RECAP:  Menacing clowns, including Bozo and Lola torment the queue line as groups gather waiting to enter Forsaken Forest. Guarding the entrance is none other than notorious slasher C.U. Splatter, better known as Jack the Ripper! Armed with a razor-sharp sword and a Liston knife, his introduction warns that none of the weapons used inside are plastic, emphasizing the fact that, “They’re the real deal!” Cautioning that some unfortunate souls may become permanent decorations of the forest, he hurls a fireball, lets out a wicked laugh, and declares it show time and the game is on into the dark woods.

The trek begins in the presence of a softly speaking youngster that soon goes happily skipping away singing Ring-Around-the-Rosy. Following her to a spooky cemetery finds a shovel-swinging grave digger snatches her up! Her terrified screams, “I don’t want to die!” echo through the woods as he throws her into an incinerator sneering, “You’ll be a hot meal soon!”

Creepy music fills the air inside an old voodoo shack that’s filled with skeletal remains as shrieking ghouls peer through the windows.  The mysterious Madame Miri appears, selects a group member as a volunteer to read their fortune, then focusedly stares into one of her glowing bottles of magic potion. Erupting with laughter, she abandons her gaze into the future, and her fortune-telling concludes with a vague warning that, “You’ll find out soon enough!”

As the course stumbles onward towards a dilapidated, old cabin, a pig-faced butcher commandeers the scene slicing the neck and face of a bound girl, and viciously peels off some of her skin! The chaos escalates when Wilber charges out clutching onto a bloody cleaver and snorts for fresh meat!

Departure detours through a bug infested dwelling, then winds into a wooden maze before spilling into a shanty inhabited by dysfunctional rednecks. Gunshots ring out overhead as a kicking, punching, rolling on the ground brawl breaks out prior to intruders being noticed and ordered out at gunpoint! From there, the trail makes its way to a secluded fishing shack, where a discontented brute accuses trespassers of inappropriate behavior involving his young daughter, forces her into a mulching machine, and barks orders to push an illuminated button, which activates the shredder chopping the girl to pieces, and sprays gore onto the crowd as the lunatic cackles and brands the button-pusher an “accessory to murder!”

The nightmare continues in a field swarmed by zombies, stalking, attacking, and biting as survivors desperately search for supplies stored in a black-lit building. Inspecting the skin for puncture marks, the infected are dragged off and locked in secure chambers where they too begin to transform into undead walkers!

Chainsaw-wielding madmen aggressively advance progression into a cornfield that twists past various structures giving rise to the assault of more blades buzzing from overhead and protruding through surrounding walls in an all-out blitzkrieg! Eventually seeking calmer surroundings back in the outdoors discovers a towering Grim Reaper emerging from the shadows armed with an oversized scythe, then crosses a bridge into a swampy, green-glowing, vampire infested marshland ruled by Jezebel, keeper of the aforementioned creatures of the night. Taunting that she’s forgotten to feed them, thirsty bloodsuckers emerge from the fog, one of whom seizes a victim, and sinks his teeth into her neck! “Give me your blood!” he demands, turning his attention toward onlookers with bloodstained fangs as his victim’s blood drips down!

Fleeing for our lives, an “innocent” girl comes out of hiding, stepping forth from the brush claiming, “The monster has killed all my friends!” Frantically, she lures us into a decrepit shed—where Leatherface pounces onto the scene, revving his murderous chainsaw outside, and sending sparks flying from the window! Suddenly, the lights cut out enabling the Travis County killer to make his way inside with us! “You thought you were safe!” the girl mocks our dilemma. Feeling hopelessly trapped, a hidden door unexpectedly bursts open providing a getaway, but safety is short-lived as Carnevil is on the horizon. Misdirecting jokers encourage exploration through a circus maze of dead ends and uncertain paths. Posey, the trickster, and a hulking clown demand participation in a horn-honking game as pool noodles and false exits complicate the puzzle and stall the way out. Discovery of an unstable bridge eventually marks the escape, but not before Bozo and his chainsaw cohort unleash a relentless chase-out of Forsaken Forest!

ANALYSIS:  Now entering its third season, Forsaken Forest has quickly grown into a highly accomplished attraction by combining non-stop action, creative scenes, and quality acting to create endless terror and big-time scares! Theatrical, high-energy performances from a committed cast fuel the intensity resulting in an atmosphere of believable atrocities. Witnessing so many physical captures and altercations really strengthens the legitimacy of the haunt as a whole. Impressive moments include, Splatter’s fireball; incinerator; the chilling vampire sacrifice led by Jezebel; Pig Butcher’s lethal “murder;” hillbilly brawl; Fishing Shack’s gruesome, mulching machine catastrophe; chainsaw ambush; zombie biters; and Leatherface's entrapment and trickery. Of these, vampire kill is horrifically captivating; chainsaw gang is overwhelming in the sense that it seems as though there are dozens of them coming after you; and mulching machine remains a classic.

Top performers include Splatter, pig-faced butcher, hillbillies, Fish Shack mulcher, voodoo lady Madame Miri, Jezebel and vampire, Bozo, Leatherface and his assistant, and ALL the amazing and  convincing victims who brilliantly “sell” their own demise. On the down side, a few too many “screamers” are present.

Lighting seems sharper this season and the complimentary soundtrack builds tension effectively throughout. The interactive, OVH award-winning mulching machine remains a favorite, and is recognized for pairing creativity with crowd engagement to deliver an atrocious, interactive scare! Texas Chainsaw Massacre entrapment scenario incorporating a cleverly designed, “secret passage-like” escape is especially well executed.

In just three short years, Forsaken Forest has already solidly positioned itself as a must-see OVH Top 13 attraction, and is a proud member of The Ohio Valley Haunts Passport of Terror Tour! They’re open Fridays and Saturdays from dark until midnight, and the cost of admission starts at $25. Don’t miss this powerhouse Halloween experience!