The Haunted Forest at Panic Point Review (2026)

Finding information about The Haunted Forest at Panic Point was easy, with details about the attractions, operating days, and hours readily available on both their website and social media pages.

Parking was free and very easy to navigate. A large, brightly lit sign made it clear we had arrived at the right place, and the parking attendants were friendly and did a great job directing us exactly where to go. The property is large, with plenty of parking available. Even with the event extremely busy during our visit, we had no trouble finding our way in and getting parked.

Panic Point uses timed ticketing, which is a nice feature for helping manage guest flow. However, with this being such a popular attraction, lines can still get lengthy, especially on peak nights. We attended the night before Halloween, and it was definitely a busy one! We recommend choosing an earlier time slot if available or considering the Fast Pass upgrade, particularly if you’re planning to visit closer to Halloween.

One of the biggest features of the guest experience is the massive midway located between the attractions. There is plenty of room to hang out and enjoy the evening, with a bonfire, concessions, DJ, merchandise stand, carnival games, and several photo opportunities. It’s a great gathering space where guests can take a break between haunts and enjoy the Halloween atmosphere.

The midway has so much room and potential, and we’d love to see them build on what’s already there with additional photo opportunities and more roaming characters to interact with guests. We only encountered a handful of ghouls walking around during our visit, and having more characters entertaining guests throughout the midway would really add to the overall experience. There were also some areas with quite a bit of open space that could be put to good use.

The midway is a big part of the overall experience at Panic Point. It’s buzzing with energy, with carnival games, food and drink options, a merchandise booth and selfie stations where guests can snap photos with some of the roaming characters. There is plenty of space to hang out between attractions, and the midway gives the evening a fun carnival atmosphere before heading back out into the darkness.

Once you get onto the trails, there are some really fun visual details that help bring the attractions to life. Killers in the Corn has an imaginative drive-in movie theater entrance, complete with a pallet-built projection screen showing vintage horror clips, an abandoned junk car sitting in the weeds and rolling ground fog. It’s a great way to set the scene before guests even get into the attraction.

Another standout visual was entering the clown house through a giant demon mouth with glowing red eyes. It’s the kind of detail that catches your attention and makes for a memorable entrance. Stalkers Farm also makes great use of its environment, with tall corn stalks providing plenty of cover for the monsters lurking in the fields.

As far as theming goes, most of the attractions are more of a mashup of different horror movies, familiar nightmares and classic Halloween scares rather than having one continuous storyline. Stalkers Farm was the exception, with its consistent cornfield and backwoods theming throughout the attraction. The Howling Hayride Harvest also had a recurring alien theme woven into several of its scenes, giving it a little more continuity as you made your way through the woods.

The outdoor setting, with the open night sky above you and the woods surrounding the trails, gives the entire experience a fun Halloween atmosphere. Panic Point has some creative visuals and makes good use of its outdoor setting.

Crowd pacing was a challenge during our visit, though. It was an extremely busy night, and there were several instances where other groups caught up to us and walked right into our experience. This made it difficult for everyone in the group to get the same scares, especially those who weren’t at the front of the line. Better spacing between groups would really help allow the scenes and actors to have their moment with each guest.

The special effects and set pieces throughout Panic Point have a fun, handmade quality, with some creative ideas and sensory elements that really stood out during our visit. While the effects aren’t necessarily high-tech or overly elaborate, there are some clever touches that add personality to the attractions and give guests a few unexpected surprises along the way.

Killers in the Corn had a couple of great examples. The Friday the 13th cabin made good use of signature sound effects that helped set the scene, while the dollhouse featured an audio track that added an extra layer of creepiness. These are little details that help bring familiar horror elements to life and make the scenes more engaging.

Over on Dark Trail Swamp, we came across something we haven’t seen before and really liked. They used a red swamp laser to create what looked like an actual wall that guests had to walk through. It was a cool visual effect and a creative way to use the lighting in the environment. Another clever sensory touch was walking across a grated floor inside an empty shelter while hearing the deep sound of a heartbeat. It’s a simple effect, but it adds another layer to the experience and gets your attention.

The Howling Hayride Harvest also had some fun practical effects. Oversized spiders dropped down directly over the wagon, and guests were even invited to reach up and touch them. Another memorable gag involved a massive stack of oil drums that triggered a sudden blast of pressurized water. These types of interactive effects are especially fun because they catch guests off guard and give everyone on the wagon something to react to.

There are some solid set pieces and creative ideas throughout Panic Point, and we enjoyed seeing them incorporate different sounds, lighting and physical effects into the attractions. One thing we’d like to see is a little more focused accent lighting on some of the key facades along the Haunted Forest trail. There is some good carpentry and set construction out there, and highlighting those details a little more would really help them stand out after dark.

The cast at Panic Point focuses primarily on classic jump scares, ambient lurking, and familiar movie maniac personalities. Because the fright style is more playful and traditional rather than aggressive or intense, it creates a welcoming environment for pre-teens and families testing out their spooky sea legs.

Several performers brought energy and memorable moments to the woods. In Killers in the Corn, the standout duo of the evening was easily Pennywise and Georgie. Georgie brought wonderful theatrical enthusiasm when he started shouting, “YOU’LL FLOAT TOO!!” Over on the Dark Swamp Trail, the Voodoo priest showcased spot-on jump scare timing and delivered a great startle. In the Haunted Forest, the junkyard crew brought high-flying athletic energy to their sets, scaling walls and interacting with guests from above. While a few scenes, such as the Texas Chainsaw Massacre and sections of Stalker’s Farm, take a much more relaxed, observational approach to their characters, giving the actors a bit more vocal banter and active pursuit would help keep the momentum lively from start to finish.

Costuming across the property features recognizable pop-culture icons and creative creature designs that younger guests will instantly spot. The junkyard monsters in the Haunted Forest stood out with colorful steampunk-ish outfits and makeup that offered a colorful contrast with their wasteland environment. Other fun highlights included the creative spider-creature lurking in Stalkers Farm and the classic pairing of Annabelle and The Nun inside the creepy dollhouse.

To take visual immersion to the next level, a few characters could benefit from additional finishing touches. Blending dark makeup around the eyes under masks in would help fully conceal the actors’ skin, and upgrading key villain masks, such as Freddy Krueger’s boiler-room look, would better match the quality of the surrounding builds. Aligning iconic slashers to their exact cinematic worlds would also delight detail-oriented horror movie buffs. When we entered Crystal Lake, we fully expected to meet Jason Voorhees but were very surprised to see Ghost Face in Cabin 13.

The Haunted Forest at Panic Point is a fun, milder scare experience that leans more toward classic Halloween fun, dark pathways, unexpected startles and spooky atmosphere rather than intense, in-your-face scares. This is the type of haunt that works well for tweens, teens and adults who enjoy being startled but aren’t necessarily looking for an extreme experience. There are plenty of creepy scenes to explore, and the attractions offer a good variety of settings and characters to keep things interesting throughout the night.

Dark Trail Swamp had some fun moments, especially making your way along the guide rope in near pitch-black conditions. Not knowing exactly what is waiting around the next corner adds a little excitement to the experience. Over in The Haunted Forest, the junkyard climbers provided some good opportunities for startles, while Killers in the Corn had some recognizable horror moments with the appearances of Pennywise and Georgie. There are definitely moments where you find yourself looking around to see what might be lurking nearby.

The actors generally lean more toward quick pop-out scares, visual poses and character interactions rather than aggressive approaches or extended scares. This makes the attractions approachable for guests who might not be ready for something more intense. You can take in the scenes, enjoy the characters and have a good time without feeling like you’re constantly being chased or put under pressure.

One thing that did make getting startled a little more difficult during our visit was the crowd flow. We found ourselves conga-lined through most of the attractions, with groups getting backed up and walking right behind one another. When that happens, it takes away some of the surprise because you can see other guests reacting to the scares before you reach them. It also makes it harder for the actors to give everyone in the group their own moment.

We would also love to see each attraction build toward a bigger, more memorable finale. Having one really strong scare waiting for guests at the end would give each experience that extra punch and leave everyone talking about it as they walk out.

At the end of the night, Panic Point left us saying, “That was fun!” rather than feeling like we had just had the daylights scared out of us. And that’s perfectly fine! This is a more approachable haunt experience that offers a full evening of Halloween fun without going too extreme. If you’re bringing teens, newer haunt-goers or someone who enjoys the atmosphere and occasional jump scare more than being terrified, Panic Point is worth checking out.

On the night we attended, General Admission tickets were $45, and it took us approximately 60 minutes to experience all five attractions. That works out to a solid MPD (Minutes Per Dollar) of 1.33, giving guests a full night of Halloween fun for the price.

For those looking to spend less time waiting in line, a Fast Pass upgrade is available for an additional $30. Panic Point also offers 15% off admission for military members, educators, and first responders. Parking is free, which is always a nice bonus! Keep in mind that The Carny Crypt show and carnival games are additional costs.

While we didn’t find Panic Point to be particularly scary, we had a lot of fun experiencing all five attractions. This is a great option for anyone looking for an entire evening of Halloween entertainment without the extreme scares. We definitely look forward to returning!