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RECAP: Northern Kentucky’s Haunted Farm Attraction and Scream Park debuts at Walton’s Sugar Ridge Farm, just 20 minutes from downtown Cincinnati. Three uniquely-themed haunts – Torture Barn, Carnival of Screams, and The Killing Field combine with a festival style midway complete with rides, games, food, and drinks and a cast of roaming characters that keep scares alive between shows to form the all-new Scream Ridge!
TORTURE BARN: The nightmare begins inside a grim-looking barn where corridors lined with hanging body parts comprise décor setting a gruesome tone. A blood-soaked girl clutching a knife delivers the first scare before a deranged figure seizes and drags a girl named Abby off into the darkness cautioning, “Don’t take her with you, she has to stay with us! She’ll make a good tasty meal later!”
Other highlights include a smoking moonshine still and a smoldering pipe leaking a thick, foggy mist. Exploration continues onto an imprisoning jail cell that holds a pig-faced goon, and concludes with a chainsaw chase-out that sends victims running for safety from the Torture Barn.
- 3½ minutes, 6 actors
CARNIVAL OF SCREAMS: Outside this Psycho Carnival, a flamboyant barker sings into a microphone and twirls a baton to capture the attention of waiting guests and lure them inside, where the circus features games like tic-tac-toe and Blinko, and offers stuffed animal prizes. Twisted clowns oversee the shenanigans as the route winds past a wild animal trainer, into darkness, and through a wooden maze compromised by dangling tubes. “What’s your favorite time?” a playful clown asks, but offers no punchline to the inquisitive riddle before introducing an uncertain mirror maze and crawl space that dumps into the presence of an insane jester tempting passersby to join her in eating a live worm! A second mirror maze follows that’s inhabited by a misdirecting joker wearing orange prison attire who mischievously points down a wrong-way path and laughs hysterically as the course stumbles into a dead end blockade before eventually discovering the one-and-only escape from The Carnival of Screams!
- 4½ minutes, 7 actors.
THE KILLING FIELD gets underway through an isolated cornfield to an early run-in with a towering, 20-foot tall, glowing scarecrow having orange eyes that blaze like fire! Hillbilly music beckons the way past an old outhouse where moans of agony are heard from someone apparently suffering from dysentery. Twisting by an electrified fence escorts progression into a barrel-filled shed, then narrows between metal fencing, setting up an unexpected monster attack from behind! Fleeing back into the corn unearths a slithering creature underfoot and a maniacal clown that teases, cackles, and laughs while unleashing a frenzied chase-out from The Killing Field.
- 3½ minutes, 6 actors
ANALYSIS: In its very first season, Scream Ridge hits the ground running bringing 3 different seasonal attractions and quite a festive atmosphere to boot! The haunts are well-designed with a few signature scares, but duration is brief across the board, which limits the ability to instill fear. Lengthening the amount of time spent in each one would prove extremely beneficial. Dialogue is quite weak as well with many character interactions consisting only of, “HI!” or “Hello.” More challenging and/or story-driven lines would immediately heighten the intensity and engagements, thus raise the score.
Favorite moments and performers include the abduction of Abby, which is by far the best; the misdirecting, wrong-way clown sending customers down the incorrect path; crawl space; and the slithering attacker in the corn, with each leaving a memorable impression. The fun, festival-style staging area itself is a major contributor to the site’s performance, and judging from the crowds, this is the place to be!
Costuming is good and lighting is more than adequate. Soundtrack could be improved upon, and cost of admission is a bit steep considering the short duration of the haunts, and for a new attraction trying to establish a fan base in a highly-competitive market. Price of general admission is $20. VIP sells for $30, but includes UNLIMITED, fast pass access to the haunted attractions, a free bumper sticker, and one free non-alcoholic beverage! Be sure to take advantage of the perks if purchasing VIP! Parking is provided to all free of charge.
Overall, Scream Ridge is off to a promising start in their inaugural season that could easily carry them into “must-see attraction” status in the very near future. They’re open Fridays and Saturdays in October as well as November 1st from 8 PM – midnight, and present a non-scary, Lights-on event every Saturday from 7 – 8 PM that’s recommended for all ages and with candy for the kids! If you’re in the area, pay them a visit and see what all the fuss is about!
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