It was a warm fall Wednesday night, perfect for a thrill-seeking duo like the Lone Wolf and Zombillies to hunt for haunts. Their path led them straight to Wicked World ScareGrounds in Nicholasville, Kentucky.

This scream park offers three unique, adrenaline-pumping attractions: Nightmare Haunted House, The Hunted (an interactive zombie hunt), and Valley of the Dead trail. Whether checking in for an eternal hotel stay, running from crazed clowns, or trying not to become part of the decor, Wicked World has you covered if you’re in the market for nightmares!

Returning fans will find significant changes this season, especially in Valley of the Dead, where the layout and scenery have been completely overhauled. New twists, turns, and terrors make it an entirely fresh experience. And don’t think the midway is safe – here, clowns and sinister stalkers roam freely! Blueberry, Noodles, Lilith, Rage, and Slyce lurk around every corner, always on the prowl for their next scream.

If you’re looking to face your fears head-on, Wicked World ScareGrounds is the perfect haunt to visit!

Upon entering this realm of wicked souls, one of our first sights was a shower of sparks as multiple sliders sailed past before our eyes! Creepy clowns, nightmarish monsters, and murderous maniacs could be found anywhere and everywhere between the park’s three different attractions and their midway. On the night of our visit, a full crew of roamers ran, slid, and stalked through the crowd. Among them were a pair of clowns – Noodles and Blueberry, Lilith, Rage, Slyce, and Mama JuJu.

Cautiously entering NIGHTMARE HAUNTED HOUSE to begin our adventure, we had many encounters with the dark entities that had taken over Sarah’s home and the entire town of Cedar Grove. Granny greeted us at the entrance to the house (after the groundskeeper outside scared the snot out of a group member) and seemed a little too eager to have us stay a while. Several creepers from Sarah’s nightmares popped out and lurked around us during our adventure through the home and the town, expressing a desire to devour us… or worse! We got quite the laugh- and scare- from an actor who came around to nail us a second time in their scene, sneering, “I’ve got eyes everywhere, don’t you see?!” Indeed they did; this was a haunt where you couldn’t let your guard down for long. A deranged patient accosted us at the entrance to the asylum, giggling over the doctor and leaping all around us until the nurse at the station sternly called them to order. Passing through a portal and sinking completely into the nightmare realm, we came across the creepy creation that was Piper the Puppet, staring ominously at us while she dangled from her strings. (A word of warning: she didn’t remain strung up for long!) Sarah herself was a major threat: we walked in on her slinging an axe around with abandon and enjoying our frightened reactions. And escaping from her world was no easy affair… Father Time came charging after us with a roaring chainsaw near the end! Tick tock, Scare Factor – your time is up!

The path next brought us to the looming bunker that was the facade for THE HUNTED, a military-themed zombie haunt. Our mission, should we choose to accept it: get inside, clear ’em out, and regain control of the facility! Most actor encounters here were brief, as their main goal was to startle us, and our main goal was to shoot them down as fast as they appeared. Every zombie we came across snarled and growled convincingly while they lunged and snapped at us. The two boss zombies we found at the end worked together well as a team and were so vicious! It was a challenge to bring them down.

(I feel like they were more of a crew member than an actor, but the guy posted outside in soldier gear acted the part 100% and did an awesome job of setting the tone for our experience. Ready to slay some zombies? Sir, yes, sir!)

Crossing the veil into the VALLEY OF THE DEAD, Cornelius- the hotel’s bellhop- gave us a serious fright from the start! Soft-spoken and sinister, he feigned a cordial demeanor during our stay… but we knew something was up when the only vacancy was in the boiler room. The two rednecks hanging out in a ramshackle butcher shop were excited to have some fresh meat come along; one hung around us merrily singing about the “thighs, arms, legs!” and whatnot they’d be slicing off of us. A whole crew of clowns awaited us in the carnival; among them were Strawberry, who called to and taunted us from afar, boisterous and purple Sledge, and blue and pink Dinko, the last of whom circled us and didn’t want to let us go! We were also invited to play a carnival game by another clown repeatedly whacking some sort of weapon on a table. The catch: it was Russian Roulette… we passed on that. (One of the clowns told a blonde member of our party that her head was like a “bucket of popcorn” because there was nothing up there. Too funny!) Towards the end, we met up with Earl, the gas station attendant who served as a keeper of the Valley. Pleasant as he was, some of his “employees” lurking outside weren’t quite as much, and we almost ended up joining all the trapped souls on “the other side!”

While many encounters with actors were brief and meant to startle- particularly in Nightmare and Hunted- Wicked World’s actors could be very interactive and usually had a response ready for anything said to them. We also noticed them interacting with both set pieces and each other, and if we offered a group member’s name, it usually didn’t end well for that person! The Valley was the heaviest on interactivity: we blew a clown’s pinwheel to make a wish, had powder blown in our faces to either curse or protect us, etc. A special shout-out is in order for the bird lady and her male castmate on the trail: half of our party stopped to let a fast-moving group pass, and while we waited to put some space between the two groups, they hung around and interacted with both us and each other the entire time. Awesome!

Wicked World delivers a wide variety of sinister and devious characters. Even when we appeared to be alone, we knew the monsters were lurking nearby, stalking us, intending to make us more than just their guests.

With the actors playing many different roles, there were many different types of costumes. It appeared that the majority wore very well-done airbrushed makeup, though there seemed to be a few characters with added face paint (like some of the clowns) throughout all three attractions and on the midway, and the majority of characters wore colored contacts to give that extra creep factor.

In the midway, we were stalked by clown sliders, Noodles, and Blueberry, who wore bright, colorful clown clothing and clown wigs. The other roamers also had full costumes and Mama JuJu had a fresh, bloody knife.

Nightmare Haunted House was the first attraction, and as we entered The Johnson Cemetery, we were greeted by a skeletal man in a top hat and suit. We are big fans of the Bushman, but within this attraction, we met a Bushwoman, covered in her wild greenery. As you can imagine, we were very excited! There were patients in gowns and one in a straight jacket – unfastened! We recommend fastening that guy up; he was a tad out of control due to his wardrobe malfunction. We saw others in prison costumes, Piper the Puppet in her pigtails and ripped, dirty puppet costume, a bloodied bride, and a clockmaster in torn steampunk clothing. We want to note that some characters had shiny, clean hair, taking their character a bit out of the grungy scenes, but otherwise, the costumes were well done in this attraction.

We were greeted by soldiers with guns, in army gear and helmets, as we waited to enter The Hunted. Inside were zombies formerly of the army and otherwise. These monsters, once human, were terrifying in appearance (and action). Most wore dark or camo and torn clothing, had wild, dirty hair, or wore helmets and other hats. One zombie was in a black dress, a choker, and had super bright red hair; another lurked in the corner, and all we could see was this zombie’s glowing eyes and dead skin. Effective in scaring the crap out of our team!

Lastly, we entered Valley of the Dead and needed a room at the hotel. The Bellhop, in his red and gold-trimmed outfit with hat, greeted us. He was dirty, so we did not expect cleanliness for this stay! Beyond the hotel were characters like a farmer in bloodied overalls, and in a ghost town were characters in black clothing. One was wearing a dress with a noose around her neck and a shovel in her hand. Inside the clown house, we met Penelope, the fairy, in bloodied, white clothing that had a perfect glow in the blacklight, including a tutu, her hair in two buns, and she held a fairy wheel as she…blessed us? We’ll go with that!

Next, we were stalked by the clowns. Some in black and white stripes, others in red and black, one joker style, suits, and one had large pom poms down his all-black clown clothing. All in painted-on and airbrushed clown makeup. Inside House of VooDoo, we met two witch doctors in white, dirty gowns with ghostly appearances. Shout out to the Raven on the trail! Gorgeous raven costume with wings and a mask with the raven beak! She was happy to let me pet her beautiful wings and used the outfit well to play her character. The only thing we’d like to see here is less clean skin.

The residential Demon waited for us in the darkness, in black, old-timey clothing toward the end, with four horns that stuck out of his head. Was he aiming for our souls? We were told by another actor that, in order to exit alive, we needed to buy a car from Earl, who was covered in blood with huge gashes that could be seen through his overalls, and he was holding… an arm. Maybe it only costs an arm to get a car, instead of an arm and leg, with Earl? At least it appeared to, for someone, but we escaped with all of our limbs!

The costuming at Wicked World seemed original and quality for all characters and their roles, with the small exception of too much cleanliness in Nightmare Haunted House for a couple of actors, with their hair too neat for the scenes. The masks looked great, the makeup detailed, and overall, the appearances kept us immersed in the roles of the Wicked World actors. Bravo to the costume and makeup department!

GPS took us right to Wicked World. As we approached, we noticed a new sign in front of the park property, nicely lit and easy to see. They had a great parking system and crew. The parking tenants were clear as to where to go for a specific parking spot; they communicated with each other through walkie-talkies, and each person had a light-up wand to guide us. The parking lot was dark at night in spots, and it is in the natural elements, so be safe while walking toward the attractions and wear proper footwear.

Right outside of the park entrance are two portable toilets and several inside the park. They were well-kept, which is always appreciated!

The ticket booth and gift shop are on the right-hand side beyond the entrance, and the midway is full of photo ops, a food truck, a tarot reading stand, and a couple of places to buy beverages. We highly enjoyed the cotton candy lemonade! It was very refreshing after dodging monsters and other creatures lurking inside Wicked World’s attractions!

The midway actors had a blast scaring everyone and setting the right tone to pump visitors up for the haunt attractions. They also chatted with us and took photos with our team. The staff members pour their hearts into this fun experience full of frights. They always check in with us to see how we enjoyed our adventure through the three attractions and to say hello and catch up. Everyone is kind and happy to answer any questions haunt goers have for them.

The park itself is safe from hazards and well-lit, including the walkthrough and in between each attraction.

The Wicked World website is informative, with the address clearly listed, a calendar full of open dates and times, a place to buy tickets, a map, and a Q&A section for commonly asked questions… all on the front page. They also have a place to add your email should you like updates about what is happening at this haunt, including special events.

Overall, Wicked World does an outstanding job with customer service! We hope other haunt-goers enjoy their experience as much as we always do!

The sound of screams punctuating the heavy music playing, clowns sliding all around you (even one on a walker!), the terrifying scenery, and the general electric feeling all around make it unmistakable that you are in a scream park. The midway had much to offer in addition to the music and sliding clowns; they also had a food truck, a tarot reader, and a gift shop to peruse while waiting to go in!

The exits of the haunts flow into the queue for the next haunt, so navigating around the attractions was easy enough until the trail finally exits back into the midway. Once inside the haunts, we often found ourselves immersed. The scenery in each was unique and detailed, making us feel that we were truly part of the scenes as we walked through. We will note, though, specifically on the trail, that we saw some non-working props, and other items off to the sides of the trail that did take away from the immersion. A lot of trash was also noticed near the exit of the house.

While each attraction is unique at Wicked World, they all share a few things in common. One of those is excellent scene-building. We were impressed by the level of detail given to each scene. In the rare moments of respite where we weren’t being pursued, we were soaking in all the amazing elements; the small touches around the scenes to convey the story, the lighting made everything so much more impactful, and the excellent use of sound to make us cower.

All throughout the trail, lighting was used not only to define scenes, which is critical for an outdoor haunt but also to elevate them. Lucy’s den on the trail had lighting that made every creepy detail pop on their costume, and the creepy lighting in the experimental room in Nightmare made us literally want to run out of there (the actor and scene detail helped, too, with wanting to run away – great synergy!)

Animatronics were another strong suit for the team at Wicked World. The Hunted had zombies coming up from below, coming down from above, and lunging at us from all sides – and that’s not even counting the actors! Nightmare features some gore-tastic animatronics that left us shuddering with a mix of revulsion and fear as we made our way past.

Each attraction had unique features to set them apart as well. Hunted saw us set out in small teams equipped with rifles to ‘shoot’ the zombies. We were advised that only headshots would do – save your center of mass shooting for the range. The rifles felt satisfyingly heavy in our hands, and the trigger action rewarded us with a realistic-sounding report and a light to show us where our shots landed. Word of advice, though, as you make your way through – the zombies can and will sneak up behind you! Make sure to keep your head on a swivel, or the zombies will have it on a platter.

The Nightmare Haunted House had some trick details, too. A shaking voodoo room that we had to cautiously hop into to match the swaying was a particularly cool detail. They also had shockingly realistic sides of meat hanging from meat hooks that made us do a double take when we entered and had us bracing for that butcher shop smell. We also noticed the addition of various e-scares where sounds and lights would go off beside us, resulting in some unexpected jumps!

Wicked World Scaregrounds certainly lived up to its name: this was one scary scream park! From the moment we walked through the gate, we had no clue when- or where- the next scare was coming. Their roaming cast was a constant threat, and we saw a variety of scare tactics from them alone. In addition to sliding and chasing guests, we spotted actors utilizing chainsaws, trash can lids, a contraption that blew blasts of air, and even a walker! (Among the roamers, a shout-out is in order for Noodles. He seemed to make it his mission to scare every single person in our party… and he did!)

Surviving the Scaregrounds’ three attractions was no easy task either. Actors tried to intimidate us by getting in close, said things to creep us out, popped out at us from hidden doors and curtains, took advantage of distractions, chased us, and ganged up on us at every opportunity. Nightmare Haunted House was particularly scary with a plentiful number of nightmares inhabiting the house and lots of hiding spots to strike from. Most of the scares we received in The Hunted were brief pop-out scares from holes in the walls, but the zombies still snapped, snarled, and clawed at us viciously! As for Valley of the Dead, we felt it was heavier on acting and interaction with groups than scares, but they still got us good several times.

Not every scare came from a live person, either. Air blasts and cleverly positioned animatronics brought out additional screams and jumps from our group.

It took our group 31.5 minutes to escape the treacherous twists and turns of Wicked World ScareGrounds. This is a steal at the combo ticket price of $32, bringing their MPD to 0.98 – which is right at the average we like to see! Add in the quality and variety of scares and midway entertainment, and you’re looking at a solid deal!

With each ticket purchase, customers will have access to their interactive midway. Some of the best sliders we see each year are rooted here! They work very hard at entertaining and scaring every guest. There’s nothing like eating your food with frights! In addition, DJ Crankenstein was cranking out some fun tunes to keep customers entertained! For those chilly nights, you can even snuggle by the bonfire! Need more? You can partake in multiple, well-decorated photo ops!

The midway offers many options for an additional fee. During our visit, we found special elixirs, a food truck, a lemonade stand, a tarot card reader, and more. They also have a lot to offer in their gift stand.

Wicked World also hosts special events, including specially-themed and typically no-scare nights. For specifics, be sure to visit their website.

If getting your scare on with sliding clowns wielding trash cans, nightmarish fiends, uncontrollable zombies, demonic demons, or a whole host of other unearthly creatures and clowns sounds like your idea of a good time, then get yourself to Nicholasville, Kentucky, and brace for a blast at Wicked World ScareGrounds!

PS. Thank you for the tooth ring, butcher! It fits perfectly!