Fear Fair (Seymour, IN)
“Welcome To Silent Hill”
By Noah Wullkotte: Jollypumpkin@aol.com
Seymour, Indiana is a small town with a huge heart. It’s called the Crossroads of America and it’s best known for being the birthplace of John Mellencamp and Fear Fair. Forbes Magazine recently ranked Fear Fair as one of the best haunts in the nation and we couldn’t agree more.
It was quite warm the night we drove to Fear Fair and the crowd was huge. Even the VIP line had hordes of people. A foul mouth hillbilly by the name of Do-Wayne Hazzard walked around the queue line tormenting customers with his hilarious insults and hillbilly humor. Do-Wayne is played by Scott Tater Lynd. He’s a well known queue line actor with great improv skills. Haunts across the country hire him to entertain customers waiting to get inside their haunt. He’s best known for his portrayal of Granny. She’s an incontinent old bag with a love for Tom Jones and enjoys the taste of her own urine.
Fear Fair is located at Freeman Field Municipal Airport and was once a World War 2 Army Barracks. This isn’t your run of the mill haunt. You will get touched, cursed at and chased. This is an extreme haunt that doesn’t pull any punches. If you thought you knew what a haunted house was like then think again. Fear Fair is an extreme experience with unmatched set design and actors that want to tear you apart.
You’ll begin your descent into madness by watching a short video on Freeman Field and Hangar 17. Poisonous gas has been released and many innocent people have been infected. Soldiers storm the room and force you to walk through a war zone with gun fire and a gigantic monster. Hop aboard a passenger train and enjoy the bumpy ride. The infected are everywhere. Some are locked up while others walk around crying for help.
You’re invited to an exorcism this year and Regan Macneil isn’t too fond of strangers. She’s possessed by the Devil and will say anything to get your attention. A priest tries to save her from evil forces, but it might be a little too late. The new Exorcist reenactment is pretty good, but I wish it was longer.
Fear Fair’s Film Festival is back and houses some of the most vicious horror movie villains. Walk through a dark movie theater and enter a claustrophobia tunnel that leads to your favorite horror movie flicks. You’ll experience Rob Zombie’s Halloween, A Nightmare on Elm Street, Friday the 13th, Jeepers Creepers, The Texas Chainsaw Massacre and more. New this year is Silent Hill.
The creative minds behind Fear Fair have put together some incredible scenes with custom costumes, props and effects that look like they belong in Silent Hill. You’ll meet Pyramid Head, deformed nurses and other characters that are part of the Silent Hill universe. The mannequin room was pretty creepy since the props looked real and the mannequins have life like movements.
The scenes at Fear Fair are stunning and the attention to detail is off the charts. A Nightmare on Elm Street has you entering multiple scenes based on the popular series. You’ll enter a school with an endless hallway, a bed room with a surprise, the infamous bathtub scene and there are multiple confrontations with Freddy Krueger. I’m not one to get scared, but the actor playing Freddy Krueger caught me off guard. I never thought for a second that he would grab a hold of me and not let go until a minute later.
The characters at Fear Fair never hold back. The Creeper from Jeepers Creepers grabbed a hold of my head and tried to suck the soul out of my body. I was even grabbed by a zombie in The Walking Dead section. Fear Fair plays homage to popular horror movies and it doesn’t matter if you recognize them or not. Many have clapperboards which describe the movie you’re about to experience.
The scenes are as real as it gets. You’ll walk through real cabins and will become part of the action. Downtown Atlanta from The Walking Dead features authentic looking shops and incredible detail. One of the most innovative scenes comes from the movie Saw, but I’m not going to give away the surprise. Fear Fair doesn’t just focus on newer horror movies. They also play homage to the classics. Frankenstein’s Castle features a large tesla coil, Frankenstein’s Monster and you’ll meet Zee Doktor and Igor. Zee Doktor is played by Brett Hays, owner of Fear Fair.
Fear Fair is exceptional when it comes to design and intensity. Tickets are $18 a person and you can skip the regular line for $23. Discount Coupons are available at all Indiana Family Video Locations! Experience Myctophobia-Fear of the Darkness on Thursday October 17th and Thursday October 24th. It’s Fear Fair in complete darkness and it’s unlike anything you’ve been to before. Don’t forget to get your picture taken after you exit Fear Fair. The pictures are posted on their Facebook page. There’s Wi-Fi available as you wait in line and you can purchase Fear Fair apparel while you’re there. Visit www.fearfair.com for live video feeds of the haunt.
Length-9 Design-10 Props/Animatronics-10 Acting-9 Scare Effect-9
Final Stab: 9.4
www.fearfair.com