CANNIBAL CHAOS: Cautiously stepping into the cabin that served as the farmhouse for this cannibalistic hillbilly family, the first thing we noticed was the array of hunting gear hung on the walls. That should’ve been our first warning we were making a huge mistake going in there, but we’re haunt reviewers… we never learn. Another scene early in the house had an impressive number of taxidermied animals mounted on the walls – this clan were prolific hunters! A zombie rushing at us from an animated window swiftly had its face blown off. The family’s truck about ran us over at one point, barely contained by a gate as it honked and lurched forward. Animatronic threats, like a lunging skeleton, a corpse rising out of a rolling chair, and barking angry hounds were found throughout the house, along with a giant pendulum swinging from the ceiling! Watch out! Colorful strobe lights in one room enhanced the creep factor and made it slightly harder to find our way. The torso of a man with his legs sliced off (!) dripped blood into a bathtub in keeping with the gory, cannibalistic nature of the attraction. All of this was backed by a fun techno mix with banjo music, a bit of an odd choice but it did match the theme.
More sensory SFX would be a great addition to this already solid house, i.e. water and fog effects. They did have strobes and at least one air blast. Some animatronics, like the dogs, could use some repairs or replacement as they are showing wear and tear.
BITTEN: Entering this mansion that served as a lair for a clan of vampires, we admired the ornate wallpaper and old portraits that lined multiple scenes and hallways. Some of these were as possessed as this old house was, with animations of a young girl turning demonic, a ship sailing on the waves, and we saw one of an older man with creepy eyes at least twice. (Did he bear some significance here? Maybe the family patriarch?) A soundtrack that started off classical eventually turned more sinister the further we progressed. You’ll note I said “possessed” – the vampires weren’t the only thing you had to worry about here! Anything and everything could and did come to life, including cabinet doors, a child’s bed thrashing about as the spectre of her ghost rose above it, and even the whole ceiling opening up on its own! Red tendrils resembling blood vessels were an amazing touch throughout the haunt. We passed through a scene with several caskets in disarray… and not all of them were empty either. An unfortunate live victim sitting in a chair was being fed upon by a realistic bat puppet right before our eyes. Near the end of the haunt, we walked through an incredible scene that appeared to be the heart of this living house: the blood vessels had completely consumed it to the point where they were hanging from the ceiling!
While there were plenty of animatronic props and startles, we didn’t see much for sensory effects. Adding some where possible would make this house even more immersive to walk through.
HANNA HAUNTED HAYRIDE: Holy smokes – the park’s signature attraction was loaded with special effects! All sorts of animatronic effects, monsters, and scares menaced our wagon as we rolled through the woods. Right off the bat, a big sign almost toppled over to smash us! Multiple fire effects were used, both at random and as part of scenes. Several of the beasts we saw were larger-than-life, like two gigantic demons and even a freaking dragon! A team of pallbearers carried a casket our way… but it seemed the person within it wasn’t quite dead yet. Floating through the night, a graveyard ghoul drifted back and forth over our heads. Strobes illuminated the cabin that was home to killer chainsaw-wielding crazies. Cobwebs lined the lair of a massive SPIDER – that promptly dropped on our wagon! Eek! A cluster of jack-o’-lanterns glowed within a shack, and we also saw a cute effect with a trio of pumpkins singing to us.
There were some quiet points that could be filled in by either a consistent soundtrack or some sound effects. The train was awesome and included fog, but needed a loud horn or something to complete it.
STALKER FARMS: Not long after entering the corn, we noticed the bodies of less fortunate intruders strung up like scarecrows… yet another warning our group chose to ignore. The corn was lit well to accentuate set pieces without providing too much clearance to find our way. We walked by some very large farm vehicles, including a combine and other equipment, and also passed a chicken coop. (Which might’ve been a ruse for a little surprise I’m not going to spoil!) You could say we were SHOOK for a moment by an animatronic walkway. Sound effects were used at various points.
We encourage the Hanna team to continue adding on to the corn maze to make it a fully fleshed out attraction (as much as a corn maze can be). Some fog would be excellent in here!
FREAKSHOW: In addition to the multitude of creepy clowns and other freaks we faced off with, there were many other interesting sights and sounds under the Big Top. The fanged maw of a huge grinning clown provided a great entrance. A rotating ball sent colorful dots of light around one scene. Many rooms were decked out in fun textures or colors, like multicolored hand prints. An excellent funhouse-style soundtrack played in the background. There were tons of circus-related props: cotton candy, nasty bloody buckets of popcorn, a layer of carnival game prizes covering walls. The animatronic game of whack-a-skull left us longing to play! A fortune teller’s booth contained various artifacts and a glowing crystal ball. Surrounded by playing cards, a prop magician proudly displayed a box containing a gory victim sawed in half. A crazy collection of oddities filled the shelves in another scene. Stacks of colorful barrels nearly fell over on us later in the house! Strobes in multiple rooms, along with a vortex tunnel, provided sensory effects. We also really liked the dressing room scene; loaded with detail and so realistic!
The funhouse mirrors were looking worse for the wear and needed to be cleaned or replaced entirely – those weren’t as effective as they could’ve been.
DARK ECHOES: This dark underworld had a cavernous environment that truly made us feel like we’d descended below the earth. Several skeletal corpses were entombed within its walls. Water dripped between the teeth of a massive carved skull, and additional skulls formed the textures of some walls. An enormous animatronic beast- with numerous arms!- rose up and roared at us from a pit. Fiery sconces flickered against the stone. A foreboding soundtrack played and walking through one area, a sharp noise like a blade slicing through flesh drew our attention upward, though it wasn’t obvious what the source was. (We were probably better off not knowing!) Not every skeleton was actually dead; one thrashed toward us like it had been reanimated! One of the best effects in the house involved a booby trap from above, and another that was a hit with our group was the red laser effect that made it seem like we were wading through the River Styx – complete with an incredible animatronic of a reaper piloting a huge boat.
This house was really cool as it is, but additional detail could be added to the walls to enhance immersion. More water effects would do well here too.
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