| SPRINGBORO HAUNTED HAYRIDE:
This classic hayride gets underway with the tractor driving through one
of the Bull Run barns, where a demented surgeon mutilates and dismembers
his unfortunate patient, before turning his attention on you! Without
pausing, the wagon proceeds into the darkened woods, where The Headless
Horseman soon comes riding out of the shadows, grabbing at those on
board! Irate spooks charge out of the trees and climb aboard, as
the Hayride passes the gallows, where an execution recently took
place. One of the ghouls can hardly catch up, but grasps onto the
wagon, and is dragged along from behind, until he eventually gives up,
relinquishes his grip, and the tractor pulls you away to safety.
Nicely done! A wicked looking, amber light flashing, siren piercing,
pig-headed pick-up truck suddenly thunders onto the scene, it’s powerful
engine revving and blasting as it pulls alongside attempting to run you
off the road! Similar encounters ensue a short time later, first
in the form of mad “monster“ truck, then again from a bladeless, old combine,
each re-enacting the truck’s performance! A "hot-rod" hearse, sits
angrily off to the side, it too boasting a loud, impressive motor, and
hoping to get a turn pursuing the Hayride! Ignoring
signs that the bridge is out ahead, the tractor continues onward past a
ghost infested cemetery, and right through the drive-in movie screening
of Killer Klowns from Outer Space, culminating in a multiple, on
board maniacal chainsaw chase-out of the Springboro Haunted Hayride.
Analysis:
LENGTH - 9, About 20 minutes
ACTORS - 8, Headless Horseman is awesome! Others
were much more energetic in comparison to a year ago. Additional
interacting dialogue wouldn’t hurt.
SCARINESS - 8½, An action packed adventure featuring
plenty of legitimate, motorized scares. Improvement in the acting
catagory would elevate the fright value
PROPS - 9, Mostly attributable to the vast variety of
actual vehicles that relentlessly terrorize the hay wagon.
DESIGN - 9½, Tractor maintains a good pace which
practically eliminates dead spots. Only one noticeably calm area,
but it occurs right before the climax, and helps add suspense to the assault.
Pick-up chase is outstanding, but can’t help wishing that same classic
confrontation came from that spooky, old hearse, as is the Bull Run
tradition!
VALUE - 9, A $2 price increase to $12.00 this year, but
cost remains unchanged for the Bog combo ticket ($15).
RATING: 9, Annually, the best hayride around! |
| THE BLACK BOG: The
foggy Bog gets underway in a carnival type setting, where the funhouse
barker leads you to a kissing booth. Luckily, we had Dawn with us,
but I don’t even want to think about the experience that all male group
of cb’ers must’ve had! One little smooch, and a few clowns later,
we were on our way again, where it’s onto a little girl’s room, decorated
with mutilated dolls, and stuffed animals that deliver an unexpected surprise.
Back out to the marshlands, where thickening fog conceals several monsters
that you don’t even see until you’re practically looking them in the eye!
A spooky cemetery, gravedigger and chainsaw wielding maniac stand as obstacles
along the path, while a deranged loony surrounded by body bags hopes to
add to his collection! Hillbillies extend dinner invitations, while
Jerry’s old junkyard houses an old hearse, a broken down school bus that
must be boarded, and a few other surprises en route to a spinning vortex
finish to The Bull Run Farm Black Bog.
Analysis:
LENGTH - 8½, Just over 15 minutes.
ACTORS - 6½, Over 30 characters, but few were
energetic enough to warrant remembering. Gravedigger was back to
dragging his shovel noisily along the wooden path, but would be much better
digging a grave in the cemetery, or threatening to “bury you alive!” Junkyard
Jerry remains one of the few who offers any sort of dialogue at all, and
is the most intense, while Big Papa’s appearance was more interesting than
anything he had to say, and the Hillbillies still aren’t scary. Undertaker,
measuring you for a new suit of burial clothes is best addition.
SCARINESS - 7, The foggy valley’s an impressive sight,
but crying out for better acting. Elimination of certain scenes (discussed
below) hurts the fear factor.
PROPS - 6½, Similar to '06, except they did away
with the best one of all, - the shaking, vibrating elevator.
DESIGN - 6½, Tremendous amounts of fog roll through
the wetlands area encompassing Bull Run Farms. They changed
things up this year, by reversing the direction of the path, which works
for the most part, except the spooky, fog-filled cemetery is now somewhat
behind you, rather than an intimidating sight ahead. Some sort of
soundtrack aboard the bus would be beneficial. Removal of the Elevator
to Hell is a significant negative, as is the loss of the bloody butchers,
and the maze climax, and made even worse since it comes on the heels of
dropping Freddie’s room and the sewer pipe tunnel the previous year.
Replacements are sub par to say the least.
VALUE - 8, Grab the combo ticket if you plan to go.
It includes THE BOG for just $3 more than the hayride itself.
RATING: 7, Change is good, but eliminating
some of the better scenes hurts a lot. The Bog's still a mystifying
walk with all that fog rolling through the field, but nowhere near as strong
as the main event Hayride. |
