RECAP:  Secluded in the woods of Kirkwood Camp & Adventure Park, Twisted Trails is made up of three different seasonal attractions – a pair of haunted trails and Muck Manor, the latter of which is entered first.  A creepy, laughing bellhop invites guests inside the estate and into an old elevator that immediately dives downward, creaking and screeching its way to the numerous mechanical monsters waiting below.  Dense fog; a white room containing a surprise attack; a toxic zone of contamination highlighted by falling barrels; an electrical malfunction featuring sparking, short-circuiting fuse boxes; and Samara “The Ring” girl climbing out of her well are among the many obstacles to be encountered in advance of a lengthy, green, laser-lit, murky swamp that’s submerged the entire lower level of the residence and hides a number of unusual creatures, one delivering a mist-spraying blast-out of Muck Manor.

The second leg of the experience explores the Upper Trail, also known as “Witching Way.”  A brief maze soon delivers the course to a mysterious, hooded lady holding a lantern, and warning of the curses and witches that are about to be encountered.  Making its way across a bottomless pit, the path continues onto an old, rickety, wooden walkway, past pneumatic monsters, small and tall, and a “headless” actortronic having its face and cranium within its chest invading from out of nowhere!  Eerily-lit cauldrons and wicked witches appear alongside the route levying curses on each and every passerby as navigation winds through an isolated cornfield inhabited by desolate scarecrows, red-eyed monsters, and an enormous 15-foot scarecrow armed with a grim-reaper’s scythe!  The Bad Seed pumpkin patch is up next, where a large, actortronic Jack-o-lantern compromises advancement into a pumpkin-faced façade and into a cave containing a claustrophobic escape into the waiting arms of another oversized, pneumatic beast perched in the vicinity of a spooky-looking graveyard overrun with spiders and webs that soon discovers a pair of human-like arachnoid walkers that give chase out of The Witching Way (Upper) Trail. 

The Lower Trail is the third and final attraction and begins in the presence of The Crypt Keeper who once owned the property until the witch came in 1816 and cursed the land rendering it is no longer safe!  Highlights include, a remote forest, where thunder clashes and lightning strikes provide short-lived illumination; a huge, 20-foot tall pumpkin-headed monster; a winged, animated, bat-like creature flying in the trees; a waist-high, claustrophobic tunnel; a run-in with weird-acting Elizabeth; and a werewolf attack that witnesses the capture of a screaming girl being carried her off into the woods!

Many more hidden monsters come popping out of the surrounding brush as progression reveals an apparition of a clown inside a ticket booth just outside a traveling circus starring “Giggles” and his cohorts, where some fall for the offer of free hugs and puppies.  Twisting back and forth through a maze of protruding hands encourages the arrival of additional clowns pointing the way through a claustrophobic squeeze that exits into a darkened building that evokes an imminent chase-out where a hay ride waits to give you a ride back to the main area upon exiting The Lower Trail.

ANALYSIS:  OVH's first visit to Twisted Trails definitely won't be our last!  The Kirkwood Camp & Adventure Park provides an amazing atmosphere for great Halloween fun featuring 3 haunts, Glow-in-the-Dark Mini Golf and Bayou Blasters (glow-in-the-dark shooting gallery)! Lighting was impressively top-notch on The Upper and Lower Trails, and through Muck Manor creating some outstanding visualizations.  Soundtrack is excellent and most complimentary as well!  Performers did a good job interacting with meaningful dialogue with only a few “rahs” here and there, mostly on the Lower Trail from pop-out actors.  Favorites include Bellhop, lantern lady, witches, hidden straw monster, werewolf and his victim, and the human spider walkers!  Circus clowns also earn honorable mention.  Adding to the cast would prove beneficial and raise the score even higher. 

Snacks, beverages, shirts, and hoodies are available for purchase at the gift shop, and general admission is just $23 for all 3 attractions!  If you've never been to Twisted Trails pay them a visit!  You won't  be disappointed with their fun-filled, seasonal scares!

Note:  Free Admission on Fridays for all active police, fire, EMT, doctors, nurses, and other medical professionals with valid photo ID, badge, or government issued ID.