Haunted Attraction Reviewed: Shocktoberfest
Website: www.shocktoberfest.com
Location of Attraction: Sinking Springs, PA
Date of Review: 9/18/2021
Total Number of Attractions Available: 4
Overall Haunted Attraction Rating: 8.5/10
Entertainment & Food Rating: 9.5/10
Atmosphere Rating: 9/10
Overall Costume & Makeup Rating: 8/10
Overall Cast & Crew Rating: 8.5/10
Overall Set Design & Special Effects Rating: 9/10
Overall Scare/Thrill Factor Rating: 8/10
Overall Feedback: Shocktoberfest is back for their 30th year of FEARS and TEARS! This multi-attraction screampark has become an annual stop on our haunt tours, and for good reason! Featuring one of the largest midways we’ve ever encountered along with a wide array of haunted attraction offerings, patrons should plan to spend the better part of the evening at Shocktoberfest. If you’re looking for an exhilarating, spine-chilling, and downright spooky fun experience then Shocktoberfest is the place for you!
As you pull into the parking lot your attention is immediately drawn to the massive “Zombie World” archway, accented with flaming torches. Every so often massive fire blasts light up the entrance way, providing a rush of adrenaline for all those nearby. For 2021 Shocktoberfest has four main haunted attraction offerings: The Unknown 3.0, Ground Assault: Zombie Laser Tag, Zombie Safari Hayride Tour, and The Prison of the Dead! An all access pass runs for $50, with fast pass upgrades available for an additional $20. We can’t forget to mention the 5 minute escape room ($5), Maintenance Shed, and an all NEW offering for 2021, The Haunted Hotel Room - Pleasant Screams! Shocktoberfest has built a Haunted Hotel Room that will provide you and a guest with a sleepless night (if you can last that long)! Cost per night is $400.00 and if you survive for 12 hours until the morning, you will get ½ the fee returned, but Shocktoberfest doesn’t count on that happening!
After snagging tickets you are funneled underneath the Zombie World archway and into the massive midway (The Monster Midway) at Shocktoberfest. This monstrous midway has countless offerings, something that’s sure to please everyone in the family! There’s club shock which features live music, a large dance floor, & ShocktoBARfest - a full bar featuring adult beverages and local MicroBrews. We can’t forget to mention ShocktoberFEAST, which possesses an enormous amount of food offerings that’s sure to satisfy all of your cravings. There’s also at least a half dozen local food trucks cooking up delicious grub, so it’s safe to say you won’t go hungry with a visit to Shocktoberfest! Oh, and beware the Midway Massacre, an outdoor scare zone that’s sure to get your blood pumping as you try to escape the chainsaw wielding clowns!
For those who’ve yet to visit Shocktoberfest, they do a phenomenal job executing and following through with their zombie theming! Shocktoberfest, also known as Zombie World, allows you to view and interact with blood-thirsty zombies while in a “safe” viewing environment. What’s better than being dangerously close to dozens of ravenous and fearsome zombies? In years past patrons would often watch pre-attraction videos which helped portray the storyline at Zombie World. These pre-shows also helped to prepare patrons for the journey they were about to embark on. Unfortunately, gone are the pre-shows, which does take away from the overall experience and storyline, but have no fear, you’re still in for a zombie-tastic experience at Shocktoberfest!
To begin our adventure at Shocktoberfest we headed for the all NEW Unknown 3.0! Prepare to encounter all your worst fears and phobias as you traverse through the darker and scarier Unknown 3.0! Several new scenes along with more horrifying special effects helped to keep us on our toes. Darkness, visual & auditory special effects, animatronics, various scents, & well placed scare actors were effectively utilized to create an immersive and disorienting experience! Spooks and surprises came at us from all directions this year! Special shout-out to the scare actors in the strobe-lit chain fence maze, boy were they amped up! The NEW final scene was intense, but we’re not sharing any spoilers! Just know you may or may not make it out of the Unknown 3.0 with all your limbs intact.
Next up we ventured for Ground Assault: Zombie Laser Tag! This attraction is always an exhilarating one! Nothing beats partaking in one large game of laser tag, while also being bombarded by blood-thirsty zombies! Grab your most trustworthy friends, and watch each other’s backs, or you may just become part of the zombie horde in Ground Assault!
The Prison of the Dead provides a thrilling 25 minute adventure featuring aesthetically pleasing & life-like set design, ravenous zombies, & blood-curdling scares! The Prison of the Dead is hands down one of our squads all-time favorite walk-through Haunted Attractions! As always, you begin your journey by boarding the Willow Glen State Penitentiary inmate transportation bus, which delivers you to the front gates of the condemned Penitentiary. Plan to traverse through every inch of the 50,000 square foot Penitentiary, as you try to safely make your escape! You’ll be subjected to a wide array of special effects coupled with intense scare actors to make for a rather unnerving and spine-chilling journey. There were numerous stand-out actor performances along the way, including the inmates in the living quarters & bathhouse, disappearing guard in the broiler room, and the guard roaming the multi-story prison cell scene! Despite an apparent shortage of spooks throughout the prison, those that were on hand were energized, making for intense & engaging encounters! The Prison of the Dead never disappoints and will undoubtedly continue to be a FRS favorite for many years to come!
To round out our evening we set off for the Zombie Safari Hayride Tour! Due to the Covid-19 pandemic, in 2020 Shocktoberfest converted its usual hayride experience into a walking trail to better adhere to Covid safety protocols. Although we thoroughly enjoyed the walking trail last season, we couldn’t be happier to see the attraction converted back to its typical hayride format! Once aboard the hay wagon you’ll set off for the deepest and darkest parts of the woods at Zombie World. Prepare to endure a plethora of innovative and intense scenes, packed full of special effects, massive animatronics, a touch of fire pyrotechnics, and hordes of ravenous zombies! Some of our favorite scenes include the fearsome & worm-infested barn, the eye-catching & elegantly crafted greenhouse, the daunting slaughterhouse, and we can’t forget to mention the electrifying repair shop! As with the Prison of the Dead, there was an apparent shortage of spooks throughout the hayride, but most of the spooks encountered were borderline crazed & relentless in their attack. All set and done, be prepared for a 20 minute, action-packed Zombie Safari tour that’s sure to leave your skin crawling.
Across the board at Shocktoberfest you’ll encounter innovative and unnerving attractions that are sure to please even the most avid haunt goers! The attractions coupled with the monstrous midway make for a spooky fun experience you don’t want to miss! We visit Shocktoberfest yearly as they provide a consistent and fright-tastic experience year after year! Do you have what it takes to survive the Zombie Apocalypse? If so, grab your friends and family and head on over to Shocktoberfest… Zombie World awaits you!
Individual Attraction Ratings:
Attraction Name: Unknown 3.0
Overall Attraction Rating: 8/10
Cast & Crew Rating: 8/10
Set Design & Special Effects Rating: 8.5/10
Scare/Thrill Factor Rating: 8/10
Attraction Name: Ground Assault Zombie Laser Tag
Overall Attraction Rating: 8/10
Cast & Crew Rating: 8/10
Set Design & Special Effects Rating: 8/10
Scare/Thrill Factor Rating: 8/10
Attraction Name: Prison of the Dead
Overall Attraction Rating: 9.5/10
Cast & Crew Rating: 9/10
Set Design & Special Effects Rating: 10/10
Scare/Thrill Factor Rating: 9/10
Attraction Name: Zombie Safari Hayride Tour
Overall Attraction Rating: 8.5/10
Cast & Crew Rating: 8.5/10
Set Design & Special Effects Rating: 9/10
Scare/Thrill Factor Rating: 8/10
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