Haunted Hayride, please come in here.Haunted Hayride...what's going on? Why aren't your usual spooky yourself? Everything else about you this year was fun. Your hayride though...
As friends came together and were pumped to sit down on a tractor filled with hay to carry them off you would notice just sheer glee. Those same friends would ask at end of the ride, "Wasn't it better last year?"
Main problems included:
-Lack of monsters, ghouls, goblins, general scarers
-No connected theme
-No showstoppers, no big moments that stood out
-Uneven ending.
At the start, the TTDILA crew and friends were having the time of our lives. New this year, a tarp that blacks out the night sky and covers you at the start. Monsters nip at you and then caveman are taken away by trolls? Confusion sets in at the start of the maze and doesn't dissipate.
In years before, the route had themed sections at the start or a nice start scare. The start would be usually followed by a hallway of monsters, one year demon school girls another fire demons. Some shooting water or doing bad jokes. This year the mighty hallway was just gone.
A corn maze lacking trapeze artists that shocked and startled so many was replaced by a scene of a couple trying to escape a crazy psycho in their car. That had to be the saddest part of the entire hayride. What happens to the couple isn't over the the top, it's just sad. Sad in how lame it is.
The cages of the abadanoned zoo section makes me question if we're supposed to be afraid of British people? I didn't get the jokes, if there are jokes, were o names on the cages there significant?
One of the only memorable moments was a midnight dance with a hungry group of party goers. That moment is followed by a popping looking sign and some random scare givers that did a good job.
Another scene of a town that seemed to be made up of mutants and monsters, all three of them, had us cowering in fear again as we had the curtains pulled over us again, or at least the tarp over the tractor. It led us to questioning what had happened instead of being scared.
The finale isn't really worth noting, it's one of the weakest ends of the ride seen in years.
I can't even really recall the connection to the boogeyman... I do know it is the ending. It just did such a bad job of being entertaining that I just want to disillusion it having any merit. Nothing else in the ride seemed tide to the boogeyman. I don't get the theme name.
You'll be surprised that everything else was well done. It's hard to full comprehend and makes me want to find answers to questions as how everything else was fun and creative. Yet, the main attraction is the worst time I've had. I've been blown away in the years prior or at least had fond moments. Now those belong to the surrounding fair.
The In-Between Dark Maze was a laugh riot. This year you're
provided a clown mask and still only one member of the group is given a lantern to
lead the way. On top of being in the dark, the clown mask make it even harder
to see. Harder to see all the creepy clowns. All the honks, all the terrifying
laughter. It worked at made itself a real walking nightmare of fun.
Trick Or Treat, short but sweet, has you trick-or-treating through a very strange neighborhood. You meet a very strange group of those willing to give out candy. You'll know when to move when you hear the door bell. Creative and funny, I want more characters like that spooking me.
The monster out in Purgatory delighfully frighten those of all ages. Slender man was my favorite. He's silent, tall and just creepy to find right above you looking down.
For more fun there's a merry-go-round where the horses are missing their flesh...and everything else, so just bones. Not far you can cut pumpkins up. And for those wanting selfies a room of deadly scenes to take pictures of themselves in.
Beating all else was House of Shadows, the best part of the
Haunted Hayride. How can that be? Why is something not with hayride in the name not the
lead story here? House of Shadows was a haunted house with thoughtful scary ideas going into every room. Each room had a personality, including one where dolls were collected on the ceiling, giving off a creepy, this isn't good vibe. Actors looking to frighten you and an ending that tries to get in a great final scare gives it a good score for small haunted side house. I laughed and got scared by well planned frights. Hearing the screams of friends going down a spooky hallway gave me such cathartic joy.
I only wish the rest of the Hayride can improve itself for the rest of October. It just opened, but must have heard of the complaints from long time fans. It wouldn't need that much to change to get some scares. Did something go wrong the night we attended, it seems strange? At this time it's just unknown why the ride doesn't live up to it's former self. As a fan I only wish it gets better.