Haunted Village
Dead pioneers aren’t the only thing creeping in the shadows of Haunted Village at This is the Place Heritage Park. In fact, there are several different themes competing for frights in this year’s hodgepodge of haunts at the Pioneer Village. The Headless Horseman, truly a breathtaker, vanishes into the woods only seconds after he appears, and the Civil War trenches, which were a new and intriguing idea, never realized their potential. It might be scarier in confined spaces, but stooping through an endless tunnel of blue tarpaulin and blinding strobe lights leaves one fearing a potential visit to the chiropractor more than the occasional “boo” from a slit in the tarp. As for the acting, post-scare giggles were distracting, but an incredible Beetle Juice impression compensated for it. Still, it’s an impressive feat to turn an entire village into a creepy sleepy hollow. It’s just hard to accept that in doing so, Haunted Village could overlook any sort of entertainment in the exhaustingly long line8212;which it did8212;much to my impatient chagrin.
Joseph Peterson
Nightmare on 13th
Years spent refining its scare tactics have made Nightmare on 13th one of Utah’s premier Halloween attractions.
As one of thousands of victims in the haunted house’s almost 20-year history, I was disoriented, unnerved, and all the while, impressed.
The sets were elaborately designed and featured a variety of spooky environments. The actors were convincing without being overbearing, and the majority of the scares were unpredictable and effective. Even the wait, which was about 45 minutes on a busy weekend night, was entertaining thanks to two large screens providing hidden-camera views of unsuspecting goers in the act of losing their composure.
Although the duration of the scares may have proved too long for the faint of heart, the 40 minutes of diverse settings and characters made it worth the time and money.
Overall, the professional quality, diversity of the sets and actors, and efforts to make dealing with large crowds as hassle-free as possible made trying out Nightmare on 13th as enjoyable as it is terrifying.
Elliott Bueler
Psycho Manor and Haunted Forest
Psycho Manor and the Haunted Forest are some of the most established haunted houses in Utah and it shows. Despite the long lines for the Haunted Forest, you are entertained the whole time. Psycho Manor is usually a much shorter wait. The whole production has great acting and is very professional; no one breaks character even for a second. The design of the forest is good, but very spread out and takes about 45 minutes to go through. Also it’s8212;surprise8212;mostly outdoors, so wear good shoes and warmer wear. There are several legitimate scares, but they rely too much on having you stoop down to keep you in suspense, which can get uncomfortable if you’re taller. The experiences are very convincing and worth the $20, which gets you into both the Haunted Forest and Psycho Manor. However, the Haunted Forest has potential to be ruined if it’s too busy; the groups end up getting bunched together and the actors can’t reposition themselves to scare you. It’s better on a weeknight or earlier in the evening on the weekend.
Joseph Simmons