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SHOCKTOBERFEST - 2024

Writer's picture: Chandler ClouserChandler Clouser

Shocktoberfest is back for their 33rd year of FEARS! This multi-attraction scream park 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 a thrilling & 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 2024 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! Don’t forget to test your luck in the 5 minute escape room, Maintenance Shed! Something incredibly unique is Shocktoberfest’s “Zombie Experience”... If you’ve ever wanted to try scare acting, Shocktoberfest gives you the opportunity to do so! They’ll put you in full costuming & make-up and make you part of the cast in The Prison of the Dead! They’ve really upped the ante with their make-up for this experience, as they have several airbrush artists on-hand to turn you into a terrifying zombie!


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 - we always have to snag deep fried oreos, boy are they yummy! As the season progresses, 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! They also have several spooky themed carnival games, axe throwing, and several photo-ops! 


We commenced our evening by traversing through “Midway Massacre” which is centrally located in the Shocktoberfest midway! Midway Massacre is home to a bunch of circus rejects who make up on frightening freakshow! As we crossed into this Midway Massacre, we were pounced on by relentless circus freaks, some of which were violently slinging around chainsaws! We even had our fortune told by some unruly fortune teller… she predicted that we were going to die that evening! Yikes! Kudos to the Midway Massacre freaks for starting our evening off on a thrilling note! 


For those who’ve yet to visit Shocktoberfest, they do a solid 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! 


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! We were absolutely in LOVE with the costuming of the actor in the steampunk-esque scene… we came to a complete halt to check-out that badass costume!! The finale scene was quite 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. 

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 - You’re in for a solid & thrilling 20 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 nurse who violently shook her pill vial at us! The Prison of the Dead had fallen victim to having a lack of scare actors the past few seasons, but there were no shortage of zombies & other spooks this go around! The Prison of the Dead never disappoints and will undoubtedly continue to be a FRS favorite for many years to come! 


Zombie Safari Hayride Tour - 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 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, blacklight greenhouse, the daunting slaughterhouse, and we can’t forget to mention the electrifying repair shop! The zombies were plentiful along our Zombie Safari Tour, as we often had 4 or more zombies assaulting the wagon! These zombies were crazed & relentless in their attack, clearly blood-thirsty after going all off-season with nothing to snack on. Maybe one of the most unique scenes we’ve encountered in our travels featured a massive animatronic creature emerging from a waterfall! The audio & visual effects, along with the waterfall feature & jaw-dropping animatronic sure made for an exhilarating scene! 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 a variety of 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’ll admit that Shocktoberfest hasn’t been on their A-game the past few seasons, but this season was certainly promising & gives us hope that they’ll regain full form! The consistent and fright-tastic experience year after year certainly keeps us returning each & every fall! Job well done to the young but ferocious cast, we thoroughly appreciated your energy & the terrifying encounters! We also have to give major kudos to the special Fx team & set designers here at Shocktoberfest. We couldn’t help but notice the major enhancements to the actor make-up along with notable new & refurbished props + animatronics! 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! 

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