Fear Fair

(all ratings scored out of 5)
Fear Fair
Curb Appeal – 4/5
Scare Factor – 5/5
Actor Enthusiasm – 5/5
Creativity – 5/5

Overall – 4.8/5

Paul - Wow! I think Fear Fair is one of the most fun trips through a haunt I’ve ever had. The sets were constructed very well, the actors did an outstanding job, the animatronics were extremely well-done, costumes were great; I’m not sure I could compliment this haunt much more.
Fear Fair is in an industrial area of Seymour, IN which is between Louisville and Indianapolis off of I-65. When you approach the site you’ll notice the big spot light shining into the shy and there is an undead DJ playing music on the second floor of the building with a full light show going.
Once inside, this is a full-contact haunt. The actors can grab you, push you, jump on you, and they will! At one point I had one actor who jumped on my back and 2 more grabbing my arms. Intense! The actors has great costumes and make-up as well. I was also really impressed by the sets; they had amazing detail but weren’t cluttered up with trinkety junk like you see in a lot of haunts. Just enough to make everything feel very real.
I really have nothing but good things to say about Fear Fair. We drove over from Cincinnati and it was WELL worth the trip. This is a haunt I can’t wait to go through again!


Teresa - I was a little apprehensive when we arrived. Fear Fair is in a warehouse district and parking isn’t very clear. We got there right at opening time and the lines were already long, particularly the line to get tickets. However, there was a live DJ cranking out tunes and occasionally throwing out T-shirts. The crowd was definitely into it. I saw a couple of wandering scare actors, both of whom were rather intimidating. They were really playing their characters to the hilt. There were also a couple of fire-jugglers. Then, they took our picture for the website and we went in. As for the haunt itself, I think it was outstanding. The sets were creative, well-done, and detailed, but not cluttered. You start out in a post-apocalyptic  bunker-like building with a run-away elevator. From there you go through all kinds of great scenes, including a fantastic New Orleans swamp and cemetery, and a pretty creepy Silent Hill set. The actors were all very professional and some of the best I’ve seen. Their costumes were incredible and the actors were quite scary. I was very happy that this is a full-contact haunt. And boy, do these actors give it to you! We were grabbed, pulled, caressed, separated, bear-hugged, tackled, and piggy-backed on throughout the haunt. And we loved it! If these actors had really been their characters, we would have been doomed for sure. I had so much fun! I can’t wait to come back to this one to see what they do next year. If you like to be scared, this is a must see!


Todd - Well folks, I think we finally found the competition for The Haunted Hotel!
This haunt came out of left field for us. We were asked to come up on short notice for Halloween weekend and fortunately, a few of us were available. The 4 hour round trip didn’t seem so bad and now I can say it was undoubtedly worth the drive!
I’ll start by just stating a few opportunities we encountered upon arrival. First, evidently you can park anywhere nearby. Fear Fair is located among a lot of commercial buildings. People parked pretty much wherever they could – grassy areas, other businesses’ lots, etc. The problem is this wasn’t really indicated anywhere upon our approach so it’s not really clear where you can or can’t park.
Also – the ticket booth (or in this case, truck), is very small and appeared to only have one window. Even before opening the ticket line was pretty long and with only one, maybe 2 windows, for sales a lot of time is spent just waiting in that line. However, there may not be much of a rush because the lines to enter were substantially longer. On the night we went, they got off to a late start (it happens) so the line was backing up. Surprisingly, the VIP line was pretty long too. If I recall, the VIP price is only $5 than the standard price. So, while going VIP doesn’t break your bank, it may not necessarily decrease your wait time substantially.
Don’t fret about the line unless you’re pressed for time. A live DJ is there to entertain you while you wait. Free t-shirts were being thrown out every so often as well to those patiently waiting.
To our surprise, we were honored with first entry of the night upon arrival. This was our first visit so we didn’t know what to expect other than it was full contact. We’ve encountered two different interpretations of full contact in the past. The hardcore shoving, throwing, grabbing kind and the “”here…I’m going to slowly poke you or caress your back”" kind. Fear Fair is very much the former and HOLY SHIT is it intense.
Contact is made throughout and the haunt is a decent length. There aren’t too many spots where you aren’t being toyed with so your nerves wont get much of a break .
The theme changes a few times throughout the haunt. It starts in an underground cavern, then winds up into a New Orleans-eque area with the most amazing outdoor (but indoor) street scene I’ve seen short of being at Disney. This “”room”", while not scary, completely stands out in my mind because I remember being absolutely flabbergasted at how well done it was. If we had an award for most authentic scenery, it would win.
You’ll also go through a pretty lengthy zombie infestation. This area by far has the most contact involved. At any one time there may have been 4 people grabbing me, damn near on my back and it felt like they were really trying to pull me to the ground or back from where I came from. I’m a little surprised my shirt didn’t rip. Yes – they were that aggressive (and fantastic)!
There’s also a smaller Silent Hill area which is very impressive. Both the scenery and characters looked great. I was pinned to a wall by my throat by Pyramid Head and it was amazing!! The hot, faceless nurses weren’t bad either.
Another scene I really loved was an exorcism scene within a church. The steeple had actually crashed through the ceiling and the possessed girl was not conveniently tied down to a bed. The priest and her were in full combat, pushing each other against walls while they fought for her soul. As he aggressively prayed for her, she would respond yelling “”F*CK YOU PRIEST”" and such. She’d also grab us in the midst of the struggle. Very cool.
It’s not without it’s lacking details, however. As we went through, a sizable Tesla coil that would have been great to see was not working. In a bayou area, there’s an alligator prop that slides out and only half of it was constructed. The rest of the missing body could be better masked.
It’s hard to point out little things like this because overall, Fear Fair totally impressed me. It had a LOT of unique takes on subject matter commonly found in haunts. For example, the possession. A lot of places have some sort of exorcism scene, but this is honestly the first one I’ve seen where the priest is physically fighting the demon. It’s definitely the most hands-on haunt I’ve been to, to date. I mention Haunted Hotel in Louisville because they are infamous for pretty intense contact. Therefore, I can only really compare my experience at Fear Fair to that and I must say, Fear Fair was much more intense with their contact. These two haunts are not apples to apples in theme and other aspects so please do not take this as my trying to compare them exclusively.
Final verdict – LOVED IT. It was an absolute blast. Those who don’t like to be touched are best to skip it all together. It’s invasive. The quality of the sets is some of the best I’ve seen. We WILL return!