Haunted Hills Hayride

Like fellow Unilocaler Lizzie D., Haunted Hills Hayride used to be one of my favorite haunted attractions in the area. They had so much going on for a good deal. This year, I was left underwhelmed.
One thing I do like about HHH, is they do a great job at setting a good scene before entering the haunted attractions. There are bonfires, a band, psychic readings, food stands and more. There are two attractions: the haunted hayride and the haunted trail. You can do both for $ 17.
The hayride this year was very underwhelming. I don’t know if there was a shortage of actors due to it being the day before Halloween, but there was probably only five «monsters» that were involved in our ride. Nobody jumps out at you from the woods. The tractor stops at different «scenes» and actors basically just talk to you.
The haunted trail was better, but still nothing to brag about. You walk through a path in the woods and enter a few mini-​haunted houses. Some of the electronic gimmicks weren’t working so I felt a little ripped off. I understand things don’t always work, but considering that the haunted hayride was lackluster, I wanted/​expected better. Most actors are children with a mask on which is always a bummer.
Unless I hear through the grapevine that they improve next year, I probably won’t return. Two stars for the decent price and the lively wait-​area.

Worst haunted attraction EVER! Haunted hills hayride and walk through was a complete waste of money. I have never been there before but i had high hopes after seeing that it has been established for 13 years. Sadly, it seemed as if this was the first time they have ever done this. Since this was my first time, i decided to pay the $ 17 for the hayride and the walk through but after going through the attraction i would not have payed $ 5 for it. While waiting in line for the hayride their were 2 «actors» if thats what you want to call them, walking through the line. Their terrible attire of just plain old jeans and a hoodie with a little paint on their faces was only trumped by their bad attempts to scare you by just staring at you. Once actually on the hayride, it seems as if it has the potential to be very scary with the tight trail through the dark woods but no. Instead of having people jump out of the woods, they have these stage-​like props where you stop and the actor/​actors there put on a little skit which does not make sense and is not the least bit scary. Now compared to the walk through, the hayride was the highlight of the night. After getting off the hayride, we waited in another line for over 30 minutes which seemed ridiculous. Once inside the trail, there were only a total of 4 actors on the whole trail and only 2 that attempted to scare us. All in all this attraction is poorly planned, terribly staffed, and a huge waste of money.

Haunted Hills Hayride used to be my favorite haunted attraction. From the spooky themed scenes./actors, to the hayride, and the castle entryway, everything seemed to be just right. But this year, it was not as good as I remembered several years back. Let’s start with cost: $ 12 for one attraction and $ 17 for both attractions (trail/​hayride). Groupon featured a pretty good deal where you and another person could attend one activity for $ 15 or 1 person could attend 2 attractions for $ 15 (With a Groupon coupon– $ 11). This is a complete STEAL! I think having deals/​coupons shows good customer service on the business’ part, which is what brought me there! After all, these haunted attractions add up! By the time we got to the front of the line, I only had 2 Groupons and 3 other people to buy for so I ended up spending $ 18 a ticket. There was a random $ 1 service charge, as though $ 17 was not enough. I didn’t like the extra charge or the confusion around the on site $ 3 off coupon. It is confusing as it states that it is valid Sunday and weekdays, excluding Fridays. We went on a Saturday night around 8 pm and the wait was 63 minutes. I think that is a pretty long wait considering they just opened 7pm. The overall atmosphere was the #1 thing I liked about the attraction– the music, the smell of the fire burning, the décor– it was completely Halloweeny! The live entertainment was good, it was nice that there were a couple bonfires, you could warm up with concession stand goodies, but there was little to no entertainment while waiting in line. The actors just stared at you. The hayride was spacious but the staff wanted you to sit on top of each other to make sure they could get enough people on the ride. I mean staff literally saw an open inch of space and made you move over until you were on top of each other. The haunted hayride was completely lack luster this year– poor acting, fast drive through and random unrelated scenes. There was a Wizard of Oz theme that I thought would be awesome but it made absolutely no sense. There was a lady holding a live rat which was entertaining, and a container overhead that looks like it will fall on you, but these were the only scenes I really liked. There were random decorations that you could look at while on ride, but not a whole lot of actors scaring you. The haunted trail was not spectacular, though it is spacious and out in the woods, which makes it fun. I don’t like that after the hayride you have to wait in another line to get to the trail. Enough waiting already! They should figure out a better line waiting system/​waiting area. Overall, you will have a good time, but I have gone to much better haunted attractions this season!