Haunted Attraction Reviewed: Kenhorst Horror Nights - Moonlight Massacre
Website: www.kenhorsthorrornights.com
Location of Attraction: Reading PA
Date of Review: Friday October 12th 2018
Total Number of Attractions Available: One
Overall Haunted Attraction Rating: 7
Entertainment and Food Rating: 7
Atmosphere Rating: 7
Overall Costume and Make Up Rating: 7
Overall Cast and Crew Rating: 7
Overall Props, Animatronics and Set Design Rating: 7
Overall Scare/Thrill Factor Rating: 6
Overall Feedback: Kenhorst Horror Nights is the newest haunted attraction in Berks County Pennsylvania. Just last year Branden Moyer, owner of the haunt, was operating a small haunted trail in his backyard. During the off season Branden was hard at work trying to find that “perfect” piece of property to take the next step up in the haunt industry. Located between Retro Fitness and a vacant building, Kenhorst Horror Nights found it’s new home in the back corner of a shopping plaza. The outside of the haunt is very deceiving of what type of experience you are going to receive. We’ll admit that when we arrived we were positive that we’d complete the walk through in less than a few minute. Well we were wrong! Kenhorst Horror Nights is a 4000 square foot maze like attraction that’ll take guests approximately 10 minutes to complete. Featuring around 15 actors and several unique scenes! Prior to entering the haunt guests have the option to receive a group photo. For just $3 guests can have that group photo turned into a commemorative keychain, how neat! We were pleased to see that groups of four or less were being admitted into Moonlight Massacre about every 3 or so minutes. Group spacing is a major key to ensure that guests receive an immersive experience. Moonlight Massacre is the theme for Kenhorst Horror Night’s 2018 season. Beware the werewolves as they are indeed lurking in the dark, awaiting for their next meal. We were pleased to see this theme carried throughout the entirety of the haunt. The haunt itself is constructed from wooden pallets and is an outdoor attraction. Once inside the gates to Moonlight Massacre guests are immersed into the wilderness, leaving you to forget that you are really in a shopping plaza. Moonlight Massacre featured about 15 actors, all of which were very passionate and were clearly enjoying themselves! Some of the skits were the classic “help me” or “what are you doing here” lines while others possessed some great interactive and impromptu skits. With a little more guidance, these passionate actors could easily become top notch. By far our favorite actors of the evening had to be the two creepy little girls. Being that they were shorter than the walls we could never see them coming in the maze area. They certainly gave us several startles. Then their “bye-bye” line was just downright creepy! Set design wise, Moonlight Massacre possessed maybe 5-8 scenes with a maze in between several of the scenes. In the maze areas, tree branches were utilized to cut off sight lines and to distract guests from what was awaiting you around the corner. As you were ducking and dodging tree branches the actors took advantage of your vulnerability to provide a solid startle. We loved the camping scene as well as the swamp scene, both were well executed! As we ventured through the camping set we truly felt we were stumbling upon someone's campsite deep in the dark woods. Then when we stumbled upon the swamp scene we were simply amazed. Kenhorst Horror Nights somehow executed a better swamp scene outdoors (laser lights and fog) then some indoor haunt swamp scenes that we’ve come across. Overall costuming and makeup was up to par with what we expected from a smaller scale haunt. Several believable werewolf masks were the highlight of the costuming and makeup. Kenhorst Horror Nights is by no means an animatronic heavy attraction. We remember two or three animatronics and that was it. So you should expect well crafted scenes and props to go along with passionate actors, whom do a great job bringing their scene to life. As you exit the attraction a staff member has a short questionnaire for guests to complete - questions like overall rating, your favorite scene, how did you hear about the haunt, etc. It’s great to see a year one haunt valuing customer feedback! After completing the questionnaire you enter the food truck area. About 6-7 different food vendors were on site offering a wide variety of food options! Kenhorst Horror Nights is a great local haunted attraction that is family friendly and most importantly affordable! Ticket pricing is $10 for adults and $5 for kids. Kenhorst Horror Nights is a great addition to the community and something that we believe will only continue to grow and flourish each year. Our squad is eager to watch this haunt grow over the next few seasons; we will definitely be back to visit in years to come! While talking with Branden, owner of the haunt, he shared with us some exciting ideas that he has for upcoming seasons. If some of his ideas come to fruition, guests will be in for a special treat. To recap our experience at Kenhorst Horror Nights we would simply call it surprising. Don’t let the small stature of the haunt fool you, this small town old school haunt was executed perfectly! If you’re in the area definitely come out and support Kenhorst Horror Nights, it’s a perfect addition to your evening!