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Hackney Haunts - 2022 Review

Writer's picture: Chandler ClouserChandler Clouser

Haunted Attraction Reviewed: Hackney Haunts

Location of Attraction: Westminster Maryland (TownMall of Westminster)

Date of Review: 9/30/2022

Total Number of Attractions Available: 2

Overall Haunted Attraction Rating: 8/10

Entertainment & Food Rating: 6/10

Atmosphere Rating: 7/10

Overall Costume & Makeup Rating: 8/10

Overall Cast & Crew Rating: 9/10

Overall Set Design & Special Effects Rating: 9/10

Overall Scare/Thrill Factor Rating: 8/10

Overall Feedback: Located in the TownMall of Westminster is Hackney Haunts, a 4th year haunted attraction quickly on the uprise! You’ll never encounter the same experience twice with a visit to Hackney Haunts, as their team worked diligently during the offseason to completely revamp both of their attractions. For 2022 Hackney Haunts presents Rest In Pieces & All Hallows Eve, two immersive attractions that are sure to please all varieties of haunt goers! Ticketing is very straightforward with a visit to Hackney Haunts, as each individual attraction costs $10. For an additional $5 per attraction you can upgrade to Fast Pass admission to bypass the lines and decrease your wait times. Hackney Haunts does possess a rather limited haunt schedule, only open 7-9pm on Fridays & Saturdays throughout October, but don’t let that deter you from visiting!


Since our first visit to Hackney Haunts in 2020 we’ve been thoroughly impressed by their elegant set design & true attention to detail. When you visit a “Mall Haunt”, you certainly don’t expect to experience such an aesthetically pleasing & immersive experience, but Hackney Haunts provides just that! Don’t fall victim to judging a book by its cover, as Hackney Haunts packs a frightfully fun punch! We’ve seen these folks make drastic improvements each of the past two seasons, and they once again upped their game, blowing us away with their top-notch attractions! Owners Jason & Sarah Hackney & Carlos Rivas are all extremely passionate about providing a spooky fun experience and are always a pleasure to chat with! Their hard work & passion certainly doesn’t go unnoticed!


Locating Hackney Haunts within the mall can be a bit challenging; you'll want to utilize the mall entrance between Boscov’s and Belk. A large Hackney Haunts banner is hanging above this entrance to confirm that you’ve found the correct entrance point. Once within the mall doors you’ll know you’re in the right place if you hear spooky music echoing throughout the hallways and see multiple photo-ops lining the pathway. Two separate queue lines are available, one for onsite ticket purchases and another for online ticket redemptions. Once snagging your tickets you’ll be directed towards the queue lines for All Hallows Eve or Rest In Pieces. At this time there isn’t any real source of entertainment or your standard midway offerings - we’d love to see these folks incorporate some roaming scare actors, food vendors/trucks, etc. Fortunately there’s tons of local restaurants that you could easily pair with a visit to Hackney Haunts.


All Hallows Eve - Do you have what it takes to survive the deranged Pumpkin Lorde… I guess you’re soon going to find out! All Hallows Eve kicks things off with a visually stunning queue line area which makes for a spooky fun photo opportunity! Periodically a little pre-show will play, with the sounds of cackling witches swirling through the queue line! All Hallows Eve may only be a 5 minute experience, but it sure packs a nerve-racking punch! There’s certainly no shortage of excitement on this adventure, as loads of special effects coupled with relentless scare actors were utilized to make for a spine-tingling experience. Scare actors would appear out of practically nowhere to provide blood-curdling startles. Scene after scene we were thoroughly impressed with the aesthetically pleasing set design, many of the scenes possessed hand crafted props & startling animatronics. By far our favorite scene was where we encountered the great Pumpkin Lorde! We felt as if we were traversing through a massive pumpkin, as pumpkin guts dangled haphazardly from the ceiling. We truly can’t compliment enough on the detailed & immersive set design!


Rest In Pieces - Be forewarned that Rest In Pieces is not for the faint of heart, as you’ll encounter menacing spooks during your journey through the condemned funeral home! An ominous facade helped to set the tone for the unnerving journey that lies ahead. We were thoroughly impressed by the clear & well executed storyline throughout Rest In Pieces! To no surprise, the elegantly detailed & visually stunning set design carried itself throughout Rest In Pieces, helping to further immerse us into the experience. Startling special effects coupled with eerie scare actors were utilized effectively to create a rather nerve-racking adventure. We loved the theatrical nature of the cast throughout Rest In Pieces, as many of them possessed engaging skits along with strong improv skills. We also have to complement the usage of nauseating smells in the morgue scene, making us question if real corpses were rotting away in cold storage.


It’s been truly incredible to follow Hackney Haunts on their journey from year one to now year four of professional haunting! They’ve made major improvements in the overall quality of their attractions in each of the past three seasons, with notable improvements this season in the following areas: extremely detailed and life-like scenes, increased usage of pneumatic props and animatronics, high-quality, visually stunning, and immersive special effects, more realistic and captivating costuming and makeup, and a energized and engaging team of scare actors!


Despite being a rather small haunted attraction housed in a mall, Hackney Haunts truly makes the most out of what they have to work with. Despite attending on their opening night for the 2022 season, these folks were firing on all cylinders & ran like a well oiled machine! Hackney Haunts has quickly become a force to be reckoned with in the haunt industry! Their future is certainly looking bright and we hope someday they’ll be able to obtain a larger space/property to take their attractions to a much larger scale! Until then, Hackney Haunts is still certainly more than worth a visit but maybe consider visiting another haunt the same evening if you’re searching for a full evening of spooky fun. Distorted Dreams Haunt, Kim’s Krypt Haunted Mill, The Nevermore Haunt, & Bedlam in the Boro are all within 45 minutes of Hackney Haunts! Job well done Hackney Haunts team, we are continually amazed by the frightfully fun experience y’all offer! We already look forward to visiting Hackney Haunts for their upcoming spooktacular Christmas event being hosted on December 9th, 10th, 16th, & 17th! Happy Hauntings!


Individual Attraction Ratings:


Attraction Name: All Hallows Eve

Overall Attraction Rating: 8.5/10

Cast & Crew Rating: 9/10

Set Design & Special Effects Rating: 9/10

Scare/Thrill Factor Rating: 8/10


Attraction Name: Rest In Pieces

Overall Attraction Rating: 8.5/10

Cast & Crew Rating: 9/10

Set Design & Special Effects Rating: 9/10

Scare/Thrill Factor Rating: 8/10

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