Indy Scream Park Review (2023)

Despite our Sunday evening visit, we discovered cast members strategically positioned across all five haunted attractions, including the zombie paintball area. We were pleasantly surprised by the abundant presence of cast members throughout the grounds and engaging with guests along the midway throughout the night.

First up, it was showtime. The colorful clowns in Killgore’s 3D Circus were as playful as they looked, coming out of the woodwork from all directions! They cackled and giggled most of the way. A few gave us cautionary advice such as, “Watch out for the rats!” and “We all die down here!” We didn’t want to die down there, too, so we skedaddled out of there! Several goons had perfect timing in the black-and-white room, resulting in the spraying of some curse words from our group.

Nightmare Factory is a blackout haunt that doesn’t leave much room for actor engagement, and that’s not the focus. Although there were a few inside, we would like to see more amidst the darkness in random corners here and there to remind us we’re not alone. Of the few we did see, they didn’t do much. The creep at the end did try to distract us from the immediate exit momentarily.

Some of the night’s most interactive and threatening run-ins came from the confinements of Lockdown. It must have been a long time since those prisoners have had any kind of human interaction as they told and showed us some really weird stuff. The first convict we encountered talked about sloppy Joe’s a lot and showed us what they do to him in his toilet, Yuk! TMI! Another begged for their attorney, one kept repeatedly asking us where we put the eyes, and another took one of us in for a quick haircut. Dude, don’t make cutting hair your day job if or when you ever get out. All prisoners had something to say or do, but most of them warned how we were never getting out or begged us to let them out.

At one point, we were placed inside a cell while a familiar tune played, and we all bounced around to it. See, these prisoners aren’t all mean. As we circled around, an inmate kept telling us not to look at the walls (that went over our heads), and another prisoner frantically jumped around a control room they had broken into, looking for the right buttons to push. We told her just to push them all ¯_(ツ)_/¯

In the Backwoods, the Tates were at it again, preparing to brew a human stew! Although most characters were of the hillbilly variety, a few bushmen lurked about too. Each of the country folk had something different to say to us. They were comical yet disconcerting in their deliveries.

As we made our way through an outhouse, an older man didn’t seem none too happy that we didn’t like the smell. Another lady screamed at us not to touch the fuzzies, which was nearly impossible not to do. An intense hillbilly demanded we wash his back, of all things. While scooting her walker along, granny asked us, “Are y’all part beaver cuz damn you sure is good lookin!” This got a cackle from all of us. It took us a second to realize that was her way of saying she was getting ready to eat us.

The victims here were believable and seemed genuinely trapped. They, and many others, could be heard flailing about and screaming before and after we went through their scenes.

In Zombieland: Unchained, the zombies were precisely that, unchained! There were zingy zombies, zappy zombies, and zagging zombies. Once we got to the buses, it was downhill from there, and the zombies ganged up on us! Aside from the zombies that all made a variety of zombie growls, snarls, and moans, the survivors in between were also brutal. They tried to also cut our hair, demanded our eyebrows, entrapped us, and tried to make us crawl through a dark tunnel. Trust no one in these parts.

The crew roaming about the midway was non-stop. They were posing for selfies, dancing with customers, teasing one another, and so on. At one point, a zombie started stealing the knives from Jason and Michael, and watching them run around trying to get them back was entertaining! As we sat down to eat, the torture continued. There’s nothing like eating your caramel apple while a doll or clown stealthily sneaks up behind you!

We started the night with a trip to Killgore’s 3D Circus, where we repeatedly encountered a multitude of emphatic jokesters wearing colorful jumpsuits. Most of the clowns displayed faces that were painted white, and the specific neon colors for extra detail matched the scene they inhabited. Some of the actors wore clever disguises to blend in with the scenery. This included a glowing mask to match the walls around them, black and white-style attire to mimic stationary props, and another in a checkered Morphsuit that was cleverly hidden until they came to life!

The scare actors in the darkness in Nightmare Factory: Blackout was hard to catch as we barely saw them through quick encounters. From what we could tell, most wore black robes or street clothes covered in blood to go along with the theming of a haunted power plant gone awry. The maintenance worker sporting a welding helmet at the end was wearing blue coveralls, which also were covered in red bodily fluid. We didn’t see anyone wearing masks, but most had either smudged on black makeup or blood slapped over their faces.

Lockdown placed us in a prison riot, with countless unruly prisoners in blood-stained light blue work shirts with dark pants, which was appropriate for their jail-type setting. Some wore head coverings, and the most memorable was the one with a metal pan on his head. They also did not use masks in this attraction and mostly had blood splatter on their face or wounds due to the rampage.

Cannibalistic dwellers in the Backwoods attraction were mainly adorned in torn plaid shirts, overalls or jeans, and black T-shirts. We encountered a few ghillie suits to disguise themselves amongst the trees, and the grannies were wearing nightgowns, and one balanced herself on a walker. There was a similar theme here with blood-splattered faces regarding makeup, but we did see one mechanic in blue coveralls with a gory prosthetic on her forehead.

Zombieland: Unchained was infiltrated by both survivors and, you guessed it, zombies to match the apocalyptic vibe of the attraction. All the scare actors had tattered clothing and blood splattered on them from head to toe. The undead had their faces painted with white, gray, and green hues.

We were most impressed by the crew on the Monster Midway. Their head-to-toe costuming was the most detailed due to having the most interaction with all the patrons of Indy Scream Park. All of the horror movie characters wore very screen-accurate attire and appropriate masks to match who they were portraying. The Creeper from Jeepers Creepers was one of our favorites, and so was the Michael Myers from Halloween carrying around his famous kitchen knife. Silicone masks were also worn by many of the characters, from creepy clowns to a demented doll. They also wore elaborate costumes, like the camouflaged zombie or the clowns with colorful suits.

Indy Scream Park is one of the easiest haunts to find and navigate. They have billboards down the interstate and signs leading to their parking lot. Parking was increased to $8 per vehicle this year, which is high for the area. The lot was lit well and smooth, and flaggers guided us to a spot.

This park is organized down to their logo-painted trash barrels! It is easy to navigate, and everything is marked. All paths and entrances are lit, as well as the midway. This year, they added permanent restrooms, which was a great addition! Although we don’t score on these, having them where you can eat, drink, and spend a lot of time is very nice.

All staff members were friendly and answered any questions we had for them. They were also easy to identify in red ISP shirts, and many of them were stationed throughout the entire park.

Inside, we didn’t encounter any trip hazards or uneven ground; even the trails are easier to walk on than most. We still recommend wearing proper footwear since several haunts take place mostly outdoors. In case you need to leave, we noticed tons of Exit signs plastered all around the attractions.

They are very active on social media, and tons of information can be found on their website. We quickly found ticket prices, the location, dates and times, the theming for each haunt, an FAQ section, and lots more!

Right after we exited our car, we were welcomed to Indy Scream Park by the giant banners of creepy clowns hung up outside the attraction, along with circus-like lights above us. Upon entrance to the Monster Midway, various queue actors stalked about and prepared us for our long night of fright. Popular music played over the speakers, and different spooky-themed games were available.

As we enjoyed the midway, there were multiple picnic tables to take in the atmosphere, but beware, the monsters like to sit with you if you’re not careful! They also had a bonfire for the colder months and plenty of photo opp moments with the banners or the queue actors. We also noticed a VIP area for those who wanted to pay extra to get away from the crowd for a little bit.

Each haunt has an entrance sign archway, and you travel down a long line queue that separates the attractions from the bustle of the midway. The longest trek is for the Backwoods, as you have to walk on a trail as it gradually gets darker to signify you are close to the entrance. The indoor attractions have theme-appropriate decorated facades, making it easy to know which haunt we were about to embark into. After you finish each haunt, you must take that same long path that dumps you back into the midway to select which attraction you will go to next.

The short storylines could have been better explained before we went through the attractions, but they are easily found on the Indy Scream Park website. We highly recommend reading about the haunts before attending to know what one is getting ready to experience. The attention to detail on most attraction facades did help hint at a backstory, but as we said before, reading on the website is your best option for knowing before you go.

The black light reflective portraits of Kilgore’s 3D Circus set the tone for what we encountered through a typical carnival-like setting invaded by killer clowns. This was the second year they did not offer us the glasses to see the 3D effects, but we could easily pick up that the neon-painted setting was very eye-catching. Eerie circus music filled the air, and we were treated to various visually disorienting effects.

Nightmare Factory: Blackout was one of our favorite facades, as the giant smokestacks of an abandoned plant were accentuated with eerie red lighting. There is also green lightning-style lighting that is the equivalent of an electrical shock that would come up later within the haunt. The darkness was overwhelming and added to the frights we encountered by sudden bright flashing lights. The sound was also the best in this attraction, as it was emphasized with fewer actors and props.

There was no mistaking we were about to enter the Eastgate Prison, where the worst of the worst prisoners were awaiting us in Lockdown. Two searchlights rotated slowly on the queue line, and the concrete edifice had barbed wire atop its wall. Two strategically placed doors made by an escapee were the only ways in and out of this interactive attraction. As we ventured through, we saw multiple cells where prisoners could freely get in and out of. We even went through a crematorium and a shipping area with boxes piled straight to the ceiling! We were followed briefly by an uncostumed employee of Indy Scream Park, but she would interact with the scenes when we had to do specific tasks due to our glowing necklaces.

As the story goes, Bearstone National Park is home to the notorious Tate Family that provided us with scares in the Backwoods. The dimly lit trail deep in the forest is very unnerving as you make it through various shacks, an outhouse, a bathhouse, a laundry sheet maze, and even a torture chamber-like abode. The outdoorsy sounds of crickets and frogs ribbiting can be heard occasionally. Still, we would like to have some dramatic soundtrack in the future, especially in the torture chamber.

We were warned that Zombieland: Unchained was a very interactive haunt, and most of our group chose to wear the glowing necklace to denote that we wanted to be a part of the action. The queue line was blocked off from the rest of the attractions and cut us off from what was happening on the midway. This was an apocalypse setting with cars crushed and strewn about along the path. The soundtrack started with a Nu-Metal vibe but eventually transitioned to a very climactic tone as various chainsaw maniacs chased us down. We also climbed through buses and even through a dark crawlspace. We saw water bottles from the actors placed haphazardly around the haunt several times, occasionally taking us out of the experience.

Cascading with popping colors, the circus came to life under the big top. The walls were painted in ultraviolet, three-dimensional designs that jumped out at those wearing 3D glasses. A lot of the artwork appears to have been crafted by Stuartizm. We loved seeing his paintings bounce off the walls, captivating us into a colorful canvas, even without the glasses!

There was a lot of artwork to admire and many other objects to see and hear. At times, the 3D effects weren’t just on the wall. We had to walk around tons of colorful crates (some with surprises inside), and a wall nearly flattened us! Giant stuffed animals, a slithering snake (also colorfully painted), a giant clown, glowing mask walls, barrels, and disorienting lights also helped this haunt pop.

While the fog needed to be thicker to work better with the lights in the sewer, the brick walls and pipes still alluded to our location. Perhaps two of the most effective rooms were those primarily black and white. One was a checkered room that will hurt your head if you stick around too long. We’re not sure how the actors hang out in that one.

In Nightmare Factory, sensory effects are the name of the game here. There weren’t many sights to see here; when there were, they were gone just as fast as they appeared. This attraction relied heavily on sound; some effective ones tickled our ears. At times, the sound and lighting triggered together in an impactful scare. Make sure you hold onto the rope guide along the walls. However, there were a few times when we felt things besides just the rope.

As we made our way through, we got an up-close-and-personal surprise from a stunning device, a large spider came webbing down at us, a giant rat emerged from the darkness, and plexiglass-confined surprises were in abundance. The fog blast and the moving floor were the most effective effects.

In Lockdown, the prisoners were obviously on the run, as witnessed by the broken-through walls! An assortment of jail cells, filthy toilets, and flashing lights filled the area. A large freezer, a storage room with bloody boxes, spiderwebs, buzzers, a control tower, and an electrocution chair were just some props and decor you might see.

No matter where we were, we could hear what sounded like a prison riot breaking loose.

The only thing lighting the path in the Backwoods are dimly glowing mason jars. The shacks and structures were reminiscent of what you’d expect to see in a Wrong Turn film. A stinky outhouse, a sheet-lined path, a shower house, a junkyard, and multiple RV’s were common living spaces for the Tate family. Tons of animal furs hung from the ceiling in one house, but other areas lived to tell that animals weren’t all they killed.

Although it was pretty quiet in the woods, we could sometimes hear real screaming, talking, and the occasional soundtrack.

The world has been destroyed in Zombieland, and that’s all that’s left: a junkyard maze of destruction. The scenery was authentic as we weaved between stacks upon stacks of crushed cars, through buses, and within a maze of metal walls. We heard hard rock music, a horn beeping, and plenty of real chainsaws. We’re unsure what they use to siphon all that gas, but certainly don’t try to flee in one of the cars!

Indy Scream Park’s “Be afraid…be very afraid” tagline sets the tone for a frightening fun night. The multiple haunts have decent build-ups that end in a memorable finale, and the drop panel scares are heavily used throughout.

Being visually impaired by 3D glasses amplified the scary experience through Kilgore’s 3D Circus. Those with coulrophobia, beware; these clowns mean business! The bright fluorescent paint on the clowns’ faces and the walls pop and cause disorientation along with the traditional pop-out behind-wall encounters. Surprisingly, a wall collapsed on us, and the vehicle near miss had the loudest horn! We missed the use of double-taps that we received last year, but the clowns still did their best to make us feel uneasy with their actions and dialogue. There were also a couple of huge biter-style animatronics. Watch out for Honkers!

The next fear we explored was nyctophobia as we went through the abandoned power plant of Nightmare Factory: Blackout. The absence of light was overpowering, and they used black plastic flap curtains to ensure no illuminating factors got through. Only being guided by the rope attached to the wall, we got various startles from sudden drop panel encounters that mostly had gored-up bodies briefly lit up. There were also loud poppers with strobe lights everywhere, a sudden blast of fog, and we all jumped when the floor suddenly gave out under our feet. Air cannons also got us good in the pitch black, along with the sudden, shocking surprise!

Yes, there is even a fear of going to a prison called carcerophobia, and we were even more frightened as we encountered the enraged prisoners of Lockdown. All the scare actors were very intimidating in their delivery, and we made it known that we could be interacted with due to our glowing necklaces enhancing our experience tenfold. We were separated from other groups, burned in an incinerator, “forced” to get a haircut against our will, and locked in a prison cell. The one time we were entrapped and encouraged to dance to “Jump” by Kriss Kross wasn’t terrifying but was a good break from all the frights.

As we ventured into the dark forest setting of Backwoods, this perfectly exemplified Xylophobia, the irrational fear of wooded areas. The path was only illuminated by soft orange lights covered by mason jars, and at times, we could barely tell where to go. We did our best to adjust our eyes to the lights, which proved successful as we didn’t wander off the trail. It was also pretty quiet along our journey, which built up to the crazed crew we would encounter daily. Some of the family hid behind drop panels to give us a quick startle; others would come to life as we passed through their territory. We got a quick jump from the ghillie-suited creatures that suddenly appeared from deep in the woods. We also felt super uncomfortable when repeatedly asked if we could help wash one of the deranged family member’s back. The attraction’s climax included us becoming victimized, the poor souls already captured, and a quick escape to civilization!

Lastly, we explored the fear of zombies, known as Kinemortophobia, in Zombieland: Unchained. Most of our group again picked to wear the glowing necklace so that we got the more interactive show, and this one was more touchy than Lockdown. They also used the “forced” to get a haircut stunt, but there were also “forced” lobotomies, tooth extractions, and going through an escape tunnel to safety. The zombie horde provided most of the scares, who would reach out towards us and seemingly pop out of nowhere. The maze was challenging to make our way through in the end, and we spent some time there while being tormented by chainsaw maniacs. As far as scariness, this attraction reigned overall!

Our overall time of all attractions included with admission was 38.5 minutes, which brought the MPD (minutes of entertainment received per dollar spent) to 1.1 for general admission on our visit. This is a pretty average number compared to others, but you get six attractions for a whole night of scary entertainment! You are also granted unlimited times through the haunts with general admission, so you can return and do one of your favorites again if time permits. This time does not include the waits in line.

Zombie Paintball Assault was a separately priced attraction, and we all took a ride on a bus through a wasteland of hungry zombies. The pricing depends on how many paintballs you want to shoot at the undead, which ranges from $11.95 to $22.95. The enthusiastic driver was ready to navigate various buildings and get us as close as possible to our targets. Announcements over the intercom on the vehicle also encouraged us to fire as much as possible with a rapid-fire technique.

Indy Scream Park’s ticketing system is based on dynamic pricing, and the closer you get to the date you wish to attend, the higher the price will be. Also, the prices are lower during the week, so consider not going on weekends for short lines and more affordable rates. The Scream Park is also open daily as of the second week of October.

Also, prices are $5 more at the gate than online prices. The night we attended, general admission tickets were $39.95 at the gate and $34.95 online. The Fast Pass upgrade was $56.95 at the gate/$51.95 online. They also offer a Super VIP Fast Pass Upgrade starting at $97.95, which includes unlimited fast pass access to all haunts (excluding Zombie Assault Paintball), a designated guide, a separate sitting area, and a $20 gift shop credit.

Many of the haunts are on the shorter side, but we still found entertainment in the Monster Midway to make our stay worthwhile. With the interactive queue actors, firepit, carnival-style atmosphere with games, alcoholic/non-alcoholic beverages, and more, there is plenty to experience.

The full night of frights is worth the value at Indy Scream Park. We recommend visiting during the week rather than the weekends so there will be shorter lines as everyone wants to see this place!