Haunted Hoochie (Dead Acres) – 2015 Review

Overall Score (Both Attractions) – 3.8/5

(all ratings scored out of 5)

Haunted Hoochie

Curb Appeal – 4.6/5
Scare Factor – 4.2/5
Actor Enthusiasm – 3.8/5
Creativity – 4.2/5

Overall – 4.2/5

Teresa – This place looks pretty scary from the wooded approach all the way to the queue. The external decorations are really good and fit the theme. There’s a big screen showing music videos and political clips, all very subversive. There were some actors who visited the lines to keep things interesting. There’s a dancing girl and a gun tower. You really wonder what you’re getting yourself into. We got there early and still had quite a long wait. Plenty of time to anticipate. The haunt itself is very long and has a great layout. It is dark and full of really good decor. And they do a good job of sticking with the backwoods hoochie theme. The characters are pretty intense, the animatronics are excellent, and the props are fantastic (some I hadn’t seen before). My favorite parts were the scenes where they would stop your group and you’d witness some horrible bit of violence carried out on some terrified victim. These effects were great. Some were so over-the-top they had us laughing at the sheer wrongness of it. The actors will touch you. Nothing too crazy or uncomfortable. They touched my head a lot, grabbed my leg, one took me by the hand and dragged me into a cell, and they do touch you with the chainsaws. The lighting was good. Some parts are strobing, and other parts so dark you can’t see. It is just enough to keep you disoriented. Sounds and music are loud. Occasionally too loud to hear the characters very well, but definitely unnerving. Especially the gunfire. Overall, this is a great haunt. Not appropriate for children! It is one of the best we’ve been to this year. Definitely worth the price of admission and long wait.

Donna (The Frightmaster) – The Haunted Hoochie (aka “”Dead Acres””) is definitely in a class by itself.  It is a haunt, yes, but it is also a macabre, twisted, in your face, your worst nightmare show.  It is geared for the late teen to mid thirties age groups due to the physical contact and general pushing and shoving, slapping and pinching, hair-pulling done by it’s sinister roaming characters.  This is NOT your grandma’s haunt!

We arrived at the Haunted Hoochie early on a cold, rainy Sat evening and even though we arrived more than 45 minutes before opening (doors are supposed to open at 8:30PM) there was already probably a 45 minute to an hour wait.  We bought our tickets for $25 (no special treatment for media from the Hoochie 🙁 ) and got in line by 8:20.  The curb appeal in this place is some of the best I have ever seen.  From the roaming monsters, loud “death metal” blaring, horror clips and rock bands on a big screen TV to the tattooed dancing hoochie in the bikini to entertain the waiting masses, they definitely build the suspense to a fever pitch.

The doors finally opened at 9:10 and we entered the haunt.  From the very beginning you are blasted by loud death metal screaming from what seemed like an endless number of loud speakers.  The atmosphere is dark, foggy at points, sometimes confusing as to what the theme or the scene is supposed to be, but always creepy and intimidating.  Hands seem to come from nowhere and pull, tug and grab at you as you do your best to hurry past them.  People scream obscenities and every turn!  You are forced to get into a jail cell, held back, separated from the group and manhandled to the point of true terror.  Did I mention that this haunt is not for the weak or timid???

Haunted Hoochie is an extreme haunt, probably the most extreme haunt I have ever been to in the past 22 years!  It is a terrifying and horrifying experience that will give you nightmares for weeks.  This is one to put on your haunted attraction bucket list!

Todd – This was my first time at Haunted Hoochie and I must say the haunt itself is GREAT. However, the experience is not. Let me explain.

First the haunt. It’s long, diverse, creative, intense and full of eye candy (both prop and female actors alike). They are many scenes (all well done) that you’ll find yourself in, including a shanty town, a swamp, a cemetery, and a cultist church with live sacrifice! The actors WILL touch you, but no worries – they only touch…no throwing, grabbing, fondling, etc like what you’ll find at Haunted Hotel in Louisville. There’s a lot of outdoor scenes and they feel very enveloping. The actors do a great job of involving you.

One particular approach that felt unique to Haunted Hoochie were various staged scenes you were forced to watch. Your path is blocked next to a small stage. You then watch a short display of murder and/or torture before the exit door is opened. These staged rooms are interactive and a lot of fun. I really liked the concept of keeping the group corralled in the room until the kill was complete.

Now, the overall experience unfortunately takes some points away for me. First, we were not greeted by the owner (or anyone) upon arrival. I don’t say this as if its an expectation, but this is an opportunity for the owner/operator to give us context, news on what’s new, etc.

Secondly, as clearly stated on their website, they seem to open whenever the hell they feel like it. Patrons did not gain entrance to the haunt until after 9:00pm, even though it opens at 8:30. By 9:00, an enormous line had already formed without any movement so an already-long wait is automatically 30 minutes longer.

Another disconcerting thing regarding their hours is that although they are open until midnight on Thursdays, according to their website, if the crowd “”sucks”” then they shut down early. I don’t know about you, but I’d be pretty upset if I planned on going around 11 or 11:30 to find out they decided to close early.

My primary pain point with my experience there was the subject matter playing on the projection screen while waiting line. Like any good haunt, entertainment is provided; mostly music. Good music too mind you…Metallica, Pink Floyd, Ministry – just to name a few. However, in between songs, we were constantly berated with 9/11 conspiracy propaganda and W. Bush -era administration bashing. Audio clips along with video footage of 9/11 and subsequent investigations were played between each music video.

Honestly, this was just about enough to make me leave. This misinformation had no context to the haunt whatsoever, unless it was to display blatant ignorance following suit to the Hillbillies Gone Wild feel. As a business, I disagree with their mass display of personal beliefs inside an attraction people have paid to attend, without full disclosure. I also think a haunt should be run as a business with clearly posted hours that are adhered to.

As a haunt, it’s a great one. However in the future I don’t know that it will be worth my time having to listen to all of the nonsense regarding a very serious event that killed almost 3000 people.

Gayle – Pulling up to this haunt was awesome!  I thought the exterior buildings and surrounding area was ideal.  The decorations were amazing, with tons to look at.  If you plan on getting there early, or right when it opens to avoid a crowd…plan on staying awhile.  The doors opened 40 minutes late, which was rather frustrating and leaves guests feeling their time is considered unimportant or invaluable.  Although I respect individual political views, I could have done without the “9/11” videos. They seemed unnecessary and out of place considering it was a haunt. The music, although great, was a bit loud and kept me from hearing much of the haunt inside.  Part of what I missed about this haunt was the “eerie” quality and the suspense, simply because of the loud music. It made it difficult to get a sense of how spooky this place really is, or what the actors were actually saying.

I did appreciate the themed rooms, and the decor was impressive, but the actors lacked that “”extreme”” intensity typically found in the rare “full contact” haunts.  The most you’ll get here is a stroke of the hair,a tap on the shoulder, or an occasional shove to keep the conga line moving along.  It really lacked that personal, intense experience found in other haunts of the same “genre”.

Overall, this haunt wasn’t what I expected, and despite feeling somewhat disappointed, I still had fun.

Bill – Haunted Hoochie… what can I say.. it is a dang scary place. I loved the outside. It is built out like an amazing haunted factory/slaughter house. Once we got inside, it opened 40 minutes late, I was impressed by the attention to detail with the props and room build outs. The gory sawing a guy in half to the prison scene… everything was there. There were a few shining moments with the actors … “smell my finger redneck” sticks out in my mind. I think I may have been much more scared if the music wasn’t so loud… so that I could actually hear what the actors were saying. I do have to say that the lighting, the length of the haunt, and the hard work everyone has to do to get this place running was impressive. I really did enjoy it, and it’s definitely worth the money.

Bad Trip: In 3D

Curb Appeal – 3.4/5
Scare Factor – 3.2/5
Actor Enthusiasm – 3.6/5
Creativity – 3/5

Overall – 3.3/5

Teresa – This one was a pretty standard 3D clown-themed attraction. You wear 3D glasses and wander through 3D paint effects. This is more fun than scary, in my opinion. There are some creepy clowns and spinning tunnels. It isn’t very long, but isn’t bad for a little something more to do before or after the main haunt. It pales in comparison to the Haunted Hoochie though.

Donna (The Frightmaster) – Bad Trip in 3D was a pretty typical Evil Clown Circus themed haunt with neon colored paint on the walls and floor and some gory clowns roaming the halls.  It was fun to go through but really didn’t stand out as having anything new or not seen before.  I did enjoy the non-menacing clowns as almost a relief after going through the Hoochie.  I needed some happy entertainment and it did win in that category.

Todd – This second attraction at Dead Acres is a blacklight infested clown house, with 3d glasses provided. If you’ve read my past reviews of these haunts, you know I’m not a fan.

However, I must say Bad Trip is the best executed haunt of this kind I’ve been though. Although it was bright and colorful, the paint was was applied with great style, creating effective 3D illusions. The actors were in your face and a more grotesque form of clown than you typically see.

There were plenty of props so it did not feel barren and I can honest to God say I’ve never had a female clown wave a dildo in my face prior to going through Bad Trip.

This one’s worth the time at Dead Acres.

Gayle – Again, the curb appeal of this place is spooktacular!!  3-D haunts are fun, and this one was fun, but again…the music is a considerable distraction to the enjoyment and suspense of this haunt.  The costumes were fun, but the actors here seemed to lack some enthusiasm. It seemed quick and I did feel quite rushed as well through this one.

Bill – “Bad Trip” was a clown fest… it was a fun run through a 3D maze, filled with gory clown parts and a few actors that were up to the task of scaring everyone in their path. The artwork was great and it was an enjoyable run through.