RECAP:  A fun, seasonal hayride transports customers back to the entrance of the spook-filled Haunted Woods.   The adventure itself gets underway through an archway of shrunken heads, dangling down from above inviting the path into a "Cabin in the Woods," where an evil villainess, armed with a murderous chainsaw mysteriously resides!   Avoidance onto a decrepit, old school bus finds occupants crawling atop the seats, and torturing all that venture aboard!  Exiting out the emergency door in the back returns the journey into the forest over a rickety, wooden bridge via an eerily-lit quagmire that's filled with living foliage, and inhabited by multiple, well-hidden swamp monsters unleashing a series of unseen attacks!

Several buildings are explored along the excursion route including, The Devil's Playground, and Wildcat Purgatory, highlighted by total darkness and extremely dense fog that contribute to nearly impossible navigation!  A variety of scenes are visited ranging from the abode of a satanic nun, to a sold-out bar that's run out of booze, to a moving, shaking hallway, to a vicious clown who's busy sawing a body in half!  Back into the woods through a pallet maze exposes additional chainsaw encounters before advancing into a house filled with body bags and a rotting, spongy floor!  Overcoming the unsure footing heads back outside, where a white, picket fence, lined with giant, pumpkin-headed scarecrows chaperones the journey to the treacherous Fear Factory that's home to a squawking creature seen jumping down from an overhead loft to block advancement, while a second ghoul blasts sparks from within an enclosed cage!  Soon, more chainsaw and circular saw-toting villains go on the attack, as the floor gives way making escape next to impossible! 

Spiderwebs lead the way to a strange, blood-drinking ceremony that departs into a near-miss hit-and-run courtesy of a horn-honking truck that comes crashing through the side of the building, then The "Circus of Carnage is on the horizon, where Pennywise, Captain Spaulding, and the vampiress Jinx have their way with you in advance of a spinning vortex, and a garage door surprise!  Still to come is another dark maze inside The Terror Zone, complete with a dead-end chainsaw entrapment that yields through a secret door into The Midnight Theater, where Madam Bordeoux peers into a crystal ball and consults her Tarot cards, before cheerfully announcing that, "Death is Coming!"

The festive Carnival area also features appearances by The Invisible Man and bearded lady Madame Nadine, as well as a concession stand giving away free samples of candied eyeballs, peanuts, and freshly-cooked popcorn, and a variety of games such as ring toss, throwing a dart at inflated balloons, etc., all with opportunities to win prizes!  An eruption of exploding confetti serves as the send off concluding the 2019 installment of The WJAA Haunted Woods!

ANALYSIS:  Lasting over 45 minutes, the course has changed a lot since our last visit in 2013.  Characters are energetic and do a good job of trying to insure entire groups are met with quality scares.  The attraction boasts a much larger population than most haunts, with more than 90 actors in action along the trail, many of which are encountered on multiple occasions.  Repeated sightings could stand to be reduced as the same characters are seen again and again throughout the adventure, some up to ten times, which isn't really necessary given the sheer number available to staff different areas.  Scenes themselves could be expanded upon as well, as there's a huge reliance on darkness, fog, mazes, and chainsaws.  Developing a broader scope would freshen the overall experience.  Costuming is somewhat on the basic side.  Devil, for example, could be improved upon with the addition of some horns or a simple mask.

Favorite scenes include the fun and games offered in The Midnight Theater, and the relentless pursuit of the talkative Jinx in The Circus of Carnage.  Fear Factory also houses a number of frightful events, and takes some time to get through as well.  "Spongy" floors are appreciated for their contribution to unsure footing, and "moving hallway" is among the best effects seen anywhere!  Swamp is quite well done too, and inhabited by multiple monsters!  Elevated assault from an overhead loft is likewise among the standouts, as is the use of sparks, which solidifies a most realistic encounter.  Soundtrack is loud practically throughout.  Personalizing it from scene to scene would make it even better.  Ramping up the start and finish would raise the score.

The WJAA Haunted Woods is one of the longest running haunts in existence anywhere!  This annual event began some 30-plus years ago, and serves as the major fundraiser for Williamsburg Youth Sports, and helps maintain the site's baseball fields.  Please pay them a visit for some good, lengthy Halloween fun!  While waiting for the hayride, don't forget to visit their concession stand and enjoy some affordable, delicious food - grilled burgers served with all the "fixin's" (tomato, pickle, mustard, and ketchup) cost only $2, and they've got nachos, chili dogs, and candy bars too!