The Barber Haunt (Barberton, OH)
“Roy’s Haunted Paradise”
By Noah Wullkotte: Jollypumpkin@aol.com
The Barber Haunt is an interesting attraction with a lot of history surrounding it. The building was originally used as a pig barn on the O.C. Barber Farm. It housed hogs and had Dutch doors where the pigs could go in and out. Weddings, a wake and other events have been held inside the barn. Many students want to go inside to get their graduation pictures taken.
A caretaker lives in the barn year round to keep an eye on the property. After O.C. Barber passed away the Calvary used the outside field with their horses. In previous years the pig barn was part of a very popular ghost tour. This is beautiful building that’s enriched with history. The basement has long hallways that go on forever and the walls are covered with graffiti. Some of the graffiti dates back to the late 1980’s. There’s a boiler room and even a coal shoot.
The Calvary set up targets at the end of the hallways and would fire away. Bullet holes are still present in many of the basement’s hallways and bullet shells were found when the owners originally acquired the building. Several ghost hunters and psychics have investigated the pig farm and have determined that the place is haunted. The ghost’s name is Roy and he apparently likes the changes that were made to the place.
There’s a reason why this 101 year old pig barn has been used for a haunted attraction. It’s very scary looking and is really haunted. Now step inside the clown’s mouth and enter the funhouse where the old pig barn has been transformed into a house of horrors. The Barber Haunt is a relatively new attraction that’s been operating for 3 years, but shouldn’t be taken lightly. This is an old school haunt with some modern ways of scaring people. You’ll see a few CGI props like a killer breaking apart a window and a mental patient walking down an insane asylum hallway.
The Barber Haunt has two graveyards. The first uses an old school effect called the Pepper’s Ghost Effect. This effect is named after its creator John Henry Pepper. It creates the illusion that there’s an apparition. A green ghost floats up from its grave and escapes into the haunt. It’s a cool effect, but you could see the sheet of glass that was being used to reflect the image.
The other graveyard is the finale of the haunt. You’ll hear dramatic classical music that plays before you exit. The Barber Haunt has some scenes I haven’t seen in years. The last time I saw a Jason’s mask room was a couple years ago, but I can see why the haunt uses it. Unless you have great night vision, it’s nearly impossible to figure out which actor is wearing a glow in the dark hockey mask. The actor perfectly blends in with the darkness.
Do you enjoy going to the dentist for your annual checkup? I’m guessing you don’t. Many people dread going to the dentist and The Barber Haunt isn’t going to help. They have a gory dentist’s room where the dentist is nowhere in sight, but a killer with a machete is glad to take over. He likes to play with the patient’s teeth and yours are next.
Like I said, The Barber Haunt is an old school haunt. There are scenes of horror like a laboratory with a mad doctor, a funeral wake, an autopsy room, and even a carriage ride crash. The mad doctor is played by the owner Steve and he does a good job making customers laugh. The dark maze towards the end is very haunting and makes you wonder if there’s ever been spirit activity nearby.
The Barber Haunt is around 11 minutes long. Tickets are $15 a person which is a little high, but you get to tour the haunt twice if you make it all the way through. Children under 5 get in for $5. Visit their Facebook page for different discounts.
The Barber Haunt may not be the bloodiest haunt around or use the most expensive animatronics, but it’s an attraction that has a real haunted building and there are many things you’ll enjoy. Unfortunately there are only a few actors that have interesting dialogue and most of them wear masks. The haunt doesn’t really have a theme and could benefit from using the history of the pig farm. These are some minor problems that could easily be fixed.
Remember to meet Roy and the rest of the ghosts at The Barber Haunt. They promise to introduce themselves.
Length-7 Design-7 Props/Animatronics-7 Acting-7 Scare Effect-7
Final Stab: 7.0
www.barberhaunt.com