Springboro Haunted Hayride (Lebanon, OH)
“A Tractor Ride Straight To Hell”
By Noah Wullkotte: Jollypumpkin@aol.com
In the state of Ohio, there aren’t as many haunted hayrides compared to haunted houses and trails. But there are a select few hayrides that stand out among the pack and Springboro Haunted Hayride is one of them. Since 1989 Springboro, Ohio has become a haunted destination for friends and families because of their classic hayride. Haunted hayrides are much different than your typical haunt because the tractor driver has your fait in his or her hands and you’re just along for the ride.
You better get comfy because there are twists and turns along the way with moments where you’ll be going up hill and traveling over water. It’s always entertaining seeing how people react to their fears and on a hayride you get a front row seat to the screams of terror and cries of horror. The wagon was full of different types of people. You had your family with a young child, the young teenage girls who scream at everything and the tough guy who tries to act like a big man in front of his girlfriend while he’s screaming inside.
I had my recorder ready to pick up the sounds of the hayride and we were off on our journey through fear. Our journey began with a drive through a haunted cornfield full of twisted scarecrows with glowing eyes. There are some very starling surprises that are sure to catch you off guard if it’s your first or second time at Springboro Haunted Hayride. There are many frightening things you’ll experience at Springboro Haunted Hayride from car chases to a headless horseman that gallops along side the wagon as he reaches out to grab you. The addition of a glowing pumpkin would help the headless horseman become more convincing, but he’s a very talented rider none the less. The Headless Horseman had a glowing pumpkin in years past and hopefully they bring it back.
Watch out for the combine as it tries to eat you alive with its monsterous teeth. There are some features that Springboro Haunted Hayride has that some hayrides include, but Springboro tries to make these scenes unique. Instead of having a typical hearse chase the wagon, they have a ghoul jump out of a flashing hearse onto the wagon as he hunts people down with his gas powered chainsaw. Some hayrides try to recreate horror movies, but Springboro sticks to tradition and it suits them very well. The place is always packed because this is a haunt people have come to love.
Springboro Haunted Hayride has a few moments where the only thing you can hear is the sound of the tractor running. These moments create tension before entering major scenes. Scenes include a haunted carnival, BD’s Junkyard featuring a fiery surprise, a gas station, a funeral parlor/church, a graveyard, the gallows featuring an evil executioner and lots more. Both Springboro Haunted Hayride and The Black Bog compliment each other very well. The hayride focuses on more traditional scares and intense scenes while The Black Bog has detailed sets and great acting.
I somehow wish they could combine both so after you are done with the hayride you enter the trail and aren’t forced to wait in line. But this would be impossible considering how many people are put on the wagon at a time. You would end up having 30 people walking the trail at once and the entire experience would be ruined. Either way, both attractions are great fun. Hopefully one day the hayride makes drastic changes like The Black Bog did in 2010. It’s still a great hayride either way you look at it.
Yes, the acting could be improved, sets could be more detailed and quite a few scenes lack audio. You’ll still thoroughly enjoy it and I feel that most people will be returning customers. After you are finished with the hayride, be sure to check out the concessions barn for some tasty treats and cold drinks. Plus, if you enjoyed this attraction as much as I did then bring back some friends and family the following week. It’s good Halloween fun at a great price. It’s only $12 for the hayride, $10 for The Black Bog and $18 for a combo ticket.
WILL YOU SURVIVE THE TERROR OF SPRINGBORO HAUNTED HAYRIDE AND BLACK BOG?
Length:10 Design-7 Props/Animatronics-8 Acting-7 Scare Effect-8
Final Stab: 8.0
The Black Bog (Lebanon, OH)
“A Bog Day Afternoon”
By Noah Wullkotte: Jollypumpkin@aol.com
After stepping off the hayride’s wagon, we were ready for The Black Bog. It was about 11:30 and the weather was nice and crisp. The night before it rained like cats and dogs and The Black Bog was forced to be shut down because of flooding. This is an unfortunate circumstance that many haunted trails encounter. This is a shame since The Black Bog is one of the best haunted trails in the state of Ohio and is overlooked by some people when they make their decision on what haunts to tour. Luckily the owner let people know that The Chambers of Horror in Middletown wasn’t too far from Springboro and would be open because it’s located in doors. The night we visited, the weather couldn’t have been more perfect. The first day of fall was on September 23rd and boy did it feel like a fall night when we made our annual visit to Springboro on the 24th.
We had only been to a few haunts so far this season and I was shocked at how packed The Black Bog was for their 2nd night of operation (1st offical night being opened). The majority of haunts I’ve been to thus far had large lines for their opening weekends. So, I shouldn’t have been that surprised. Halloween must be in the air and the word must have spread about how they overhauled this spooky haunted trail in 2010. The first time we had ever toured The Black Bog was in 2005 and a thick blanket of fog covered the dark sky. It was mysterious and pretty creepy to say the least. There must be something about the Springboro air that moves fog around like that because this is the only haunted trail where I’ve seen fog fill the sky.
As I’ve said before, The Black Bog is one of the best haunted trails in the state of Ohio. You’ll feel like you’ve stepped on set of a horror movie and you’ve been casted as one of the unfortunate victims. Last year this haunted trail hired Drew Badger of Rabid Badger Haunt Consulting to help their actors become the best monsters they can be and boy has it helped. The actors at The Black Bog are the bread and butter of this haunt and take it to new heights. My 3 favorite actors of the night are the wild werewolf, the elevator operator and the sadistic scarecrow creature who threatens you with his sickle before entering one of the Ghost Town style buildings. His sickle was firmly pressed against my neck and I was honestly getting a bit nervous. But, the blade was dull and his performance is one I won’t soon forget. He wasn’t harvesting grain with his sickle. He was harvesting humans for his sick game of hide and go seek.
The Black Bog’s werewolf is also one of the most convincing I’ve encountered. His howls are loud and echo throughout the haunt long after you exit the scene. He’s very dedicated to perfecting his character. Last, but certainly not least is the Hellevator Operator. He may have been young, but this actor was intent on making customers feel uncomfortable and on the edge of their seats. Age is only a number if you’re a great haunt actor and this young man certainly was.
But The Black Bog doesn’t just have 3 great actors. There are many that live in the different scenes throughout the haunt. This includes an evil barber in the gory barber shop, a large half man/half bore in the graveyard, the infected mutant near the nuclear junkyard and many other crazy characters you’ll see along your way. The scenes these actors live in are pretty jaw dropping. I love the coal mine/cave with flashing blue led lights and a miner waiting to chip away at your bones. This area of the haunt reminds me of the classic movie “My Bloody Valentine”.
The Haunted schoolbus also looks like something straight out of A Nightmare on Elm Street. Including Freddy Krueger would have enhanced the scene, but you’ll later come face to face with Freddy in the boiler room. The Black Bog also has one of the best graveyards I’ve seen at a haunted trail. It features large mausoleums, crypts, aged tombstones and a variety of things you can expect to see in the land of the dead. I was almost half tempted to bury myself to see who or what would dig me up.
While Springboro Haunted Hayride is the most popular attraction at the farm, as time goes by I think The Black Bog will gain some ground and become just as popular if not more. If you decide to buy a ticket for the hayride then please don’t miss out on The Black Bog. Buy a combo ticket for only $18 and you can experience both attractions in one night. For $10 you can purchase a ticket for The Black Bog and for $12, you can get yourself a seat on the infamous Springboro Haunted Hayride. No matter what you choose to do, it’s going to be one hell of a night of scares and fun. After you exit you can even get yourself a cold drink or something to eat at Springboro’s beautiful concessions barn.
Tell Them City Blood Sent You!
Length-9 Design-9 Props/Animatronics-9 Acting-9 Scare Effect-9
Final Stab: 9.0
http://www.springborohauntedhayride.com