Haunted Attraction Reviewed: Markoff’s Haunted Forest
Website: www.markoffshauntedforest.com
Location of Attraction: Dickerson Maryland
Date of Review: Saturday October 20th 2018
Total Number of Attractions Available: THREE
Overall Haunted Attraction Rating: 9/10
Entertainment and Food Rating: 9/10
Atmosphere Rating: 10/10
Overall Costume and Make Up Rating: 9/10
Overall Cast and Crew Rating: 8.5/10
Overall Props, Animatronics and Set Design Rating: 9.5/10
Overall Scare/Thrill Factor Rating: 7.5/10
Overall Feedback: Markoff’s Haunted Forest is celebrating their 26th year in the haunt industry and it was clear on Saturday night why they are the best of the best when it comes to all outdoor haunted attractions! A few words come to mind when we think of Markoff’s Haunted Forest… ENTERTAINING, SPINE-CHILLING and BREATHTAKING! We visited on a Saturday evening and boy was this place popping! As we walked towards the ticket booth the line for tickets was already a solid 30+ minutes long. Markoff’s changed their ticket line system so now all guests wait in the same line verses having separate lines for online ticket holders and cash only. So a word for the wise would be to arrive close to opening to avoid the LONG ticket lines! Our squad just visited Markoff’s last season and we within seconds took note to the brand new midway area for 2018. The location of the midway area was shifted to a different area on the property and completely revamped. Carnival style games, several bonfires, concession stands, live entertainment, pitch black maze, zip-lines and so much more is available to keep guests engaged when not in an attraction! Something unique about Markoff’s is their concession stands; the food served is raised and grown right on the farm, it doesn’t get much fresher than that! On the particular night we attended a sword swallower was doing small shows throughout the night which was quite entertaining to watch. Markoff’s Haunted Forest is a highly attended haunted attraction so definitely take advantage of their awesome midway area (front circle) to keep yourself entertained. For those of you who have never visited Markoff’s their admission to attractions is a bit different then most haunts. Guests may enter the line for The Town at any time but guests must wait for their ticket number to be called before entering the line for the Trails. If you’re impatient like some of our members fast pass options are available. Although, know that these fast passes don’t necessarily give you front of the line entry, they instead allow you to bypass waiting for your Trail number to be called. Therefore you’ll still have to wait in the typical line for The Town and a line for both Trails. Fast passes do not run cheap if purchasing them onsite, $50 a piece and only a limited number are available for purchase each night. But Markoff’s does work closely with the surrounding community and if you dine at select local restaurants you can purchase Fast Passes for $5 each! Although we still had to wait in some lines it was well worth having the fast pass to bypass the initial wait time. Markoff’s Haunted Forest offers three attractions; The Town, Trail 1 and Trail 2. Our squad elected to kick our night off with The Town. Guests will board a tram which will take you on a short ride to the otherside of the property. This tram ride strolls along the dark and eerie woods of the property, a perfect mood setter for The Town. Once off the tram small groups of guests enter the attraction about every 30-60 seconds. The Town kicks off on a rather low key and a bit bland note. Guests will stroll through a small cornfield with multiple small structures and a few actors. Like last season, we felt the cornfield section was a bit dull primarily due to bland set design and low energy actors. But have no fear, things get kicked up a notch in a flash. As we begun to approach The Town itself the energy kicked up and scares began coming from all directions. At least a dozen small structures each featured their own theme. Guest will snake in and out of these structures making you truly feel as if you’re venturing through a town. Set design throughout each of these scenes was truly phenomenal, very detailed and realistic work! Many of these structures were built with slanted flooring which helps to disorient the guests. We absolutely loved the mineshaft; the scene is set on hill so you truly feel as if you’re descending into a decrepit mineshaft. We can’t forget the final scene which is a short but horrifying slaughter scene; beware the massive saw as it might just take off your arm! Once finishing The Town guests will await a tram ride back to the midway area. Once we arrived back to the midway area we got right into line for Trail 1 and Trail 2. The two trails weave together throughout several parts of your journey and finish off with the same finale scene! With having completed both Trails we have no idea how anyone could ever pick between the two. Both Trails are equally amazing featuring top notch set design, passionate actors and are both aesthetically pleasing and thrilling! We can’t even put into words how immaculate and beautifully crafted each and every scene throughout these Trails is. The amount of detail put into the props and overall set design clearly shows. Some of our favorite scenes were the pirate ship, viking/tribal, church/chapel, cave/cavern, swamp, land of pumpkins, doll house and believe us when we say our list goes on and on. The actors definitely stepped up their game for the 2018 season. Last season we felt the actors were a bit bland and lackluster at times but they really upped their energy and put forth spooktacular performances this season! Be prepared for a workout as you’ll be hiking up and down hilly terrain throughout your journey of the Trails. Each of the Trails took a solid 15-20 minutes to complete, giving you overwhelming amounts of joy and thrill. We can’t forget to mention the final scene of the Trails, the junkyard, which was very high energy and was a genius way to end your experiences on the Trails! After completing both Trail 1 and 2 we definitely urge guests to experience BOTH Trails; it’s near impossible to choose just one! Across the board at Markoff’s Haunted Forest guests will receive a very aesthetically pleasing and thrilling experience. All scare actors possessed phenomenal costuming and makeup; a big round of applause goes to the makeup artists at Markoff’s! Scare factor definitely varied across the three attractions. Trail 1 & Trail 2 definitely had a higher scare factor then The Town mainly in part to slightly better actor performances and the downright eerie and suspenseful scenes in the woods! We definitely feel comfortable saying that Markoff’s will surely give your typical haunt goer a good fright and lots of laughs! Markoff’s Haunted Forest definitely hits on both the old school and new age haunt styles with their perfect duo of live actors, handmade props and your popular animatronics! We feel this haunt is suitable for all haunt goers young and old! Thinking back on our trip to Markoff’s we can’t help but feel amazed by what they offer to the industry. This place definitely doesn’t lack the passion and love for the Halloween season. We were able to meet up and speak briefly with a few of the owners and managers at Markoff’s and again we can see why this place is so amazing! These people are literally the definition of HALLOWEEN LOVERS!! They shared many good stories from over their 26 years of operation and from the sounds of it, they are continually changing and enhancing the experience every year! Although Markoff’s is officially closed for the 2018 haunt season we strongly urge you to put them on your schedule for the 2019 haunt season! A trip to Markoff’s Haunted Forest will be well worth it, we PROMISE!!
Individual Attraction Review:
Attraction Name: The Town
Overall Attraction Rating: 8/10
Cast and Crew Rating: 8/10
Props, Animatronics and Set Design Rating: 9/10
Attraction Scare/Thrill Factor Rating: 7/10
Attraction Name: Trail 1
Overall Attraction Rating: 9/10
Cast and Crew Rating: 9/10
Props, Animatronics and Set Design Rating: 10/10
Attraction Scare/Thrill Factor Rating: 8/10
Attraction Name: Trail 2
Overall Attraction Rating: 9/10
Cast and Crew Rating: 9/10
Props, Animatronics and Set Design Rating: 10/10
Attraction Scare/Thrill Factor Rating: 8/10