Walking through a haunted house is a fun time! But have you ever just wanted to sit for a moment and have the attraction work around you? Hayride of Horror/ Curse of the Bayou has you covered. Like its name suggests, Hayride of Horror is a haunted hayride! This attraction remains a fun, friendly event for adults and families alike. This includes not only visitors but actors as well!
HoH had plenty of actors to make each scene work well. The hayride especially had a lot of interaction. As you go through the tractor ride, actors walk alongside the tractor or jump on the tractor. The hayride had actors who were so dedicated to their individual scenes that they were able to make them believable. The actors were great with dialogue in all their scenes. Special shout-out to the Maypole girls; it was jarring to see one of them begin to regret her decision to join them and hear the other girls dragging her back in. The cannibal family and doll area had great interactions, talking about the menu and wanting to be friends. The aliens in the alien crash scene were speaking in alien gibberish in such a convincing and comical way.
The CotB was a little on the lighter side; however, they were still able to put on a great show. The actors in CotB utilize natural space around them to create the story. The actors in the bayou were very interactive, especially when it came to answering the guides at certain points. A lot of the actors can interact by climbing and doing pop-outs to make you feel enclosed. The protector of the maze in the bayou was very interested in knowing if anyone in our group was pure of heart. This dialogue ran through the rest of the attraction, culminating in a great interaction at the end. Both attractions had a good variety. There were dolls, clowns, cannibals, aliens, and radioactive ghouls. People in animal head masks, cultists, bayou dwellers, and undead residents.
It was such a chilly night for a hayride, but the actors pulled off and wore their best costumes. The makeup team also does a great job setting the actors up for success by making their distressed makeup visible on a hayride.
HoH actors do a great job of creating characters that are kid-friendly, seeing as the majority of their actors are younger. The sideshow circus included a strongman and a contortionist who were appropriately dressed for the occasion. There was a Friday the 13th scene with two Jasons that jumped on board the hayride, complete with masks and machetes. The Midsommar scene will always be our favorite! The simple use of the white dresses and the flower crowns didn’t need any more explanation.
CotB leads us through a few mazes that had actors using the dark to blend in to complete the scares. A person in dark clothing hid in a corner of a makeshift pathway. A couple of actors were wearing all black when they were climbing above, slithering their way to stalk the lost patrons. We came across a traveler carrying an oversized camping bag while they displayed their trinkets, most likely all lost and found.
The queue line had an actor wearing a prop technically part of the costume. A VFX attack puppet looks attached to the actor’s body, which is always such a convincing prop. Grandma was also on site, wearing typical grandma clothes, but had distressed face makeup, so I’m assuming she didn’t drop off her grandkids at the hayride.
HoH is in Dellwood Park in Lockport. The park is designated for haunted attractions during the Halloween season, as it has space for both the hayride and CotB on the property. Parking is easily accessible, with plenty of spaces available on-site. Staff are around and able to direct guests into spots as they become available. Walking to the ticket booth is downhill, so we were able to get a high view of all the happenings at the midway portion of the attraction, which includes bonfires, food trucks, photo ops, and actors galore.
There are plenty of staff members around to answer all the questions guests may have. They will direct guests to the appropriate line they need to be in, depending on what pass they may have. The staff was super helpful and friendly, as we experience every year. Assuming guests purchased the combo pass and will be visiting CotB, they should expect outdoor terrain and wear appropriate shoes. This is an all-outdoor attraction, so also dress accordingly, or warm up by the bonfire. HoH has a great social media presence. In the queue, they play their TikTok videos in between other entertaining clips. These clips introduce their regular characters throughout the haunt in fun, trendy ways.
The ticket booth is positioned at the bottom of the hill. Queue lines are separated according to ticket type and which attraction you have purchased. A concession stand offered food and drink options available before or after scares. The night we attended was the first Sunday, they were open, so we had a light wait time, but we managed to enjoy movies on a projector screen. We had a couple of actors approach us as we were waiting in the queue line, which was very entertaining.
The hayride was set on a path going through different scenes at a continuous, reasonable pace. The actors are given ample time to reset and prepare their scares while staying in their designated spots, which helps with not catching up to any groups. There are times the actors leave their positions to jump on the hayride and
CotB was mostly made of mazes. There’s just something about mazes that throws common sense out the window as we get lost multiple times, which causes us to get caught up with other groups. After finally going through one maze, the Prince of the Bayou sends us on a task to go through another maze to prove we are pure to heart. This maze was not any better as we got lost many times again. After finally finding out way out, we
The exit leads back to the main area where a group of people surrounded a fire to roast marshmallows. This is a family public place where parents bring their children to attend the haunt while waiting around. This haunt provides entertainment for all members of the family.
For HoH were a bit more practical and hand-built with a mix of some great props sprinkled about. This works for their situation as the hayride simply rides past scenes at a fair speed. Some of the more memorable scenes were the Maypole, Asylum, and under the bridge. All of these felt completely different than the next and were strong points in passing. The actors, of course, stole the show, hopping aboard the hayride or walking along trying to keep up and warn us.
Under the Bridge, had great use of lighting and props. This was all done under black light and neon paint everywhere. There were several drop panels around to give the actors some sudden scare positions, and they used them well. Another fun bit was the sideshow area. We were introduced by the carnival barker to step right up and see their fantastic show. On each side of the hayride, we were treated to contortionists, strong men, and other usual sideshow acts.
CotB is a walking trail, and the effects here are a bit darker than HoH. Voodoo-themed elements occur here; this spread throughout the trail, but more so dominates near the end. There are a few different maze structures we must venture through to proceed, one of which holds an intro as we were told, “only those with a pure heart will make it through.” This maze is a bit darker than the first. This maze uses fog and lasers to disorient. Once we reach the merch, they have bottles and trinkets splayed out for us to view and possibly purchase. Shortly after, we find the voodoo queen, complete with a great throne and zombie slaves. The cabin holds some great details, and we have a secret exit to find to leave. Both attractions have some good hand-built sets that second as playgrounds for their actors… we are just visitors in their world.
21. How scary was it? (35% of score): 7
22. How well did they provide scares to everyone in the group? (15% of score): 7.2
23. How predictable were the scares? (25% of score): 8
24. How well did they provide a wide variety (types) of scares? (10% of score): 7.4
25. How strong was the ending / finale? (15% of score): 7.6
The attraction itself is more family-friendly. Despite this, there are a lot of startle scares while on the tractor ride. The actors were great in their scene as they were able not only to walk on the sides of the ride, but they were also able to jump on the hayride for scares. Throughout CotB, there were a lot of scares and good use of the layout to be effective. The bayou’s setting worked with the actors delivering scares so that the scene and the actor could get you.
The utilization of the park after dark set the actors up for all sorts of good scares. Actors were able to achieve different marks excellently. The actors are dedicated to their scenes. The timing and execution of different scare levels work well. The finale of the house has us running from the denizens of the bayou and into an area full of spiderwebs until we finally were able to catch our breath. In the midway, there are plenty of concessions, merchandise, and even a visit from the character Grandma, who’s looking to make cookies and get a light for her cigarettes.
Our walkthrough for both attractions was at the 36-minute mark. With the combination price for both attractions at $30, our Minute Per Dollar value comes to 1.2. This is a great value and price point considering how entertaining these haunts are. HoH is more on the family-friendly side of the spectrum. CotB is an optional admission price and would cater to a group who wants a bit more scares. I believe this accounts for all the bonfires and entertainment in the midway, as maybe parents or chaperones might hang out with the younger kids in their group, while the teens or older people in their group take some time to walk CotB. It makes for a one-stop shop of scares and entertainment. Kudos to the tiny actors on the hayride! They clearly love what they are doing, and that energy seeps into guests having a fun time.
199 East Woods Drive, Lockport, Illinois 60441