Fear Fair (Seymour, IN)
“The Dead Walk Among Us”
By Noah Wullkotte: Jollypumpkin@aol.com
Seymour, Indiana is known as the Crossroads of America. It’s a charming city with a rich history in aviation and train robberies. Yes, I said train robberies. Seymour, Indiana is home to the first ever train robbery which was committed by the Reno brothers in 1866. Fear Fair capitalized on this historical event years ago when parts of the haunt were western themed and it was named Fear Fair: Reno’s Revenge.
Seymour, Indiana is also home to Freeman Field which is famous for the Freeman Field Mutiny. The Freeman Field Mutiny was when African American members of the 477th Bombardment tried to integrate an all-white officers’ club. This resulted in many arrests and one conviction.
It’s considered an important event in history that changed the way the military looked at African Americans wanting to be integrated into the armed forces. Many aspects of Fear Fair incorporate the history of Seymour, Indiana into its scenes from The Hangar 17 intro to the intense train robbery which has been slightly altered over the years to fit a certain theme.
Fear Fair takes place at Freeman Field Municipal Airport and was once a World War 2 Army Barracks. Fear Fair is surrounded by important historical events that changed the course of history and it’s home to one of the best haunts that may change the way you look at horror. Fear Fair is in the middle of nowhere, but it’s well worth the drive. It took us 2 hours to get there from Cincinnati, Ohio and our hearts were racing just thinking about what we might experience this year. Fear Fair isn’t your typical haunt. It’s an in your face interactive experience you won’t soon forget.
It was a Sunday night and the crowds were small. After picking up our tickets and waiting a few minutes, it was our turn to enter the one and only Fear Fair.
This is the 2012 review of Fear Fair in Seymour, Indiana. The dead walk among us!
A short video tells a distorted history of Freeman Field and Hangar 17. Freeman army airfield served as an important training base during World War 2. Super soldier gas was stored away in Hangar 17. This gas was highly experimental and rumored to have created mutant soldiers. There seems to have been an incident in Hangar 17 next door and in a moment you’ll be taken to a waiting passenger train that will take you to a minimum safe distance.
Stay together and do everything you’re told and you might make it out of alive. An impressive CGI door features soldiers pacing back and forth before they start shooting through the metal door. The door quickly slides open and the room is invaded by soldiers, plenty of gun fire and explosions.
All hell breaks loose as you’re pushed through Freeman Army Airfield. It’s an intense war zone full of mutated soldiers, an intimidating monster and chaos everywhere you turn. You’ll then enter a moving passenger train and pray to God that it doesn’t crash. Move your ass and you might survive. A soldier has been infected and cries out for help. He wants to be freed and you better get the hell out of there. If you weren’t touched and infected then you need to move your ass and get a move on.
The Hangar 17 portion of Fear Fair lasts around 3 minutes before the haunt transitions into the Fear Fair Film Festival. You’ll enter a movie theater with real theater seats, a custom concession stand and a ticket booth. Actors lurk in the shadows before emerging. Enter a claustrophobia tunnel that leads to the first horror movie reenactment and get ready for a wild ride.
Fear Fair is unlike most haunts you’ve experienced because its horror movie scenes are just like what you would see in the movies they’re portraying. Freddy’s classroom is full of classroom desks and his boiler room is extremely realistic. I could almost feel the heat. There’s even an endless hallway and a reenactment of the famous bathroom scene. Nancy Thompson is seen taking a bath before Freddy Krueger’s glove pops up between her legs and moves closer and closer. This is an incredibly detailed haunt that doesn’t pull punches when recreating horror movie history.
Some scenes feature clapboards that have important information on the movie. This is great for people who aren’t horror movie buffs and are curious about what movie scene they’re about to enter. All of your favorite horror movies have a home at Fear Fair. You’ll become a camper at Camp Crystal Lake, battle The Creeper in Jeepers Creepers, go head to head with Michael Myers and you might even become one of Doctor Victor Strassheim’s experiments in the over the top laboratory. This classic Frankenstein laboratory includes a large Tesla Coil and a Frankenstein type monster that’s brought to life. It’s alive, it’s alive!
This is a world class haunt that caters to horror movie aficionados and isn’t afraid of being hands on. There are no ifs, ands, or buts about it. Fear Fair is a very aggressive haunt. Expect the unexpected because you will be pushed, grabbed and yelled at while going through Fear Fair. But this is part of what makes Fear Fair so great. Without its crazy actors it just wouldn’t be the same.
Fear Fair’s actors are volunteers and vary in age. They are all dedicated in perfecting their characters whether it be a screaming victim or a crazed psychopath. Fear Fair uses the well known actress Kitsie Duncan. She can be found in the Mother’s Blood Cellar. Mother’s Blood was a unreleased indie horror film that was shot inside Fear Fair. She plays Vivian who is a blood thirsty cannibal. She’s also co-owner of Darkrider Studios which has helped provide video work for Fear Fair over the years.
Brand new this year is Fear Fair’s version of The Walking Dead. Since April, 2012 the creators of Indiana’s scariest haunted house have been hard at work recreating downtown Atlanta. The Atlanta sets are down right awe inspiring and fans of The Walking Dead will be in heaven.
You’ll eventually meet up with Rick Grimes, the sheriff’s deputy. He’s woken up from a coma to find his wife Laurie and son Carl missing. All the pictures are gone in the house and he knows his family is around somewhere, but can’t find them. Good luck in surviving the zombie apocalypse as you walk through the streets of Atlanta and enter different structures. The walking dead portion of Fear Fair is around 4 minutes long before you are transported back into movies like My Blood Valentine, Saw, Hellraiser, Scream and The Wolf Man. I wasn’t expecting The Wolf Man to bite me on the shoulder, but he did. Damn that hairy bastard.
Fear Fair ends as you enter the Texas Chainsaw Massacre Village and are chased out of the haunt by Leatherface himself. Total tour time is 20 minutes, but could be longer depending on how long you stare at the amazing sets. Tickets are $15 a piece and VIP admission is $20. You can purchase a Fear Fair ticket and T-Shirt for $25.
Fear Fair has live cams set up throughout the haunt that record different rooms. You can watch these cameras by visiting www.fearfair.com. Fear Fair will also be allowing certain customers to walk through the haunt using a Point of View Camera. These videos are posted on the website as well. There are pop machines next to the haunt and porta potties across the street.
Don’t forget to visit Fear Fair’s Facebook page to see a picture of you taken inside The Walking Dead portion of the haunt. Be on the lookout for a bright flash. On Thursday, October 18th and Thursday, October 25th; Fear Fair will debut Myctophobia (fear of the dark). You only have a glow stick to guide your way as you walk through Fear Fair in complete darkness. Will you survive?
There’s not enough I can say about how great Fear Fair is. It’s one of the best haunts I’ve ever been to and deserves more recognition than it gets. It’s a hidden gem and one of the most intense attractions in the United States. Fear Fair is a non profit haunt that is vital to its community. Over the years, it’s donated defibrillators for Seymour’s police and has helped build a school playground. Fear Fair is one of the best haunts in the United States and one that you should definitely check out.
Length-9 Design-10 Props/Animatronics-10 Acting-10 Scare Effect-10
Final Stab: 9.8
www.fearfair.com