Dark Harvest Productions (Hillsboro, OH)
“GAG’s Night Out”
By Noah Wullkotte: jollypumpkin@aol.com
Dark Harvest Productions is located in the small town of Hillsboro, Ohio. Hillsboro was known in the past for being the world’s biggest manufacturer of bells. The C.S. Bell company operated in Hillsboro and shipped bells all over the world. Hillsboro became known as Bell City. Before you walk the grounds, you’ll need to take out your cell phone to scan a bar code that takes you to a website that has a waiver that you must sign. You can purchase your tickets after you’re done.
Dark Harvest Productions features a plethora of concessions. There’s cookies, pies, fudge and so fourth at Bees & Berries Bakery & More. We purchased some pumpkin cookies and Zucchini Bread and it was delicious. There’s also a drink station that offers apple cider and a variety of refreshments. We of course couldn’t forget about the Grub ‘N Monkey that offers sandwiches, sides and so fourth. There’s a lot that Dark Harvest Productions has to offer from jewelry to baked goods. Relax and enjoy some music as a DJ spins some tunes. The first haunt we toured that evening was the Bell City Walk.
The Bell City Walk is a ¾ mile adventure through the deep dark woods. This haunted trail features a variety of scenes. You’ll walk past a pathway of mannequins. Which one is living and breathing? The graveyard features a mourning widow who cries out loud. The Indian village is decorated with tee pees. One angry cowboy desperately wants to know whose been possessed and where the demons are. Yes, those are hanging body bags. What’s hiding in the darkness?
Enter the foundry. A foundry is a factory that produces metal castings by melting metal and pouring it into a mold to create a specific shape, which is then cooled to solidify. A corpse is roasting over an open fire and a crazed fiend rings a large metal bell. There are a lot of scenes and a few dead spots where nothing is happening. Sparks will fly at Bell City Walk. Total tour time was 20 minutes give or take a few. Our main issue with the Bell City Walk is that there aren’t enough memorable characters and scenes. The set design, lighting and sound could also be improved. Next up is The Harvester Ride.
Do you dare to enter the woods where 4 witches dwell? Signs that glow in the dark warn those to turn back or else. The Harvester Ride will have you going through fields and the woods that creatures, killers and madmen call home. There’s been an invasion of spiders. Don’t look up or your might get eaten. A hand reaches out from a massive spider and large cocoons hang from above you. The fun house features a maniacal clown that shoots fog balls at passengers on the wagon. Twelve foot tall skeletons tower above patrons ready to get the life scared out of them.
You’ll meet 4 witches along the way. My favorite was the witch in front of a house made of candy and baked goods. It was reminiscent of Hansel and Gretel. Will you be her next victim? There are some interesting characters you’ll come across. The wendigo is a mythical being from the folklore of Indigenous peoples of the Great Lakes region of North America . He loves the taste of human flesh.
The Frankenstein monster known as GAG loves to heat things up with his big flame thrower. Flames shoot far into the air and catch the ground on fire. We looked in amazement as he boarded the wagon holding a shock stick that resembled a massive stun gun of sorts. This is definitely the highlight of the Wagon Ride and the best character you’re interact with. Many of the characters will hop aboard the wagon and terrorize passengers. Some of the actors are young, but they do a decent job trying to scare customers. The crazed psychopath surrounded by severed heads was hair raising. There are plenty of scenes, but you didn’t think we would spoil it for you.
Most hayrides or wagon rides we experience have some sort of vehicle chase and this haunt is no different. It features a wild truck chase where you’ll be screaming for your life. There are a few chainsaw killers, but they don’t overdo it with the gas powered murder weapons. A few of the scenes were a little hard to see depending on where you’re seated on the wagon. A zombie yelled, “I can smell your flesh”. We weren’t sure if he was part of a junkyard scene since our view was somewhat blocked.
The biggest issue we have with the Harvester Ride is that there aren’t enough memorable scenes. We had a good time, but you we expected more. There should be better detail, better lighting and it should be more creative. There are twists, turns and you’ll even travel up and down hill. Total tour time was 20 minutes. Last, but not least is Strawman’s Stalk.
Strawman’s Stalk is a confusing 7-acre corn maze where you might get lost for an hour or more. We’re notoriously bad at mazes, but we luckily made it out alive in about 25 minutes. This is one of the most confusing corn mazes we’ve experienced in a long time. You’ll come across a few actors here and there. Some come running at you at full force.
There are a few characters, but the objective of this attraction is to make it out in one piece. We accomplished that and had a good time as well. We kept getting further away from the exit and we’re wondering if we would make it out before they closed. We always recommend that you tour the corn maze last since you’re going to spend a great amount of time in there. If you choose the corn maze first then you might not have enough time for the rest of the attractions at Dark Harvest Productions depending on what time you show up.
Navigating around Dark Harvest Productions can be confusing at times since there isn’t any signage pointing you in the right direction. Some light up signs or banners with the haunt names would definitely help and liven up the place. The location is secluded, creepy and great. There’s tons of potential that hasn’t been fully tapped into at Dark Harvest Productions.
All Access Ticket for all 3 Attractions is $30, Harvester Hayride is $20, Strawman’s Stalk is $15 and Bell City Walk is $15 as well. Please visit www.darkharvestproductions.com for discounted ticket prices. Children 5 and under get in for free. Dark Harvest Productions will have a Christmas Experience Fridays and Saturdays in December. It’s a Naughty or Nice Wagon Ride.
Naughty is a terrifying Christmas Nightmare and $15 per person. Nice is a wagon ride to the North Pole which includes a free ticket and hot chocolate. Tickets are $15 and $25 for both wagon rides. Please visit the Dark Harvest Productions website for more info. Parking is free. Dark Harvest Productions is a second year attraction and we’re looking forward to seeing how they evolve over time.
Bell City Walk: Length-9 Design-6 Props-6 Acting-6 Scare Effect-6 Final Stab: 6.6
Harvester Ride: Length-9 Design-6 Props-6 Acting-7 Scare Effect-6 Final Stab: 6.8
Please Note: Strawman’s Stalk has not been scored.