Sandyland Acres Haunted Hayride (Petersburg, KY)
“Hollywood Horror”
By Noah Wullkotte: jollypumpkin@aol.com
Petersburg, Kentucky is a peaceful small town during the day, but all hell breaks loose when the sun goes down. A small farm known as Sandyland Acres holds a deep dark secret that will soon be revealed.
Sandyland Acres Haunted Hayride features many horror movie recreations which makes this attraction a blast. So, if you’re a horror movie fanatic like me then you’re in for a real treat. Jason Voorhees can be seen wearing a burlap sack over his head. This is of course his costume that he wore in Friday the 13th part 2. He wouldn’t wear the hockey mask until part 3. Next was a scene featuring Michael Myers who proceeded to fight Jason Voorhees as the tractor sped off.
This year is the 50th anniversary of The Exorcist and the release of The Exorcist: Believer. Sandyland Acres has it’s own take on the 1973 classic. The actress portraying the possessed Regan MacNeil did a great job as she contorted her body and spit up some disgusting liquid. Don’t look into her eyes or else. The priest was also convincing as he yelled “The power of Christ Compels you” and warned us about the possessed girl.
Other horror movies you’ll experience include The Texas Chain Saw Massacre, Jeepers Creepers and more. Leatherface spins around and around with his chainsaw. Watch out or you’ll be his next victim. The Jeepers Creepers scene wasn’t that effective, but most of what you’ll witness at Sandyland Acres will have you on edge of your seat. Other characters include a chainsaw maniac at the Feed & Seed Company, killer clowns and some cannibal hillbillies. The sadistic cannibal girl wanted to make a necklace out of my teeth.
This is a haunt with some of the best vehicle chases around. My personal favorite was the big rig with shooting flames. This is a haunt that knows what it’s doing when it comes to fire and you will feel the heat which is great on a crisp fall night. Even the large silo shoots flames high into the sky. This season Sandyland Acres really stepped it up in terms of intensity, but also has plenty of traditional scares. Who doesn’t love seeing the headless horseman gallop away on a real horse?
Sandyland Acres has some of the best actors portraying victims that we’ve seen all season. They’re very convincing as they scream their heads off. I started to feel sorry for them at one point. There are also plenty of scary moments where you’ll hear the sound of a shotgun blast or a big pop that goes off in the cornfield. Sandyland Acres does a good job with their props. They have two twelve foot Inferno Pumpkin Skeletons and an animated scarecrow.
If you’re insure whether you want to visit Sandyland Acres this year then listen up. This is one of the best versions of the hayride that we’ve seen in years. We jumped, laughed and had a good ole time as we traveled through classic horror flicks and scenes of terror.
Farmers Revenge is Sandyland Acres take on a haunted house/funhouse. Skeletons climb the outside and there’s a large skull with red eyes. It reminded me of a Jaycees Haunt of days gone by. This haunted barn has plenty of scenes, but it’s on the short side lasting a mere 4 minutes. It could be longer if you get lost in the dark maze. On the outside of the building is a movie screen that shows a live feed of customers walking through the maze. Scenes you’ll experience include a mine shaft, chicken coop, jungle and more. This haunt could benefit from a soundtrack of some sort since most of it is very quiet.
Total tour time for the hayride was 18 minutes and Farmers Revenge was 4 minutes as I mentioned earlier. Tickets are $20 for the hayride and $15 for Farmers Revenge (aka Haunted Barn). A combo ticket is $30. I highly recommend that you purchase the combo ticket and make it a night of haunting entertainment.
Sandyland Acres has plenty of delicious treats and drinks. You can buy yourself a walking taco, pretzels, hot dogs, brownies and more at the Haunted Snack Shop . The Haunted Gift Shop has T-Shirts, black roses, custom made clown dolls and so fourth for sale. One of those clowns resembled Ronald McDonald which had me cracking up. Speaking of clowns. You might run into a few while you’re waiting in line. These female killer clowns had people running in fear. Don’t forget to get your picture taken in front of the new massive wooden electric chair and skeleton.
Sandyland Acres has really brought their A game this year. There’s a reason why they’ve been around for 18 seasons. The hayride is simply fantastic and you’ll have a blast recognizing the various horror movies and surviving the vehicle chases.
Length-8 Design-8 Props-8 Acting-9 Scare Effect-9
Final Stab: 8.4
www.sandylandacres.com