing one or two actors in plain clothes, but overall, the cast here looked the part.

HANNA HAUNTED HAYRIDE: There were not a whole lot of live monsters to menace us on the hayride, but most of the costumes were good enough to at least get the point across. I’m a werewolf fan and I really liked Hanna’s, with his furry arms, a mask bearing a snarling smile, jeans, and a tattered flannel shirt. The robed demon worshiper looked as sinister as she behaved: her face was deathly pale and had dark markings around her eyes. Smears of blood marked the rednecks’ faces. Previous victims of the swinging pendulum appeared to have gashes on their faces, along with bloody clothes.

A big, brightly lit Hanna Haunted Acres sign waited right at the entrance of the street you turn on to reach the haunt. There was plenty of FREE parking available in a large field, and they had a parking team wielding brightly lit wands to guide you to a space. While not too hard to navigate, I felt the lot could use slightly more lighting due to the uneven ground.

Hanna utilizes a “sliding scale” pricing system, meaning what you can expect to pay for tickets will vary depending on the night you go. Peak nights = higher prices. Between that and the fact you will pay more if you buy at the gate instead of online, I found it confusing. The grate covering the screen with ticket prices at the booth didn’t help. I went on a Saturday in late September and paid $58.00 for a Fast Pass admission – I believe General Admission was $41.00. In addition to these options, more tickets were available for customers who wanted to go through the attractions more than once, do the hayride only, etc.

Staff and security were clearly visible throughout the park, and while some were friendlier than others, no one was rude at all. Well-lit, clean port-a-potties were provided for anyone needing to use the restroom. Each attraction, along with the merch stand and food vendors, was clearly marked and I had no trouble finding anything. I would have liked to see more lighting on the grounds, too; there is a ton of uneven natural ground, spongy mats, and other stuff patrons could trip over, and when you’ve got actors with chainsaws chasing people across the square, the risk of injury increases.

Hanna has carefully crafted an atmosphere with their scream park that’s a little scary, yet fun. Popular music provided the backdrop to distant screams and the shrill sound of saws. Orange and purple lights glowed around the entrances to the merch stand and photo ops. Several characters prowled the property: stalking, scaring, chasing guests… and stopping for the odd picture. All six of the haunt’s attractions had their own themed facade; the best had to be the Hayride’s, with its glowing eyes glaring balefully over the whole park!

(One thing stuck out like a sore thumb: what was up with the random, darkened trailer sitting in the middle of the square? It wasn’t decorated and I didn’t understand what its purpose was.)

Most attractions’ finales were nothing memorable, but they all exited into the same square, so you were back in the park’s atmosphere once you completed them. I also did not spot any exposed speakers, water bottles, or other immersion breakers in ANY of the haunts – nice!

THE HORROR FIELDS: On either side of the dirt paths, stalks of corn rustled quietly in the breeze; a spooky sight on a moonlit Autumn night. Outside of chainsaw roars, the only sounds among the rows were those of other groups and the actors hunting them. I got a laugh out of two guys going “Hello Jason, lovely to see you again!” and cheerfully waving at the serial slasher.

This was a solid corn maze that did what it was supposed to do. I would love to see it spruced up with some scenic lighting, props, and sounds- or at least music- to cover up the awkwardness of hearing all the people around you.

UNDEAD UNDERWORLD: The cavernous, shadowy walls and ominous glow of the light against them truly made it feel like you’d just begun your journey into the underworld. Early on, I stumbled upon many remains entombed in the walls – perhaps those who came before me and perished? Or the vessels of the dead, laid to their final rest here? The whole ‘underworld’ vibe only grew when I noticed an immense reaper guiding a ship. It reminded me of the deity Charon, who guides souls to the afterlife in Greek mythology. One large animatronic didn’t seem to be working, which was a disappointment and briefly knocked me out of the environment, but the Underworld was one of the more immersive attractions in the park.

FREAKSHOW: The red and white stripes of the circus tent facade left no question as to where you were headed: right under the Big Top! Music being played, and well-designed circus posters on the walls, enhanced this immersion – as did the gaping clown maw you passed through to enter the house. Once inside, rooms ranged from generally funhouse/circus-themed to those designed to disorient. The attraction did line up with the story written on Hanna’s website, as you encounter the Great Ringleader (animatronic) towards the end. Some rooms had a little too much open space to feel as believable as others; adding additional props or animatronics would help.

ACRES MANOR: A haunted mansion in every sense of the word, from the elegant house facade outside to nearly every room you pass through. Every character you meet is clearly no longer part of the living world, and just about everything in the house seems to be possessed! The Manor was easily the most immersive out of all six of the Acres’ haunts. While the description on their website is well written, I feel like it’s a missed opportunity to not give this house a full storyline. It deserves it.

CANNIBAL CHAOS: It was pretty obvious this was a slaughterhouse, but it quickly became clear that animals weren’t the only thing being slaughtered… let’s just say ‘long pig’ was also on the menu! With a heaping helping of gore and countless stuffed and mounted animal and human bodies, you certainly didn’t want to tick off these hillbillies. The one bit that didn’t make the most sense to me was transitioning from the slaughterhouse to what looked like a farmhouse kitchen or dining room, then I was right back in the midst of the slaughter afterward. That threw me off for a moment.

HANNA HAUNTED HAYRIDE: There was no set theme or story with this haunted hayride. It was a rocky ride through the trees, with monsters- both real and pneumatic- coming after us! Some of what we encountered included beasts (dragons, werewolves), mythical creatures (vampires), legends (Headless Horseman), creepy crawlies (spiders), ghosts & ghouls, a camp of crazed chainsaw-slinging rednecks, and much more. And it had one epic surprise ending… I’ll leave that for you to find out.

Regarding their animatronics, they used a LOT of them and some were truly impressive, but they were sitting on a walkway overhead and not really given a scene to make them shine and feel more realistic. The roaring dinosaur head’s metal extender was clearly visible behind it and made its appearance seem random, not like a dino was actually popping its head out of the trees.

The whole property had a nice spooky ambiance, enhanced by the use of lighting to create atmosphere and illuminate haunt facades and smaller buildings. Their photo ops were particularly impressive: I came across a throne in blacklight colors that could seat three guests, and another had moving animatronics! Upbeat music and the distant sound effects coming from the Hayride added to the Halloween vibe I felt while exploring the square.

THE HORROR FIELDS: Since chainsaw roars are technically a sound effect, I am giving points for that – and those did help to get your heart racing while you tried to find the exit! The maze was also laid out well, with wide, smooth dirt paths and corn stalks tall enough to conceal actors and make it challenging. Sadly, there was nothing by way of lighting, props, or anything else used, a missed opportunity.

UNDEAD UNDERWORLD: Hearing unearthly groans emanating from somewhere unseen, and looking at the skull-studded walls, made me a touch reluctant to descend into this underworld. The groans and rumbles continued throughout the caverns. There was a LOT of eye candy here; the huge reaper at the head of a giant ship was my favorite, but there were other massive skulls, skeletons, and monsters towering in place or rising up from the ground. Lighting was used effectively to create an ominous, warm glow, making the place feel genuinely subterranean. Another favorite effect was a literal booby trap – giant stone blocks fell from the ceiling and tried to crush me!

FREAKSHOW: Part circus, part funhouse, many portions of the Freakshow were painted up in bright, disorienting colors, very appropriate for a clown haunt. One scene used funhouse mirrors. Quite a few animatronics were included; some were for atmosphere, while others were positioned to get jumps from groups. I enjoyed the soundtrack – darkly playful when we first went in, transitioning to gloomy and bizarre later on. The best effect had to be the Great Ringleader animatronic (a modified Distortions troll); he rose up impossibly tall, and bellowed at us in his deep voice!

I did notice some cosmetic damage while we were going through, both to the paint in various rooms, and the props and animatronics. Many had visible wear and tear. Customers will damage things and that is unavoidable, but I felt like this particular house needed some TLC.

ACRES MANOR: Easily the most SFX-heavy attraction in the whole place. A gloomy, foreboding soundtrack played at the house entrance. Once I was inside, it felt like anything and everything around me was haunted and might come to life! Bookcases tipped over, cabinets and doors trembled or even flew open, and the dining room table shook – causing plates to jump. The mansion’s many portraits and paintings moved before my very eyes, their subjects transforming into twisted versions of themselves (the one with the ship moving on the waves was amazing!). In one room, a chandeler dropped and threatened to fall on me… and in another, the whole freaking ceiling opened up! It reached a point where I began to dread entering the next room – because what on earth would happen next?!

CANNIBAL CHAOS: Lots of gory, nasty, gritty props and set work drove home the point that this was one sinister slaughterhouse! In addition to gore galore, there was also a good deal of farm machinery and stuffed animals (the stuffed moose was enormous!). A rough, grindy soundtrack backed the house, with mechanical noises and cries of agony laid over it. At one point, a huge honkin’ truck tried to run me over!

I noticed some lighting opportunities when it came to a few of the rooms. They were a bit darker than the rest, making it harder to appreciate the detail put into them.

HANNA HAUNTED HAYRIDE: The Acres’ signature attraction was another that went heavy on the SFX. *So* many animatronics: a castle occupied by vampires, pallbearers carrying a casket (with a not-quite-dead occupant!), multiple massive demons that roared and threatened us with a terrible fate. The Headless Horseman’s noble steed reared and neighed as he boomed at us about our impending demise. A large dragon (!) even flew over our heads! Those are just some examples – there were far too many to mention them all. Lighting was used to enhance scenes or draw our attention to animatronics. Bursts of real fire were deployed for both atmosphere and jumps. Spooky music played around the vampire castle and funeral scene, and wolves howled from somewhere in the distance. The horns they used were so loud you could hear them clear across the park.

I would like to see a more consistent soundtrack used – there were periods of awkward silence as we rolled through the woods. Having some music, or more sound effects, would help to break that up.

Like I said, you really weren’t safe anywhere in the Acres. If you managed to avoid the attention of the in-house monsters, you still had to worry about the ones on the loose around the park! They decided to be nice and spare me, but I saw countless teens tripping over each other to escape killer clowns and chainsaw-brandishing freaks. Quite entertaining, really.

THE HORROR FIELDS: Because this was literally just a corn maze with nothing but people in it, all scares were actor-based. Most weren’t afraid to take a chance on you, even when you clearly saw them coming, and some worked together to grab scares (see my note about the nun and the clown above!). I got spooked a couple of times by cleverly hidden characters in the corn, Jason Voorhees being one of them. The chainsaw guy at the end went for intimidation, and I found myself in a staredown with him when he came up close and glared in my face.

UNDEAD UNDERWORLD: While the house made attempts at animatronic scares, the cast were the real MVPs. All those big reapers and skeletons provided the perfect distractions for sneak attacks! Many were not afraid to stalk or creep on me, or work together at times (like the pair who followed after me, chanting in a bizarre language that sure didn’t sound welcoming). One actor pulled off a ‘now you see me, now you don’t’ scare, cackling up ahead and darting off. Where could they have gone?! I was in no hurry to find out!

FREAKSHOW: These clowns were sneaky and liked to hide – there were many pop-out clown attacks, with a few automated jumps thrown in. I went in with two other brave ladies and things were cool at first, then a big group of guys- who were clearly not fans of the circus- caught up to us midway through. Clowns can sniff out fear like no one else, so unfortunately, all actor scares went to them from that point on. It was pretty funny hearing “Oh hell no!” and watching them nearly bowl each other over going for the exit, though.

ACRES MANOR: Completely possessed as it was, most scares in the Manor were automated, but these also served as nice distractions for the cast. They definitely watched for opportunities to catch me unaware; there were multiple occasions when I thought I was alone in a room… and got a sharp reminder I wasn’t! Some went for the creep-out factor, following and staring while trying to interact (and again, providing a distraction for a fellow actor or animatronic to get a scare).

CANNIBAL CHAOS: Cannibal was very actor-driven, with a few animatronic jumps included. These rowdy rednecks silently followed and stalked after me, taunted, threatened, blocked my escape, or hit things to make me jump. The steer actor scared me the most, he was much bigger than I was and just charged after me! Yikes! The skinnier male actor in overalls with short, dark hair near the end was loath to let me escape, and came back for me multiple times – almost preventing me from leaving the house!

HANNA HAUNTED HAYRIDE: If creepy animatronic critters freak you out, you’re going to have a hard time here: multiple ghouls, ghosts, and even a giant spider (!) flew over or dropped on our heads! Other beasties lurched forward (nearly hitting some of us in the process), trying to snatch us off the wagon with claws and teeth. Even seemingly harmless objects (you’ll know when you see it) tried to kill us! Actors tried to get at us, too, and got some jumps here and there – the multiple chainsaw assaults really spooked some folks in our group! Most live monster attacks were directed at the back, where they could jump and hang on, but the middle also got some attention. Unfortunately, those sitting near the front tended to miss out.

Although I splurged on a Fast Pass ticket, we measure this category using the GA price. On the night I went, it took me approximately 35 minutes to survive all of Hanna’s horrors, bringing the MPD (minutes per dollars spent) value to 0.85. While I personally prefer to gain at least one minute of time in a haunt per dollar spent, none of the haunts I went through were of poor quality, so I was satisfied with the value provided. And I really enjoyed roaming and hanging out around the square, warming up by the bonfires and watching terrified teens take off from cackling clowns and other monsters.

After five long years away from Hanna Haunted Acres, I was pleased with all the changes they’ve made and felt like it was a solid scream park haunt. If you’re like me and haven’t been in a while- or just want to see what creepy creations they’ve come up with for 2023- consider coming out to visit them this season.