Our second stop of 2020 was at the historic Scream Acres (SA) outside of Bishopville, SC. This old school haunt has been in operation for over a dozen years and continues to bring a show full of entertainment and screams.
Even with the looming specter of a pandemic, the crew at Scream Acres have obviously been working hard to create an experience for all of their guests. Old-school effects and a lot of passion combined with a creepy natural setting for a night that will leave visitors out of breath from screams and excitement.
In addition to past attractions – the historic house, the hayride, and the newly constructed swamp walk, the SA crew also built a new attraction, the cabin! All of the various attractions are supported by an awesome cast of characters and crew who are dedicated to making time spent at Scream Acres as enjoyable as it is scary.
A wide variety of characters inhabits the different attractions at Scream Acres. Depending on the location, visitors to SA can expect to run into different kinds of alarming actors – from cannibal hillbillies to murderous clowns, from demons to victims, from possessed dolls to wailing monsters. The populated scenes along the trail and within the house don’t use very much dialogue, but we did experience a bit more personal dialogue from the few denizens stalking the cabin.
We particularly enjoyed the horned demon-girl in the cabin who provided a different kind of reaction than others at SA. The shotgun-wielding swamp dweller was also a nice change of pace.
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)
The various costumed spooks, frights, and crazy inhabitants of Scream Acres are all outfitted with appropriate costumes. While the darkness of the trail may hide a few inadequacies, the cast on the trail also has to keep in mind the cooling weather and conditions of the woods in which they are working. During our visit, most of the hayride riders were too busy screaming and leaping out of their seats to notice any mistakes or absences.
Several times through the house and cabin, guests get up close and personal with the different inhabitants. More attention has been paid to these costumes overall given the amount of time that visitors spend with them.
We would also like to point out one costume on the hayride for special notice – one of the clowns had an outfit that was decorated with black-light reactive, glow in the dark spots but only on the front of the outfit. The back of his costume was completely devoid of these marks which meant that in the darkness, he was able to turn around and vanish from sight almost completely. A very well done and thoughtful piece of costuming that worked very well with his surroundings.
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)
Scream Acres is providing some standard changes to service because of the pandemic – requiring guests to mask up when entering, sending smaller groups through the house. Staff loading guests onto the hayride are asking about visitors in regards to how close they feel comfortable sitting to strangers. All standard stuff for the area.
Non-costumed staff at SA are wearing identifiable ‘staff’ shirts, masked, and willing to answer questions and point out features of the haunt. Staff are also on duty in the parking lot to guide incoming cars in and out of the well-lit lot – a great piece of customer service that is sometimes overlooked but really makes a difference in making the visit a pleasant one.
We also witnessed one event during our visit that really highlights the dedication to customer service at Scream Acres. One of the guests on our trailer was so scared by the first half of the hayride that she could not continue through the swamp trail. While the rest of us wandered off into the darkness, she and a companion reboarded the hayride. We caught up to them at the cabin where the SA staff and costumed actors paused our progress so that the anxious guest and her partner could go through the cabin with the actors toning down their show. Scream Acres time and time again show that they really have a great level of concern and care for their guests as much as for their staff and the show that they produce.
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)
Nestled in the woods off of backcountry roads, Scream Acres is surrounded by a natural setting that only adds to the atmosphere of the haunt. The outside of the main house greets guests purchasing tickets and is decorated in the manner of traditional old deserted farmhouses from stories and movies everywhere.
In the internal waiting area after the house, movies play above the queue line and decor hangs from the rafters above. A variety of photo-op scenes are scattered around the exterior of the haunt and the internal waiting area.
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)
We have already mentioned the addition of the cabin to the variety of attractions at Scream Acres. This new location was built in a mere four weeks! Because of that, it’s not quite as polished as the house, but there was a definite bit of care that went into the interior decor and decorative pieces.
Too, SA has pulled out the stops this season and made use of some additional scents. Adding small details like this to various scenes really helps with immersion and making the scenes complete and life-like.
The level of attention and detail is spread throughout the entirety of SA’s attractions, making this a haunt that visitors will be encouraged to experience again and again.
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)
There is not a single theme that stretches across Scream Acres. Instead, there are disparate pieces that are each self-contained. The House itself is a somewhat traditional, old-school haunted house. There are a variety of staff and unstaffed scenes along the hayride, each decorated and staffed with a different theme. The swamp walk builds suspense and tension while the Cabin has its own set of occult-inspired staff.
Provide Scares to Entire Group – (50% of score)
How Predictable – (25% of score)
Variety of Scares – (25% of score)
Though the different pieces of Scream Acres may seem to be separate, they are all united with their push towards bringing startles and scares to their guests. The House has a slow build with a few jump scares and smaller actors. The trail brings in a loud assault on the senses with roaring chainsaws, screaming clowns, and blasting flames.
Visitors who have experienced SA before may find that the experience brings little that is new from past years (with the exception of the very new Cabin), but those who have never before visited SA (or haven’t visited in the past few years) will discover plenty to set the blood pounding and screams just a gasp away.
The cast is very good about spreading scares around to everyone in the group, no matter which of the wide variety of scenes of SA are traversed. The quiet build-up of the swamp walk and the tension-building of the Cabin are something of a nice respite after the sensory overload of the hayride. As we mentioned earlier, during our visit there was one guest who was so overcome with fear and anxiety that she nearly quit after the hayride. The staff helped her through the rest of the visit, but that level of terror is something to be remarked upon.
1137 Old Camden Road, Bishopville, South Carolina 29010