RECAP:  Horror Acres gets the blood flowing right away as an armed maniac blows his girlfriend/wife away in a blood-splattering, murderous mess before turning his attention towards onlookers!  Body bags comprise the escape route leading to a water-spraying surprise as the scene fades into a sewer system, where a large, yellow-eyed, bloody-mouthed Gator bites at those brave enough to attempt to get through!   Caged girls scream, as a horrifying electrocution takes place, before the path stumbles upon a zombie apocalypse that finds walkers crashing through walls and grabbing at passersby through openings in the corridor of the old building!   A claustophobic passage exits into a hallway of bloody arms reaching out into the course, as sirens blare, "fire crackers explode," and a not-so-jovial encounter with loud, whistling clowns awaits!   Walking beneath a gigantic gargoyle alters the course into a wasteland of toxic contaminants, where an oversized, pumpkin-headed creature awakens as if it's rising from the dead, and a river-dwelling monster emerges out of surrounding waters.

A wickedly laughing clown interrupts futile efforts to maintain one's balance through a spinning vortex, then its onto a knee-high squeeze that introduces a path-blocking encounter with 2-time OVH award-winning, sledgehammer swinging Twitchy, the biting, killer clown!  Evasion exposes a huge, red-eyed, actortronic clown that attempts to seize hold of scare seekers making their way through, as slide panels fall, and additional villains attack down a dark, foggy walkway.  Flooring gives way beneath some unseen, phantom-like entity, and growling monsters prowl inside a spooky looking coffin room, while outdoors, scarecrows unleash skirmishes out of an adjacent cornfield, and the theme from Halloween signals the arrival of Michael Myers, who pins intruders up against the wall, strangling and choking them, and holding his trusty knife to their throats!  Ward 6 is up next, disturbing a psychotic patient performing her own irate, diabolical, blood-spraying dissection of a doctor's intestines by means of a circular saw, then a double-team, chainsaw entrapment ensues courtesy of a pair of fiends, one adorned with a necklace of bloody fingers, and the other madly waving a dual-bladed chainsaw! 

Reenactments from the "Saw" series of movies are next on the horizon, featuring a variety of captives ensnared in various sorts of entrapments, including razor-sharp blades bisecting human carcasses, enormous, spinning gears shredding flesh, and an interactive challenge that mandates customers reach their hands into an enclosure of  rotating saw blades in order to simultaneously engage a series of buttons that when pushed in unison release a previously-barricaded door enticing freedom!  The Hewitt house awaits, inhabited by the legendary Leatherface, who's a bit overanxious to embark upon a vicious chainsaw chase-out into the parking lot of Horror Acres!

NOTE:  The attraction cleverly exits beside the entrance to Maze of Insanity, a fun-filled, seasonal adventure consisting solely of a winding walk through a moon-lit cornfield.  Various loops and dead ends are encountered along the way in search of the one-and-only way out.  The event is presented as a challenging task this season without monsters or props to complicate progression.  Ditch your friends by taking a different path and see who can find their way out first!  We completed the course in 10½, 18, and 22 minutes, with one non-participant.

ANALYSIS:  Horror Acres remains one of the most intense haunts around, and a mainstay top 13 attraction!  Gentle touching legitimizes conflicts, and occurs just when you least expect it.  Zombies reaching out through holes in the walls inside the house and ankles being grabbed when navigating across the toxic bridge are prime examples.  Ward 6 can always be counted upon to deliver a horrific scare, which it does once again this season with outstanding performances by doctor and patients alike!  Michael Myers delivers a captivating performance, as does initial murderer and tag-team chainsaw assailants (bloody finger necklace wearer and lunatic with the dual-bladed chainsaw).  First scene victims also give believable portrayals, and Twitchy and his sledgehammer are likewise memorable.  The entire cast is highly energetic throughout!  Lighting is well done, and at times blinding to the point that the path of progression is temporarily obscured, or oncoming monster invasions can't be seen until it's too late!  Breaking floor is an AWESOME, visually impressive addition that just isn't seen elsewhere, and actortronics (Clown and Gator) are perfectly placed to deliver superior, high-impact assaults!

OVH Award winning, false-finish, chase-out is conspicuous by its absence this season, as are swamp, overhead chainsaw "beheading," and controversial "gynocological bobbitizing" Ward 6 segment.  Duration suffers significantly as a result of the revamped ending, thus impacting the attraction's overall score.  Cost of admission is unchanged at $16, and only $20 in combination with the corn Maze of Insanity, making it one of the best bargains around!  Head on out to Springfield, OH this Halloween season, and experience one of the area's top-rated haunts, Horror Acres!