Newburgh Civitan Zombie Farm is located in Newburgh, Indiana, and is in its 52nd year of scares and terror in the tri-state area! That alone is a feat worth mentioning. This entire team is made up solely of volunteers from the Newburgh Civitan, and the actors are all middle/high school students in the Junior Civitan. A portion of their proceeds goes to help local organizations like the Special Olympics and Easter Seals! This gives the Newburch Civitan Zombie Farm a unique edge over the other haunted houses in the area. There is nothing like the energy that comes from children! We felt it as soon as our feet hit the ground as we were getting out of the car! Step into the “Land of Chaos,” they said, and chaos is what we received, in the best kind of ways!
The Pack went on a Sunday night, which meant a handful of cast members weren’t present, either because it was the night before a school day or for other reasons. Even so, the actors who were there still performed at their best!
Many were in the frightening zone with talkative players, convincing you that you were safe – and BOO! You were never safe. They do a wonderful job at targeting all the victims in your group, whether it be the creepy talkative ones or the screams, and let’s not forget a couple of chainsaws. Zombie Farm cast, even on a Sunday night, is convincing and terrifying!
The costuming and makeup at the Zombie Farm gave off experienced, old-school, and unique applications. Most of the actors were in full costume and makeup, each unique and right on theme for the Land of Chaos.
The queue actor wore a mask with three pink pig tails hanging from the top, bloodshot red eyes, and a costume with vertical red and white stripes from head to toe, finished off with a black shirt with big red pom poms on the chest and stomach. The fit was almost complete, although the hands were clean and skin was peaking from the bottom of the mask, the costume still screamed CHAOS!
Inside, nearly all the cast wore complete costumes and detailed makeup, each with a unique mask. Each actor’s costume was different, reinforcing the Land of Chaos theme. However, one character had a white face, black circles around their eyes, and wore only a black shirt and pants; this would have worked in shadows, but standing under bright lights, their costume appeared unfinished compared to the realistic outfits worn by others in this chaotic land.
Heart-warming and welcoming! That is the staff here at Zombie Farm in Newburgh. Many of the actors and staff have been coming for years, even as customers, before they were part of the event. Even when there were technical difficulties, they were friendly and assured that everything would be okay.
The staff at the separated merchandise stand was helpful in answering questions and, like the rest of the team, very friendly. Events like this, with such a close-knit staff, are always enjoyable!
A few queue actors roamed the front, stalking the guests and us as we waited for our turn. A black hearse with a coffin carrying a long-dead bride sits in front of the building that held part of the land of chaos. We walked up to a giant, blue-lit Zombie head and walked underneath to begin our journey through the mazes and torment of this Zombie farm.
We were directed to a small barn through a maze with several dead ends, a graveyard, a small house, and a larger indoor section featuring a neon walkway, a few tricksters, dark hallways, and more. The “Land of Chaos” storyline made complete sense, since we didn’t know what we’d be encountering next. From the scenery, props, animatronics, and cast, our time in this story was full of terror and chaos. Oddities and surprises were a part of our night, and for the most part, they used different chaotic tactics to keep us immersed. The ending, although a typical haunted-house ending, was effective and had us running back to the front, where we found a nice food truck, a merch booth, and the queue actors who kept the spooky suspense alive.
Most of the sounds of the night were organic, coming from cicadas, grasshoppers, and other animals that gave off a suspenseful country walk. It almost felt as though we were walking through a corn maze at first, even though wooden walls surrounded us. Sounds of chainsaws came a lot sooner than we expected, building the suspense and anticipation, as we walked through this wooden maze filled with various cast members popping out at us.
Although the wooden walls of the maze lay pretty bare, the rest of our walk-through included a realistic graveyard, rooms full of pictures, props, and designs that gave off old-timey demented country vibes, a neon-lit hallway, a realistic cage, and a dragon that seriously came from nowhere!
21. How scary was it? (35% of score): 5.5
22. How well did they provide scares to everyone in the group? (15% of score): 9
23. How predictable were the scares? (25% of score): 6.3
24. How well did they provide a wide variety (types) of scares? (10% of score): 7.1
25. How strong was the ending / finale? (15% of score): 7.5
The young cast gave excitement, anticipation, playfulness, and trickery. Although it didn’t instill much fear, this family-friendly haunt gave us a lot of fun and some good memories. The cast and animatronics did a good job of scaring both of us during our walk-through, timing their scares differently: some from the front and others timed after the first person walked by, giving a more unpredictable experience.
The actor meeting us at the beginning greeted us with a stare other worldly, and waved us forward, stared directly in our eyes until it was obvious that we were uncomfortable, asked us our name, and skipped ahead to tell the others, and as soon as we thought he was gone, he popped up for one of the best jump scares of the night!
When we walked into a neon hallway, we glanced toward the end and noticed a girl popping her head out at us, sideways. When she popped out and ran toward us, she was abnormally and unexpectedly tall. She brought us down the hall to 3 doors and told us to guess which one. We guessed wrong and were shocked to see what was behind the right door!
The finale was effective and didn’t disappoint in keeping Morgan’s “run at every haunt” streak alive.
The Newburgh Civitan Zombie Farm gave off an uncomfortable playfulness that just made sense. Our time in this Land of Chaos was 10 minutes, and the ticket cost $15, making their MPD (Minutes-Per-Dollar) 0.67. Although a little less than our preferred 1 MPD, this haunt left a special mark on our hearts. They also offer no scare tours for humans not yet ready to be quite as terrorized for only $5 at specific times. The added charity touch of this haunt makes it worth every penny spent!
Outside the main attraction, queue actors entertained the crowd well, and seeing multiple people run from the finale kept things lively. In the future, adding games or a bonfire could keep guests engaged even longer. There was also a food truck selling strawberry lemonade and zombie “ghoulaid,” as well as a merch booth and a hearse for photo opportunities to help the memory of this Land of Chaos last.
Chaotic in the best ways, The Newburgh Civitan Zombie Farm offers an experience that is good for the heart and the soul!
5466 South Vann Road, Newburgh, Indiana 47630
