RECAP:  BRIMSTONE HAUNTED HAYRIDE:  The adventure begins innocently enough inside a new-looking barn, but soon subjects the wagon to a series of bilateral Scarecrow attacks before exiting into a cornfield, where hangings have recently taken place at a nearby gallows.  Fire shoots up out of barrels in advance of "The Gallery:  The Scarecrow's Greatest Creations" - a desolate area of skeletons hanging from crosses, and a mechanical monster being thrust outward toward the ride.  Crazed, chainsaw-carrying clowns are unearthed at The Dark Carnival that come charging aboard the hay wagon, "carving" up its wooden floor in the process, and sending shock waves vibrating throughout the buggy from walloping their gas-guzzling weapons along the sides.  Car engines explode into flames that project skyward within an abandoned junkyard, en route to a spooky ghost town, that summons a broadside assault from a Tiki-headed creature that suddenly springs forward from out of nowhere!  An abundance of motorized chases join the fray for good measure, including a red light flashing, blade-spinning Combine; a horn-honking, road-hogging semi truck; and highlighted by the renowned, SHH, hot rod hearse that blasts its way onto the scene bumping into the back of the hayride on multiple occasions!  An accompanying soundtrack plays throughout complimenting The Brimstone Haunted Hayride experience that lasted 17 minutes, and featured 19 actors on the night of our visit.

PSYCHOSIS:  This indoor attraction proudly displays some of Brimstone's scariest scenes, including a vicious, sword-carrying psychopath carving up a torso, and a spiked wall that mysteriously starts closing in from afar, ready to pierce the flesh of anyone or anything that gets in its way!  Fending off the assault, and discovering a hidden door spares our lives, but leads to a confrontation with a shotgun-toting hillbilly that tragically ends in "suicide."  Passage continues beyond a giant skull, then into a murderous room, where two huge, spinning saws dissect a human body, while a third, lethal, oversized, blade spins out of control, lunging out into the path!  Other anomalies include a claustrophobic corridor; flickering lights; blinding darkness, where monsters reach out from behind slide-down panels; a room filled with body bags; a horn-honking, runaway Mack truck; and a Hell-bent, chainsaw chase-out of Psychosis.  5 minutes, 7 actors.

THE FORGOTTEN FOREST:  Entering along a wooden, fenced-in path, the attraction begins inside a decrepit, run-down elevator that shakes and rattles its way down to Tunnel 6 - a dimly-lit, abandoned, old, cave-like mine that winds its way further downward eventually exiting into a gloomy forest, where dead bodies hang from trees, skeletal remains are scattered about, and blood-stained structures hint that something is terribly wrong.  Traversing an isolated bridge brings about an unwanted encounter with a straight-jacketed loony, the avoidance of which guides the course into the shack of a wandering, liver-craving gypsy foretelling the future by peering into her crystal ball!  But she forgot to warn us about a big-toothed, loudly-screeching monster that's about to go on the attack by putting a large knife up against our throats and/or midsections!

Advancement across another overpass stumbles into another shack occupied by a suspicious rival playing a mysterious tune on an antique piano that grows more sinister sounding the further along you go!  Posters of missing people are stapled to trees and buildings, and blood instead of water flows freely from a drinking fountain, as furtherance is once again complicated, this time by a laughing, insane individual having barbed wire wrapped around his head!  Progression leads into the back of an old school bus, where the driver hurries us along, calling us "Brats" and "Crayon Eaters" and barking orders like, "I ain't got all night!  Get off of here now!

Other incursions take the form of possessed dolls belonging to a masked girl that lifts her shroud to reveal a cut up face; a frightening cemetery adorned with upright caskets and a trifecta of  mausoleums that must be navigated through; a heinous attack by a bloody nurse; a barbaric barber shop sporting hanged body parts dangling from the ceiling; a spider web-covered passageway ruled by a living black widow arachnoid; a toxic dump overrun with glowing, radioactive creatures; and a decontamination tent, where a spraying mist cleanses contagions!  Still to come is a green, laser-lit quagmire, then out through a clown-infested, rapidly rotating vortex to the conclusion of The Forgotten Forest.  17 minutes and 18 actors.

ZOMBIE ASSAULT:  This is an entertaining, virtual reality experience, where small groups board a bus, and various projections witness a multitude of zombies attacking the rocking vehicle, while an armed assault team wards off the undead assailants along the route to a heavily protected refugee camp of survivors.  5 minutes - no actors.

ANALYSIS:  Several props and actors from the former Springboro Haunted Hayride and Black Bog have relocated a little to the northeast and found a new home at Brimstone.  Old friends like the killer combine and longtime OVH favorite - hot rod hearse have been been reunited on the Hayride, while The Black Bog's elevator and Tunnel 6 make triumphant returns kicking off The Forest!  Our hot and dry, Cincinnati summer produced great swimming weather, but didn't do the cornfield any good, thus some bare spots exist along the ride that don't quite obscure upcoming scenes.  A few dead spots are present as well, although actors try their best to cover those by climbing aboard and terrorizing the wagon.  Semi is another major contributor, and as mentioned in the recap above, an enhancing soundtrack is pleasantly audible along the journey.

Psychosis produces nearly non-stop scares, with favorites being the spiked wall and the triplet, spinning saws!  Its main limitation stems from its brief endurance.  The Forgotten Forest is a spooky, forsaken trek through the secluded woods, with various atrocities uncovered on the way.  Big-toothed monster with knife and angry bus driver are most memorable characters!  This attraction seemed a bit shy on actors, as some scenes were unoccupied, or could've been improved upon with additional participants.  A few things that should be addressed are a couple of dangerous steps - one in the tunnel, and a second just after the first wooden bridge.  There was also an open door near the end of the tunnel, which led out into an unused area of The Forest.

The attractions at Brimstone Haunt support each other quite well.  An outstanding setup has been created, with 3, uniquely-themed experiences, plus the virtual reality Zombie Assault adventure, concessions, beer stand, a Scarewear gift shop, and a large, tented area with plenty of picnic tables!  Pay them a visit for a lengthy, fun-filled, scary night of seasonal festivities!  The $27 combo ticket is definitely the way to go!