On a dark and chilly night, my friends and I felt our anticipation rise for the spooky journey we were about to embark on. After waiting in a line of cars for what felt like hours, we had finally made it to our destination: ValleyScare. With its bright neon lights, the smell of various fair foods, and distant screams, this place was sure to give us an exciting adventure. I had been to ValleyScare once before and had only gone on the normal rides, but this time I was here for the scares (with some roller coasters along the way, of course). After finding parking and getting through the admission gates, we were in!
Unfortunately, we were unable to take photos inside the mazes, but we got photos from the outside. The first haunted experience was called Blood on the Boundary Waters. The line was quick, and once we were in, we entered an “infected” town in the middle of a dark forest. Rundown shacks lined the streets that we would walk, and humans were turned into swamp monsters. Clouds of fog lined the streets we walked, creating a spooky ambiance. The ruined town was out for human flesh, and its inhabitants came at us with prop weapons. I rated it a 6/10 in scariness, as it was only very scary until the end, where we were jump-scared by an actor in a costume that extended towards us. I rated it a 7/10 in presentation, as the costumes and set up were done well to create a story behind the infected town.
Our next stop was Mr. Cleaver’s Bloodshed. As we waited in line, we could hear people screaming from the outside, always a good sign. A butcher who went insane provided the story for the maze, and the inside included prop limbs hanging from the ceiling for us to walk around, as well as fog to obscure our view. The scariest part we encountered was a sliding door behind a caged room, with a supposed victim of the butcher behind the door snapping it open and closed. At the end of the maze, we were petrified by Mr. Cleaver, a huge man with a loud chainsaw, walking among us. I rated it an 8/10 on scariness, and a 9/10 in presentation.
Finally, we went to The Chateau: 7 Deadly Scares. From the outside, it was a two story haunted mansion, with a zombified man greeting us at the entrance. On the inside, there were 7 rooms that got scarier as we went along, and eventually opened up to a cavern underground. It was a long maze, but it went by quickly because it was so scary. We got chased out of the exit by a scary man with scissors after my friend made the mistake of looking at him while he stared at us. I rated it an 8.5/10 in scariness and a 10/10 in presentation, as the actors and backdrops created an elaborate story behind this mansion.
Overall, scariness averaged 7.5/10 and presentation 8.7/10. There were also “scare zones” that we walked through, and though they were executed really well, they were not included in this review. I would recommend ValleyScare for those looking for a scare, but for those who don’t, they can easily avoid the scary parts and go on normal rides. In all, although I was not entirely spooked, I still had an enjoyable experience. Happy Halloween!
