Horror Hike (Lawrenceburg, IN)
“The Freaks Come Out at Night”
By Noah Wullkotte: jollypumpkin@aol.com
Horror Hike is in its second year of operation and it’s fairly easy to find. It’s across from Party at Trav’s Fireworks/Halloween Express. An inflatable wind dancer waves its arms as you walk underneath the Horror Hike sign. After you purchase your ticket, you’ll wait by a bonfire for your turn to enter.
This is City Blood’s review of Horror Hike in Lawrenceburg, Indiana. The freaks come out at night!
Enter The Maze of Mayhem where monsters and clowns are hiding. There are twists and turns and some surprises. There’s not much to the haunt and it’s relatively easy to find your way out. You’ll eventually walk inside a building with dark halls, tight spaces and a few actors. The overall experience is 6 minutes, but could last longer if you get lost.
Next up is Horror Hike. Welcome to Camp Angst, a lovely place that dates back to the 1940’s. The directors organized a huge banquet dinner and there was a big explosion. It killed everyone in the camp except for groundskeeper Mr. Smythe. His cabin is located back in the woods. This is where He takes his victims and murders them. Hopefully you won’t cross his path.
Follow the caution tape and don’t get lost or you might not make it out alive. Horror Hike begins with you meeting legendary killer, Michael Myers. He’s in the nurse’s cabin and he’s watching your every move. Enter the bathroom, but please don’t look in the mirror.
Zombies have risen from their graves and they’re hungry for brains. The hills have eyes at Horror Hike and the towns people aren’t too fond of city folk. Hold on to the person you love because the sick freaks at Horror Hike will try to snatch you up and lock you in a cage. They carry guns and they aren’t afraid to use them.
You might think you survived, but you didn’t. Ghouls jump down from trees and a chainsaw maniac wants you to feel his blade. There are many scenes of mayhem that you’ll experience at Horror Hike. Total tour time is around 12 minutes. The scenes are either great or decent. We enjoyed the zombie invasion, but the graveyard could have been larger and more detailed. It’s way off in the corner and it’s dimly lit. If you didn’t look closely then you might miss it. Using two adult zombies instead of multiple child zombies would make a bigger impact. Having the hillbilly with a shot gun firing at the zombies would make this scene more intense and dramatic.
The actors should look like they have ash on their face and props should look burnt since the haunt’s storyline focuses on a banquet dinner fire. Michael Myers would be better suited as a queue line actor instead of being inside a cabin at a campground. It would make more sense to have Jason Voorhees in a camp setting instead of Michael Myers.
There are a few spots that lack actors. Filling these dead spaces with scary music or an actor or two would make Horror Hike a scarier experience. Since you’re supposed to be entering Camp Angst then there should be camp counselors, young campers and props you would see at camp. Adding some tents, a crashed canoe and more realisitc props would make the haunt seem authentic. We noticed a lake, but there was nothing in the water. Possibly adding a small boat with a corpse inside would really catch customers off guard. A sea creature would also be a nice touch.
We enjoyed Horror Hike, but we feel that they need to stick with a consistent theme. The actors are an enthusiastic bunch, but quite a few lack dialogue. This could be a great haunted trail if the scenes made more sense with the back-story. While we do have some complaints, we had a great time. There are some scary scenes and some unexpected scares. Horror Hike features one scare tactic that we haven’t seen at many haunts. That’s all we can say without giving it away.
Horror Hike is an unpredictable haunt with lots of potential. Tickets for The Maze of Mayhem are $10 which is too high for a chain maze that lasts 6 minutes. Tickets for Horror Hike are $15 a piece. $10-$12 would be more appropriate. A combo ticket is $22. A $2 off coupon is available at Party at Trav’s Fireworks/Halloween Express. If you’re in the area then please stop by to check out Horror Hike and The Maze of Mayhem.
Horror Hike: Length-7 Design-7 Props/Animatronics-5 Acting-7 Scare Effect-6 Final Stab: 6.6
The Maze of Mayhem: Length-5 Design-6 Acting-5 Scare Effect-6 Final Stab: 5.4
The Maze of Mayhem: Length-5 Design-6 Acting-5 Scare Effect-6 Final Stab: 5.4