The Final Resting Place Haunted Junkyard (Sabina, OH)
“Junk, Glorious Junk!”
By Noah Wullkotte: jollypumpkin@aol.com
There’s a bizarre place located in the outskirts of Sabina, Ohio. It’s full of whimsy and wonder with lots of horror thrown in for good measure. This horrifying wonderland is surrounded by junk and there are monsters who are hiding. The locals know it as The Haunted Junkyard, but you might call it your worst nightmare. This 15 minute excursion into fear is very bizarre. It’s one of the most unusual haunts I’ve ever been to.
At first I thought I was lost since this haunt is in the middle of nowhere. That alone is very spooky. The Haunted Junkyard gives you multiple options. You can tour their regular attraction known as The Haunted Junkyard, experience their Lights Out event or do both. We chose to only do the regular haunt and we were glad we did. This is a one of a kind haunt for sure.
After you purchase your ticket, you’ll be escorted to the haunt. We waited a few minutes in line before we were allowed to enter. This is an unusual haunt. Just imagine for a second that one day a person went completely insane. Instead of following the typical rules of haunt design, they decided to throw the rule book out the window. They then surrounded the scenes with junk, broken down vehicles and homemade props. The Haunted Junkyard resembles you guessed it, a junkyard. Old beat up cars magically move by themselves as their hoods move up and down, horns go off and there are even flames. Feel the heat!
You’ll enter trailers, buses and I think even an ambulance. This is definitely not your typical haunt by any measure. One second you’re outside and the next second you’re inside of a bus without even knowing it. There were quite a few areas where I wasn’t sure what the scene was supposed to resemble since many of the rooms are surrounded by junk. You’ll enter a bar full of skeletons, a gory kitchen, a clown house, a doll/playroom, an outside maze with chainsaw killers and much more. Many of the animated props are homemade which adds to quirkiness of the haunt. I couldn’t help but laugh at the animatronics that were supposed to resemble people that were being electrocuted.
The actors range in age from young to young at heart. A small boy wearing a Frankenstein mask chased us with a gas powered chainsaw. The Haunted Junkyard lasts around 15 minutes which feels longer since there’s so much to look at. It’s like an American Pickers version of a haunt, but that’s not a bad thing. This is an old school haunt that reminded me of places I toured when I was very young. It might not have a big budget, but it has tons of passion and unique ways of scaring people. You’ll feel like you’ve just entered the mind of a psychopath that’s had a bad acid trip.
Yes, the costuming, lighting, set design, props and acting can certainty be improved. The child actors aren’t very effective because they are very small and don’t pose much of a threat. The Haunted Junkyard does a good job with theming, but on the other hand many of the scenes are very cluttered. They don’t look like much except for a room filled with junk. But I think that’s the look the designers were going for since it is a junkyard. I have to say that I quite enjoyed myself at The Haunted Junkyard. It’s a backwoods haunt that’s very memorable.
There was a moment where I paused for a second to look up and what did I see? I saw a sky full of stars. This was a sign that I was deep in the country and what a strange night it was. The Haunted Junkyard is a haunt you have to see for yourself. It’s not the flashiest or scariest haunt, but it’s extremely unique. After you’re done, be sure to check out their port a-potty. You’ll thank me later. Be sure to visit www.thefinalrestingplace.com to read their entertaining backstory that explains why the place has been inhabited by evil spirits.
Length-8 Design-6 Props/Animatronics-5 Acting-6 Scare Effect-6
Final Stab: 6.2
www.thefinalrestingplace.com