Haunted Attraction Reviewed: Bates Motel & Haunted Hayride
Website: www.thebatesmotel.com
Location of Attraction: Glen Mills PA
Date of Review: Friday September 21st 2018
Total Number of Attractions Available: THREE
Overall Haunted Attraction Rating: 9
Entertainment and Food Rating: 9
Atmosphere Rating: 9
Overall Costume and Make Up Rating: 9
Overall Cast and Crew Rating: 9
Overall Props, Animatronics and Set Design Rating: 10
Overall Scare/Thrill Factor Rating: 8
Overall Feedback: Bates Motel & Haunted Hayride is by far one of the most consistent and SPOOKTACULAR haunted attractions that we have attended! 2018 is our squads third season attending and reviewing this haunted attraction and this go around was by far our best experience to date! Our squad arrived around 8pm on their opening night of the 2018 haunt season. Once we jumped out of the car we felt an instant energy in the air. As we approached the ticket booth we could hear screams from the guests swirling through the air. Our squad had 12 reviewers in attendance and about half of us had never visited Bates Motel before. The entertainment area at Bates Motel is definitely a fun one - highlights and various video clips are displayed on the big screen, mini escape rooms, coffin rides, food, gift shop and more can be found. We loved the fire twirlers that Bates had onsite to entertain guests! For it being opening night a good crowd was on hand but fortunately lines weren’t long at all. To kick off our evening we headed for the Bates Motel. Groups of about 4-6 were being checked into the motel about every 1-2 minutes. The opening scene of this attraction definitely set the tone - a creepy nun came out of practically nowhere and startled our entire group and by creepy we mean CREEPY! As we exited the opening room the hallways filled with smoke which made it incredibly difficult to see. This definitely made us feel vulnerable to what awaited us in the darkness but we were also bummed as we couldn’t see any of the set designs in the first few scenes. As we ventured further through the Bates Motel we encountered impressive scenes after scenes! We couldn’t help but drool over the incredible set designs we encountered. They utilized a perfect combination of live actors and animatronics to deliver a thrilling experience. The actors were relentless and continued to terrorize the guests until they fled in terror. Scares came from all directions leaving us susceptible to being on the receiving end of countless spine-tingling scares. There were several jaw dropping animatronics throughout this attraction, especially in the greenhouse! Kudos to the actor in the grass suit as you certainly gave one of our members a good startle. As you approach the final scene to this attraction you are swarmed by actors who deliver one final fright and have the guests running out of the motel doors. Next up we headed for Revenge of the Scarecrows Haunted Trail. In years past we felt this attraction lacked energy and had too much dead space in between scenes. For 2018 they definitely exceeded expectations. The facade and opening scene to this attraction truly set the tone for a terrifying journey. As you walk down the darkened tunnel your heart begins to race as you can’t help but worry about what's ahead. At just the right moment BAM, a perfectly placed actor delivers the first of many scares to come during this attraction. Guests truly encounter a little bit of everything during this attraction. The zombie graveyard scene literally had zombies rising from the dead and coming up from underground. The spider and bee house certainly makes you itchy for the rest of the evening. The clown scene was perfection; the actors were amped up and delivered several startles and laughs. Beware the gator as you venture through the swamp and bait shop. Countless impressive scenes will be found on your journey although the squads favorite scene had to be the snake house; the costuming of the actors in this scene was astonishing. In between scenes you’ll travel through the cornfield, fearing what lurks ahead. As suspense builds a perfectly placed actor/scarecrow delivers a solid fright. Although their wasn’t quite as many spooks in the cornfield as we had hoped for but there were definitely more this season than in years past. Overall, this attraction was much improved compared to years past! After completion of the Haunted Trail we gathered in the entertainment area to grab some grub and chat about the first two attractions. Before heading off to the Haunted Hayride we were able to chat with Randy Bates regarding our experience thus far. It’s oh so clear how much Halloween and all things horrifying run through Randy’s blood. Our awesome interview with Randy Bates has been posted so make sure to check it out! To cap off our evening we headed for the well known Haunted Hayride. Coming into the 2018 haunt season the hayride here at Bates Motel easily ranked in our squads top three all-time favorites! Prior to boarding the hay wagon there are some fun photo-op booths, definitely take part in these! Just like the other two attractions here the opening scene once again delivers and sets the tone for the rest of the way. We can’t even put into words how incredible EVERY scene on this hayride is. By far the best usage of pyrotechnics we’ve ever seen can be found on this hayride - boy does Randy love him some fire! From the first scene to the last scene you are immersed into a whole different world. They easily make guests forget they are in the woods vs. a Hollywood movie production. There is no way you’d ever be able to pick a favorite scene as they are all just as amazing as the other. The scale is huge, the sets and animatronics are elaborate and you can tell that Randy and his team pour their hearts into creating this experience. Once again the actors costuming and makeup was one of a kind and nothing short of excellent. Of the three attractions offered the Haunted Hayride definitely isn’t the scariest attraction but it certainly is thrilling and just down right astounding! We almost forgot, beware the headless horseman as he’ll certainly catch you by surprise! When people ask us whether or not it’s worth it to visit this haunt we without hesitation say YES! The Haunted Hayride alone is enough to draw guests from hours away, it’s a must see! The Bates Motel and the Revenge of the Scarecrows Haunted Trail are just icing on the cake! If you’ve never visited Bates Motel & Haunted Hayride we strongly suggest to pay them a visit - you won’t be disappointed. Enjoy!
Individual Attraction Review:
Attraction Name: Bates Motel
Overall Attraction Rating: 9
Cast and Crew Rating: 9
Props, Animatronics and Set Design Rating: 9
Attraction Scare/Thrill Factor Rating: 9
Duration: 8-10 minutes
Attraction Name: Revenge of the Scarecrows Haunted Trail
Overall Attraction Rating: 9
Cast and Crew Rating: 9
Props, Animatronics and Set Design Rating: 9
Attraction Scare/Thrill Factor Rating: 8
Duration: 10-15 minutes
Attraction Name: Haunted Hayride
Overall Attraction Rating: 10
Cast and Crew Rating: 10
Props, Animatronics and Set Design Rating: 10
Attraction Scare/Thrill Factor Rating: 7
Duration: 20-25 minutes