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RECAP: Forsaken Forest’s debut season takes place on spacious grounds that are haunted by several roaming characters including a number of tormenting clowns. Entrance is patrolled by infamous slasher, C. U. Splatter, better known as Jack the Ripper! Armed with a Liston Knife and a cane that doubles as a holster for a razor-sharp “sword,” he goes over some rules, then the adventure gets underway.
The journey itself begins with immediate warnings of death being heard from a girl running down the path, frightened for her life and screaming for help! She’s grabbed by a coven of dark-hooded demons and sacrificed as the Devil himself recites satanic chants over a large pentagram! Fleeing discovers the Grim Reaper threatening with a deadly scythe and a dilapidated shack where a masked fiend peels the skin off the face a captured sufferer!
Many other structures are explored including a butcher shop selling and surplussing their stock of human cuts of meat; Jimmy’s Junkyard that finds the disgruntled owner/operator protecting his property with a Taser and his trusty, but viciously growling guard dog, Brutus; and a Fishing Shack where a madman has a potential victim trapped in a mulching machine! The lunatic encourages groups to push an illuminated button that activates the lethal chipper, chopping the innocent captive to pieces! “Who’s next?” he demands to know, as the child’s mother reacts hysterically to the unfathomable atrocity she’s just been forced to witness! Similar assaults are experienced along the way including an attack by a chainsaw wielding assailant that grabs a rebellious girl and drags her off into the woods, while others are violently pushed down, pulled away, and shoved around despite fighting back the best they can.
Skirmishes arise from the campsite of cannibalistic rednecks, one of whom comes bursting out of a portable toilet toting a shotgun and announcing, "I'm going to kill all these trespassers!" From there it’s onto an irate drill instructor mandating a group member to do push-ups before encouraging progression by exclaiming, “Move, move, move!” Still to come, a zombified scarecrow is reanimated to life; a severed head drops from the rafters of an old barn, and a pair of chainsaw aggressors goes on the attack to the accompaniment of the living dead surrounding the premises!
Avoidance soon reveals Carnevil on the horizon, where ringmaster Oz gives one unlucky circus goer a balloon advising to, “Protect it with your life!” and explaining, “For if the balloon dies, YOU die!” Needless to say, the lifespan of the inflatable is measured, and it’s soon popped much to the chagrin of its giver. This unleashes the wrath of a plethora of crazed Jesters – Bozo, Posey, Bo, and their brother and sister clowns inside a maze full of dead ends and uncertain routes! Misdirection abounds complicating escape to a brief visit at Grandma's house setting up a Leatherface chainsaw entrapment that eventually yields through a hidden, previously concealed passage into one final interaction with Papa Legba, a mysterious, voodoo figure known as an intermediary between God and humanity who claims to have been sent to cleanse the souls of those who’ve entered, which she does by summoning a surprising fireball from the spirit world, thus concluding the action-packed Forsaken Forest!
ANALYSIS: This first-year venue is off to an amazing start. Splatter/Ripper sets the stage for a succession of believable scares set forth by an intense, most energetic and interacting cast. Memorable scenes include the Devil Sacrifice, Reaper, fiend cutting off victim’s face, Butcher, Junkyard, Fish Shack, Clown horde, Leatherface entrapment, and Papa Legba! Witnessing a number of victimizations along the way strengthens the overall performance. Taser, balloon, dead ends, secret passage, and fireball stand out and are appreciated, but mulching machine with its interactive twist steals the show, and is arguably the best scare we’ve seen all year! Favorite performers include Devil, Jimmy, Fish Shack Mulcher, Oz, Bozo, Splatter, Legba, and victims that do an outstanding job visibly displaying their fear, apprehension, uneasiness, and injuries.
On the down side, pentagram isn't lit, and finish could be further ramped up with some additional voodoo chants and action leading up to and even following the fireball. Soundtrack is the weak link, but this is an overall fantastic effort from a debut attraction that just missed landing in our Top 13!
Cost of admission is a bit steep at $25 considering this is a brand new haunt needing to establish a fan base, but it’s in line with prices being charged by most of their competitors. They’re open on Fridays and Saturdays through October 28th from dark to midnight. Parking is free and located across the street. Be sure to check out Forsaken Forest for some of the best acting and legitimate scares in the Ohio Valley!
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