Thick fog rolled through the sky, and in the distance we could see a large, wooden tower with carnival lights. This was the new centerpiece at Hanna Haunted Acres in Indianapolis, Indiana!
Hanna Haunted Acres features six haunted attractions: Their flagship Hanna Haunted Hayride, a corn maze trail, Stalker Farms, and three indoor attractions: Cannibal Chaos, Freakshow, and Dark Echoes.
Brand new for 2025, they have unveiled a more intense attraction: D.O.A. – an extreme, hands-on, sensory deprivation experience!
To go along with the frights are some great bites, drinks, carnival games, tarot reading, photo ops, fire pits, and more! You can absolutely spend an entire evening here! We decided to brave what the farm was about to throw at us, but those vampires were a bit more vicious than we were expecting!
Scores per attraction:
Cannibal Chaos: 8.14
Freakshow: 8.18
Dark Echoes: 8.46
Bitten: 8.57
Stalker Farms: 7.43
Haunted Hayride: 8.22
*D.O.A. was not scored as it is experienced with a hood on.
Throughout each and every attraction we encountered during our visit to Hanna Haunted Acres, the versatility of their cast was beyond impressive! Cannibal Chaos was our first of the night, and the supposed cannibals wasted no time in bringing us into their barn. With crazed looks in their eyes, they stayed close, judging whether any of us were worthy of becoming their next meal. Actors jumped out from inconspicuous places, either screaming at us or complaining about their hunger. Adding additional unique dialogue between the actors might make for a better flow, and while it was nice to have some breathers here and there to admire the scenes and their respective props, having a few more actors to fill those gaps would greatly increase the intensity of the experience.
As we entered Freakshow, those clowns took the fun right out of funhouse and replaced it with pure fear. The Candyman worked hard to convince us to try his cotton candy that housed an extra little surprise in the bag. Sketchy the clown followed us through the vortex tunnel and nearly out of the attraction entirely in an attempt to make us new spectacles of their horrid show. Other actors did exceptionally well, utilizing their scenes, using high places and hidden doors to scare us when we least expected it. Similar to the first attraction, though, there were noticeable gaps between actors that lightened the suspense on occasion.
Those hidden deep in the caverns of Dark Echoes waited patiently to bring forth the fear in us visitors. Cloaked figures appeared out of nowhere from all sides, clearly knowing the ins and outs of their darkened realm well. They could tell we weren’t from around there, and didn’t seem too pleased with us interrupting their underground rituals. We found it difficult to tell what was real and what was just our minds playing tricks on us, creating shadows out of nothing. While actors used the sneakiness to their advantage, a lot of them were rather quiet; having dialogue to explain why they’re down there or adding to the creepy chants we heard all around us might help guests get a better understanding of the story in the future. The one with the death metal growl, though, yes!
Bitten brought us into a world of vampires like we hadn’t faced before. Fanged creatures made hasty appearances, their bloodied faces telling us we weren’t the first guests to visit the estate, and likely wouldn’t be the last. They were all rather keen on drinking our blood, but each actor had unique dialogue and worked well with their scene, helping the attraction to be a lot more convincing. Plus, though they were all vampires, the personalities felt different from one another, keeping the characters from feeling repetitive. Count Zamale himself even paid us a visit near the ending, quite upset that we were leaving without him and his vampire friends getting a taste. Sorry, guys, we needed to keep our blood to make it to the next attraction!
Stalker Farms was a very fitting name for the corn maze, for it felt like we had eyes on us the entire time. Those that we did encounter had us believing they wanted us to stay more than they wanted us to flee. The silliness and spookiness of the characters made it feel like a corrupt game of cat and mouse, toying with us and hunting us down in their territory, and we never had a clue where to go next. We were chased out by a chainsaw-wielding maniac with a bigger interest in chopping us down instead of the corn! Some areas did feel pretty empty, though, maybe increasing the number of actors to make up more of the Stalker family would heighten the uncertainty of what might be hiding in the fields. With groups getting caught up to one another, however, actors did a great job keeping up with everyone and spacing out scares and interactions.
Vulnerability was a mutual feeling between the members of our group as we climbed onto the Haunted Hayride. While there isn’t a central theme for this attraction, all of the actors we saw seemed to match their areas well, including related dialogue. They were also super interactive with both their scenes and us, even following behind and temporarily jumping on board with us! They weren’t afraid to get up close and personal, that’s for certain.
The costumes and makeup got a few upgrades and improvements this scare season; there were definitely some new characters lurking about. It is apparent that a lot of time and thought went into how to improve and create some new costume creations, not just in one area but throughout the entire cast! For a park as large as this, we were majorly impressed with the costumes!
In Cannibal Chaos, the characters complete the theme with blood and guts adorning most of their clothing. Flannels and overalls were ripped and tattered, and most pieces were all distressed to match the chaotic setting inside the barn. All of the characters were dirty and dingy, looking like they had been through hell and back but made it out alive. Many had the appearance of open and fresh wounds, giving the effect of the hell they’ve been through, or been putting someone through, for that matter. The hostel-style butcher seemed to have forgotten his tools, but still spooked us coming out of the butchery. Everyone seemed to want to keep us for dinner, except the guy at the chicken coop. He was eerily dark and creepy looking, but rushed us away from his chickens in a flash!
The characters in the Freakshow this year will definitely cause some freakish nightmares IF you’re able to sleep! The ice cream man is a unique get-up with a mask of a scoop of ice cream and a cone on top. Another standout character inside was the Candyman with his offering of “cotton handy”. His costume was covered in bubblegum balls and a mask of a trap to catch you reaching for the candy dish. A newly created character this year was the crocheted ghost face! Over 14 hours of custom crochet work went into that costume, and we’ve never seen anything else like it! A few crazy clowns and a monkey critter meet you somewhere in the middle; they are colorful and have creative neon-lit masks and clothing. Sketchy the clown appears in the vortex with his moth-eaten overcoat and pale white mask with crazy neon hair, living up to his name, being that sketchy fella, following you to the exit.
Inside Dark Echoes, the costumes and characters were nicely fit into the set. So many shadow men! You know it’s creepy when something is right in front of you and you can’t tell exactly what it is or what it might do in the darkness. These characters were all throughout the inside of this haunt, bowing in and out of the darkness with their unique headpieces and scraggly costumes. The mask shapes throughout resembled creatures, like burlap bulls and goats, but were neither dead nor necessarily undead, either. The costumes on the taller characters toward the end all resembled gargoyle tree kings, with the tree limb and twig headpieces and tattered fabric clothing covering what looked like stick figures. Those were some really cool pieces that left us gazing at them while one of those shadows crept up on us from the darkness!
Inside what remains of Van Helsing’s Victorian style, the vampires have completely taken over. All of the costumes are set in the era of the stylish, elegant yet dingy ball gowns and elaborate discolored pearls and gems in their hair pieces. Every vampire had fangs bared, ready to take a bite, regardless of the remnants of their last meal still spread across their throats. The master vampire was a very striking figure with a massive Victorian collar, long black cape-style garb, and an eerie, lingering posture. Seeing him made us want to run!
The creepers popping in and out of the corn maze looked like they had been through a hard day of work on the farm. All their clothing was dirt and dust-covered, and they blended with the corn stalks to camouflage their look and make it easier to spook the group. Some were adorned with animal heads from the farm, like a goat and a rabbit, although the rabbit appears like a mad easter bunny with dirty fur. There was also a pink onesie costume that didn’t fit in as well as the rest, but this character made it work! We would love to see some hard-to-spot bushmen in the corn!
As we rode the haunted hayride through the forest, the costumes were very noticeable because the cast interacted with the wagon riders a lot, climbing up and leaning on the rails, and hanging on to the rear of the ride. We thought most of them fit in with the scenery. They wore big, tattered, and dingy cloaks, coveralls, and other attire that matched their scenes well.
There were a couple of witchy-looking ladies in cloaks who were carrying magic staffs. The chainsaw guy looked like he was ready to detach some body parts, covered in his butcher’s smock and mask of skin and stitches. Vampires dropped in on us from out of the dark, ready to take a bite with bright white fangs bared at the ready. Every creeper that lurked from the dark appeared as though they had been on a trek through the forest to get to us; dirt and grass stains on their clothing and bodies, and grim, tired looks painted on their faces.
Overall, Hanna Haunted Acres has some of the most unique and eye-catching costumes we’ve come across this season. They have definitely upped the game in some of the colorful creations behind the scenes.
Finding the haunt was a breeze! Free parking and a large, well-lit sign guided us right to the ticket stand.
Once inside, navigating the property was effortless. All of the attractions can be spotted from the central midway, and each one has its own themed signage and clearly marked lines. An addition this year was the Fast Pass Unlimited wristbands – simply scan the QR code on your wrist instead of digging out your ticket each time. Super convenient!
It’s clear that the Hanna crew wants every guest to have a great night. Every staff member we encountered was friendly, helpful, and kept things running smoothly. The scream park also has multiple portable restroom stations, sinks, and plenty of seating areas to grab a bite, enjoy a snack, or just take a breather by the fire pits.
Their website is also packed with everything you need to know before visiting – truly haywagon loads of helpful info!
Hanna Haunted Acres does a fantastic job of keeping you on your toes for scares, complete with a spooky midway where you can find entertainment and treats galore! Queue actors made their rounds between attractions, giving us only the slightest idea of what awaited us inside the haunts. The eerie yet surprisingly comforting atmosphere truly set the tone for our evening of frights. Since our last visit, they had actually added even more decor to the midway!
Each attraction located within has its own respective theme and story to follow, and the entrances to the haunts gave us insight into just that! For Cannibal Chaos, we first stepped into what resembled a barn and were soon met with said cannibals themselves. Mentions of their overwhelming hunger and how delicious we looked echoed throughout the attraction, never allowing us to forget the threat of being cooked and consumed. By them or someone else, we weren’t entirely sure, and we did not want to stick around long enough to find out. It was challenging at times to stay immersed when there were breaks in intensity due to a lack of actors, but we didn’t feel too secure in there, nonetheless.
From the array of carnival games to a broad collection of oddities, Freakshow certainly made us feel like part of the show! Disorienting lights and colors brought us deeper into the insanity. Funhouse mirrors had us questioning our reflections, twisting the ways we viewed ourselves. Plenty of clowns were laughing, even though there was nothing funny about how on edge we were the entire time. One thing was for sure, we knew we had to escape, for we didn’t wanna end up part of the act.
While our group did not descend in any way, shape, or form, as we turned the corner into Dark Echoes, the cave-like walls had us all feeling like we were trapped miles underground. Venturing even deeper, it appeared we had stumbled upon a cult of sorts in the midst of performing their most sacred rituals. Ones that might involve us as sacrifices if we didn’t find a way out soon. Flickering flames were the only source of light at times, illuminating thin hallways that really gave off a claustrophobic cavern vibe. We passed dozens of skeletons of previous cave-dwellers who didn’t happen to be as lucky as we were. Knowing our souls were on the line, we endured the worshippers and their incantations until we finally found ourselves back in the land of the living, for now.
A manor overrun by vampires was where our group found itself stumbling next, tension from the haunts before still lingering in the air. During our time going through Bitten, the bloodsuckers came out of every nook and cranny looking to feed, as if they could smell our fear. The Victorian decor of the estate was very fitting, and the characters were enticing; if our lives weren’t being threatened, we would’ve stayed to appreciate the beauty of the place longer! But alas, we still had places to be. Somehow, none of us managed to get bitten, as far as we were aware.
Full of hopes that we wouldn’t get lost, we made our way to Stalker Farms next. The night sky filled us with dread as we forged ahead into the corn that blocked our view of anything else outside the maze. Past remains of those who never made it out and heaps of abandoned farm equipment, we soon realized the corn was the least of our worries. Some of the sound effects and animatronics we encountered felt a tad out of place, thus pausing the immersion in those moments. We also had other groups catching up to us, which caused a bit of a disruption. But through and through, this classic-style attraction instilled terror and was beyond unpredictable.
Our final attraction of the night was the Hanna Haunted Hayride, and even though we got to sit down for a moment, it didn’t feel like a break by any stretch. The hayride doesn’t follow a specific storyline, but it does showcase multiple scenes. Signage or additional props to differentiate these changing themes on the trail would be a nice touch to help keep the pace and add more immersion. Dead space throughout the ride was fairly minimal, too, with either consistent scares or just general suspense from the darkness and distant, horrifying sounds. We were trapped and at the mercy of the trail until our ride finally came to an end. After braving and surviving every individual attraction, we ended up back out in the midway, where the fun never ended. Hanna Haunted Acres kept us busy and entertained until closing time with so much to see and do!
We also appreciated that the newly decorated gift shop is located near the exit of the attraction (as well as the entrance) so that folks can purchase keepsakes or swag on their way out. Get the candles! They’re the best!!
One thing all the haunts at Hanna Haunted Acres have in common is excellent scene building. If you can spare a look around while walking through (ya’know, between trying not to run face-first into an immaculately decorated wall and avoiding the various ghouls and monsters chasing you), then we definitely recommend it. Whether it’s the maximalist decor in the vampire’s mansion, the circus dressing room that truly made us feel like we stumbled into a performer’s dressing room, or a basement filled with skulls awaiting a dark ritual, there’s always something to look at. Even out on the trail in Stalker Farms, the strategic use of farm equipment in the cornfield made it a fun walk through (and those cabs in the equipment are the perfect place for more actors or animatronics!).
Speaking of animatronics, there are some awesome ones here you won’t want to miss on your visit. Dark Echoes boasts some of the best animatronics in the entire park, featuring huge figures that dominate their space, inspiring awe and fear in one well-oiled mechanical motion. The Haunted Hayride also has some impressive units, like a Headless Horseman that towers over the audience, or a massive spider that attempts to rappel down into the wagon at one point.
Sound effects were used well here, too. Dark Echoes’ scenery already makes it feel ominous, but the seemingly slowed-down and deepened Gregorian chant that filled every chamber made us feel like we were seconds from being sacrificed to an Old God. Cannibal Chaos owed some of that chaos to the cacophony of sounds throughout that kept us from hatching our escape plan. There is an opportunity for more sensory effects throughout to add tactile or more visual effects, but overall, we enjoyed what we saw throughout the park.
21. How scary was it? (35% of score): 7.66
22. How well did they provide scares to everyone in the group? (15% of score): 7.83
23. How predictable were the scares? (25% of score): 7.59
24. How well did they provide a wide variety (types) of scares? (10% of score): 7.58
25. How strong was the ending / finale? (15% of score): 6.92
Imagine you’re enjoying a nice hayride. You’re taking in the beautiful sights, contemplating the changing of the seasons, plotting your next apple cider slushie run, when suddenly the wagon comes to an abrupt stop. You look around, confused. In the distance, you hear an engine revving and the unmistakable sound of industrial machinery spinning. Suddenly, a combine bursts from the darkness and is racing toward you, blades spinning out of control. The tractor driver floors it, but it’s too late; the combine has already gained too much ground, and they don’t drag race tractors for a reason. Just as you accept that you’ll never get that cider slushie, the combine driver cuts the wheel at the last minute, sending it careening off the trail, sparing you a slushie-less death.
Scares like this are frequently a common experience at Hanna. From large thematic scenes on the Haunted Hayride, sustained dread in Dark Echoes, vampires lunging at you from every corner of Bitten, and everything in between, they have it all. On our visit, Dark Echoes came in first for scariest, followed closely by Bitten. Bitten featured an intense finale scene filled with an unfortunate victim being relieved of their blood by some kind of vampiric monster that sent us screaming from their chamber. Dark Echoes kept the energy high with sinister ghouls constantly hunting us and massive monsters threatening to snatch us up, which easily shook our entire group.
All throughout the park, the crew brought the intensity for us and made sure none of us were able to escape unscathed. Well-placed drop panel scares and animatronics made us keep our heads on a swivel to keep an eye out in all directions. Some of the finales left us wanting more, like from Freakshow. A stronger finale would’ve capped off an otherwise great show!
The atmosphere throughout the grounds of Hanna Haunted Acres has plenty of entertainment options for everyone in the group. The characters and actors wandering in and out of the queue area keep your attention and interact with visitors to keep you engaged while you’re there.
On the night of our visit (Thursday), general admission combo passes came to $37.90, with fees online, and the total haunt time for us was 38.7 minutes, which is right at the dollar per minute that we like to see! However, it doesn’t cost that much more to upgrade to an Unlimited ticket, which grants you unlimited access to the six main haunts! Keep in mind, all tickets are $6.05 more at the box office, so buy online to save!
The midway provides a great bonus to the main haunts on the property. The center is now illuminated and marked by a new giant 50-foot spooky tree. There are carnival games, a bar, a cider stand, kettle corn, and a concession stand that offers an array of both food and drink to keep you refreshed throughout the whole visit. A tarot reader and gift shop were available too, both offering memorabilia of a visit to Hanna. Included with every ticket is a variety of fun photo ops, warm bonfires with places to sit, spooky music, and digital boards that sing along with the music to watch!
There are also some side attractions, such as the new D.O.A. haunt, which is available for an extra fee, and the coffin ride. Some of our group took advantage of the new D.O.A. haunt and were eerily pleased! There are also carnival games, too. These options just add to the experience of the acreage this year. While Hanna doesn’t really call themselves a scream park, we would easily put them in that category and think they are an excellent option for a whole night out!
We found some impressive changes this year to the overall haunt experience, from costume additions to set designs, to some torturous new experiences altogether, that have amped up the intensity at Hanna Haunted Acres. Be aware, though, everyone seemed very hungry and insisted on keeping us for dinner…not as a guest but more like the main course!
7323 East Hanna Avenue, Indianapolis, Indiana 46239
