Visitors to Kreepy Hollow are in for an intense night of scares as they enjoy the haunt’s bus ride, cemetery walk, multi-story haunted house, and hayride back to the front entrance. Clowns, zombies, classical movie monsters, and more wait for you in the halls, aisles, and trails of this massive event. Buried in the wilderness of Bishopville, South Carolina this multi-phase haunt has been scaring guests for over a decade. Prepare for a long night of screams at this legendary Southern haunt.
With a number of updates this year to the house and hayride make sure that you return to the halls/trails/bus of Kreepy Hollow to see all the changes that they’ve made!
Roughly 80 actors move throughout the various parts of the haunt, and there is no shortage of monsters to face throughout a visit to Kreepy Hollow. Actors here really put their all into scaring their victims, and the effort shows in every scream and every person sent running scared.
It cannot be understated how physically demanding the position of Kreepy Hollow haunter is. Our team is constantly impressed by the monsters weaving in and out of the bus as they work the length of the vehicle. Inside the house a Nun loomed large over the scenery as our crew tried to slide past to safety. A voodoo practitioner managed to transport us further South to the bayou with his chants and shouts. Once you reach the concessions stage outside of the house, it’s highly recommended that you stay and enjoy the show of the highly athletic clean up crew outside as well. While enjoying hot chocolate and a funnel cake, our team watched two clownish lunatics energetically chase a number of screaming guests all the way back to the cemetery.
The final leg of Kreepy Hollow holds up to the bar set earlier with a number of Colonial era actors delivering a terrifying speech, a zombie that made the most inhuman sounds and movements we had seen all weekend, and demons leading us into Hell with not a single pause. Chainsaw wielding psychos managed to involve the whole cart by going after each other and the guests with their gas-powered attacks.
Variety of Characters – (35% of score)
Complete, Finished Appearance – (30% of score)
Creative, Detailed Costumes – (20% of score)
Creative, Detailed, Realistic Makeup – (15% of score)
With a huge variety of monsters comes a large collection of costumes. Masks, makeup, and prosthetics are used through all stages of the haunt and geared towards the theme of each scene. Despite the heat of the evening, the majority of masks are tucked in, and where necessary makeup is applied under masks to make them seem more natural. In some places accessories struggled to meet the high bar set by the costumes; our team noticed minor issues with strangely sized and shaped weapons, but considering how good the costumes were in comparison it was a high bar.
Our team loved the unique and well-detailed pumpkin monster that we encountered outside the house. We were also blown away by the work done on the Nun and the Voodoo Priest. The cleanup crew was an interesting addition that really stood out from the standard monsters we see at haunts. Zombies were well decked out, clowns were bright and garish, and the creatures waiting at the Colonial scene really impressed us with how they fit into the theme.
If Masks, Effective – (25% of score)
Costumes Appropriate for Scenes, Themes – (30% of score)
Easy to Find, Navigate – (25% of score)
Safety – (20% of score)
Kreepy Hollow is a beacon of light in a dark wilderness. The parking lot is 20 acres of well-lit spaces with police surveillance and clear signage. The ticket booth is easy to spot, and all prices are posted and clear on site. Operating hours, pricing, a helpful FAQ, and more information can be gained before your visit with the easily navigated website. Safety signs are posted everywhere, staff members keep a close eye on security for all their guests, and all stairs have railing and markings to ensure that no one falls.
On top of all of these safeguards the Kreepy Hollow customer service team is reliably polite and friendly. The woman that helped us at the ticket booth was patient as we figured out upgrading our passes, and knowledgeable about pricing and payment options. Russell, who supervised the loading of our hayride trailer and the actual ride, was incredibly friendly and made sure that our team member in a leg brace was safely seated and then safely dismounted. Every staff member we encountered from line attendants to our bus driver were a delight.
Staff Professional, Helpful, Friendly – (25% of score)
Ease of Finding Info Before Arrival – (20% of score)
Obviously a Haunt Before Entering – (40% of score)
Prepared for Experience Inside – (15% of score)
At the entrance of Kreepy Hollow at the top of the hill the energy is high as rock music fills the air and eager guests line up to enjoy one of two bus options. Upon arriving at the beginning of the cemetery trail to the house, the atmosphere slides into one of high tension and horror. From the looming fa������������������ade of the house at its entrance to the horror filled hayride waiting area of the other side, there is no question that you have arrived at a haunted house.
Themed photo ops are available in the waiting area at the exit of the house, and screams ring through the air harmonizing with the sound of chainsaws.
Sound Effects Effective – (20% of score)
Creative, Original Scenes, Props – (30% of score)
Detailed Scenes – (30% of score)
Achieve, Maintain Suspension of Disbelief – (20% of score)
Kreepy Hollow has a large number of special effects spread over the many steps of their haunt. This year we saw a massive addition with a secondary house and a stunning transition area between the two added on. Sound effects add authenticity as they mask or enhance the exclamations of terrified guests.
The very first room of the house holds an incredible surprise that is hand built by the Kreepy team and had our group turned around as we tried to figure out the trick. From there, rooms have a number of hand painted and added details to keep guests staring and distracted for monsters to pop out. The centerpiece of the first house is undeniably the Storm which brings the outside in and has an addition this year that ties the entire scene together. In the transition area between houses, guests are taken further away from their actual surroundings and transported to another place and time before facing a massive monster that is impressively wielded.
On the trail sound is merged with lights, fog, and flames to create a wide variety of hellish scenes that shock and amaze. The construction of the devil scene never fails to impress, and the colonial scene had a number of effects that only enhance the actors’ performances.
SFX Effective at Scaring, Entertaining – (35% of score)
Could Tell What Theme Was Without Asking – (15% of score)
Theme Well Executed, Believable – (25% of score)
Location Authenticates Theme – (10% of score)
How Scary – (15% of score)
Kreepy Hollow does not have a single theme across its attraction. However, that doesn’t stop it from delivering on the promise of screams, startles, and scares.
From what is surely the best bus ride in the South, to the expanded House, and throughout the multi-scene hayride, there’s a little bit of everything from mad men to devils to colonial Puritan witch-hunters to clowns – just enough to surprise anyone who dares to visit.
Provide Scares to Entire Group – (50% of score)
How Predictable – (25% of score)
Variety of Scares – (25% of score)
The screamers in our team were tired by the end of the night. On the bus, monsters made sure to interact with all seats and spread the scares evenly throughout. Inside of the house we received similar treatment as actors waited to make sure that every member of our seven-person group received the horror treatment. The concessions area is always a delight as guests run from the house’s finale with gusto and monsters give chase.
Distractions are utilized throughout the haunt to beef up scares and keep them from becoming predictable. On the trail, we were delighted to see how far several of the monsters would go to make sure that riders received one last scare after their guard was lowered. We were also massively impressed with the final actor on the ride who went out of his way to give us one last chainsaw send off.
1251 Joe Dority Road, Bishopville, South Carolina 29010
