Fear Fair (Seymour, IN)
“Fear Is The New Black”
By Noah Wullkotte: jollypumpkin@aol.com
The crowd was massive and people were excited to experience this year’s haunt. Fear Fair takes place in the town of Seymour, Indiana. Seymour is called the Crossroads of America and where singer John Mellencamp was born. It was a little strange that we heard two of his songs play on the radio on the way up. Year after year, Seymour has built new businesses and Fear Fair has gotten more popular than ever. Fear Fair does a good job at creating a party atmosphere the moment you arrive. A wild and crazy DJ by the name of DJ Fear can be seen playing some tunes as the crowd waits to enter. Fog bubbles shoot into the air and you can feel the heat from large flames. Once you enter the building, you’ll be greeted by various props including a zombie woman that twerks. Yes, you heard me right. There’s a zombie woman that twerks.
Fear Fair has great set design. This is a haunt that pays close attention to detail and tries to make customers feel like they are part of a living breathing nightmare. The first area you’ll enter is an underground cavern where the air pressure isn’t very good. You never know what’s lurking in the darkness. A mutant slug comes out of hiding and you must escape by using the elevator. Fear Fair’s elevator is impressive and very realistic. The CGI effects and intense movements make you feel like you’re falling to your death.
This is an action packed haunt where a war has broken out and you never know what to expect. This section of the haunt is known as Ascension. It sort of resembles the video game Fallout. A massive winged creature known as The Slayer wants to grab a hold of you and chew on your flesh. This is a very detailed scene that features broken ruins and plenty of eye candy. The Tesla Coil is quite electrifying. This area could benefit from more actors since there’s too much time spent where nothing is really happening except for animatronics popping out.
When Fear Fair takes on a theme, they take it to the limit. Bourbon Street looks like the real deal and the cemetery has large above ground crypts and tombs just like in New Orleans. Zombies slowly walk towards their next victim and that statue is alive. The swamp is full of dangerous creatures and one angry old woman. She tries to fight off a massive crocodile that wants to kill you. The laser fog swamp at the beginning was pretty cool, but would have been more effective if it was larger. The swamp is located in a section of the haunt that’s appropriately called Voodoo.
Fear Fair has removed every single horror movie scene and now features just original scenes. I still miss the horror movie recreations, but I also enjoy the new scenes as well. You’ll be transported to the 16th century where a village has been cursed by a witch and disease runs rampant. The Bubonic Plague (AKA Black Death) is nothing to mess around with and a poor girl cries out for help as she lays in bed. There are some bizarre creatures including a half man, half goat and a crazy plague doctor. The town is pretty disgusting and there are hairy rats. This section of the haunt is known as Black Death. I felt like I was part of the 2015 movie, “The Witch”.
Fear Fair has a great cast of characters which include Papa Legba who is the keeper of the crossroads. He’s a very mischievous spirit. Tiny is an inmate that can be found in the bathroom of the Rockford Correction Facility and he wants you to take a shower with him. This rather large man is quite friendly and you better not drop the soap. Peaches is another interesting fellow that you’ll definitely remember. These colorful characters are found in the section called Rockford Riot. This year Fear Fair gives you the choice of Extra Fear. If you choose Extra Fear then you’ll be given a glow stick that alerts actors that you want them to be more physical and intense.
This is a great idea, but the actors weren’t as intense as they usually are. We were expecting the haunt to be more extreme this season considering the Extra Fear Upgrade. I was pulled into a prison and locked in a cage, but the actor broke character by telling me that they have to do this because I have a necklace. Nothing really happened to me except that I was left waiting to be released. It was a little uneventful. Fear Fair can be very interactive at times and there are some scary props. I was bum rushed by a massive dragon that wasn’t putting up with me for a second.
We were in and out of Fear Fair within 23 minutes. Tickets are $25 per person and the Extra Fear Admission is the same price. The Slash Pass Upgrade to skip the line is an additional $10. The closer it gets to Halloween, the more crowded many haunts get. We highly recommend the Slash Pass Upgrade on busy nights. If you don’t want to deal with big crowds then visit Fear Fair on a Thursday or Sunday where the crowds are sometimes dead, no pun intended.
Kids Trick or Treat takes place on October 29th from 7-9pm. Blackout takes place on November 2nd and 3rd. Fear Fair’s Christmas event called A Creepy Christmas takes place on December 7th and 8th. There’s a merchandise building with Fear Fair Apparel and more. There are various photo-op opportunities and a Last Ride Motion Simulation Ride. You’ll feel like you’re being transported to the cemetery and buried alive as you lay in a casket. Don’t forget to pick up your photo that was taken earlier.
Fear Fair always brings something new to the table and creates a detailed experience that you won’t soon forget. This is a fun haunt with a variety of scares and great special effects.
Length-9 Design-9 Props/Animatronics-9 Acting-8 Scare Effect-8
Final Stab: 8.6
www.fearfair.com