Haunted River Float Review (2024)

The diversity of different characters is something we enjoy at the Haunted River Float, and we were happy to see a lot more characters fitting into their scenes accurately this year!

Last year, we visited on quite a rainy evening, so we didn’t get to see any queue actors. Luckily, this year, it was the perfect autumn day, and so the queue actors did not come to play! As we stepped out of the car, we only made it a few steps up before making eye contact with Jason Voorhees. Our brave team leader ran back to the car, only to not be able to close the door or lock the car fast enough, and was ambushed by not only Jason but a chainsaw-wielding clown as well! This was the start of many, many scares to come. Especially from Jason, who managed to find us everywhere we went, chasing us in circles or cornering us against walls while getting his very real machete extremely close to our faces. The chainsaw-wielding clown also returned a couple more times to harass us while waiting in line for the hayride to the float, but we got to enjoy watching him scare the life out of other guests waiting as well. Stitch, another queue actor, was one of the most unique actors of the might, who had a gas mask sewn to his face! He would sneak up behind us and stand over our shoulders until we finally noticed him.

We also had plenty of fun encounters with the cast inside the attractions themselves. Cthulhu, who is quickly becoming a favorite of ours, climbed up on the side of our raft! After we all hailed him, he spun us around and sent us off back down the river. We then encountered a different Jason, who also climbed up on the side of our raft. He was chill enough to fist-bump all of us until he got to the youngest member of our group, whom he decided to flip off before sending us on our way. We had a good laugh after that!

The trail had plenty of scarecrows popping out at us, one even choosing to crawl while growling or yelling at us. This was the only area where a couple of characters felt out of place, as there was a Freddy Kruger and a clown thrown into the trail as well. The clown was entertaining, however, as he yelled, “Peel, Peel, PEEL!” while crawling and bending around us. Can’t say that we get that line very often. This wasn’t the last time we saw him, either.

Heading up into the forest, we reunited with the first Jason Voorhees yet again. After an intense staring contest, we also encountered cult members mumbling to themselves and other creatures with intense face scarring. We wish there were more actors in the trail and forest sections and that they utilized more theatrical scenes in this area as they did in years past for this section!

The haunt itself was full of demon-possessed girls, creepy dolls, insane clowns, crooked butchers, and more! They enjoyed trapping us and getting up close and personal. This year, they added a twisted Wonderland section, featuring the Mad Hatter, the White Rabbit, the Card Guards, and the Red Queen herself! This section was so fun! The Mad Hatter brought us into their tea party, setting up the scene. The White Rabbit yelled at us that we were late, leading us to the Guards who told us that we upset the Queen. Therefore, we were going to be beheaded. When we asked the Queen how we upset her, she yelled back that we ate her tarts. We got out of there before they could execute us. Further into the haunts, as we remarked how pretty one of the clowns was, she replied, “You are pretty too! You look like the kind of person who would have an existential crisis!” We could not stop laughing at that line. The contortionist made a return this year as well, managing to look utterly creepy and graceful at the same time. There were a few generic lines thrown out, but plenty more creative and memorable dialogue! Jason Voorhees made his final return, as well as the clown who likes to peel, cornering the team leader against the wall and chasing her all the way back to the car.

This cast is a blast and the reason we love going back every year! They have such a great balance of being scary and entertaining at the same time and clearly enjoy interacting with guests. Lots of props to all of the queue actors as well, who work double time in queues while also making appearances throughout the actual attraction!

In terms of costuming, the level of detail was quite varied throughout all of the attractions. It was clear that the younger members of the cast weren’t as detailed, many wearing t-shirts or very simple costumes with minimal makeup. That said, we understand that they were likely new to scaring in general and were being eased into it.

The rest of the cast was detailed and most of their costumes fit the area given to them. Staple characters such as Jason were movie-accurate, while other characters such as the clowns and the Wonderland cast took a unique take to their outfits and makeup.

We noticed more distressing and blood splatter on the actors this year as well. Most of the masks used throughout the attraction did not appear store-bought and were well-fitting from what we could tell!

The highlights of the night in terms of costuming include Cthulhu and his impressive mask and the queue actors Jason, Stitch, and the chainsaw-wielding clown (we didn’t get their character name) whose mask appeared to be the same as the logo the Haunted River Float uses!

The staff at the Haunted River Float is always super welcoming and informative. They made sure even with the long lines, guests were getting their waivers signed before heading inside to buy tickets.

Like last year, there is no issue locating the campsite, but this year they added a light-up arrow on a hearse that is parked up at the entrance to make it even more clear where to turn into! The inflatables, lights, music, and props make it very easy to find where to buy tickets from.

They also let you know everything you need to know before going out onto the river, making sure even the drunkest guests stay safe.

We learned our lesson from last year, and we went with a bigger group for our latest visit, and this helped immensely with keeping our experience smooth sailing. We recommend going with at least 5 people you know so you don’t have to be paired up with other guests, as this can make or break your experience. Once we got to the haunted house, we broke up into smaller groups, and this made for a much better overall haunting experience for everyone involved.

The pre-haunt areas got us hyped, with plenty of decorations, music, and roaming queue actors that got our energy up and adrenaline pumping. The transitions between each section were pretty smooth, though some areas felt more barren than others across the river, maze, forest, and within the haunt itself.

As we mentioned last year, the river is hauntingly beautiful at night, with the fog and natural ambiance. They also added new elements to the river to fill up empty spaces and it felt more active than in years past!

The maze itself was more of a trail, and with few actors and props, it felt more like a transition area than anything else. The forest brought us back into our immersion and properly prepared us for the haunted house, which had us completely locked in. The indoor section of the attraction is the most demanding, with many twists and turns, tight spaces, actors crawling all around the place, and even a couple of door puzzles to keep us engaged. We did spot a couple of the actors’ water bottles out in the open during this section, which was really the only time we were taken out of the immersion.

While we were dumped into the parking lot after it was all said and done, we got lucky with our encounter with a few more lingering actors who chased us to our car. (Chased Kassidy to the car while her friends/teammates watched and laughed)

While the haunt itself stayed mostly the same in terms of props and animatronics, we do want to mention that the addition of fireworks to the river was a very welcomed and fun surprise! The river itself was dark, using minimal small lights to guide you on where to go. This was definitely the right choice, as it made the whole float very eerie and kept the actors concealed in the darkness. While mostly relying on the natural ambiance, they also used some sound effects throughout the river, including a howl and a cannon blast as you pass by the ship!

The trail and forest used sound effects sparingly, mostly to set certain scenes before jump scares. The trail was dark, so we had to rely on the moonlight to guide us through. The forest used some lighting for props and scenes, as well as keeping the path clear and easy to navigate.

The haunted house is where the special effects are featured most prominently, with sound effects and some kind of music featured in almost every room. It was not overbearing or distracting but was just loud enough to keep everything intense. The lighting was colorful throughout but kept it dim to give the feeling of unease while traversing through. The house features some great set pieces that they continue to build upon and change year after year. We would love to see what more details they could add to the walls to add even more detail!

The Haunted River Float offers a ton of scares to its victims, building up in intensity as you move through the attraction! You are never quite safe, as you are bombarded as soon as you are on the premises!

Some of the jump scare setups were predictable, but it was really hard to figure out where the next haunter was going to pop out next, or even predict what they would do or say! There was plenty of diversity and the actors really enjoyed toying with victims when given the chance. We always expect something crazy when we visit the Haunted River, and we are never left disappointed! Each year, we leave with a new scary or hilarious story to tell.

Our total walkthrough time in each attraction equals about 52 minutes, but given the lines or how quickly you get through the river portion, expect your expedition to be over an hour long in total. The basic ticket is $40, which gets you through the river, maze, forest, and house. You can upgrade your ticket to a $75 Spookclusive ticket, which includes Zombie Paintball, an Escape Room, and Axe Throwing! Both packages offer free primitive camping as well if you wish to spend the night.

The Haunted River Float offers a whole night of terrifying fun for you and your friends! There is a reason this haunt has become an annual tradition. Not only for the scares, but we simply love the atmosphere the cast and crew have created, giving us a space to truly enjoy the spooky season. It’s clear that they love Halloween as much as we do. We definitely recommend a visit for yourself!