Talon Falls Screampark Review (2024)

The cast at Talon Falls elevated the experience, beginning right from the midway! The roaming characters were phenomenal, especially the sliders performing daring stunts and entertaining everyone. A crew of towering stilt walkers added to the spectacle, making the midway feel alive and interactive. A towering, winged raven with a large beak (Coco) tried to eat our nachos, which was a great dedication to staying in character! We’d also like to note that they could make fantastic bird sounds! We could have spent hours watching these characters alone!

On the hayride, characters climbed onto the wagon outside, delivering intense scares up close. The stealthy bushman was so fast, we’re not even sure if we saw them! The fortune teller’s enhanced voice lent a mystic feel to her performance, while the bearded lady’s insistence on dancing was a mix of eerie and playful. The Ringmaster didn’t take any disrespect lightly; we recommend watching out for that one! We feel that there was a decent number of cast members for a hayride, and the times they stormed the wagon from all sides made the ride more intense!

In Talon Falls, the cast of characters brought thrills, humor, and chaos to our journey. Interactions came in “conga-line-style,” so the interactions with nearly all characters were fast-paced, with sudden screamers, lunging attackers, and plenty of “Agh!” moments, but from every direction. The fiend in the swamp went all out, vaulting over walls like he was in his horror parkour course! A stealthy ground crawler and a pirate dropping in from above both had impeccable timing, catching us off guard. An unexpectedly cheery run-in with Trashy Tammy was a memorable encounter; she showed us her yard decor (don’t ask about her ex), making her chipper hospitality all the more eerie. The clowns took unsettling to a whole new level on a bus ride that had us guessing which one was real. Spoiler: More than one was real!

In Dead End, watch out for Roadkill Rhonda! She’s Leatherface’s sister, and she and her pet fox don’t mess around! She had already been run over once but was still as lively as ever! Inside, several characters reappeared in multiple areas, but for the most part, there were plenty of actors. Don’t ask these folks what they can do with a Swiss Army knife – they may just show you!

Creepy patients rolled out on tricycles and ambushed from hidden corners, while others hinted at some gruesome fate they had in mind for us – like turning us into their next doll collection. The victim’s screams sounded disturbingly real, adding a layer of intensity as patients crept out of many shadowed corners. This cast knew how to use the space to keep us unnerved, creating a relentless atmosphere that left us constantly looking over our shoulders. Several Leatherface characters got into slinging those saws around, too!

The creative team at Talon has its talents on display when it comes to costuming. All of the characters, from the midway actors to the ones in the attractions, had excellently detailed costumes that helped convey the stories of the scenes they were in and kept us immersed in their world. The level of detail on the costumes complimented the level of detail in the scenery, making for a visually appealing (and terrifying) display for guests!

The makeup was creative and detailed and added a dimension to the characters’ looks. Whether creating a frozen effect on actors in Dead End or creating realistic characters in the Haunted Hayride, they did an excellent job bringing many of these characters to life. When we turned a corner in Talon Falls on the pirate ship only to be met with a mermaid that was so realistic it took us aback for a second that she wasn’t actually a mermaid there to lure us into the water and devour us – that’s how good their costume was.

Additional stand-out features included large horns, accessories such as protective pads, necklaces, and gloves that accented the characters, colored contacts, cloaks, weapons, and darkened facial features that made some of these characters look like they’d been dead for quite some time! The clowns, vampires, and neon bushman blended into their scenes so well that they were hard to pick out. Perhaps one of the most unique looks was that by Roadkill Rhonda. She clearly had been run over with black tire marks on her neck, and her poor fox was also smashed!

When it comes to masks, there were many well-fitted and unique looks. We noted some Pumpkin Pulp masks and others that matched the themes well. At times, we did see a few characters performing double-duty scares that didn’t match the areas, but this wasn’t common.

Queue actors, thankfully, got that same level of attention, if not more. One standout character was Coco, a giant bird-like creature who stalked the midway. Coco and the other stilt walkers had excellent costumes that didn’t limit their movement and properly hid their stilts. There was also a sliding scarecrow and clown with great looks and perhaps some of the most detailed sliders we’ve seen. They certainly did not let their intricate looks affect their performance!

Driving down multiple dark roads past many vast open fields of nothingness, it was hard to miss the spotlights beckoning us towards Talon Falls Screampark. We saw quite a few signs as we got closer and a huge one to greet us when we arrived. The parking lot was huge but a bit dark, and there were no flaggers to help customers find a spot, but it was free! The ticket booth was right up front and easy to find, and once we entered the park, there was lots to do and plenty of signage telling us what was where!

The queue lines for the hayride and the Talon Falls haunted house, both general admission and fast pass were confusing to navigate, and it took us a minute to figure out which line we were meant to be in. There were also a few things to note, such as a few ramps and steps that weren’t lit well enough for our group to see, causing a few of us to trip or misstep. But other safety notes, such as the handles to help individuals get on and off the hayride, were a great addition!

From our first moments there to our group gearing up to leave, the staff at Talon Falls were super helpful, kind, and professional. They worked hard to make our experience a pleasant one, and it’s clear they do the same for all of their visitors! They also have a detailed and informative website with directions, hours and dates of operation, ticket prices, customer reviews, descriptions of all the attractions, and links to their other social media. Adding an FAQ page to the website in the future would be an accommodating extension.

The midway of Talon Falls is the ultimate setup for the scariest of nights. Even walking up to the park from the lot was creepy in itself, with mass amounts of eerie buildings, fog, lights, decor, and queue actors galore! We weren’t safe even being on the outside of the attractions. But the inside was even more horrifying!

It’s hard to keep up immersion in a moving attraction, especially when having to group so many people together simultaneously, but Blood Creek Haunted Hayride sure knew how! All of the little buildings and sections we went through were a perfect way to separate themes and make for smoother transitions. Plus, being in close quarters with some of the actors and props like that made it all the more frightening. The ride even incorporated brief stops to make the show more theatrical and give us more time to appreciate the detail that went into these scenes.

Next up, our group faced Talon Falls. Intricate signs warned us of what territory we were stepping into next, but the overall areas hinted at it plenty on their own. Some of them felt like we were walking through movie sets, for the attention to detail was incredible. However, given that these are very popular attractions, we only had a few groups catch up with us a few times. We also noticed a couple of actors here and there in some spaces taking breaks or who weren’t prepared for another scare so quickly due to the traffic of people. There were also characters that would return for a good scare later on, and while they would succeed, sometimes they were out of place from the theme they initially matched with. We also walked through some dead spaces with no actors, but the scenes themselves were still very immersive. And areas that did have actors were intense and interactive!

Roadkill Rhonda was the first person we were introduced to as we ascended the stairs to the Dead End entrance. She prepared us as best she could for what was inside, but no amount of words could ever be enough for what we’d soon endure. We made our way through the home, meeting both more of the family and the family’s victims. Our group was never left questioning where we were and what horrors were occurring, even after we left the home and transitioned into the asylum and then to Molly’s Dollies.

After every attraction, you were escorted back out to the midway to some degree, and after the third and final attraction, we ended up closest to the concessions stands and gift shop! The fun and scares didn’t end yet as we enjoyed some drinks and snacks, explored the merch options, and even took a bunch of pictures with all of their awesome photo op areas!

Starting strong with the special effects of Blood Creek Haunted Hayride! It was relatively quiet (maybe too quiet) as we passed by a large spraying fountain and under a big menacing sign reading none other than “Blood Creek.” The natural darkness, paired with the ominous lighting, made us all uneasy and also made it nearly impossible to see what awaited us. Roars of an unknown monster echoed in the distance, and we soon found ourselves locked in a butcher shop. (There’s a surprise in there you’ll just have to see for yourself!) There were even pyro effects from a building on fire that made us all jump (and also made us very warm). Actors weren’t the only thing scaring us, along with an array of animatronics such as a grim reaper, realistic pigs, and a dragon above us in a cave! However, it did seem like a few of the animatronics throughout our ride were not functioning or just weren’t triggered for our group. The fortune teller’s crystal ball, along with her voice echoing throughout the enclosed space, captured our attention… and creeped us out! Hanging Jack-O-Lanterns in the Pumpkin Eater scene glowed, a very creative way to light the path while staying on theme. Furthermore, sounds managed to spook us as well, like sudden ‘gunshots’ or horns. We did feel a few of the transition areas were quiet, though; music or ambient sounds would have been a good addition.

The set designs in Talon Falls haunted house were extremely impressive, from the Wasteland to the mutated greenhouse. There were unique lighting tricks and either fitting music or ambient noise for every single scene we passed through! We started off strong with a swamp where the green lighting, fog, and inflatables up to our waist combined really made us feel like we were submerged in murky water. We approached what, at first glance, looked like a cathedral but soon found out was the dreaded Blood Manor. We explored the manor underneath the well-executed false moonlight shining through the cracks of the walls and ceiling and squeezed through the catacombs of skeletons. A hazy mirror maze had us all sorts of turned around, and the giant bat and wolfman animatronics didn’t seem too happy to see us either. After managing to escape the vampires, we stumbled upon the Ice Scream Factory, specifically in 3D. The clowns and bright neon colors made for a terrifying mix with our 3D glasses, causing everything to be much more in-our-face and trippy. One section even had moving floors that made the whole room feel like it was shaking! To get out, we also had to brave a spinning vortex tunnel. And we can’t forget the realistic replicated water movement and swinging lights on the boat of Dead Man’s Island. Sea sickness was the least of our problems!

Last but certainly not least was the Dead End haunted house. A storm brewed over us, with clashes of thunder and matching flashing lights to mimic lightning. We could hear the chainsaws before we ran into them, and trust us, there were lots! Within the asylum, screens, and animations gave us an inside look at the patients trapped within, which felt a lot more horrific and personal. We were even corralled together in a padded room, potentially making us feel crazier than we already did. Can’t have an asylum without those darn padded walls! Some animatronics spooked us in here as well, but we did notice some of the triggers for them on occasion. The dolls and actors of Molly’s Dollies gave us a chilling and thrilling end to our evening at Talon Falls!

On the Blood Creek Haunted Hayride, as the barn doors dropped and sealed our wagon in the darkness we knew we were in for trouble. We could hear boots scraping on wood and tools rattling around; we knew we weren’t alone in there. Our fears were confirmed when multiple screaming chainsaw engines started. Thankfully, the doors opened, and the wagon pulled away before we lost any members! Don’t think for a second that the wagon is a safe space – if anything, it keeps you in a confined space that you can’t escape, making you an easy target for the wide range of monsters lurking in the forest. As mentioned above, they can and do board the wagon’s sides from every angle, ensuring everyone onboard gets a healthy dose of fear and screams. We encountered clowns, bushmen, zombies, and other characters. Whatever you’re scared of, it’s out there on the hayride. The finale of the attraction, being a massive dragon that the wagon squeezes under, was a fun way to wrap up, but we’d love to see it become a distraction for another scare!

Talon Falls, the namesake haunt, gave us plenty to scream about! From dodging swamp monsters at the entrance to being chased out by a chainsaw-wielding madman, the team kept their foot on our necks the entire time. The scenery was equal parts creepy and beautiful, leaving an eerie feeling even before the actors got to us. Coupling the scenery with actors coming at us from every direction, we were quaking in our boots all throughout.

The Dead End is the most intense of all three attractions in the scream park. One of the first scenes we encountered was an animal in the process of being butchered and drained of its blood – be careful, though, as there is a splash radius around this carcass! This haunt was the shortest but also seemed to have the most actors. It was high energy and terror the entire walkthrough. They were the most interactive here as well, and the dialogue created an extra layer of fear for us. It wasn’t just the people in front getting the scares either; all of us were left reeling from the inundation of actors and animatronics coming at us. There was a wide variety of scares here, too, that always left us guessing what was coming next for us. The energy dropped a little bit in the finale with the doll room, but it was still an unnerving note to end on that left us creeped out and thankful we had escaped from being added to the doll collection on the shelves.

Talon Falls brings top-notch entertainment and great value to any haunt enthusiast! Admission varies but was $45 during our visit, with prices fluctuating based on the night you visit. Our trek took 39 minutes, bringing the MPD (Minutes Per Dollar) to a solid 0.87 this night. While this is lower than the average of 1:1 we like to see, the additional entertainment made this deal worth it, especially when diving into 40 minutes of intense scenes and intricate sets across three haunts! If you love eye candy, Talon Falls has many scenes you’ll love!

The lively midway offers plenty to enjoy beyond the main attractions. There’s a mix of photo ops, music, seating areas for a breather, and the phenomenal roaming characters that keep the creepy vibes rolling. For a spot that delivers on both the scares and fun, Talon Falls offers a fantastic return for your scare-seeking dollar. There were plenty of tables near the concession stand to stop and rest your feet, and not only did the food have good prices, but it was good too! The nachos, deep-fried Oreos, and walking tacos were great!

Talon Falls also hosts Flashlight Fright Nights, which will occur on November 1st and 2nd in 2024. For those looking for additional fun, check out Talon Fall’s escape rooms and Talon Falls The Movie!

You’re in for a mixed bag of mayhem at this scream park! Kick-off with a classic hayride, where you’re just as likely to be chased by a chainsaw-wielding lunatic as you are to run into a ninja bushman! Then, try to keep up as you dodge everything from pirates, vampires, and creepy dolls who look too eager to play. With each haunt offering its flavor of fear, it’s a full course in terror – served up just for you! Expect plenty of moments where you’ll laugh, scream, and maybe question what you signed up for!

Oh yea… And watch out for sneaky clowns in the gift shop that may try to steal your phone! Thank you for the many photos!