Haunted Attraction Reviewed: Field of Screams PA
Website: www.fieldofscreams.com
Location of Attraction: Mountville, PA
Date of Review: 9/10/2021
Total Number of Attractions Available: Four
Overall Haunted Attraction Rating: 9.5/10
Entertainment & Food Rating: 10/10
Atmosphere Rating: 10/10
Overall Costume & Makeup Rating: 10/10
Overall Cast & Crew Rating: 9/10
Overall Set Design & Special Effects Rating: 10/10
Overall Scare/Thrill Factor Rating: 8.5/10
Overall Feedback: Our 2021 Haunt Tour was kicked off with a BANG, as we visited the infamous Field of Screams on their opening night, Friday September 10th! It’s become a yearly tradition for our squad to commence our haunt/review season with a trip to Field of Screams. Their exhilarating atmosphere, four world class attractions, and nightmarish scares always make for a SPOOKY FUN experience.
We arrived on opening night around 7:30pm to a decent sized crowd of fellow haunt enthusiasts eagerly awaiting that spine-tingling startle that we all know & love! As they did last year, Field of Screams is strongly recommending patrons to pre-purchase tickets online via timed ticketing; they are NOT able to guarantee entry if tickets are not pre-purchased. General admission tickets typically go for $35, but the price does increase & vary depending on the date you attend. VIP upgrades are available for $10+, which grants you front of the line access - this is strongly encouraged when visiting during “peak” haunt season (Friday’s & Saturday’s during October). With your GA ticket you’ll be granted access to their four world-class attractions: Den of Darkness, Frightmare Asylum, Nocturnal Wasteland, & Haunted Hayride!
After purchasing/redeeming your tickets you’ll be funneled into the massive midway area which features ample food trucks/vendors, massive gift shop, several spooky fun games, numerous photo-op booths (many of which are NEW for 2021), three 5-minute escape rooms, live entertainment, and MUCH more! It’s rare that you’ll find such an action-packed midway at a Haunt like the entertainment area at Field of Screams; so set aside a full night to enjoy the attractions and various festivities that Field of Screams has to offer. You’ll also be greeted by numerous roaming scare actors, who help set the tone for the evening by getting your blood pumping before even entering an attraction!
Den of Darkness (~7-10 minutes): “Pay to get in… Pray to get out!”. As always, the Den of Darkness NEVER disappoints, providing a nightmarish adventure featuring relentless & blood-curdling scares coupled with a crippling sensory overload! The madness begins just steps inside the Den, as you’re overcome with an unnerving presence. The same detailed and dynamic sets that we’ve come to know and love were back, and better than ever before! Repeat visitors at Field of Screams will quickly take note of the several NEW scenes in the first section of the Den - these new scenes are executed in true Field of Screams style, gruesomely & elegantly crafted! The ghouls encountered throughout the Den were fully immersed in their characters, providing a sinister and startling experience! Of course, as usual, we encountered a few chainsaw wielding butchers as we exited the Den doors. Be prepared to encounter everything and anything while traversing through the Den of Darkness - terrifying surprises lie around every corner! We’re pleased to announce that the Den of Darkness was voted our squad’s favorite attraction of the night - CONGRATS Den of Darkness team!
Frightmare Asylum (~7-10 minutes): Be prepared to face your worst nightmares as they come alive within the Frightmare Asylum! Frightmare Asylum is by far one of the most high energy attractions we’ve ever encountered in our travels, which is credited to the sinister, menacing, & psychotic nurses, doctors, & deranged patients that roam within the Asylum walls! These scare actors were amped up and delivered that horrifying experience we’ve come to know and love from the Frightmare Asylum. We do feel there was a notable decrease in the amount of spooks within the Frightmare Asylum compared to usual, but those the attraction did possess made up for the overall shortage in spooks. Each and every scene is elaborately decorated with numerous cutting-edge special effects that are sure to WOW any haunt goer! NEW for 2021 are an unnerving Silent Hill nurse scene & a NEW disorienting checkered scene! We can’t forget to mention the copious amounts of BLOOD and GORE! Oh yeah, and the stomach-turning, appalling, and downright god awful SMELLS - stronger and more potent than ever before! Do you have what it takes to survive the never-ending horror that lurks within the eerie Frightmare Asylum passageways?
Nocturnal Wasteland (~12-15 minutes): The past few seasons the Field of Screams team have really outdone themselves to revamp Nocturnal Wasteland and fix some of its downfalls from years prior. Back in 2019 the Field of Screams build crew shortened the path of Nocturnal Wasteland to help lessen the dead space which now allows for a non-stop & thrilling experience. Several new scenes were added over the past two seasons (Cemetery, Swamp, Sway Shack, etc) which are all still among the squad's favorites today! We are still in awe of the pure elegance throughout the cemetery scene, which is flooded with life size animatronic trees, larger than life tombstones, and a downright eerie vibe, which is sure to frighten the bravest of souls. The eerie swamp and disorienting sway shack scenes both possess innovative effects that are sure to catch even the most experienced haunt goers off guard! We can’t forget to mention the one-of-a-kind catwalk section which towers above the “Chop Shop '' hayride scene. What a thrill it is traversing over the hay wagons! We were elated to see the infamous Tesla Coil in action this season, one of the coolest props we’ve ever seen at a Haunt! Nocturnal Wasteland is simply, by far, one of the most elegantly crafted and innovative outdoor trail attractions that we’ve ever encountered! Be warned, the menacing inhabitants of Nocturnal Wasteland show no mercy as they lurk in the darkness waiting to provide bone-chilling frights! Hold onto your friends tightly, as it’ll take a little bit of luck and a whole lot of courage to survive the horror that lurks within the Nocturnal Wasteland!
Haunted Hayride (~20-25 minutes): This hayride experience is action packed and consistently delivers a heart-pounding journey you’ll never forget! Once aboard the wagon and nestled into the straw, you’ll typically listen to the ominous 20’ PUMPKIN KING as he explains what lies ahead - unfortunately the Pumpkin King wasn’t operating the evening we attended! The past two seasons the Field of Screams team has been busy making notable updates/upgrades to the Haunted Hayride - including enhancements to the Shade Cryogenic Facility and the new Chop Shop scene! The Shade Cryogenic Facility is a beautifully crafted, massive, three room scene with hyper-realistic effects and immaculate set design. They continue to enhance this scene with more animatronic creatures and special effects that are sure to overload your senses! Still a glaring downfall is the lack of a microphone for the mad scientist; the scare actor did their absolute best to project their voice but unfortunately we couldn’t hear much of what he had to say. As always you’ll still encounter the Toxic Wasteland, Hillbillies, Chainsaw Slaughterhouse, Clowns, Vortex Tunnel, Greenhouse, and more! A squad favorite is always the Clown/Fun House scene, which is always an exhilarating and frightening experience! The Chop Shop scene is housed underneath the catwalks from Nocturnal Wasteland. As you look above to see other haunt goers traversing through Nocturnal Wasteland you’ll be greeted by several larger than life claws - if you aren’t careful you might just be plucked from the haywagon. Unfortunately we did feel the Haunted Hayride was lacking quite notably in the scare actor department - many scenes only possessed 2-3 spooks. In seasons past many of the scenes were flooded with spooks creating quite an overwhelming & intense experience. We’re optimistic that as the season progresses they’ll continue to fill out the hayride scenes with more and more deranged spooks! Simply put, the Field of Screams Haunted Hayride is a world class attraction that all haunt enthusiasts MUST experience - are you prepared for the most terrifying ride of your life?
Field of Screams was unleashed for 2021, and once again provided that nightmarish experience we’ve come to know and love! After 29 years of providing fear, Field of Screams continues to lead in providing an innovative and immersive experience that’s sure to please all varieties of haunt enthusiasts! If you’re looking for a spooky fun experience that’s sure to provide some blood-curdling and hair-raising excitement, then Field of Screams is the place for you! Do you have what it takes to #SurviveTheScreams?
Individual Attraction Ratings:
Attraction Name: Den of Darkness
Overall Attraction Rating: 9.5/10
Cast & Crew Rating: 9.5/10
Set Design & Special Effects Rating: 10/10
Scare/Thrill Factor Rating: 9/10
Attraction Name: Frightmare Asylum
Overall Attraction Rating: 9/10
Cast & Crew Rating: 9/10
Set Design & Special Effects Rating: 10/10
Scare/Thrill Factor Rating: 8/10
Attraction Name: Nocturnal Wasteland
Overall Attraction Rating: 9/10
Cast & Crew Rating: 9/10
Set Design & Special Effects Rating: 10/10
Scare/Thrill Factor Rating: 8/10
Attraction Name: Haunted Hayride
Overall Attraction Rating: 8.5/10
Cast & Crew Rating: 8.5/10
Set Design & Special Effects Rating: 10/10
Scare/Thrill Factor Rating: 7/10