Tucked away deep in the country, down a twisted back road, lies Terror at Potomac Manor. There will be no sign indicating you’ve arrived. Only an unsettling glow of dim lights behind a boarded-up building. It’s the kind of place that looks like something ominous occurred there and maybe still does.
Terror at Potomac Manor, a local favorite in King George, VA, is open for its second year. This charity haunt contributes to the food drive for Love Thy Neighbor Community Food Pantry. The actors, many of whom are family members, are volunteers who only want a slice of your skin. Bring in some canned goods to support the food drive, and maybe they will let you live, if you’re lucky!
While waiting to enter the haunt, we witnessed a clown attempting to persuade a nervous guest that he was safe to be there. Her painted smile told something different. The screams and growls coming from the other side of the fence offered a preview of what we would find there.
The cast was prepared to scare us from all directions. Some were hidden behind walls and swamps, and some we had to face head-on. There were a few spots where having an actor would have added to the experience, mainly in the transitional areas between scenes. Strategically placed, these actors could have forewarned us of what lies ahead or lent a detail relating to the storyline.
Many of the actors portrayed their roles well, especially the clowns! Everyone remained in character the entire time, no matter how much we bantered back with them. There were a few actors, mainly in the house and graveyard areas, who sneered, growled, or pointed in the direction we should go. It would have added to the experience if some of those actors had speaking parts or used creepy movements that aligned with their character to follow us to our next fate. It would have made the transition areas less lonely.
The props and scene elements were used well by the actors, which convincingly assisted them in their engagement with us. Even when these props weren’t obvious, it was impressive to see the actors improvise by crawling through a broken fence post or corners to get to us. They would have been even more terrifying with a saw or shock stick in hand.
The characters ranged from graveyard ghouls to clowns and house members. Each character fit well into their scenes, and their actions there were believable. If they weren’t waiting to torment us in the next room, they were jumping out and surprising us from behind the wall. The cohesiveness of some scenes needs to be addressed to enhance the flow a little more. The addition of more supportive characters would further amplify the story.
The overall appearance of the actors, including masks and makeup, varied throughout the haunt. There were a few masked actors, with the majority wearing makeup. The masks fit the theme of the costumes, but would benefit from more distressing to fit the scenes overall. Costumes could be more believable with additional tattering and gory details. Anyone in the business of skinning victims would not be very clean! We did see some jeans, which could work depending on the scene, if splattered in blood or grime for maximum impact. The actors in makeup had a much better effect, with the whimsical clowns, bloody nurse, and ghastly maid at the top of the list. The actor’s costumes were strategically matched within the scenes they haunted, with no random characters to be found.
Navigating to Terror at Potomac Manor can be a little tricky, with directions being difficult to find. We were able to locate them with GPS, but could have missed them since there was no signage to let us know we were in the right place. Parking was a bit confusing with a graveled lot across the street and grass parking on the side of the haunt. Luckily, there was a parking attendant who was able to point us to the grassy area. We were thankful we got there early. My clumsy self would have tripped in the parking lot without much light.
Once we entered, we found the ticket area. It’s a table right inside the entrance, adorned with bloody hanging heads. It is obvious that this is the ticket area, even though there aren’t signs to indicate so. An animated Jack-O-Lantern greets guests at the entrance of the queue line, which is easy to find. There are picnic tables where you can hang out and check your shoelaces before entering the haunt.
The entrance and midway areas were well-lit and mindful of safety precautions. Inside, there were a couple of areas that made me glad I checked my shoelaces. There was a concern with the lighting in the graveyard, which shone in our line of sight. This made it difficult to see a roped area around some tombstones and a pointed step on the pathway to the next scene. Another area of concern was unpadded obstacles (head-knockers) in darkened areas. We won’t tell you how we found this one.
The staff at Terror at Potomac Manor is fantastic! Everyone was friendly, welcoming, and enthusiastic about scaring guests. We had the pleasure of meeting the owners, who answered our questions and gave us background information about how they started the haunt. They also told us the storyline for this year. The front of house manager is a rockstar! She kept the front of house running super smoothly from the ticket booth through the queue line, attending to all guests in a friendly manner. After the haunt, we met some of the actors. It was obvious that they all love haunting and enjoy each other’s company.
Without a dedicated website, it is challenging to find details about the haunt before your visit. They do have a Facebook page with more details. If you aren’t on Facebook, you will have to do a little digging. We were able to find very limited information on FearTicket and Haunted in Virginia. Terror at Potomac Manor has an interesting and creative storyline that you don’t want to miss. It should be easy for everyone to find all the important information before visiting.
The spooky outside view of this attraction creates anticipation. The house is sometimes used as a hunt club in the off-season, and there is the eerie sound of a pack of dogs in the background, adding to the suspense. The entrance area has “electric” chairs and wooden shackles for photo ops. Previews of other haunts in the area, warnings, and rules for Terror at Potomac Manor are displayed on a projector screen visible from the queue. The bloody heads on the fence posts along the queue line, watching guests just disappear as they enter the haunt, makes you wonder what happens on the other side of the fence.
If you were able to discover the storyline before entering the haunt, it helps you feel more immersed. In the areas leading up to the house, the actors hint at something happening inside, but don’t give you enough information to understand the story. Some of the outside areas fit into the timeframe and environment of the storyline. However, some areas are scary, but are unrelated.
The flow of guests worked well and was efficiently spaced. There were no bottlenecks to detract from the experience. Overall, each room worked well together as you progressed through the haunt, though a couple of scenes required you to stretch your imagination to understand how it related to the story. The finale had you racing back out to the entrance area of the haunt.
Terror at Potomac Manor has an impressive amount of special effects for a smaller haunt. The ambient sound effects were loud enough to be disorienting and suspenseful, but not too loud. The scenes were creative and highly detailed, and it was obvious to determine where you were as you moved through. The lighting would have benefited from the addition of indirect lighting to illuminate any potential hazards, especially in the graveyard.
The props and decorations were appropriately placed to create believable scenes. Having to walk around a real coffin in the graveyard is enough to set you on edge! To enhance the guest experience, cameras are strategically placed to remotely operate props and special effects, ensuring they are delivered at the precise moment they should be. This was really effective at catching us off guard.
Notable special effects included fog machines, lasers, chainsaws, and flame torches. Stepping into a clothes-filled closet that ends in pitch black darkness is sure to set you on edge. Once that room begins to vibrate, however, that’s next level.
21. How scary was it? (35% of score): 6.75
22. How well did they provide scares to everyone in the group? (15% of score): 7.25
23. How predictable were the scares? (25% of score): 6.6
24. How well did they provide a wide variety (types) of scares? (10% of score): 6.05
25. How strong was the ending / finale? (15% of score): 6.5
Terror at Potomac Manor provided a scary experience through creepy interactions with actors and creative set designs. All guests were targeted equally with appropriate “set-ups” throughout. Jump scares were not excessive, which allowed them to be effective when they happened. Phobias were teased with darkness, closed spaces, and electrical shocks. Afraid of drowning? Don’t sink in the swamp!
The actors created a terrifying experience by coming at us from different directions, especially from below. They terrified you with taunts of needing your skin for their special “project.” Some tried to warn. The ending was solid and made us want to run out and leave the next victim in the cage behind us.
The total time takes about 20 minutes to go through, which is pretty good for an attraction of this size. There isn’t additional entertainment available, aside from a projector showing clips promoting other haunts in the area. There are several photo ops on the property, including a “ghost” car out front. With tickets selling for $17.00, Terror at Potomac Manor offers a fair value for a fun, scary evening. Don’t forget to bring a can or two!
6566 Winston Pl, King George, Virginia 22485
