Haunted Attraction Reviewed: Sleepy Hollow Haunted Acres
Website: www.sleepyhollowhayride.com
Location of Attraction: Newtown PA
Date of Review: 10/17/2020
Total Number of Attractions Available: 2
Overall Haunted Attraction Rating: 9/10
Entertainment & Food Rating: 9/10
Atmosphere Rating: 9/10
Overall Costume & Makeup Rating: 9/10
Overall Cast & Crew Rating: 8.5/10
Overall Set Design & Special Effects Rating: 9.5/10
Overall Scare/Thrill Factor Rating: 8/10
Overall Feedback: Sleepy Hollow Haunted Acres located in Newtown Pennsylvania is back for another year of providing FEAR to those brave enough to traverse the eerie property! Due to Covid-19 Sleepy Hollow Haunted Acres almost didn’t open their doors for 2020, but they found a way to still provide a top notch, spooky fun, and most importantly safe experience! Typically these folks would be running three full scale attractions; The House in the Hollow, Sleepy Hollow Hayride, and The Field. In order to provide the safest experience these folks elected to forgo the Sleepy Hollow Hayride and the world class House in the Hollow for 2020! Instead, these innovative minds put to use the outdoor portions of their property to provide two attractions for 2020; The Hollow and The Field!
We arrived at Sleepy Hollow Haunted Acres around 9:30pm on what is typically one of the busiest Saturday evenings during the typical haunt season! Even with the ticket booth closing at 10pm, cars were still pilling into the parking lot. For 2020 Sleepy Hollow Haunted Acres has switched to nearly all online ticket sales in order to control crowd size, as they are operating at a reduced capacity. So make sure to snag tickets online, as they have and will most definitely sell out. Ticket price for 2020 runs at a flat $24 fee which gives you access to both attractions. Due to utilizing timed ticketing there is no fast pass option this season. Make sure you have your face mask, as they are mandatory and strictly enforced while on the property.
Sleepy Hollow Haunted Acres sits on a massive property, which allows ample space for guests to social distance. The midway area for 2020 featured at least half a dozen bonfires, live entertainment, large snack shack, merchandise booth, and ample amounts of seating. Between the live band jamming out and hearing echoes of fellow patrons screaming in the distance, the atmosphere was definitely lively at Sleepy Hollow Haunted Acres! Not to mention the fog was sticking low to the ground on the particular evening we attended, creating a rather eerie and unnerving essence!
To kick off the evening we were directed towards The Hollow. The Hollow is typically the outdoor portion of the House in the Hollow attraction, featuring the world class Malfate Manor! Due to Covid-19 safety protocols the Sleepy Hollow team elected to keep guests in outdoor areas, unfortunately meaning you don’t get to experience the magic and thrill of the House! While waiting in the queue line several scare actors were roaming about, engaging with guests and providing scares. Off in the distance was a grim reaper on horseback, lurking about the open fields, stalking his next victims! Before entering The Hollow we also had the opportunity to catch up with Allen, one of the few set designers here at Sleepy Hollow Haunted Acres! This man is extremely talented and has a clear passion for entertaining! After a 20-30 minute wait it was finally our turn to enter The Hollow.
As you venture through the front gates to the Malfate Manor property you meander down the dark path where you stumble upon the ominous Malfate Manor itself. Guests walk up onto the front porch and then are sent down into the eerie depths of the cemetery and dark woods. Be prepared for an aesthetically pleasing journey, as these folks sure know how to create a life-like environment! Continue traversing the snake-like paths and you’ll then stumble upon the unnerving and abandoned gardens, crypts, and catacombs! Ghosts can be seen meandering about the cemetery, running between tombstones and taunting guests! Scare actors were cleverly hidden throughout The Hollow, leaving us susceptible to several spine-tingling startles. Several of the scare actors were top notch and provided extremely interactive skits, engaging with our entire squad! Eventually we ventured underground where we experienced the sounds and visuals above us as if we were being buried in a tomb. Just when you think you’ve safely made it through the attraction one final surprise is lurking in the shadows, waiting to pounce! The Hollow provided a near 10 minute aesthetically pleasing, captivating, and unnerving experience! We were impressed with the overall spooky ambiance of The Hollow attraction, and are sure it’ll pleasantly surprise even the most experienced haunt goers.
After exiting The Hollow we snagged some coffee and hot chocolate before hopping into line for The Field. The Sleepy Hollow Haunted Acres team made massive changes to The Field attraction last season, and once again were hard at work updating and expanding the attraction for 2020! While waiting in the queue line we had the chance to speak with Pierce, one of the other few set designers here at Sleepy Hollow Haunted Acres! Pierce is another talented individual who clearly strives to provide a spooky fun experience for all who visit. After chatting with Pierce and enjoying our soul warming beverages, it was eventually our turn to step foot into The Field.
Small groups of 4-6 were being admitted into The Field every few minutes, pretty much eliminating any possibility of a conga line through the attraction. The Field takes place throughout a massive cornfield, with 12 foot corn stalks and dimly lit pathways. A hazy fog lurked throughout the pathways, helping to generate and carry on an unsettling vibe. Bone-chilling and unnerving sound effects were utilized throughout The Field and its pathways, helping to maintain the thrilling adrenaline and fearsome atmosphere! We encountered at least a dozen different scenes, all featuring masterful set design and loads of eye candy. One of our favorite scenes is easily the Marionette scene, featuring large scale Marionette’s, which is just downright creepy to traverse through! New for 2020 was a deranged carnival, featuring lively scare actors with witty trickery! Be on the lookout for Sylvia, the resident spider, who attacks on a moment's notice and delivers one of the most spine-tingling scares of the evening! Can’t forget to mention the simple but effective pallet maze with disorienting strobe lighting, making for an intense and confusing journey. In between scenes scare actors were sprinkled throughout the cornfield to help keep the audience engaged and on high alert. What you think is a harmless scarecrow suddenly comes to life to deliver a hair-raising startle.
After an action packed, visually stunning, and exhilarating 20 minute journey through The Field, we ended back in the midway area. Our squad congregated around a bonfire to chat about our overall experience. It was clear that we were all thoroughly impressed with the experience Sleepy Hollow Haunted Acres provided for 2020. Both attractions featured first-class set design, an engaging cast & crew, and ample amounts of blood-curdling scares! Even in the midst of a global pandemic, the Sleepy Hollow Haunted Acres team persevered and still found a way to blow us away! Job well done to the entire Sleepy Hollow Haunted Acres team for putting on a marvelous and downright spooky fun experience! These folks are only open two more weekends for 2020, 10/29-10/31 & 11/6-11/7, so make sure to pay them a visit! We promise they are well worth the visit and you’ll have a guaranteed screamtastic experience!
Individual Attraction Ratings:
Attraction Name: The Hollow
Overall Attraction Rating: 8.5/10
Cast & Crew Rating: 8.5/10
Set Design & Special Effects Rating: 9.5/10
Scare/Thrill Factor Rating: 8/10
Attraction Name: The Field
Overall Attraction Rating: 9/10
Cast & Crew Rating: 8.5/10
Set Design & Special Effects Rating: 9.5/10
Scare/Thrill Factor Rating: 8.5/10