RECAP:  HANNA HAUNTED HAYRIDE:  The main attraction at Hanna is the Haunted Hayride.  From falling billboard signs to characters climbing onto the wagon to frighten and torment riders, this tractor-drawn terror consists of non-stop scares from start to finish!  Featuring numerous, one-of-a-kind animatronic monsters, this is annually one of the most anticipated haunts the season has to offer, and arguably the very best hayride, having captured OVH’s Haunted Hayride of the Year Award the last time we visited!  Highlights include a monster shooting out flames of fire, a frightening cemetery in the midst of a funeral procession, several aerial assaults, and a surplus of giant, mechanical behemoths that lean out over the hayride, or rise up to massive heights alongside the wagon! 

Chainsaw ambushes take center stage, as does a gator attack, as well as a huge spider that descends from the treetops to hover overhead!  A suicidal hanging takes place when a trap door opens as the ride rolls beneath some scaffolding and the victim nearly drops right in among the passengers!  Still to come is a horn-blasting collision with an oncoming train when the hayride suddenly stalls astraddle the tracks of an ungated railroad crossing, and the engine steams forward knocking the wagon sideways!

Other memorable scene witness a demonic, red-eyed, bat-like creature flapping its enormous wings, as flames burst skyward, and devilish ghouls engage in satanic chanting, then a swinging pendulum lowers its blade dangerously close from aloft, narrowly missing those onboard!  More sights include a gigantic pumpkin surprise, a drive through an old barn that angers a family of carnivorous hillbillies, an elevated encounter with The Headless Horseman, and a maniac driving a bulldozing combine that comes charging out of hiding to chase the hay wagon out of the woods that house The Hanna Haunted Hayride!

FREAKSHOW:  This colorful exhibition gets underway with a pneumatic Jack-in-the-Box surprise prior to visiting gets the "Midway," that consists of treacherous games like bloody axe throwing, whack a skull, and even a kissing clown booth!  Startles galore envelop the journey exposing falling barrels, air gun blasts, distorting mirrors, a snack shop selling bloody candy apples, a moving, 3-D plank bridge, clown heads lunging out of walls, and a giant ogre animal trainer who’s ready to unleash his beasts!  The attraction concludes through a disorienting, spinning vortex.

DESCENSION:  Excursion into an isolated cave discovers a giant skull, and angers the wrath of a giant, horned, red-eyed, 6-armed monster residing within!  An early run-in with a strange cavern dweller seeking to add to her wall collection of craniums leads to a blue-lit swamp that hides an eerie organism unleashing an unseen attack out of the murky quagmire!  A spooky, dark passageway connects to skeletal animatronics, screaming ghouls, and flickering lights, then crosses a tilting bridge that unexpectedly shifts downward and to the side into the clutches of a mysterious entity whispering, "Time to Die!”  Eluding a pair of wickedly laughing Troglodytes and fire cracker explosions unearths a passageway to freedom from Descension!

CANNIBAL CHAOS:  Inside an old, wooden shack lies a room full of guts and gore, and human appendages hanging from the walls and ceiling readily making you aware that something just isn’t quite right.  A CGI zombie surprise chaperones advancement into a trophy room displaying various animal kills, like a giant, stuffed moose, warthog, etc.  Scares take the form of a near-miss, horn-honking hit-and-run, fire cracker corridors, and numerous skeletons and bloody, half-torsos popping forward out of adjacent openings, from behind glass panels, and even overhead!  Cannibals savagely pursue a frightened, young girl who’s screaming, “Help me!  Help me!  They’re going to eat me!”  Other sights include dead bodies on gurneys; wild, barking guard dogs; a mechanical madman swinging an axe from his confinement in a wheel chair that suddenly rushes forward; a room decorated with chainsaws and housing a large table saw; a Mongo surprise out of a barn door; and a vicious, blood-splattered Anthropophagus happily announcing, “It’s Dinner Time!” while chasing you out of Cannibal Chaos!

ACRES MANOR HAUNTED MANSION:  The estate is adorned with mysterious, haunted portraits, pictures, and holographs that actively morph and change their display from totally innocent to something far more sinister!  Ghostly happenings along the tour include a falling chandelier that crashes down from above bringing the whole ceiling down with it; a dining room table that suddenly begins vibrating on its own; a levitating dinner chair; a bloody kitchen where cabinets and draws open and close of their own accord giving rise to an attack at the hands of a gory chef anxious to cook up one of his patented human delicacies!

Visiting a spooky bedroom finds a child curiously rocking back and forth on a bed before the course progresses down a darkened corridor of drop-panel startles and into an upside down room of psychic phenomenon, highlighted by a table of dealt Tarot cards, crystal ball, and even a Ouija board!  Up next is a wine cellar that’s home to a mechanical monster, then navigation continues through short-circuiting electricity onto a caged creature shooting off sparks, and a colossal, roan colored beast that rises to a height of 12 feet off the floor before climaxing through a web-covered library containing a trio of tipping bookcases, and hiding a masked chase-out of Acres Manor Haunted Mansion.

THE HORROR FIELDS:  This attraction is a seemingly endless maze of uncertain paths and forks in the road, some of which turn out to be dead ends or winding loops through the cornstalks.  Disorienting fog adds to the confusion, which is amplified by a series of chainsaw attacks combining to provide plenty of intimidation that continues to mount and grow the longer you’re aimlessly roaming around the field in search of the escape.  But fear not!  There IS a way out!  You just have to find it!

ANALYSIS:   Anchored by one of the best Hayrides around, OVH has had the pleasure of watching Hanna Haunted Acres grow and improve by leaps and bounds through the years, and they’re now celebrating their 30 Anniversary season as Indianapolis’ premier haunted house theme park!

The hayride is by far the most active of its kind, with an astonishing number of animatronic monsters delivering realistic scares while paving the way for actor assaults, a near-fatal train crash, and the deadly combine chase-out!  "Dead spots" that are so common at similar outdoor venues are nonexistent here, outside of the approach to, and departure from the haunted woods.  Additional combine-like pursuits (hearse, live headless horseman, etc.) would further strengthen the attraction and elevate its rating even higher.  It also might be wise to slow the pace down slightly by having the tractors drive slower to give guests more time to see everything that’s happening on both sides of the adventure.  This would also serve to lengthen the overall endurance, although this might not be feasible on busy nights.

Secondary attractions remain brief from a duration standpoint, but exhibit enhanced detailing and additional surprises and startles throughout making them more complimentary to the overall experience while supplementing value as a whole.  Loud  sounds and spooky music fill the air everywhere except in the corn, and dim lighting sets the stage for frightening experiences, although it sometimes renders it difficult to see the characters.  Making the haunts longer and increasing actor population across the board would raise the score.  The site utilizes a number of mechanical monsters and pneumatics to go along with live actor engagements.

Descension's moving bridge and the Hayride’s train wreck join forces with all the unique monsters to stand out as the night’s best scares!  Best actor of the evening goes to bloody, “Dinner time!” brute chasing people out of Cannibal Chaos!  Other memorable props include toppling trees and billboards, use of fire, hovering spider, pendulum, hanging, headless horseman, combine, falling barrels, spinning vortex, cave, swamp, CGIs, firecrackers, wheel chair axe man, tilting bookcases, crashing chandelier, and collapsing ceiling.

Attractions are accessed from a centralized gathering area that features a cozy bonfire, readily available concessions and refreshments, and an all-new “Midway” of games, photo ops, and other activities to enjoy.  Be sure to visit Lilith’s Apple Silo for some delicious apple cider slushies!

OVH had a blast at Hanna Haunted Acres, with The Hayride being our favorite, followed by Acres Manor Haunted Mansion, Descension, Cannibal Chaos, Freakshow, and The Horror Fields.  Plan on spending an entire evening at the facility this Halloween season and enjoy all 6 haunted attractions including the award winning hayride, in addition to all the new Midway entertainment and photo ops! 

Parking is free.  Ticket pricing is a bit confusing and expensive, and costs more at the door, so purchasing online provides the most savings.  Fast Pass and Unlimited admission is available.  Hanna Haunted Acres is the best haunt in Indianapolis!  Pay them a visit and see for yourself!