Sandyland Acres 2012 Review

Sandyland Acres: Petersburg, KY (NKY)

The Haunted Hayride

This hayride in the country just keeps getting better and better every year! This year Gene and Brenda Webb have outdone themselves and completely remastered the entire haunt with new scenes, scares and surprises. A very intimidating Mortimer Sneed greets you as you get on the hayride and explains the rules to you before your trip. “Tonight you will face the fears that will send shivers up your spine which may be your very last time. Before I usher this tractor to drag you off into the night there are a few things you must remember. No smoking, there’s hay on this wagon, no drunken liquids not even a thimble full. Stay seated at all times even if the dead is coming to get you. No cursing, the only cursing that should be going on is that performed by witches and the last thing is the dead line. Only the dead can walk upon the line. Do not let your feet walk across the line. Keep them tucked against the hay at all times and if you don’t touch the dead, they won’t touch you.” This set the mood for the trip.

The large silo sprouted flames into the night every few minutes, startling even The Frightmaster. As Freddy greets you in the line and ushers you to the large wagon of hay bales you know you’re in for a treat. Then the trip begins. As you pass a creepy looking abandoned motel, a girl runs out at you holding a knife screaming to save her. The ride takes a turn and before you know it, you’re in the cornfield. They added additional actors to the trip through the cornfield this year, popping up out of nowhere and in any direction making it a 10 on the scare factor! Once you leave the cornfield, you travel down into the first scene, the doll scene. The sides of the road are decorated with hundreds of old, eerie-looking dolls which drew to mind the movie “Dead Silence” and sent shivers down my spine.

The ride progresses through some additional scenes, all new for this year, including a scene from the Stephen King movie “IT” where it looks like you are actually going into the sewer with a multi-colored light at the top to make it seem even more disorienting which really worked as a great scare effect with the clown jumping in the wagon at the end. There is also an alien coming from a flying saucer which has landed in the corn field which is new this year and very realistic looking.

The scenes in the barn were the best yet – a woman is being sawed in half (not for the squeamish!) and a very realistic Texas Chainsaw Massacre reenactment. Gene and Brenda have mastered the art of the 360 degree scare – scares come from all directions, so just when you are looking one way (misdirection), someone jumps out from the opposite direction! We love this and it really heightens the scare factor. Well done!

Rating: 10 – Excellent

Farmers Revenge

This is a short indoor haunt that has some dark spaces and unexpected surprises. The owners have done a lot with very little space in a small barn. As you enter, you are submerged in a dark maze that is both claustrophobic and disorienting. You actually have to bend down to get through the small opening, which is a very clever catch. This addition of the creepy girl behind the glass this year and the hands coming out of the box add a “high and low” dimension to the haunt. You are assaulted by “something touching you” on your ankles in the dark which truly terrorized some of the members of the review team. We loved this indoor haunt and would love to see some addition to it to make it longer maybe next year.

Rating: 9.5 – Excellent

All in all, we were VERY impressed with Sandyland Acres this year. Unlike some other haunts, they keep it fresh every year with all new scenes and scares. Most of the animatronics they use are all home made (how do they DO this????) and really stand out and make the scenes more believable – for example – the “Hellhound” with the glowing red eyes whose head moves side to side. Really well done! The actors are also excellent, really getting into the part and staying in character, even when you talk to them.

Gene and Brenda and all of the people at Sandyland Acres are truly lovers of Halloween and all things scary and they put their heart and soul into their haunt every year – and it shows! This is one of our favorite haunts and we look forward to coming back every year.

If you haven’t been to Sandyland Acres – GO!

Comments: Amanda S. – Haunt Reviewer
The hayride received a 10 in my book because of the actors and the unique/creative use of the outdoor attributes. There was the perfect balance of the realism of the props which you were constantly wondering if they were real and were happily surprised throughout.

The Farmers Revenge was especially creepy due to the lack of lighting through the haunt. It included interesting surprises and involved more than just visual effects. Other sensory scare tactics were used heightening the scare effects.

Overall, I would do this haunt again!!!

Comments: Mike E. – Haunt Reviewer
The flame on top of the silo was awesome and so was the host (Mortimer Sneed). I could feel the heat of the flame while waiting in line. The scarecrow at the beginning and the flaming truck chase were great! Some things in the corn field (the Corn Monster) needed to be better lit to see them.

Bang for the buck
(The tour time is 30 minutes with the combo indoor and outdoor haunts. Tickets are $12 a piece for the hayride and $10 for Farmers Revenge. VIP admission for the hayride is $15. Combo tickets are $20 a piece. Wait can be 1 1/2 hours in the regular line on a busy Sat night so VIP is recommended.)
Score – Excellent! – 10.0 points

Curb Appeal
(Loved the addition of the flames on the silo and Mortimer Sneed)
Score – Excellent! – 10.0 points

Scare Factor
Score – Excellent! – 10.0 points

Actors/Professionalism
Score – Excellent! – 10.0 points

Audio Effect
Score – Excellent! – 9.5 points

Lighting
Score – Very Good – 8.5 points

Overall rating: 10 – Excellent

Visit their web site at www.sandylandacres.com