Beyond the ball fields and campsites of Ceraland Sports Park & Campground, in Columbus, Indiana, the woods grow darker and quieter. When night falls, the laughter fades, and no one but the creepies and crawlies can hear you scream. Out here, the shacks look sketchy, the spiders scurry across your path, and something born from an experiment gone plum wrong lurks just beyond the trees.
We had landed ourselves at When Darkness Falls Haunted Trail, and boy, did they send us out of there screaming! This haunted trail is gritty, unpredictable, and packed with things that go bump in the night… Not to mention a few poopy situations we won’t soon forget. This one’s got plenty of surprises hiding in the dark! And if it looks like poop, don’t touch it!
Our group encountered all sorts of characters as we embarked on the trail through the woods. While there were a few empty spots during transitions from scene to scene, most of the areas had plenty of actors to occupy them. Some hid amongst the shadows, awaiting just the right moment to strike, while others stalked us in plain sight, becoming horrifyingly excited the closer we came to them.
From crazed dollmakers chasing after us on all fours to clowns toying with us in the midst of their freakshow, the cast of When Darkness Falls not only got into character but utilized their spaces well to truly bring these crazed individuals to life. They didn’t break, no matter what nonsense we threw their way, and most of the dialogue they used to convey their lore was fairly unique, too.
For a haunt not advertised as particularly intense, these actors knew just how to interact with our group without breaching boundaries. And it surely worked in their favor! Attempts at getting us to touch and even taste things were made, chainsaws threatened to cut us all into tiny pieces, and actors themselves weren’t shy about getting up close and personal. This definitely heightened the fear in all of us, as we didn’t know what to expect next.
While there were plenty of good scares that came from silent actors appearing out of nowhere, it did get somewhat repetitive at times. Adding in some dialogue or interactions with nearby props and sets could enhance these performances after the initial jump scares, leaving lasting memories for haunt-goers.
A few standouts include Pariah, the Doll Maker who peeled his face off, and Poopsie! Also, what in the world was that thing making all those funny noises in the bathroom? We’ve never heard sounds like that before!
The costuming at Darkness Falls Haunted Trail was impressive! Pariah set the tone in the queue: a damaged skin mask peppered with multicolored eyes and a glowing contraption cradling a head – instant red flag. On the trail, we met a cracked-porcelain dead doll with a clown-leaning grin, clutching a gutted teddy whose “stuffing” looked suspiciously meaty. Don’t trust it! A dingy snake hunter slid up from the dark with a ball cap, flannel, work boots, and handling gloves – the whole outdoorsman kit – and later reappeared, buzzing a chainsaw.
Porcelain dolls lingered outside with missing face pieces, while a likely doll-maker in the kitchen wore a piecemeal skin mask and a blood-slick apron, one of the night’s standout looks. In the bathroom, Poopsie was one word: DISGUSTING with smeared rags, waste everywhere, even underwear on his head. He didn’t have a racing stripe going on.. He had the whole drag strip! We’re not even going to talk about what it looked like Poopsie was doing next…
Deeper in, ghillie-suited bushmen and feral roamers blended into the brush; one, who we found in the lab, had a half-porcelain face like he’d escaped the craft table mid-project. The lab also delivered a bystander outside, who we couldn’t determine if they were real (until they moved), and a tattered doctor armed with a live defibrillator, plus Pariah again, now looking like an experiment gone sideways. At the freakshow, Pipsqueak and partner sported stark white clown paint, oversized features, and… bodily “decor” on their suits. In the hazmat zone, crews were blood-splattered bone harvesters.
We also noted spideresque characters in the spider’s lair, a bloodied sheet ghost, multiple high-quality silicone masks, and the fog in the graveyard revealed a cloaked vampiric figure with a shocker wand. We also noticed blood, bruising, a painted crucifix, and an all-black chainsaw aggressor, which was harder to spot amid the fog and darkened area.
The trail is at the Cera Sports Park and Campground in beautiful Columbus, Indiana. Plenty of signage led us to the park, and the front gate confirmed where we could park for the trail. We could also follow the sound of screams and noises coming from the dark forest.
There was plenty of free parking in a paved lot, which comes in handy when you are running to your car in fear! The ticket booth was easy to find, and the staff were extremely friendly and accommodating.
Also, being a trail, they did a great job laying out the paths so they weren’t too tiring! Good thing, we did a lot of running! Sorry, we know we broke the running rule! But in our defense, we were being chased by a crazed maniac with a chainsaw! The lighting was just enough to see where we were going, but not enough to see what was coming for us.
At the exit, we noticed they give bravery awards to the younger ones. That was a nice touch for the kiddos! The Darkness Falls Haunted Trail also has a very informative section located on the park’s website. Also, their social media is extremely helpful!
Descending deeper into the wooded parklands, we found the queue to the attraction complete with lots of spooky lighting and music to keep us all grooving whilst we waited for the scares. We would’ve loved to see some enhancements to the queue area, such as more actors roaming around and getting everyone in the spirit of things, or just more haunting decor and facades to escalate the atmosphere.
While Darkness Falls Haunted Trail does not have a specific storyline, as we made our way through the haunt, the overall themes of each area we encountered were pretty easily determined. Each one had us feeling like we’d truly stepped into another reality, and the actors did a fantastic job making it feel even more realistic. Immersion is a difficult aspect for haunts to achieve, especially for a trail such as this, but this attraction specifically kept the eerie vibes flowing from start to finish, never alleviating the strong tension we all felt.
Once we finally managed to escape the chaos and catch our breath, we were met with a gift shop and concessions, a cozy fire pit, and even a couple of photo ops to continue our fun! Having more ambient lighting or decorations to keep the horrors alive would make a great addition.
Everything at When Darkness Falls was created and constructed in-house, meaning guests will find plenty of unique details along this trail! Some areas featured simple but effective props scattered throughout the woods, while others transformed into fully built structures, including a detailed church, a makeshift laboratory with excellent details inside, and a chilling doll dorm.
The sounds along the trail helped keep us on edge. Between the natural creaks of twigs and rustling leaves that had our heads constantly on a swivel, ambient background tracks blended with sudden horn blasts and scene-specific noises like roaring chainsaws. However, a few areas did fall a little too quiet, giving us brief moments of calm we weren’t sure we wanted.
The lab scene stood out for its realistic décor and clever in-house creations; it looked like a twisted experiment that went horribly wrong! Along the trail, we encountered some disturbingly realistic and bloody bodies, dangling spiders and webs, and even a teddy bear prop with an unexpected surprise. The bathroom scene also deserves a shoutout for being one of the grossest rooms we’ve seen all season, complete with a horrific mess and a stench that’ll haunt your nose for days.
Speaking of sensory effects, they were used to great advantage throughout the trail. From eerie lighting and thick fog to bursts of real flames and unsettling scents, the team knows how to make the woods come alive.
While most buildings and areas had realistic entrances, the finale scene is effective, but it didn’t blend in as well as the others.
21. How scary was it? (35% of score): 8
22. How well did they provide scares to everyone in the group? (15% of score): 8
23. How predictable were the scares? (25% of score): 7.94
24. How well did they provide a wide variety (types) of scares? (10% of score): 8.75
25. How strong was the ending / finale? (15% of score): 8.38
The baseball fields and families lining the streets of the park made us feel like we were in a friendly, small town. And small towns are typically safe – nothing sketchy here. Well, that mood quickly shifted as we approached The Darkness Falls Haunted Trail. Once we were past its gates, a slew of horrors awaited us in the darkness.
The red glowing light was all we had to light our way. The darkness was thick and unsettling. Suddenly, a creepy doll was ushering us towards the doll maker. Pumpkins hung above us. Wait! Those aren’t pumpkins. Pumpkins do not have eye holes like that! Severed, lit-up heads were swaying above us. Would we end up there?
Out of the bushes ran a hillbilly with a snake! Oh hell to the no! We quickly escaped him. But foolishly just put ourselves in another fine situation! The Master was waiting for us. The creepy dolls lining the walls were unsettling, but the body on the table was not a doll. Possibly the reviewer before us?
A stench began to drift down the trail as we approached would looked like a restroom. The smell that came from this building was a smell like no other. Poop smeared walls enclosed us all. And out from a stall emerged Poopsie! He shared his love of coloring with us. Coloring with a turd! He gifted Nora a picture and then disappeared from behind the wall into his poopie hole! The smells and sights are burned into our memories.
Continuing through the darkness, we were attacked by a variety of creatures and were warned about the mad scientist! Suddenly, we were face-to-face with him. Would we be an experiment? Luckily, we escaped him, but not the others on the trail. We came across deadly clowns, including one who repeatedly tried to smash us with a hammer. There were eight-legged creatures, sketchy fog, and we just never knew when something was going to come storming out at us from the dark wooded surroundings.
Finally nearing the end, after nearly peeing ourselves from sudden fireballs bursting into the sky, we saw a blue light in the distance. Blue is normally a calming color. The color of water, clouds, and nice things! But this blue light was leading us into the hands of a crazy maniac in the woods! After entering a metal trailer, we all knew we were in for it. The fog was thick, but we could feel we were not alone. Then suddenly the rip of the chainsaw, and the banging of the metal walls filled our ears. RUN! Run is all we could do. Diablo emerged from the fog, and we ran for our lives! Luckily, we escaped his chainsaw… This time.
The mood is set when you come down over the hill toward the queue area. The music plays some of the most infamous scary theme songs, giving the impression that Jason or Michael could appear out of the darkness at any given moment. The queue actor, Pariah, added to the shrieks in line by creepy crawlin’ in and out of groups and over and under the line dividers. While he was great, we would like to see a few more to help pass the wait time in line.
There was a fire burning in a pit near the queue and at the exit of the trail, but most cast and visitors were not taking advantage of the warmth on the evening of our visit. There were also two photo ops available right around the gift shop and snack area: a giant illuminated pumpkin and an electrified pumpkin.
If you’re looking for a big bang for your buck, you definitely need to visit When Darkness Falls at Ceraland Park in Columbus, Indiana. The GA price was only $20, and we were fully engulfed for almost 24 minutes. This brings their MPD (minutes of entertainment received per dollar spent) to 1.2, which is above average!
We were fully immersed in the forest, literally strolling toward everyone who wanted to keep us as a pet and/or bury us alive. Here, we never knew what was lurking in the shadows of the dense dark forest surrounding the path of terror that we were trekking on!
3989 South 525 East, Columbus, Indiana 47203
