A cornfield at night is eerie enough by itself, especially with a full moon and a chill in the air.
But throw in some clowns, ghouls, and other creatures of the night lurking in the shadows, and it’s truly terrifying.
Being from Florida, I’m no stranger to haunted houses (Halloween Horror Nights every year like clockwork). But a haunted hayride was definitely something to new to me, and scarier than a traditional haunted house on so many different levels. It seems that haunted hayrides up here are extremely common during Halloween season, so you’ve got a lot to choose from. The one I visited this weekend was at Field of Screams in Mountville, PA. It’s located about an hour and a half away from Philly, but I’d say it’s worth the drive to get far away from the city; it helps to set the mood more. I wasn’t really sure what to expect with a haunted hayride, but it was fun. You sit on hay in a tractor as a driver takes you through a winding corn maze. You make periodic stops in barn houses; the doors come down and the horror begins. Different themes included clowns (always scary!), Nightmare on Elm Street, and even pigs. Yes, who knew pigs could be so disturbing? Here’s a tip though: sit in the middle!
Aside from the Haunted Hayride, Field of Screams offers three other thrilling attractions: Den of Darkness, Frightmare Asylum, and Nocturnal Wasteland. They offer different pricing options, including the option to only purchase single attractions instead of passes for all four. I say if you’re making the trip out there, you should visit all four of the attractions. But I think it’s obvious which one was my favorite, so if you’re only going to pick one, I’d recommend the Haunted Hayride. The ride itself is actually pretty long, so you get a great value for your money.
Oh, and the special effects throughout the attractions were surprisingly great, too. I almost thought for a minute that I was back at Universal Studios!
My second favorite attraction was Nocturnal Wasteland, which is also an outdoors attraction. This was an outdoor trail that takes you through a maze of dead bodies and other tortured souls. It was pretty gruesome. One of the actresses was crying for help and she was pretty convincing. I almost stopped for a second to make sure she really was okay, ha. One part of the trail had very realistic dead bodies hanging from the ceiling; I was waiting for one of them to jump out at me at any second. What was really eerie was how badly it smelled in that section; it really smelled like death. It was disgusting and probably one of the first haunted attractions I’ve visited where the sense of smell is engaged, too. It still disturbs me to think about.
While I did enjoy the indoor attractions, I preferred the outdoor ones. My husband somewhat disagreed; while the hayride was his favorite also, Den of Darkness was a quick runner-up. It was hilarious to watch him run out of the house at the end, absolutely terrified. And he doesn’t scare easily.
Don’t want to wait in line? I’d say spring for the VIP passes, definitely. If you get there early and right when the attractions open, you won’t need them because there aren’t any lines. But by 8pm, the lines were already really long, so if you plan on getting there later in the evening, you should consider upgrading.
Aside from the actual haunted attractions, Field of Screams has sort of a Halloween carnival theme going on, too; there is live music, a lot of delicious food and snacks, in addition to games and other fun things to do. But don’t expect to get a moment of peace, even when you’re not in one of the haunted attractions: clowns and other creepers will sneak up on you and scare you.
Overall, a fun experience and I highly recommend a visit to FOS if you’re into haunted houses. But I do question if I’m starting to get too old for these things; I hear a chainsaw outside right now and I’m nervously twitching a bit. Ha!
….seriously, though.
Visitor Information
Hotels in Philadelphia: Philly’s Center City is about an hour and a half away from Field of Screams, making it an easy day trip if you’re visiting the area. Our top picks for hotels in Philly include The Ritz-Carlton Philadelphia, The Rittenhouse, and Rittenhouse 1715.
Flights to the Philadelphia International Airport: Tons of routes from around the country (and the world) go directly to the Philadelphia International Airport every day. To find a flight that’s best for you, check out OneTravel to compare your options.
