Haunted Attraction Reviewed: Shocktoberfest Location of Attraction: Sinking Springs PA Date of Review: 9/16/2017 Total Number of Attractions Available: EIGHT Overall Haunted Attraction Rating (scale of 1-10): 8 Entertainment and Food Rating (scale of 1-10): 8 Makeup and Costume Rating (scale of 1-10): 8 Props Rating (scale of 1-10): 8 Overall Scare Factor Rating (scale of 1-10): 8 Overall Feedback: We arrived at Shocktoberfest around 6:30pm on Saturday September 16th. We were a bit annoyed that the weather was 75 degrees and possessed the shirt sticking to your skin kind of humidity… but of course there is nothing that Shocktoberfest could have done about this. For being so early on in the season there was already a decent crowd on hand! What we instantly love about Shocktoberfest is the atmosphere; upbeat but yet creepy. Shocktoberfest is truly a screampark for haunt lovers, featuring EIGHT attractions (The Unknown 2.0, Ground Assault: Zombie Laser Tag, Prison of the Dead Escape Room, The Zombie Experience, Prison of the Dead, Zombie Safari Hayride, Naked and Scared Challenge and the Zombie Night Run) and a few fun add ons (Zombie Paintball Hayride Scene, Shock’s Tailgate Party, Club Shock and the Monster Midway) Shocktoberfest presents a full night of snickers and startles. Our squad completed five of the attractions offered (The Zombie Night Run, Prison of the Dead, Zombie Safari Hayride, Ground Assault: Zombie Laser Tag and The Unknown 2.0) and managed to spend at least 2.5 hours inside attractions… throw in a few more attractions and a larger crowd and you easily have a long night ahead! Shocktoberfest is also known as Zombie World and we really have to congratulate them on truly sticking to the zombie theme from start to end! It’s rare in the haunt industry that you encounter a haunt with the same theme carried so perfectly throughout the entirety of the haunt! This haunt sets themselves apart from other haunts in so many different ways. The biggest difference from other haunts is the variety of attractions that Shocktoberfest offers. Laser Tag, zombie run, walk through attractions, hayride, escape room and even a chance to be an actor inside the Prison of the Dead… boy they definitely keep you intrigued with their variety of offerings. Another little thing that we enjoyed were the intro videos to a few of the attractions. Not only do they provide a little insight and backstory for the attraction but they also provide a bit of a comical show (“of course… of course…”(you’ll understand this once you go through The Unknown 2.0)). Multiple different food stands along with various games, a photo booth, live music/entertainment (most nights), etc. all do wonders to keep the customers entertained when not inside the attractions. Across the board the props, animatronics and scenes were all WELL DONE! Definitely not the typical scenes, props and animatronics that you’ll find at other haunts… which is definitely something that we like! Majority of the offseason work was found in changes and additions to the Zombie Safari Hayride. 2017 is our third year in a row of attending Shocktoberfest and we can say that there hasn’t been major changes to what the haunt offers so for those haunt lovers who like change you may need to allow the Shocktoberfest team a few years to change things up. Yes there may not have been major overhaul changes to what Shocktoberfest offers over the past three years but we still always have an enjoyable night! Across the board this year there seemed to be a shortage in actors in each of the attractions. It’s not necessarily that there weren’t a reasonable amount of actors in the attractions, we just felt that there could have been far more actors to fill space and add volume to the attractions. We do have to give credit to the actors working on Saturday night for sticking to their character and really bringing their scenes to life! We encountered numerous actors in the Prison of the Dead that we truly thought were mentally insane inmates. Makeup and costume was pretty consistent throughout the attractions. Most of the actors had realistic makeup and costume for the scene they were bringing to life. All in all Shocktoberfest once again did not disappoint! We had a chance to speak with Patrick the owner of the haunt and it's easy to see why this haunt has developed into the well known screampark that it is known as today! Something exciting that we spoke about with Patrick was the upcoming Shocktoberfest BLACKOUT WEEKEND on November 10th and 11th. If you think it’s scary traversing through a haunt with the lights on and having the ability to anticipate what is ahead then you have experienced nothing yet! For two days only Shocktoberfest will turn the lights completely off in the Prison of the Dead and the Unknown 2.0. Then you’ll be hooded as you ride on the Zombie Safari Hayride! Sounds like an absolute blast if you ask us! Across the board at Shocktoberfest you’ll find a night full of snickers and startles and oh of course we can’t forget the zombies… you’ll definitely find plenty of them! We urge you to check out this haunt and make sure to tell them that York Fright Review Squad sent you their way!
Individual Attraction Review:
Attraction Name: Zombie Night Run Overall Attraction Rating (scale of 1-10): 9 Attraction Scare Factor Rating (scale of 1-10): 9 Actor Rating (scale of 1-10): 9 Likes: After a short little jog to the first scene all hell breaks loose from there! Relentless zombies are coming out from practically nowhere trying to take the lives of the runners. There was little time for us to catch our breath as we almost always had a zombie ahead of us or nipping at our heels. The mile long course for the run takes place throughout the hayride path so it’s definitely a fun setting. We really enjoyed the fast paced tempo in this run… little time allowed for a breather definitely kept the adrenaline pumping! Our squad along with 15-20 other runners all really enjoyed the Zombie Night Run! Dislikes: Not necessarily a dislike by any means but we definitely felt more zombies could have been placed throughout the course, in both wooded spaces and actual scenes themselves.
Attraction Name: Ground Assault: Zombie Laser Tag Overall Attraction Rating (scale of 1-10): 10 Attraction Scare Factor Rating (scale of 1-10): 7 Actor Rating (scale of 1-10): 10 Likes: In 2016 we said “The combination of laser tag and the zombie actors made this attraction the group favorite! This version of laser tag is like nothing we’ve ever experienced before. It was fast paced, realistic, and the zombies seemed to come out from nowhere.” Once again, Ground Assault: Zombie Laser Tag was a group favorite! Something about zombies and lasertag is a truly GENIUS IDEA! In the midst of the game you're so tuned in to shooting the other team players that you completely forget about the zombies… then suddenly you have a zombie ready to chomp on your shoulder! Ground Assault: Zombie Laser Tag in 2017 features vicious zombies, fast paced game play and a truly fun and eerie atmosphere! Dislikes: n/a
Attraction Name: Zombie Safari Hayride w/Paintball Hayride Overall Attraction Rating (scale of 1-10): 8 Attraction Scare Factor Rating (scale of 1-10): 8 Actor Rating (scale of 1-10): 8 Likes: The Zombie Safari Hayride is a solid length venture through the dark woods at Zombie World. Once the hay wagon departs the loading station it's all question marks to where you’ll end up from there. As long as the security system at Zombie World stays up and running you’ll have no issues viewing the zombies but if that security system shuts off you better be prepared to fend for your life. The zombies this year on the Zombie Safari Hayride were definitely more ferocious than in years past! The zombies had no hesitation in climbing on board the hay wagon to look for their next meal. We witnessed grown men to a 10 year old screaming and squirming in fear! We have always been amazed by the unique and intricate scenes that you encounter on this hayride. Shocktoberfest was definitely busy during the offseason adding new scenes and bettering some of the existing scenes to make for the best Zombie Safari Hayride ever experienced at Zombie World! Dislikes: Not necessarily a dislike by any means but we definitely felt more zombies could have been placed throughout the hayride course, in both wooded spaces and actual scenes themselves.
Attraction Name: Prison of the Dead Overall Attraction Rating (scale of 1-10): 9 Attraction Scare Factor Rating (scale of 1-10): 9 Actor Rating (scale of 1-10): 8 Likes: Prison of the Dead is always a pleaser at Shocktoberfest! 50,000 feet of scares and fun can be found during your venture through this prison. What we love the most is how Shocktoberfest executes this attraction to make you feel as if you're an inmate truly trying to escape a prison overrun by the dead! They start you off by loading you onto an inmate transportation vehicle and hauling you to the prison gates. From there, they send you in this massive Prison full of Dead. Once inside you’ll traverse through a multitude of detailed and life-like scenes. From prison cells to the sewer tunnels you witness all aspects of the condemned Willow Glen State Penitentiary. The zombies/inmates we encountered on our journey through the prison were vicious and ready to gnaw on whatever body part they could get their jaws on. Dislikes: There were a few sections where actors were scarce which unfortunately put a pause in the mood of the attraction. The strong acting presented by the zombies/inmates we encountered did help quickly revive the mood. We’d definitely like to see more actors placed throughout this attraction!
Attraction Name: The Unknown 2.0 Overall Attraction Rating (scale of 1-10): 8 Attraction Scare Factor Rating (scale of 1-10): 8 Actor Rating (scale of 1-10): 8 Likes: The Unknown 2.0 brings your worst fears and phobias to life. We love how thought out the scares are in this attraction. The incorporation of smells, sounds, touch, etc. really help bring the scenes to life. Drop panel placement in this attraction is about the best we’ve ever seen. They are placed in spots where the customer is vulnerable and disguised to the point where the most extreme haunt lovers have a difficult time spotting them. The variety of scenes is intriguing for all customers and ultimately presents something for everyone. The actors interacted with our group and stayed in character perfectly. Simply frightening and enjoyable! Dislikes: The Unknown 2.0 does seem like a rather quick walk through when compared to the other attractions offered at Shocktoberfest but it’s still nowhere near as quick as we’ve experienced at other haunts… so this isn’t much of an issue by any means!