Springboro Haunted Hayride and Black Bog (Lebanon, OH)
“A Demonic Duo”
By Noah Wullkotte: Jollypumpkin@aol.com
Bull Run Farms is very scary this time of the year. Are you prepared to face your fears? This is City Blood’s 2016 review of Springboro Haunted Hayride and Black Bog.
The Black Bog is back. Experience one of Ohio’s best haunted trails and live to tell the tale. Darkness will consume you and the fog is thick. Monsters and killers converge and they’re ready to pounce. An elevator takes you straight to the depths of hell, but are you ready for the sights you’re about to see?
The Black Bog is a detailed haunt with some elaborate scenes that are sure to catch you by surprise. The mine shaft is dark and it leads to a cave with blue lighting. An old ghost town is quiet, but you’ll be shocked by what you find inside. There’s a barbershop where the hair stylist wants to cut you from head to toe.
The Black Bog has some unique features. Trees are curved inward and create a natural tunnel you must enter. The graveyard is full of mausoleums, tombstones, skeletal remains and more. Clowns run rampant in the dark alley and there’s been a toxic spill in the toxic waste zone. Don’t forget to enter the decontamination tent or you will be infected.
The Black Bog has some entertaining characters such as the voodoo doctor who wants to put a curse on you. The vampires were very interactive and wanted to take a bite out of my neck. The girls who were chained up and tormented by a sadistic killer were pretty good at playing the victims as they screamed their heads off.
This is a fun and exciting haunt that uses plenty of man made fog and there’s some natural fog as well. The greenhouse is one of our favorite rooms, but unfortunately there wasn’t an actor inside like in previous years. We miss Mr. Moss. The boiler room now has a wind up doll instead of Freddy Krueger. It seemed somewhat out of place. The Black Bog has some good special effects such as toxic waste that glows, a dizzying vortex tunnel, a great Hellevator and much more.
This is an excellent haunted trail that shouldn’t be overlooked. It’s one we look forward to visiting all year. Total tour time was 20 minutes. Next up is Springboro Haunted Hayride. Springboro Haunted Hayride is one of the most popular haunts in Ohio. It was absolutely packed the night we visited and the line for the tickets was insane. It’s quite obvious that both Springboro Haunted Hayride and The Black Bog have gained a huge following over the years. The majority of people were purchasing combo tickets to experience both attractions.
Springboro Haunted Hayride is one of the few hayrides that has a sound system attached to the wagon. You’ll hear music and sound effects as you stop and drive past scenes. Even the rules are told over the speakers. This is very unique and few haunted hayrides spend this much time on their sound design. The seats are very comfortable as well and are raised so you don’t miss anything.
Most haunted hayrides utilize farm equipment to scare customers and Springboro Haunted Hayride does as well. My favorites were the headless horseman and combine chase. The Headless Horseman could be more effective if they were holding a pumpkin like in Sleepy Hollow. Springboro Haunted Hayride has a lot of enthusiast actors that take their job seriously. The coven of witches never broke character and the clowns were relentless in terrorizing us. The woman next to me was cowering in fear. The zombies in the graveyard are quite convincing as they follow the wagon.
Springboro Haunted Hayride loves to use flame effects. My favorite was the barrel that shoots a flame into a steel jack ‘o lantern. The muffler shop fills with smoke and you’re going to meet some colorful characters. The electric firecrackers hidden in the woods caught us off guard and many people on the wagon screamed. We were on the wagon for 20 minutes and we had a great time.
Tickets are $12 for Springboro Haunted Hayride and $12 for The Black Bog. A combo ticket is $20. We recommend the combo ticket so you can experience both haunts and save $2. There are plenty of concessions available in the concessions barn. So be sure to get a bite to eat or a refreshing drink.
Springboro Haunted Hayride and The Black Bog are excellent haunts that we highly recommend. They’re fun, scary and a good value!
Final Stab For Each Haunt
Springboro Haunted Hayride: Length-9 Design-8 Props/Animatronics-8 Acting-8 Scare Effect-8 Final Stab: 8.2
The Black Bog: Length-9 Design-9 Props/Animatronics-8 Acting-9 Scare Effect-8 Final Stab: 8.6
www.springborohauntedhayride.com