Scare at the Fair Review (2021)

Scare at the Fair had plenty of characters, we counted 30, with each section feeling thematic characters who added much authenticity to the scenes. We encountered a family of relentless rednecks, two thieving thugs wielding bats, a nasty nun, a pythonic preacher, a shocking serial killer, scared sufferers, gauche ghosts, crazy chainsaw-ers, a singular scientist, and calamitous clowns.

These monsters did a good job of providing shock tactics as well as common and unconventional dialogue. The preacher, with snakes in hand, advised that ‘if there is sin in your heart the snakes will find it’ he asked us if we ‘wanted to be saved’ but when we advised we were probably too far gone, he quickly replied, ‘everyone can be saved, even if it’s for dinner’ then wished us luck and sent us on our way. He did a good job coming off as the stereotypical revival tent healer.

The mad scientist is a one-man show in his ‘laboratory of curiosities and oddities.’ Not only is Dr. Jo Bob one of the most energetic and talented actors of the night but he is also one of the creators of the spectacle. He is funny, frightening, and fast, appearing several times throughout this lab. He enjoyed showing us his creation and I am not talking about the awesome haunt but the abominations he is creating as well as drinking some radiant liquid to help his glowing ‘complexion.’ The clowns were some of the best we have seen and I have seen enough clowns this season. A surprisingly predominantly female clown posse filled the final act of the show. Before we could enter we could hear laughing and giggling. One female voice said ‘Clowns I smell chicken’ followed by yummy noises. As we made our way through the clown mocked and tormented us. With creepy voices and even altering the way they moved, which made them stand out.

Even those actors who did not have huge dialogue did a great job. The girls chained up in the barn could be heard yelling for help as we were walking up to the barn. The older farmer, who had the girls held hostage, was intimidating as he yelled and threatened the girls with a cattle prod. The individuals with the chainsaws did great surrounding us and making us feel trapped.

At one point in the night, we were even asked about our car’s extended warranty by one well-hidden creep, these people are everywhere. Another cast member scared one of our team and said ‘he flinched’ later if he says he wasn’t scared he is lying he flinched.’ Both are great examples of the kookiness inside this haunt.

Scare Fair does a great job of balancing scares with humor which makes for a unique experience and an entertaining time.

Costuming seemed to step up a notch at least in the makeup department. We noticed makeup seemed to be on a more professional level with more details. An exceptional character was a clown with black and white clown makeup with blood on her face however she was missing an eye. She also had in some sharp pennywise-looking teeth. The other clowns had on some good traditional clown makeup or masks with matching costumes. Each clown looked different and unique which was appreciated. Most of the masks we saw were clown-related but we did also see Michael Myers, and a bat/gremlin-type mask that looked great but hard to describe. Doctor Jo Bob had on goggles, a white coat, and a Texas tie. The old farmer had on traditional overalls and a flannel shirt.

Costumes were nothing extravagant but fit the scenes and characters well. The masks looked original, and the creative makeup was a great improvement. All of them provided a creative and authentic vibe.

Scare Fair is easy to find with GPS. Although there has been increased traffic it may be better to take the Claysville exit, as we did. Once at the fair there have been some traffic changes due to the increase of haunt space, so, follow the signs and drive slow. Parking is in the same area as it was in the past if you have visited before, don’t worry if you haven’t, the parking attendant will direct you where to park.

We did not notice any safety issues outside of the norm for a haunt. The parking lot is in the grass so it was a little muddy this evening as we had had rain most of the day. The waiting areas are covered but there are short walks from building to building and you may want to take an umbrella on rainy nights. The staff was friendly and welcoming as always.
Their website provides a good amount of info including the yearly story explaining the haunt. They are also active on social media and post updates regularly including the tip about the Claysville exit.

Regarding Covid, they are following local guidelines.

Scare Fair is an old-school, lower-budget, non-profit, volunteer haunt. It is a labor of love for the creators/organizers, Rich and Tom. On top of that since the fairgrounds are used throughout the year and summer the haunt needs to be completely taken down each year and then reassembled. That means each year we get different set designs and or redesigns of previous sets.

Scare Fair is bigger than ever with an expansion utilizing two additional locations, on the grounds of a stable and a dairy barn (I believe). We enjoyed both new additions, the stable area felt and looked like a real stable, mainly because it was. Inside it was dark, dirty, and gritty. The detail was minimal but the intent was clear with girls hanging from chains and minimal lighting; it had a serial killer feel. The second area had a greater impact. Again it seemed very simplistic but the feeling it gave was a very cinematic feel. The long, straight corridor provided a straight visual of everything up ahead, however, it was filled with fog and a backlight making it difficult to see what was ahead. An additional lighting and thunder system made the area feel even more dangerous not to mention the Nightmare on Elm Street theme moving through the hazy air. For a moment we were hesitant to progress forward as we were so taken back at the surroundings which after 16 haunts a season isn’t an easy task. We also noticed that as we moved between these sets they had eerie music playing giving a nice effect during the downtime.

The original three pavilions are still in use but they switched up some things this season. One pavilion had a more classic haunt set up, with a haunted house, swamp, church, and apocalypse area. Then, we had the laboratory of oddities with creatures and aliens, and finally, the fair filled with clowns. The sets have great design and details; inside the haunted house realistic brick paneling line the perimeter, hanging on these walls are creepy pictures, a fireplace with fire glows in one corner while an animatronic old lady rocks back and forth. The swamp area had a greenish light, plenty of fog, a rickety bridge while a soundtrack of crickets, wind, and howls rang out. The laboratory had mixed areas of dark tight areas and colorful glowing areas. One scene had a nice use of black lights where certain specimen popped in their jars. Props of combined humans and creatures gave a unique feel as did the aliens. The clown area also utilized black lights along with lasers and other colorful lights. Returning clown props from the past return such as the animatronic Pennywise and clown play area. Clown music blasts throughout giving a frantic feel.

The details in the sets, great sound, and quality lighting bring each area to life with a unique feel and immersive experience.

Scare Fair lives up to its name providing scares via startles, screams, air cannons, props, visuals, dialogue, and good acting. Most scares were unpredictable with actors popping out of several unsuspecting areas. One area had a creepy hillbilly with a pitchfork who popped up behind us following us before we realized it. The visual effects of the dairy farm made it hard to see where actors were hiding providing anxiety to the scene. Dr. Jo Bob got us several times with jump scares as he ran through the lab, and the clown’s gravely voices and strange motions provided an almost unnatural effect.

We were also glad to see a unique finale that ties into the classic film Killer Clowns from Outer Space.

Scare Fair is open Fridays and Saturdays in October from 7-11. Tickets are $15 for adults, 18 and under pay $8. Scare Fair is also the only haunt in the area that offers repeat trips at only $5. They also have a 5-minute escape room for $5, if you escape you do not have to pay admission to the haunt. It took us about 15 minutes total haunt time, this does not include our time walking between areas. This puts the minutes per dollar at 1, which is a little below the average of 1.36 that our team has seen this season.

Scare Fair proves you don’t have to have expensive sets to have a scary and fun haunt. It keeps true to its retro haunt charm giving a feel and looks of how haunts used to be in the ’90s, with maybe a little more detail and inspiration from old cheesy horror films. Each year I try to make an analogy for Scare Fair, I compared it to a classic car, an old movie, and this year I am going with a vintage video game. It is nice to sit down on the couch and fire up the Xbox or PlayStation and play some Fortnite. Its bright colors, great visuals, and fun gameplay are all enjoyable, but there is a satisfaction of going back and replaying an old game from your childhood. The nostalgia you get from setting the channel to 3, blowing in the Super Mario cartridge, popping it in the NES, and watching Mario run across the screen is like a time machine taking us back to a simple two-button game that you could play for hours and hours. It’s a great feeling just like Scare Fair and it’s something we don’t get anymore. Nowadays most haunts are trying to go bigger, more extreme, or outdo one another while Scare Fair is happy with who they are and what they have accomplished focusing on fun and entertainment over flash and excess.