After the shower rained out its opening night, I was finally able to visit this small haunt tucked away in Newtown, PA. Sleepy Hollow Haunted Acres has been operating since 1990, making it one of the state’s oldest haunts. While I don’t think it’s stagnated compared to my first visit eight years ago, I also don’t think it’s elevated itself enough to compete with the state’s top haunts.
Let’s start with the hayride. Right off the bat, I don’t think the cages and double trailers are doing it any favors. I understand why the cages are there and why there are twice as many guests per ride, but in terms of guest experience, they hurt more than they help. For starters the cages act as a barrier between the guests and the show itself. Even if the actors do hop onto the hayride – an opportunity seldom of them take advantage of – the guests are still cut off from the sets. That sense of vulnerability a more exposed hayride already struggles to produce compared to houses and trails is mostly absent here. The cage issue is best illustrated through the one chainsaw present on the ride, a prop that feels pointless given its actor can’t do anything with it. Of the forty or so actors on the hayride track, only one shook the cage. This would have turned an otherwise glaring flaw into a strength had more actors done the same, but alas, they didn’t. In fact most of the hayride’s actors hardly do anything at all. The only actors who try to actually scare you are those in its first stop. The rest stand off to the side and shout recited lines at guests. The actors at the drive-in scene, for instance, completely neglect to take advantage of the scene’s many distractions to ambush guests. The lackluster performance from the hayride’s actors is only worsened by the sheer number of guests going through a scene at once. There are simply too many people actors must divide their attention between. Though the two cars that chase the ride are a unique touch I’ve only seen once elsewhere, they aren’t enough to make up for the long stretches of nothing between scenes. Multiple scenes, such as the spiderweb and the jack-o-lanterns, feature zero actors. Between the second scene and the third, there is a four minute stretch in which virtually nothing happens save for a short horseman skit that’s admittedly cool. Of the twenty-ish scenes, only three – the intro, the ironworks, and the junkyard – stand out. The rest are average or bad.
The Field suffers from the same absence and quality of actors, as well as nothing but long stretches of nothing but corn between scenes. These boring in-between walks could be the perfect spot to catch guests off guard, but only one actor in there ever takes advantage of this obvious opportunity. The rest hold up guests and force them to listen to drawn-out dialogue, most of which is corny and awkward instead of captivating. It’s that same issue of talking at guests rather than scaring them that seems to plague even the state’s best haunts. Numerous walkthrough buildings are devoid of actors and lacking the dynamic props that would usually make up for that. It’s a good thing, then, that the set design is strong. For instance the ritual scene, in which cultists stand in a circle around a flaming stone monolith, is the highlight of the walk. It’s a great section that overshadows everything before and after it. The marionette show is a very close second, sporting the scariest interior of the trail’s buildings. One thing I don’t enjoy about the otherwise okay indoor sections is most of the internal layouts. Save for a few that tap into some needed claustrophobia, all of the sheds’ insides are a wide open Point A to Point B walk. The marionette scene, for instance, could be far scarier if guests had less breathing room between the awesome props.
House in the Hollow is amazing. It is near or at the level of set quality at the state’s top haunts. If you’ve ridden the Haunted Mansion at Disneyworld’s Magic Kingdom, imagine that but on foot and not catered toward kids. In fact this attraction is so good that it feels out-of-place on the property. Unlike the other two attractions, most of the house’s actors do a fine job not only in delivery of dialogue but also in the execution of skits. Rather than yap at you for a minute or two, each of the actors are accompanied by a prop or magic trick they heavily interact with. One small detail in one of the rooms I absolutely love are the spiders. Rather than hang motionless, these otherwise static and bland props move up and down via what I assume are electronic cranks. It’s a delightful piece of scenery that makes the setting feel alive. The briefcase skit in that same room is the best scare at the haunt. Inside and out, the entire attraction is gorgeous. Even the outdoor section, a transition I usually dislike, floored me with its set design. There’s a minor stretch where the transition from indoor to outdoor degrades a bit in its visual presentation, but it’s so minor that it barely impacts the experience.
In short, if you’re in the area and considering a visit, I suggest going for House in the Hollow only. The other two attractions aren’t worth the money.
