RECAP:  Dayton Scream Park is comprised of the classic Nightmare on Valley Street trail, Shanty Town, The Rat Trap maze, and Hollywood.

The adventure begins inside a DSP façade in the presence of a creepy, butler-like host adorned with a necklace of severed, bloody fingers.  Following his brief introduction, exploration of the isolated woods gets underway down an abandoned path and beneath an elevated pickup truck to a run-down trailer park that’s inhabited by a gun toting hillbilly, who readily takes aim and fires a blast from his deadly shotgun at trespassers sending them fleeing for their very lives through cemeteries overrun with zombies; a new, alien area 51; an old, rusty junkyard; and even a blindside quad chase!  Skirmishes with werewolves; a horn-honking, path-blocking clown; barrel throwing fiends; “Sparky” and his trusty chainsaw; and “Chaos” the devil choking the life out of a helpless, screaming victim are all on the horizon, as is a deadly altercation with “Stitches,” whose Meat Market has freshly amputated arms and legs for sale, and forcefully takes donations!    

Leg 2 of the expedition takes place at Shanty Town, where the spotlight shines on The Circus from Hell.  Boarded up windows help to hide the relentless pursuit of a giggling clown, a monster with an illuminated face (mask), and a never-ending confrontation with Bubba, the Hillbilly Clown, an enormous, irate brute armed with a baseball bat fully intent on smashing heads!  “I’m back again!” he warns while cutting off advancement and continuing to threaten, “Hey pretty boy, its Vasoline time for you!” and, “Now I’m going to throw you up on this table and shove this bat up your ass!”

The ‘’Circus from Hell” segment finds a number of misdirecting clowns leading you in the wrong direction, into a maze of dead ends, loops, etc., while laughing and making fun of your misfortune, while playing Ernie’s “Pop-a-Balloon” dart game is far more likely to cost you your head than it is to earn you a prize!

“Rat Trap” is up next, where sparks shoot forth, and Queen Dolly corners her favorites with a hammer for a little one-on-one TLC!  Nightmare and the notorious Jingles also have surprises in store, as Dopey sends insults down from above shouting, “You’re going the wrong way, you dumb f*ck!”  Several other weapon-carrying clowns add to the confusion before elusion eventually leads to “Hollywood,” foreshadowed by a recreation of Freddy vs. Jason battling it out on an adjacent roof that witnesses Krueger being tossed off the back side of the structure by the colossal Voorhees!

Inside, an assortment of notorious horror movie villains and slashers are encountered including Pinhead; Hannibal Lector; Michael Myers; Chucky; My Bloody Valentine Miner, Harry Warden; and a revisit to 2003’s Freddy vs. Jason showdown that finds the two squaring off again in advance of a trip to the infamous Travis County homestead of the Hewitt family that houses the OVH Award Winning, Texas Chainsaw Massacre finale with legendary slayer Leatherface and his murderous chainsaw's blood-spattering climax of Dayton Scream Park!

ANALYSIS:  The case can be made that this is the best Dayton Scream Park has ever been!  Although the overall endurance has been shortened, scenes flow together extremely well, and practically the entire cast gives it everything they’ve got!  Many attackers are armed with a variety of deadly weapons, and there’s no end to their wicked laughter and tormenting taunts.  Clowns continue to be some of the most relentlessly intense characters around, and their threatening persona is further strengthened by the aforementioned assortment of lethal weapons they clutch onto and visibly display. Earning honorable mention for their performances are zombie girl, Sparky, Stitches, Bubba, Dopey, Jingles, Dolly, Freddy, Jason, and Leatherface.

The elimination of some of Rat Trap’s dead ends cost the attraction a bit of length this year, but makes the overall experience more enjoyable as it enables more frequent actor attacks, many courtesy of their veteran performers who are the stars of the show!  Gunshot and Quad remain intense scares.  Freddy vs Jason really stands out, Leatherface finish is phenomenal, and Myers, who was conspicuous by his absence a season ago has properly taken up residence in Hollywood!  Miner (Harry Warden) leaves a lasting impression as well.  Overhead zip-line chainsaw assault is missed, as are the doctor with the glowing syringes and zipper face.

This attraction isn’t about high end props and animatronics, it’s about the ability to scare, and that’s what they do best!  There’s always an abundance of actors, especially these killer clowns who pride themselves on providing some of the best nightly interactions and scares in the Ohio Valley!  General admission costs just $20 for over 45 minutes of seasonal frights and entertainment!  VIP, front of the line admission is available for an additional $20.  Head on out to Dayton Scream Park, and get the yell scared out of you!

Note:  Touch pass option is not available this year due to the ongoing pandemic.