Dead Acres-“Blood Soaked Fun For All”
Genre: Haunted House
Location: 13861 East Broad St SW
Pataskala, OH 43062
Runtime: 20 min
Website: www.deadacres.com
It’s amazing that Dead Acres/The Haunted Hoochie has been around for 20 years. Boy time really flies. We arrived a little past midnight and it was packed. There must have been a thousand people in line. This just shows you that haunted houses are a huge part of the Halloween season and America wants to be scared.
This is City Blood’s 2010 review of Dead Acres.
What’s Good About The Haunt?
Dead Acres is one of the most extreme haunts you’ll experience. From the moment you enter its twisted doors, it’s a non-stop thrill ride from beginning to end. Dead Acres combines elements of a high tech haunt with skits that the famous Haunted Hoochie is known for. Before it was Dead Acres, it was just “The Haunted Hoochie”. The Haunted Hoochie was a mostly outdoor haunted trail that had you enter various huts where graphic and off the wall skits were being performed. These skits included a man being decapitated by a clown, demons blowing fire, a helpless victim being hung by a rope and more. When you thought it was over you would exit the hut and come face to face with a chainsaw freak sliding down a zip line, a massive skeleton puppet and things that can be seen in the most intense nightmares.
This year’s Dead Acres is as intense as ever. You’ll experience some graphic scenes that will blow you away. These include a man blowing his brains out with a shot gun, a helpless soul getting his butt destroyed by a massive drill, a live demon birth with the baby being popped out of the womb using a mallet, a woman getting her mouth worked on by a sadistic dentist and everything you’ve come to expect from the sick and twisted world of Dead Acres.
Dead Acres uses state of the art animatronics that cost a pretty penny. Companies featured include Scare Factory, Dark Raven Designs, Ghost Ride Productions and others. Everything from an animated headless horseman to an attacking pig’s head can be seen at the one and only Dead Acres. There is also a plethora of detailed rooms. New this year is a large graveyard with a shocking surprise. This is a very authentic looking scene with mausoleums, aged tombstones, grass and what you would expect from a bone chilling graveyard. Returning scenes include the outdoor woods with real caverns, trees and detail beyond belief. You’ll also experience a hallway full of skeletons that spring to life, a room that’s on fire and more. There’s a lot going on at Dead Acres.
The actors are the best part of this haunt and if you can’t handle being touched then Dead Acres isn’t the haunt for you. Actors rub their chainsaws against your legs, grab your clothes and get right up in your face. This bothers some people, but I think it adds to the realism of the haunt. If you were in a real haunted house, monsters and serial killers wouldn’t be taking it easy on you. They would be up close and personal trying to get you out of their house.
What’s Bad About The Haunt?
Dead Acres is an incredible haunt when you’re able to experience each skit properly. The night I went through, they were letting too many people in at a time. In the process I almost got knocked over because of the people in front of me that were freaking out and wouldn’t move. Dead Acres has some incredible skits you won’t see anywhere else, but a few weren’t working properly and a couple of them I had to walk past because of the large crowd inside. This haunt needs to do a more efficient job in controlling the crowds.
There also haven’t been that many changes made to this year’s Dead Acres. There’s a new graveyard and a few other areas that have been incorporated into the haunt, but nothing that really stands out. There are even a few things missing. The large animated glowing skull heads that would move against the cage are no longer part of the haunt and there seemed to be fewer actors roaming the halls. If it’s your first year touring Dead Acres you won’t be bothered by this. But if you are a returning customer you might leave a little disappointed by the lack of changes that have been made in the course of a year.
Customer Service:
As I said earlier, Dead Acres lets too many people in at once. This is a fast paced haunt, but I still like to enjoy their bloody skits and amazing sets without speed walking. I don’t enjoy feeling like I have to rush through a haunt.
Dead Acres has plenty of concessions available like chips, pop, tasty food and coffee. The prices are a little high, but nothing that’s too unreasonable. The ticket barn also sells Dead Acres and Haunted Hoochie apparel at reasonable prices.
Since it’s their 20th Anniversary, Dead Acres is only charging $20 for both Dead Acres and Bad Trip in 3D. That’s a great deal for two bad ass attractions. Dead Acres’ lines can be huge, so don’t forget to purchase a $30 VIP Ticket. You’ll thank me when you aren’t waiting 3 hours in line.
Final Thoughts:
Dead Acres has a huge cult following and there’s a big reason for this. It’s one of those haunts that is extreme and in your face from the moment you arrive. The night I went through the haunt, there was a lot of congestion and I ended up having to rush through a few skits. Hopefully this problem is fixed in the near future so it’s a more enjoyable experience for every customer. But even with a few technical errors, Dead Acres is the most extreme haunt in Ohio and a haunt you have to experience at least once in your lifetime.
Length-9 Design-9 Props-9 Acting-9 Scare Effect-10
Official Score – 9.2
Fun Facts:
*The first ghouls to haunt Fran Bar Park (where the Hoochie and Dead Acres are located) were done by Tim and his friends when they were kids, in a haunted hayride put on by his grandfather. That is where it all started. Then when Tim grew up and acquired the property, he opened a haunted forest. This included a small trail with two small shacks. Then a few years later The Haunted Hoochie was released on an unsuspecting public.