Never get tired of this place...

You really can't get tired of Demon House. They change it every year. Every year it is better and better. Customer service is Nordstrom, all the way. No restrooms yet, but the port-o-johns were looking better! But man, man. The acting, the sets, the design, the attention to customer comfort, the scares. 100% professional all the way. We were blessed to talk to William McCue, the owner of Demon House and he shared that it was his experience in the entertainment business that taught him how to keep people happy. Well Mr. McCue, you keep people happy and SCARED. We hope that you do it for a long, long, long time to come. Amazing. Here's the video.

Huston...Huston means that I'm one day closer to you...

That was great song.  And man...isn't Larry Gatlin a hottie?  
Huston's Haunted Hollow, however...not so much in the way of greatness.
It wasn't the port-o-johns, though by now you know how I feel about them.
It wasn't the fact that they were out of Walking Tacos.
I think it was that it was just too long.
Not that it was long...it wasn't.
But...
There were three parts:
First a really decent haunted house, in a creepy building with great actors.  That would have been enough.  Stop it right there and you have a good experience.
Second we got on a tractor and were tormented by clowns.  I actually thought the clowns were cool, so that was good.  It was a beautiful night for a hayride, so that part was good, too.  As we drove into the woods, we listened to a recording tell of the legend of the Haunted Hollow.  That was excellent!  The story was good and it was fairly creepy.  The voice of the man telling it was professional and it was very enjoyable.
But then it kinda went down hill a little.  Not too much at first.  The gal who led us into the woods after the tractor dropped us off was very friendly.  Even though she was a demon, she was excited to learn that we were from Pittsburgh and shared that she was from Dormont and worked for CVS.  I know that was out of character, but I do like small world stories, so I thought it was cool, but not scary.
The woods were creepy and fires were lit on both sides.  But the thing is...budget cuts must have meant that only one dude was in the whole trail to scare us!  I mean, I seriously think the same dude with a chainsaw had to run around and scare us at different places in the woods!   So needless to say, the woodland trail was short on scares.
We got back on the tractor and were taken to a corn field.  Both the tractor driver and the girl in the corn field were not into the scene at all.  I felt like we were bothering them!  You could almost see them rolling their eyes!  I know it is late in the season...but come on!
The corn maze was not really a maze but a walk through and I swear, the same dude from the woods had to chase us around again.
It was pretty sad.
We did have nachos though, so that was good.
I wonder if it wouldn't have seemed so bad had we gone to their first.  The Hayloft was a hard act to follow.

The Turnpike to the Hayloft

For the last couple of years I've been seeing billboards for Rockwood, PA's Haunted Hayloft but I have never gone.  Man, man, man!  I am SO glad that MaryAnne and Sharon and I went on Devil's Night, as part of our last round of haunted attractions.  What a wonderful, chilling, first-class experience. As soon as we got there we were led to the entrance which was one of those spinning around neon things that make you dizzy.  We were off to a great start.  The next thing we ran into were the bathrooms!  Full service, amazing bathrooms!  Then we were greeted by two lovely women who gave us our tickets.  The wait was under cover in case of rain and yes, the attraction begins in the hayloft of a big, old barn.  A beautiful barn full of creepy people who love what they do and have created an intriguing and horrific storyline, which you can read about on the website and see reenacted during the attraction.  Everything was 100%.  From the GORGEOUS shimmering, indeed, vampire who led us inside to the very creepy dude who called out Sharon's name and chased her with a chainsaw.
Fantastic.  Fantastic.
There was food available, but we did not partake, though I bet it was first class like the rest of the place.  After the house we took seats on a very comfortable tractor, with benches and cannibals who wanted us to stay for dinner.  Then we were dumped off in a corn field and had to make our way back to the car.  The rustling of the corn stalks was the perfect ending to a perfect haunt.
I pray that I will be able to go back some day.
BRAVO!

Spooktacular

One thing I can say for the Brooke Hills Spooktacular is that they love what they do.  You can see that on their website and sense it in everyone who works there.  That is worth a lot of bonus points, in my opinion.  
The hype around this place is huge.  I heard it from a friend who heard it from a friend who heard it from another that the actors will touch you and even shoot you with water guns.  That it is the most terrifying haunted attraction around.  As soon as I heard this, I went over to the website I thought, "This HAS to be true!  The wait is sometimes until after midnight!  People get ripped through walls!   If you don't get your ticket early, there's no telling how long you'll be waiting"!  It sounded so cool!
I guess that the hype was just way too much.  If you take out the hype, this place really cool.  MaryAnne and I didn't see any of the promised activities outside of the house, like a fortune teller or gallows, etc.  so maybe they did away with that this year.  It wasn't very crowded, but it was a Friday night, so there probably was the high school football factor in play, and also, we got their fairly early.
I think the one thing that really disappointed me was the fact that there were indoor bathrooms in a the lodge area, across the driveway from the house, but they were locked and patrons were forced to use port-o-johns.  I don't think that people really understand how offensive that is.
It certainly makes a statement about how much they care about their customers.  The bathrooms were marked STAFF ONLY.  Can you see that happening at Nordstrom?
The house itself was quite creepy indeed.  It was a guided tour which made me feel better, because I was a bit nervous, mostly from the website hype and the word of mouth information.
It wasn't nearly as scary as I thought it would be.  But it was definitely good and worth going back to next year.  They say it changes every year, so that is great!  But I really, truly, no joke do find the bathroom situation to be quite rude!

A second year for Project Fear!

For awhile I was worried that Project Fear wasn't coming back!  I couldn't find a lot of information about it online but maybe I wasn't looking in the right places.  Finally I read in the Beaver County Times that it was returing for sure and there was much rejoicing!  This project is put together by a local special effects company called S.o.S f/x Entertainment.  These folks are extremely talented. At Project Fear when I say actors, I mean ACTORS. The theme of the attraction is that a wacko scientist has been working on a project about, well, fear! The man who plays the scientist is incredibly cool. All of the folks were friendly and gifted and you could tell they love what they do. There were countless creative scenes. The ending set is especially gory and well done. I love PF and I hope they do a little more to spread the word. I will do my part, with my big mouth, but even a Facebook page would help. People need to know about this place. Excellent!

Holy Haunt!

Last Saturday night I returned for another Great Pumpkin Spooktacular at Fern Hollow Nature Center.  MaryAnne joined me as well.
The crowd was gracious and listened kindly as I sang "There was an old woman all skin and bone" and told the stories of The Viper, Long, Bony Fingers and Red, Ruby Lips and Rapping in the Attic (google searches turned up those random samples, they aren't exactly how I did them) around a beautiful bonfire as they feasted on s'mores. 
We left and headed to haunts while the families when on a night walk through the woods and then headed back to the Center to watch The Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown. 
First on our list was my second year trip to Sewickley United Methodist Church Haunted House.  Here's an article about it.  I especially like how it addresses the appropriateness of a church having a haunted attraction.  Once again those zany United Methodists did an terrific job!  I jumped several times.  I wouldn't miss this attraction for anything.

Simple, scary and creative.  We experienced things here that we didn't at other places.  No animatronics needed at all.
At the start of the haunt, everyone is given a sticker.  At the end you come upon a bunch of bags - each one marked for one of the rooms in the attraction.  You vote for the best by putting your sticker in the corresponding bag.  I tell you it was seriously hard to decide!  I wish I had a sticker for all of them!
Way to go!

A Trip through Fear Forest

Friday evening was a beautiful night for a covered wagon ride through the October forest.  A lovely forest it was, in Lordstown, Ohio.  A forest filled with creatures like Leatherface, the dude from Hellraiser and Jason Vorhees. 
Fear Forest was truly scary!  I loved the forest ride at HHH, but this one was really unique and unsettling.  The woods were thick, the wagon was outfitted with speakers playing disturbing music and the actors were stealthy in their approach and attack which made for some excellent jump scares.
The wagon dumped us off at a fifteen minute walk through filled with air blasts and ghouls.  I loved every minute of it in spite of the port-o-johns!

I Stand Partially Corrected

After much ripping on Scarehouse after my experiences there last year and the year before, I decided that it wasn't fair to rip on it so much if I wasn't going to go this year.  Then I found out that my friend MaryAnne has NEVER been to Scarehouse!  How fair is that then?  That we tell people what a rip-off the place is, yet MA has never been there and I didn't go this year?
So we went!
And it wasn't so bad!
There is no way that it is worth the full price.  It isn't worth a long wait, either.  But my advice is to go on a Wednesday or Thursday or Sunday night and get your ticket ahead of time.  You can save money and time that way.
The place is 100% professional.  There are three different themes.  The last two, Rampage and Delirium 3D are pretty much the same as last year.  Delirium is the whole "wear the 3D glasses" deal, which The Haunted Mine did so well, it is hard to go anywhere else and compare.  The Mine did it better than any place I've ever seen.  Delirium has nice art work, but it is nothing like the Mine.
Rampage is the best of the three because it is like being trapped in a dystopian state of rebellion against the government, or as they call it Scarehouse, The Director.  I think that if Scarehouse just took this one theme, which works so very well and expanded it to make the whole attraction The Rampage, they would have something really excellent and unique.
As it stands, though, Scarehouse falls short, but it is worth the trip if you have the extra money.

Great End to the Weekend

Lonesome Valley Farms claims that it is the #1 Haunt in the area.  I would agree even though I don't know any other haunts in that area!  I would say it is the #1 Haunt in a lot of areas!
For $20 MaryAnne and I traveled through the Slotter Farm (where everyone gets "slottered" hahahahaha) and a terrific Haunted Hayride and Corn Stalk Walk.
MaryAnne and I were the first two people in the Slotter Farm that night and that was an exceptionally neat thing to experience.  The actors could and did touch us and they were scary, indeed!  The whole creepy little farm house itself would have been spooky even if it was empty.
The hayride had music and very cool monsters, TOTALLY scary pumpkin faces on spikes.  The corn stalk walk was full of scary music in well-placed positions.
Great food including walking tacos, fudge puppies, cheese fries, fried Oreos and more.  There was neat little gift shop, too.  Campfires as well!  But...but...no bathrooms.  Sigh...
Still...what a great haunt, we will surely go back next year.  There's a Get Lost Corn Maze that sounds a lot fun.  The one gal told us that folks got lost in there for hours and had to have someone from the farm go and get them!  Great stuff!  Hooray!

Demon House Does it Again!

Every year I look forward to Demon House.   Every year I'm not disappointed.  This year I was blown away.  DH has added so many different things including a seriously impressive haunted mine.  I swear, I really thought we were in a mine!  The actors were excellent- especially my friend Terry!  Hi, Terry!  But I am not just saying that this place is great because I know a guy who works there.  Demon House is just excellent.  Safe, fun, scary and long.  AND WALKING TACOS!  Sadly, no bathrooms...but maybe they will have them in the future.  One great thing that you don't see in places elsewhere is that as you come in you are given a group number, then you can walk around, eat, watch a movie on the outdoor screen, sit by a campfire.  Please Demon House, add bathrooms and you will be the best. place. ever!  What a way to end a night that was pretty disappointing with the great HHE rip off.  http://revingsblog.blogspot.com/2010/10/bummer.html

Haunted Hayrides at Allen's

Went to Allen's Haunted Hayrides and

for ten bucks this hayride is very good. There were many very cool scenes that I don't want to go into too much detail about because they were truly surprising and things that I haven't seen anywhere else. At first I thought Allen's wasn't so great but then I really thought about all of the creative thought that went into it and it was pretty darn cool and definitely worth the ten spot. We paid $20 because we were in a hurry and wanted to get on to Demon House, which we did. The actors were really good at scaring and also really good at gymnastics as they climbed all over the tractor! The whole place is set up nicely if you want to hang out and have a camp fire. There is a midway as well. But sadly...port a johns...so how much time can you really spend there without going to the bathroom!

A Gold Mine

Theresa and I traveled down into the Tour Ed Mine for, I believe, our third year and we expected a great trip.  We received all we hoped for and a lot more. 
The Mine is expanded this year and starts off subtly with effects that eerily suggest a coming thunderstorm.  I could feel the goosebumps rising as we walked down the well decorated path into a 3-D experience that was better than any I've seen.  Many places have them now.  You are handed glasses for them and the whole bit.  But the art work here was stand-out. 
The ride in the mine car was chilling as always and the underground actors were teens who would not give up and chased us through the place with insane and appreciated pleasure.
Usually the haunt ends at this point. But not this year.  Now Tour Ed includes a creep-infested junk yard and coffin collection through the woods. Excellent. Excellent.
We spoke with the owner and he was so gracious and told us plans to add a hayride in coming years.
I can't even imagine how awesome that will be under his leadership.
Fantastic!  Oh did I mention that this is the place where My Bloody Valentine 3D was filmed?  Way cool!

Friday Night Fright - Hobbs Manor

Friday night was full of surprises. First of all, we found an entirely new haunt! Hobbs Manor, held in the Indiana Township Municipal Building. Who knew!

Two years ago Sharon and Theresa and I went to a creative stand out at the Syria Mosque which was affiliated with "Chilly" Billy Cardille, The Temple of Terror. We were all disappointed when it didn't return last year. Happily those folks are haunting a new place, full of great actors with a lot of enthusiasm. No big animatronics here, nor were they needed. Three times I was so surprised by an actor that I jumped around like a scared rabbit.
The man in charge also ran West Deer Nightmare, which I had read about, but never attended, though I'm sure it was a good one.
I wish this new attraction all the best and will spread the word and return next year for sure.

THAT was creepy...

At the Scaregrounds we were told that the same folks who run it also run Ghost Lake at Conneaut Lake Park.  Scaregrounds was so good that I had to get to GL.
The Empress and I headed up last night as were both off Monday morning.
At first we had our misgivings.  The park is hard to describe, as is the whole experience.  The place is VERY creepy.  No lights, little signage. People live on the resort year-round so mixed in with the eight haunted attractions in the park and the Blue Streak coaster that runs on GL nights are just regular old people living in regular old houses.  The Empress and I thought it would be pretty scary to live in the resort area while all of the haunting is going on.
The cost is $15.50 for 7 attractions, an extra $3 for the Blue Streak and $2.50 for a haunted corn maze.  Let  me say that it is worth every penny.  We didn't do the Blue Streak, but we did pay for the corn maze.  Everyone of these attractions are scarier than Scarehouse and I'm not exaggerating.  Same thing for Phantom Fright Night at Kennywood, which is $25.99.
Part of the scare factor at GL is the fact that the actors can and do touch you, just like at Scaregrounds, but there is more to it than that.  Yes, it is very chilling to have a creature run his claws through your hair or grab your leg, but even that you could get used to (although I sure didn't- it was frightening EVERY time) but the actors here LOVE what they do.  They are made for it.  And it shows.
The other thing is each of the eight attractions are so well done.  Go to the website and look at the descriptions.
Truly if you enjoy haunted attractions, do not miss GL.  It is incredible.
But...sadly...no bathrooms, just port-a-johns.  Hopefully someday that will change, then the place will be perfect!

The Outbreak

Last year was my first year at Rich's Fright Farm.  Even though it was emotionally and physically exhausting, we waited in line for 2 and a half hours, we didn't get home until six am and MaryAnne broke her finger, we couldn't wait to go back this year!  It was creative and scary and like living through an actual horror movie.
This year we convinced Theresa, Crazy Lynn and The Empress to join us.  MaryAnne and I were so proud of our haunted find last year that we bragged on it all year long.  We couldn't wait to share it with others.
Sadly we were disappointed, as were our friends.
It's not that the Fright Farm was terrible.  It still is a heck of a production!  They clearly work year-round and spend a great deal of money to put on a show.  Theme this year was an outbreak of zombies.  Who doesn't love zombies?  Theresa is quite fond of them, especially.  But something was missing.  Maybe it was because I've seen such committed and excited actors this year at places like the Scaregrounds and Freddy's that it was hard to give Rich's as many props as we did last year.  The actors just weren't that into us.
Freddy's is still a great place to go.  It would be in my top five, for sure at this point, but I can't stress enough the impact that the actors have on a haunted attraction.
Food is plentiful at Rich's, but sadly, there are only port-a-john's.

Don't Touch the Monsters...

"Don't touch the monsters. They will not touch you." If you've ever been to a haunted attraction, you've probably heard this before entering the house, maze, hayride, etc. You will NOT hear this at the Canfield Scaregrounds in Canfield, Ohio. Why not? The answer is simple. No you can't touch the monsters, but yes, they can, and will touch you.
No one tells you this before you go in or on one of the three incredibly creepy attractions that comprise the Scaregrounds. The well-done website hints at it but you find out soon enough that this haunted attraction has it's own rules. What that means for visitors is one terrific evening of terror and great fun.
Just a word about the website, it is a fine piece of work. Understated and promising fright. The clown video was creepy enough to keep Dolores at home, and it was probably for the best as this place is scary!
What sets the Scaregrounds apart are the actors. Everyone my friend MaryAnne and I encountered gave it their all. You could tell that they love what they do. We attended CSG on a Sunday evening when the crowd was a bit sparse. Sometimes a small crowd will cause the actors to tone it down a bit. Let's face it, it is harder to get ramped up for smaller crowds, whether you're doing storytime, singing or chasing people with chainsaws. This was NOT the case at CSG. Everyone was excited and 100% professional.
The make up was excellent, the timing of the scares was perfect. There was no need to rely on fancy and expensive animatronics in the haunted house or on the hayride. The actors did all the work. That made for the best scares as they were relentless. Jumping out, in-your-face, excellent.
I don't want to give too much away, but you must be brave and go to CSG. I won't even try to describe the Mist- but DO IT! Same for the ride on the tractor. And of course, the haunted house. All three parts individually were scarier and more worth the money than the ridiculous rip-off of say, a Scarehouse or Phantom Frightnight.
The total experience was without fault. Excellent food, friendly non-monsters who were quick to engage in conversation and make you feel welcome. Restrooms were clean and plentiful. I hope to make this an annual tradition.
Excellent. A place where those who run haunted attractions should come and learn. An industry standard. 

Second Weekend of Haunts Report

I wrote this last Sunday, but forgot to post!  Here's the report on our September 24 and 25 haunts.
The second weekend of haunting arrives! This time Theresa and MaryAnne and I headed to Hopewell Township's own Freddy's Haunts. I love the people at Freddy's!  They truly love what they do.  Last night was opening night and we got there pretty late. We were the last group to go through.  The actors must have been very tired. But it sure didn't show.  They could have easily blown us off.  When we arrived many were hanging around outside but they went right in and did an excellent job scaring us.
The place was hit hard with the bad snow we had this year but they rebuilt, thankfully and the scares were plentiful!
They offer Walking Tacos but I was too late to get any, but I did have a delicious hotdog and a pop!
Sadly, Freddy's only offers Port-a-Johns, that's the only downside to this friendly and very entertaining haunt.  I recommend it highly, as always! 
Tonight was my second year at Haunted Hills Hayride and the Valley of Darkness in North Versailles.  You can do one attraction for 10 bucks or both for 15 and proceeds benefit the Autism Society of Pittsburgh.  This was opening weekend but the production was flawless.  These people put on an amazing production.  Unfortunately we were in a group comprised of obnoxious hecklers and folks who must have left their personalities at home.  The actors tried their best on these folks but nothing helped.  Sadly, too, although they offer Walking Tacos, the concession stand was not open and they have Port-a-Johns, not bathrooms.  Happily, there is a Sheetz close by!  Exceptional hayride and trail.  Bring a bunch of friends with you though in case you don't get a fun group!

The Race is On

One of my favorite autumn activities is visiting haunted attractions. Last year I became quite obsessed and visited 19 in three states. This year I don't think I'll hit that many, but I hope to try some new ones and focus on visiting the best ones from last year. In South Western PA the season started this past weekend with the opening to two favorites. My friends MaryAnne and Theresa and I first traveled to Portersville, PA in Butler County for Cheeseman's Fright Farm. Cheeseman's has always been one of my favorites because it includes a hayride usually full of scares, a haunted barn and a corn maze. Hearing the dry cornstalks move around you as you make your way through the maze can be quite spooky. Last year the actors made me go alone through the maze and I thoroughly enjoyed it. The restrooms are clean and the food is good. There are pumpkins and souveniers to buy as well and the main barn is lit and decorated for the season. The tractor bed is filled with hay and you ride comfortably on bales while actors scream at you. This was the second year that I've gone on opening night.

While I will always love Cheeseman's, I must admit that it wasn't as frightening as in past years. There were hardly any scares during the hayride and the walk-throughs didn't have many actors jumping out to frighten us. The pumpkins weren't in the barn yet, though they were there on Sunday afternoon when my mom and I went for a daytime visit with nachos, hotdogs and picture taking. The Friday night scares were few and far between. Perhaps I'll return later in the season, though, to see if it improves. I did meet two really cool seniors from Laurel Jr. - Sr. High who were fun to journey with through the attraction. The nice thing about opening weekend is that for 12 bucks you can go through as many times as you like. As always, the staff was great.

We couldn't stay for a second trip through the haunt, however, as we needed to hustle to the southern end of Allegheny County to Hundred Acres Manor. On the way we picked up Pat and headed for this favorite which is located in South Park. Hundred Acres costs 16 dollars but benefits two very worthwhile charities, the Homeless Children's Education Fund and Animal Friends. Hundred Acres always has something different. Every year is new. Every year is scary. This year was their best ever.It took nearly an hour to go through a dark maze, an insane assylum, a freaky clown thing, cave and other scenes. The amount of work that goes into this place is unreal. Everything about it was great except for an actor/heckler who stood outside and swore at people. At first he was funny, then he was just vulgar, dropping F-bombs, even.The food was good, I had a pepperoni roll. The bathrooms were better than Port-o-Johns, but they were part of the park itself and so not the cleanest. Still, it was a great time.All in all, it was a fantastic way to start off a spooky weekend!