Grim Trails (Louisville, KY)
“A Storybook of Terror”
By Noah Wullkotte:jollypumpkin@aol.com
We last toured Grim Trails in 2013 and we walked away with smiles on our faces. Ten years later, it’s bigger, more detailed and better than ever. It’s a whole different haunt that’s unlike any we tour. Grim Trails is a very unique haunted trail. It mostly focuses on fairy tales and folklore. This haunt does a fantastic job with its own horrific spin on classics you’ve come to know and love. This is a long haunted trail lasting 26 minutes and it packs a punch to say the least.
Come face to face with the witch as she tries to cook a child alive inside the gingerbread house. This is of course from Hansel and Gretel. Peter Pan is a demonic young boy that Captain Hook warned us about. The constant ticking of the clocks drives the captain crazy. Pinocchio wants to be a real boy and he’s out to kill you in the doll room. Don’t stare into Medusa’s eyes or you’ll be turned to stone. There’s plenty you’ll experience at Grim Trails. This includes the Tortoise and the Hare. This scene had us creeped out as the animals made weird sounds while we walked past them.
There’s plenty of delicious eye candy at Grim Trails. You’ll be attacked by a massive crocodile, a dragon with smoke spewing from his mouth, an animated witch and so much more. My favorite were the goat corpse creatures that were carrying a lantern. This is a quite detailed haunted trail where you’ll explore areas like the bamboo forest, sleepy hollow forest, a spider cave and so much more. There are large structures that you must walk inside to explore the haunted trail. The Peter pan scene has long steps and features the boy who wouldn’t grow up looking down on you.
The lighting has been improved since we last toured the haunted trail in 2013. We loved how some scenes incorporated candles or lanterns which make it somewhat dark and mysterious. There are two animated dragons, one small and one that’s huge. The lighting for the large dragon could have been better since it was dark in this area. The acting and costumes are great. We were quite intimidated by Medusa with her red glowing eyes. One of the monsters jumped out at us from the woods and the headless horseman was very authentic looking. Certain scenes have their own spooky soundtrack. I recognized the theme from Pan’s Labyrinth right away.
We don’t have many complains when it comes to Grim Trails. It’s truly a breath of fresh air to experience a haunt that’s so damn different. Tickets are $25 for general admission, $35 for Fast Pass, and $65 to go ahead of everyone. We recommend that you show up before they’re scheduled to open. The line can get pretty long to purchase tickets and to enter the haunt. There’s Grim Trail merchandise like T-Shirts and Hoodies that are available when you exit the haunt.
Grim Trails at Tom Sawyer Park is a unique take on the haunted trail and we enjoyed ourselves immensely. We had a scary good time and tell them City Blood sent you!
Length-9 Design-8 Props-9 Acting-9 Scare Effect-8
Final Stab: 8.6
www.grimtrails.com