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RECAP: Six cryptic attractions join forces on these spacious grounds making up Hanna Haunted Acres. The venue provides a number of seasonal photo ops, some seasonal game booths, psychic readings, concessions, and the OVH Award Winning Hanna Haunted Hayride!
Showcasing a multitude of enormous, one-of-a-kind animatronic monsters, this tractor-drawn terror consists of endless scares from start to finish! From falling billboard signs to villains climbing onto the wagon to frighten and torment riders, the main event is annually one of the most anticipated attractions the season has to offer, and arguably the very best hayride around!
The use of fire is used to perfection with numerous flames erupting out of the darkness and shooting skyward, while tall, mechanical beasts lean out over the wagon and arise to impressive heights right alongside the ride. Popular highlights include a frightening cemetery that gives rise to a mystifying funeral procession that witnesses pallbearers carrying a coffin whose undead corpse struggles for survival screaming, "Get me out of here!"
Additional sights include several aerial assaults; a 12 foot, red-eyed behemoth; a huge, hissing python; a gigantic spider that drops down from the treetops hovering directly overhead; a suicidal hanging that takes place when a trap door opens in some overhead scaffolding just as the adventure happens to roll directly beneath enabling the victim to practically fall right in among the passengers! Next comes a horn-blasting collision with an oncoming train, when the hayride suddenly stalls astraddle the tracks of an ungated railroad crossing, and locomotive 550 steams forward knocking the wagon sideways!
A demonic, red-eyed, bat-like creature flaps its enormous wings waiting to attack, as another blaze illuminates the surroundings, and devilish ghouls engage in satanic chanting! Trees bend and break in two as skeleton-masked assailants hop on board armed with deadly chainsaws and a swinging pendulum dives downward from above! A humongous pumpkin surprise chaperones advancement into an old barn angering a family of carnivorous hillbillies, and bringing about an elevated encounter with The Headless Horseman that’s soon followed by some maniac driving a bulldozing combine that suddenly comes charging out of hiding to chase the hay wagon completely out of The Hanna Haunted Hayride!
"FREAKSHOW" is a colorful carnival that features an oversized, pneumatic Jack-in-the-Box, a "Midway" of treacherous games like bloody axe throwing, a whack-a-mole spinoff called whack-a-skull, shoot a human, and even a kiss-a-clown booth! Also on tap is the sight of a magician's mishap that witnesses the “sawing a body in half” trick gone tragically wrong! Memorable startles consist of a swinging clown loudly kicking his glass wall enclosure; toppling barrels; air gun blasts; distorting, fun house style mirrors; a snack shop selling concessions such as bloody candy apples and popcorn topped with eyeballs; a circus casino; and an animal trainer ready to unleash some of his “tamed” beasts! The attraction concludes through a disorienting, clown-infested spinning vortex.
UNDEAD UNDERWORLD "DARK ECHOES" explores an isolated cave discovering a giant skull, and light-limited catacombs where a horned, red-eyed, 6-armed monster has taken up residence and awakens right before your very eyes! Armed with a large pick axe, a defiant miner protects the premises that also conceals eerie, skeleton-like mutants enclosed in cages along the cavern cliffs; a cave-in crashing down from above; and a dark, spooky passageway that connects to skeletal animatronics, unseen monsters, and attacks by strange, red, laser-fingered creatures within a foggy, laser-lit, swamp-like abode better known as Undead Underworld
CANNIBAL CHAOS takes place inside an old, wooden shack where wailing sirens welcome entrance into a room filled with guts and gore. Severed human appendages hang from the walls and ceiling and a CGI zombie surprise guides the way into a trophy room that displays various animals, like a stuffed moose, warthog, etc. Cannibals invade from out of nowhere teasing, "You smell good!" and "I'm going to eat you first!"
Scares take the form of a horn-honking, near-miss, hit-and-run collision; exploding firecrackers; an unfortunate woman who's suffered the fate of having the flesh eaten off her feet; and skeletons and half-torsos popping forward out of adjacent openings, from behind glass panels, and also overhead! Cannibals savagely give chase loudly slamming femur bones on garbage cans as the course makes its way beyond gurneys carrying dead bodies, and wildly barking guard dogs that take dead aim on the unsuspecting! More frights come at the hands of a mechanical madman swinging an axe from his wheel chair confinement that suddenly and unexpectedly rushes forward; a room decorated with chainsaws and housing a large table saw; a Mongo surprise out of a barn door; a large blade swinging over a table, and a vicious, blood-splattered Anthropophagus happily announcing, "It's time to eat!" as he embarks upon a relentless chase-out of Cannibal Chaos!
ACRES MANOR HAUNTED MANSION: Walls of the estate are adorned with mysterious, haunted portraits, pictures, and holographs that actively morph and change their display from totally innocent compositions to sinister depictions right before your very eyes! Ghostly happenings along the tour include the OVH award winning scene that witnesses a shaking chandelier that crashes down from above bringing the entire ceiling down with it; a spooky dining room table that suddenly begins vibrating on its own; a bloody kitchen where cabinets and draws open and close of their own accord giving rise to an attack by a gory chef popping out of an enclosed refrigerator, and an eerie bedroom that finds a possessed child sitting on a bed rocking back and forth, and mysteriously rising upward in a recreation right out of the "Exorcist!" Darkened corridors unleash multiple drop-panel startles as the route visits a psychic who’s telling the future by means of Tarot cards, a crystal ball, and a spiritual Ouija board! Still to come is a cellar that's home to a colossal, roan colored beast seen rising 12 feet off the floor! The attraction climaxes through a spider web-covered library containing a trio of tipping bookcases that hides a masked, unstoppable chase-out of Acres Manor Haunted Mansion!
THE HORROR FIELDS consists of a seemingly endless maze of loops, dead end passages, and forks in the road, some of which lead to nowhere. A full, orange moon welcomed us in on the night of our visit, perfectly centered in the path between the surrounding cornstalks along the entrance to the attraction! Disorienting thick fog adds to the confusion, especially at the beginning where a series of immediate chainsaw ambushes amplify one’s disorientation, which continues to mount the longer the exploration lasts. Wondering aimlessly in search of the escape occasionally stumbles upon a variety of discontented monsters that inhibit advancement and even provide some misdirection by recommending the continuance down a wrong-way trail. Infamous horror movie characters likewise reside within including the likes of Scary Movie’s Scream, Friday the 13th's Jason Voorhees, and even Good Guy Chucky! Persistence pays off in the end as correct navigation eventually locates and reveals the one-and-only escape route from Horror Fields!
ANALYSIS: Anchored by one of the best hayrides around, Hanna Haunted Acres earns its way onto OVH’s list of Top 13 attractions!
This 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 a life-threatening combine chase-out! "Dead spots" that are so common at many outdoor venues simply don’t exist here!
Secondary attractions, while brief from a duration standpoint, have significantly picked up their game in recent years with enhanced detailing and an assortment of pneumatic surprises that contribute to the “haunted” nature of the overall Hanna experience. There’s always something moving, shaking, vibrating, being thrust into the path, etc., and spooky music fills the air throughout, except in the corn. Dim, professional lighting is likewise complimentary, and in unison, these factors combine to create a most frightening atmosphere. The haunts are all top-notch while they last and are staffed by lots of energetic actors this season, which serves to amplify scares.
Hanna’s impressive collection of mechanical monsters sets them apart from the competition, and plenty of roaming actors terrorize the grounds. Favorites include Chuckles the Clown, Terrifier, and Teddy! Memorable props include toppling trees and billboards, train, use of fire, hovering spider, pendulum, hanging, headless horseman, combine, falling barrels, spinning vortex, cave, CGIs, firecrackers, wheel chair axe man, tilting bookcases, crashing chandelier, collapsing ceiling, and the aforementioned animatronic beasts.
Attractions are accessed from a centralized gathering area that features a cozy bonfire, readily available refreshments, and "Sinister Snacks" concessions serving delicious, freshly made pork tenderloins, chili dogs, walking tacos, etc. A bratwurst booth grills up some tasty treats as well, and The Chills and Thrills Carnival offers a circus-like "Midway" of games. Check out Eerie Essentials gift shop; enjoy several seasonal photo ops; and make sure to visit Lilith's Apple Silo for some delicious apple cider slushies! They’ve also added a beer garden for 2023 for those 21 and older that might need a cold one to settle their nerves!
OVH had a blast at Hanna Haunted Acres, with The Hayride being our favorite! As previously alluded to, the effort the site goes to as a whole to make the venue “haunted” is definitely appreciated, as something is always giving off paranormal vibes by moving on its own, or producing some sort of action! This is evident from the pumpkins in their photo ops to all the animatronic monsters inside the haunts themselves and along the hayride!
Plan on spending an entire evening at Hanna this Halloween season and enjoy their 6 uniquely-themed haunted attractions including the award winning hayride! Parking is free, cost of admission varies by day, and tickets are less expensive if purchased online, so plan your visit accordingly. Fast passes and Unlimited Admission tickets are also available.
Hanna Haunted Acres is the best haunt in Indianapolis! Pay them a visit and see for yourself!
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