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.
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