Horsemans Hollow Review (2018)

There was definitely a smaller amount of actors this year opposed to past ones and that may have been due to it being a Sunday night when we attended. I definitely felt as though they could have used more scare-actors especially on the trail areas between the buildings. The dialogue and interaction are very good here as it’s more of a theatrical event like a walk-through, living history show more than a full-on, jump-scare marathon.

There is a wide variety of types of colonial characters ranging from redcoats all the way to Pirates. Standouts here would be the actor who played Ichabod Crane as he looked very authentic in both makeup and costume. There was also a gentleman outside the church in the cemetery looking for blood donations. I did miss the vampires in the church this year as they were a highlight from last year.

The costumes here match the time period well. They are authentic, fully realized, and detailed. Personal favorites are the Redcoats as well as Ichabod Crane again. The girls who were dressed as ethereal ghosts in what looks like an attic were also high points.

Most of the makeup was adequate with lots of dark eyes and shading. They had more of a ghostly look overall rather than a gory or zombie appearance. Pale and spooky was a much better way to go. There were only a few masks here but they were of good quality especially the two guys in the beginning who seemed to be the Horseman’s guards or soldiers complete with their black headwear and tunics.

The haunt is very easy to find as it is located right off the main road in Tarrytown. You can follow the signs for event parking down the hill where there is an enormous and free parking lot if you don’t mind walking just a little bit. The staff here are very friendly, helpful and dedicated to making this event a success. I do highly recommend utilizing the ample and free parking down by the river. That way after you walk up a short hill, you will find the candlelit and winding trail that overlooks the pond and the historic houses beyond.

This is an outdoor walking trail but it is mostly flat and cleared. Although we still recommend that you come prepared for the terrain and dressed for the weather.

The staff and management were exceptionally friendly and helpful and willing to answer any questions that we had.

If you take the recommended walking trail around the pond up to the attraction, you can take in all of the creepy, cool atmosphere with the lighting on the historic buildings and the music playing. As you walk through the relative darkness, you can hear the screams and sounds coming from within the Horseman’s Hollow attraction across the way.

All kinds of creepy and spooky vibes were going on here especially with all the real candles along the trail. You can immediately get the idea of what this place is about based on the surroundings and the overall look of the grounds of the historic site.. You instantly know you’re walking into a colonial-era ghost story.

Given the theme and the time period, special effects are not exactly Horseman’s Hollow’s main focus. So we didn’t notice anything super fancy or high-tech here but they do utilize sound effects in the buildings and on the trails. The sounds consisted of voices, especially children’s voices in the woods and bushes.

The sets and the props are designed to bring the Legend of Sleepy Hollow story to life. Different locations from the story and authentic places from that time period of colonial Sleepy Hollow Village are accurately portrayed. One of the best special effects that we came across was spotted early on in the trail. There was an attic or barn and a large, ghost-like characters that looked very much like the creature from the Poltergeist! It was really impressive-looking and matched with the live ghosts that seem to float around the room. It also had a creaky floor.

The theme is, of course, one of the most well-known stories ever (especially around Halloween), The Legend of Sleepy Hollow. So not only will you get to hear all about the Headless Horseman, you will also get to see many of his victims. You will also experience a dutch church, Ichabod’s Schoolhouse, a graveyard, and all the iconic locations from one of the greatest ghost stories that have ever been told.

The theme is very easy to pick out and they executed it very well. The location doesn’t get any better than this, landing them a perfect score for the question, ‘Does the location help to authenticate the theme?’

Although it is entertaining on the trail, we wish it could be just a touch scarier. It’s also not really long, as it took us about 25 minutes to go through but with general admission being $20 for Fridays and Sundays and $25 for Saturdays, it makes this a pretty good value for your money. Fast Track Passes can be purchased for an additional $15.

There is an additional cost for The Unsilent Picture of $20 per person. This attraction is located at the corner of the upper parking lot right at the bottom of the trail that leads up into the main area (Horseman’s Hollow). If you decide to go with this addition, your total time inside the attractions will increase to over an hour as this presentation lasted around 45 minutes total.

Before you enter the haunt, there is some live entertainment in the waiting queue lines to help pass the time while you wait as well as some roaming actors who were mostly there to take pictures and mingle with guests. They also have some food areas and an excellent gift shop!

Horseman’s Hollow is a fun night out for the family or it would make a perfect date night. It’s a great tradition to start as it’s one of the most famous spooky places in the country!