Legend at Pope Lick Haunted Woods (Louisville, KY)
“Fear The Folklore”
By Noah Wullkotte: jollypumpkin@aol.com
Enter a dark and scary world full of mysterious creatures, disturbed souls, freaks and twisted beings that are out for blood. Welcome to the Legend at Pope Lick Haunted Woods. Pope Lick Park becomes a very petrifying place during the Halloween season and evil comes out of hiding. Legend at Pope Lick is a very unique haunt because it’s based on the folklore of the Goat Man (aka Pope Lick Monster). The Goat Man is a half man, half goat creature that’s large in stature and angry as hell.
This definitely isn’t a walk in the park because you’ll be on high alert as you try to make it out alive. Enter the queue line where classic horror movies like Creature from the Black Lagoon and The Bride of Frankenstein play. A clown goes by the name of Dongo and he wants you to smell the flower on his jacket. Don’t sweat it if he squirts you in the face with water. A deformed girl with microcephaly resembles the character Pepper from American Horror Story: Freak Show. Microcephaly is a condition where the brain doesn’t form properly causing the appearance of a smaller than normal head. This actress mimics your every move as she entertains the crowd who can’t wait to enter the woods.
Old newspaper articles featuring the legend of the Goat Man decorate the queue line. Be sure to stand near the sign that measures how tall you are compared to the large beast. This 16 minute trek through the haunted woods was definitely memorable with things you don’t see at every haunted attraction. You’ll be handed a small flashlight that features different lighting effects and it might even malfunction as you try to find your way out of the darkness.
Legend at Pope Lick can be best described as a mixture of the Blair Witch Project, American Horror Story: Freak Show and vintage Halloween/horror. Add the legend of the Goat Man and you’ve got a winning combination. One of our favorite portions of the haunt is the Spookshow which features some eye catching special effects and some classic horror movie characters. The animated ghosts sing an entertaining tune and there are plenty of movie monsters from a bygone era. Frankenstein holds a flower and the Mummy blocks your path as you try to walk past him. There’s plenty to see, but you didn’t think we would give away all the surprises, did you?
Legend at Pope Lick has one of the best circus scenes we’ve seen and plenty of sideshow freaks. Pumpkin Boy wants to carve your face and there’s what appears to be a dog faced man who wants you to join him in his massive cage. We definitely weren’t expecting to have a severed monkey head thrown at us. You’re not going to see the Goat Man very much throughout the haunt which makes it even scarier when you meet him.
The actors do a great job for the most part. There were a few scenes that weren’t very effective. The magic show could have been more shocking and the chainsaw attack could have been done better. There were a few dead spots, but for the most part Legend at Pope Lick is very action packed. We liked the fact that lighting and thunder effects were used in parts of the woods to simulate a violent storm. It helped create a lot of suspense and sometimes less is more.
Some of the younger crowd might not appreciate the horror movie characters in the Creepy Classics section of the haunt since it’s inspired by old Universal Horror movies they might not be very familiar with. But most people will appreciate it and will love the vintage style masks some of the characters are wearing. Legend at Pope Lick Haunted Woods is one of those haunts that I look forward to the most because it’s so different from what I’m used to.
It just feels authentic and refreshing because of its originality. The scenes make more sense once you learn more about the legend of the Pope Lick Monster. Tickets are $20 a piece and Fastlane tickets are $30. Military/veterans and students get 10% off with proper ID. On busier nights the Fastlane ticket is well worth the price hike since it cuts the wait time by a third. If you’re too scared then say “Monster Be Good” and the monsters will leave you alone.
There are various concessions available such as hot dogs, pretzels, mini donuts, candy, potato chips, drinks and more. There’s even Legend at Pope Lick merchandise for sale. I was very tempted to buy a beanie. That night Bluegrass Karting & Events had a mobile unit setup for those who wanted to test their hand at axe throwing. If you hit the “bulls eye” then you won a prize from Legend at Pope Lick Haunted Woods. We had a frightfully fun night to say the least. Legend at Pope Lick Haunted Woods is worth your time and one of those haunts you’ll be talking about all year.
Length-8 Design-8 Props/Animatronics-8 Acting-8 Scare Effect-9
Final Stab: 8.2
www.legendatpopelick.com