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COVID can't keep this haunt down |
Todd - If there’s one thing Fear Fair is consistent with, it’s change. Each year there is always something that is overhauled, added to or significantly improved. Visually, the most obvious chance was the entrance. No longer does it look like a back-alley squatters den (I kid...kind of). Fear Fair’s curb appeal received a full facelift and is now presented as a gothic cathedral of sorts, complete with twin turrets, stained glass steeple and skeletal reaper animatronics. Of course, the pyro-infused DJ booth remains because what’s waiting in line at Fear Fair without beats provided by DJ Fear himself? Guests are tranced with music while lights and lasers dazzle the eyes. Occasional fire bursts catch you off guard while providing a quick hit of radiating heat. You might be lucky enough to grab a free shirt too.
As with many haunts this season, actor counts had to be adjusted due to Covid-19 regulations. Those familiar with the haunt were likely to notice some absences such as the caged victim at the top of the stairs in the house, the possessed girl and/or priest in the chapel or extra plague victims in the town just to name a few. However, with this limited crew, the presentation was still effective. Many actors covered more ground than normal, circling around to re-interact with visitors in their area. For example, in the witch town area, the actors were not stationary at all. We came across each one multiple times as we weaved throughout the small huts, including Black Philip / goat man who was not confined to his stall as in years past.
More explosive performances were also evident. Whether this was to compensate for the lowered actor count or not, it was a very welcome change. I was the most pleased with this new approach in catacombs right at the beginning. Since this new area debuted a few years ago, the actors were primarily robed figures who roamed the halls and didn’t do much at all. Now, the actors have been changed to very animated mummies or reanimated bodies. These actors climb the walls, slide all over the floors and never stay in a single area. They were literally all over the place. Outside among the crypts, an energetic gravewalker was actually jumping back and forth on top of them as we walked by. Arguably hazardous, but a good demonstration of effort nonetheless.
A few of the areas that for years have been in need of rejuvenation remain unchanged, primarily the rat room and the vampire cave (as I refer to it). These areas are commonly quiet and void of actors in my experience. Nothing has changed much in that regard.
Now to talk about the elephant in the room. WHERE IS PEACHES? Well ok, we knew he was out for the 2020 season, so we weren’t shocked. The question on my mind going in was what the hell were they going to do with the prison without their star performer?! While I completely miss my favorite cuddlebug convict, I have to say the prison was Fear Fair’s shining moment this year. Now evidently a women’s correctional institution, inside we encountered female convicts this year who were not only incarcerated but possessed as well. Yikes. While these demented dames thrashed around and jumped on the wire cages, the evil was being combatted by what looked like two priests. One was on the sliding harness prop normally occupied by a criminal going for a jump scare and the other was praying on the cot where we would normally find Peaches waiting for us. An especially possessed inmate began to physically attack the priest as he chanted his prayers. This put a really fun and dark spin on the whole scene and was a fantastic execution of recycling the build in Peaches’s absence.
All in all, Fear Fair was still a lot of fun and hugely entertaining despite not being able to touch and operating with fewer actors. It was encouraging to see the actors that were able to stay on board really kick it up a notch and they were all the more memorable for it. It sounds like Fear Fair will be taking a break from doing holiday haunts this year, but no doubt the crew will be back with a vengeance next year for a full heaping of scares. Hopefully with a side of Peaches.
As with many haunts this season, actor counts had to be adjusted due to Covid-19 regulations. Those familiar with the haunt were likely to notice some absences such as the caged victim at the top of the stairs in the house, the possessed girl and/or priest in the chapel or extra plague victims in the town just to name a few. However, with this limited crew, the presentation was still effective. Many actors covered more ground than normal, circling around to re-interact with visitors in their area. For example, in the witch town area, the actors were not stationary at all. We came across each one multiple times as we weaved throughout the small huts, including Black Philip / goat man who was not confined to his stall as in years past.
More explosive performances were also evident. Whether this was to compensate for the lowered actor count or not, it was a very welcome change. I was the most pleased with this new approach in catacombs right at the beginning. Since this new area debuted a few years ago, the actors were primarily robed figures who roamed the halls and didn’t do much at all. Now, the actors have been changed to very animated mummies or reanimated bodies. These actors climb the walls, slide all over the floors and never stay in a single area. They were literally all over the place. Outside among the crypts, an energetic gravewalker was actually jumping back and forth on top of them as we walked by. Arguably hazardous, but a good demonstration of effort nonetheless.
A few of the areas that for years have been in need of rejuvenation remain unchanged, primarily the rat room and the vampire cave (as I refer to it). These areas are commonly quiet and void of actors in my experience. Nothing has changed much in that regard.
Now to talk about the elephant in the room. WHERE IS PEACHES? Well ok, we knew he was out for the 2020 season, so we weren’t shocked. The question on my mind going in was what the hell were they going to do with the prison without their star performer?! While I completely miss my favorite cuddlebug convict, I have to say the prison was Fear Fair’s shining moment this year. Now evidently a women’s correctional institution, inside we encountered female convicts this year who were not only incarcerated but possessed as well. Yikes. While these demented dames thrashed around and jumped on the wire cages, the evil was being combatted by what looked like two priests. One was on the sliding harness prop normally occupied by a criminal going for a jump scare and the other was praying on the cot where we would normally find Peaches waiting for us. An especially possessed inmate began to physically attack the priest as he chanted his prayers. This put a really fun and dark spin on the whole scene and was a fantastic execution of recycling the build in Peaches’s absence.
All in all, Fear Fair was still a lot of fun and hugely entertaining despite not being able to touch and operating with fewer actors. It was encouraging to see the actors that were able to stay on board really kick it up a notch and they were all the more memorable for it. It sounds like Fear Fair will be taking a break from doing holiday haunts this year, but no doubt the crew will be back with a vengeance next year for a full heaping of scares. Hopefully with a side of Peaches.
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BRING ON THE INTENSITY |
Paul - Intensity seems to be the key to success in this covid-restricted haunt season of 2020. The best haunts we've experienced have shown us that even without touch, cranking up the intensity will make a lasting impression.
Fear Fair is normally a touch haunt (or at least has a touch option), so we were a little worried about how they'd cope with not having that scare tactic and the limited number of actors they could have in their attraction. As we discovered with Haunted Hotel earlier this year, having the actors crank up their intensity can really make a potentially lackluster situation turn into an extremely impactful one. Even without being able to rely on touch, and having a limited number of actors allowed inside, the Fear Fair crew managed to pull off a hell of a haunt.
Now I'll admit there were a couple of slow spots. When you have a haunt that's this big, it's hard to keep actors in all of the positions anyway, let alone when they can't have anywhere near their normal number of actors. So while there were a few empty places where I knew there are ordinarily actors doing their thing, the rest of the areas seemed to be operating with the A-crew.
Last year was the first year for "Ancient Evil", and while it was visually impressive, the monk-like characters wandering around were kind of slow and non-threatening. Over the off-season they apparently started doing crossfit and parkour, because this year they were running and jumping all over the place. At one point I watched one of the lunatics leap into the air off of a 6-foot wall before landing a few feet from me and running off into the darkness. His feet must have been 10 feet off of the ground at the peak of the jump, and he had to have covered 10 feet in horizontal distance at the same time. The best part is that even with all of the crazy acrobatics, it wasn't a one-and-done performance. There were dozens of actors inside running and jumping and sliding all over the place, only to circle around and get you again a few seconds later. It was a very well-executed method of dealing with the limited personnel allowed inside the building. Can't put 3 haunters in a room? Put one in and have her scare the same group 4 or 5 times!
Aside from a few small things, most of the changes inside the haunt for this year were actor-related. The costumes seemed substantially different, the interaction was different, and as I just mentioned -the intensity was hugely different. Now the outside area was another story and was completely modified. There was a whole new haunted-castle kind of façade on the building, and the queue area was redone so that it wasn't a queue at all. This year there was a virtual queue so you were able to wander around their midway area while waiting. Play games, stand by the fire, buy a t-shirt, whatever. I thoroughly appreciate virtual queues and I think they should be implemented at more haunts.
Fear Fair is another of those attractions that regularly comes up when people ask me what my favorite haunts are, and this year's visit cements it into those discussions. The facility is enormous, the props are great, the outside entertainment is the best there is, we've never once had a conga-line issue, and you'll talk about it for days afterward. There really just isn't anything else quite like Fear Fair.
Fear Fair is normally a touch haunt (or at least has a touch option), so we were a little worried about how they'd cope with not having that scare tactic and the limited number of actors they could have in their attraction. As we discovered with Haunted Hotel earlier this year, having the actors crank up their intensity can really make a potentially lackluster situation turn into an extremely impactful one. Even without being able to rely on touch, and having a limited number of actors allowed inside, the Fear Fair crew managed to pull off a hell of a haunt.
Now I'll admit there were a couple of slow spots. When you have a haunt that's this big, it's hard to keep actors in all of the positions anyway, let alone when they can't have anywhere near their normal number of actors. So while there were a few empty places where I knew there are ordinarily actors doing their thing, the rest of the areas seemed to be operating with the A-crew.
Last year was the first year for "Ancient Evil", and while it was visually impressive, the monk-like characters wandering around were kind of slow and non-threatening. Over the off-season they apparently started doing crossfit and parkour, because this year they were running and jumping all over the place. At one point I watched one of the lunatics leap into the air off of a 6-foot wall before landing a few feet from me and running off into the darkness. His feet must have been 10 feet off of the ground at the peak of the jump, and he had to have covered 10 feet in horizontal distance at the same time. The best part is that even with all of the crazy acrobatics, it wasn't a one-and-done performance. There were dozens of actors inside running and jumping and sliding all over the place, only to circle around and get you again a few seconds later. It was a very well-executed method of dealing with the limited personnel allowed inside the building. Can't put 3 haunters in a room? Put one in and have her scare the same group 4 or 5 times!
Aside from a few small things, most of the changes inside the haunt for this year were actor-related. The costumes seemed substantially different, the interaction was different, and as I just mentioned -the intensity was hugely different. Now the outside area was another story and was completely modified. There was a whole new haunted-castle kind of façade on the building, and the queue area was redone so that it wasn't a queue at all. This year there was a virtual queue so you were able to wander around their midway area while waiting. Play games, stand by the fire, buy a t-shirt, whatever. I thoroughly appreciate virtual queues and I think they should be implemented at more haunts.
Fear Fair is another of those attractions that regularly comes up when people ask me what my favorite haunts are, and this year's visit cements it into those discussions. The facility is enormous, the props are great, the outside entertainment is the best there is, we've never once had a conga-line issue, and you'll talk about it for days afterward. There really just isn't anything else quite like Fear Fair.
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Great sets, great actors, great themes, great costumes, great props, great effects, great scares, and great fun! |
Teresa - Fear Fair is a must-see haunt, located in Seymour, Indiana. It is a convenient drive from Louisville, Cincinnati, Indianapolis, and Bloomington. And don't let the distance dissuade you from visiting. This is one intense, scary, and fun place! Tickets are $25 for general admission, or $35 for fast passes. They have a strict COVID policy in place, where everyone must wear a mask and be temperature screened before entering the property. This is another haunt I was worried about this year, afraid that I might be disappointed because of the restrictions doing away with the touch aspect, keeping actors from being as aggressive. They really did a fantastic job, though. First, they've added all kinds of amusements outside. There's a bonfire, booths selling souvenirs, games, a rock-climbing wall, a bungee jumper, and a thing called, "the sphere of fear". There's a lot to do while you wait. Also new this year, a brand new ancient-looking cathedral façade, with moving skeletons flanking the new entrance. It's really cool and adds some real character to your wait. Be sure to get there by opening, because they have a show every night, with laser lights, fog, fireworks, and monsters galore! After that, a deejay spins some fun Halloween jams and the laser lights make it almost impossible not to dance! In fact, lots of people were!
When it is your turn to go in, you will get to pose for your group photo; be sure to look for it at the booth after you get out. Then, you walk down some dark corridors, looking like you're in a mine. After a short wait, you will enter the haunt through an elevator. Hang on, it can be a bumpy ride! When you leave the elevator, you find yourself in the first of 4 haunts for this year, Ancient Evil. There are some seriously cool props in this section, my favorites are these life-sized skeleton candelabras and a giant necromancer-like monster. He's so enormous! The second haunt is Leveau's Curse. This one is a New Orleans-style haunt with lots of voodoo, zombies, swamps, ouija fortune-telling, and giant crocodiles! I love the atmosphere of this one! They are so good at constructing sets and street scenes! It goes so far to make you really feel like you're there. Oh, and there's a New Orleans-style above-ground cemetery, full of crypts and statues (and the undead). The third section is called Pestilence. How very apropos and extra-terrifying this year! This looks like a plague-era village filled with witches, plague doctors, infected people, and monsters. The scenes are so awesome, it's like you've wandered into a movie set. I always love the goat-man, whom I like to call Black Phillip. There are some seriously creepy props here! The last part of the haunt is called Rockford Riot. This is a prison with prisoners running amok. I was really impressed with the female inmates this year! They were over-the-top intimidating! And pretty gross! I'm pretty sure I saw one girl puking in a toilet and then eating stuff out of it! So disgusting! There are some real surprises in this part and it gets pretty intense! It just keeps throwing scare after scare at you until people just freak out and come rushing out the exit. I had a great time! I did notice fewer actors overall, particularly in areas of the haunt that are tight. They just can't have too many people in close contact this year. I missed the touch aspect, but I LOVED how they really amped up the physicality of the actors. They were way more mobile and aggressive! The sliders and sparkers really had people jumping and screaming. Actors were running and sliding at us, jumping overhead, flying toward us, and just really being creative with the scares! This place is so well done. Great sets, great actors, great themes, great costumes, great props, great effects, great scares, and great fun!
When it is your turn to go in, you will get to pose for your group photo; be sure to look for it at the booth after you get out. Then, you walk down some dark corridors, looking like you're in a mine. After a short wait, you will enter the haunt through an elevator. Hang on, it can be a bumpy ride! When you leave the elevator, you find yourself in the first of 4 haunts for this year, Ancient Evil. There are some seriously cool props in this section, my favorites are these life-sized skeleton candelabras and a giant necromancer-like monster. He's so enormous! The second haunt is Leveau's Curse. This one is a New Orleans-style haunt with lots of voodoo, zombies, swamps, ouija fortune-telling, and giant crocodiles! I love the atmosphere of this one! They are so good at constructing sets and street scenes! It goes so far to make you really feel like you're there. Oh, and there's a New Orleans-style above-ground cemetery, full of crypts and statues (and the undead). The third section is called Pestilence. How very apropos and extra-terrifying this year! This looks like a plague-era village filled with witches, plague doctors, infected people, and monsters. The scenes are so awesome, it's like you've wandered into a movie set. I always love the goat-man, whom I like to call Black Phillip. There are some seriously creepy props here! The last part of the haunt is called Rockford Riot. This is a prison with prisoners running amok. I was really impressed with the female inmates this year! They were over-the-top intimidating! And pretty gross! I'm pretty sure I saw one girl puking in a toilet and then eating stuff out of it! So disgusting! There are some real surprises in this part and it gets pretty intense! It just keeps throwing scare after scare at you until people just freak out and come rushing out the exit. I had a great time! I did notice fewer actors overall, particularly in areas of the haunt that are tight. They just can't have too many people in close contact this year. I missed the touch aspect, but I LOVED how they really amped up the physicality of the actors. They were way more mobile and aggressive! The sliders and sparkers really had people jumping and screaming. Actors were running and sliding at us, jumping overhead, flying toward us, and just really being creative with the scares! This place is so well done. Great sets, great actors, great themes, great costumes, great props, great effects, great scares, and great fun!
Questions? Have a story to share? Leave it in the comments!