Introduction
Demon Acres is a fantastic developing haunted attraction, and it is custom designed and intense enough to stand out in a competitive industry. Demon Acres is gritty; it feels like a 1980’s style funhouse on a larger scale that has not fallen victim to all so familiar “transworldization” of haunts that may have a more extensive design and developmental budget. So many attractions seem to be in an endless competition to buy the latest and largest props/animatronics and even whole scenes from trade shows, losing out on the custom-made passion and feel that gives a unique energy to certain attractions.
Demon Acres is by and large custom built; it features loud metal music, intense actors, and rough/violent scenes, and while not always on the scale of other bigger budget shows, there is a level of innovation and focus on fear and being diverse that is clear in each of the three core haunted attractions featured. Demon Acres is very different from most haunted attractions; what you will see and encounter here is truly EXCLUSIVE to this attraction as it is built from the ground up. For those that go to numerous attractions, Demon Acres is filled with unique surprises and attractions that are unlike those akin to big-budget shows.
Attractions
Demon’s Den Haunted House
“Demon’s Den” is a massive, custom-designed old-school “haunted house” that is filled with scenes of gruesome horror, grotesque smells, and violent acts that depict abandonment and terror. Intense, interactive, and embracing a grim reality, we were shocked at this attraction’s level of detail and genuine disturbing nature.
Uniqueness is a strong point at Demon’s Acres as this attraction starts with a unique trick room/ transporting unsuspecting victims from a comfortable waiting room into the pit of hell. Escaping through boiler rooms, abandoned bars, bedrooms, and downright vile bathrooms is a hellacious gritty attraction that is not afraid to scare.
Jail Break
After boarding a “prison bus” on our way to the lost prison, we had no idea what to expect. Set in an old, decrepit building, we entered a prison of pure insanity that created an environment of chaos and an actual maze that challenged us to escape. No significant bells and whistles, no massive props or scenes, and not even many actors; what is present is pure, unparalleled chaos.
This attraction augmented a sense of paranoia, stress, and insanity with relentless sensory assault, with blaring sounds of a prison break, trick rooms, and endless hallways with iron bars, chains, and paths to nowhere, and a few inmates take solace in tormenting those lost in this maze. A legitimate challenge to escape, intense, and a sensory overload, this is shockingly in your face, a simple but effective attraction that places each victim in escaping a prison riot. Violent by design, an attack on the senses, and again custom designed from start to finish, we were left wanting more in this
Depths of the Dark Forest Extreme Haunted Hayride
Starting with an initially cheesy/campy tribute to Jurassic Park, we felt that perhaps (incorrectly) the hayride would be the weakest attraction at Demon Acres. However, we quickly understood that this was a misconception once again. The unique/custom-designed scenes which feature violence, metal music, slaughter, and gore are perfect and work well with the dark humor of the narrator (we generally are not a massive fan of narrated hayrides, but Demon Acres doesn’t go overboard). While the scenes themselves are developing in scope size-wise, some are so unique and impressive that classic themes feel fresh, such as being trapped in a spiderweb to encountering a violent butcher in a grand finale. With a larger budget, continued expansion of existing scenes, and more actors along the journey, this is a hayride attraction that can maintain its intense/old-school atmosphere with a modern twist.
Final Word
Demon Acres is a pleasant surprise, a haunted attraction/Screampark that flies under the radar of the significant competitors yet embraces a spirit of horror and is not afraid of being “scary” for family fun. With metal music, dark humor, scenes of the grotesque, and a custom-designed facility, those looking for an intense old-school haunt with exponential potential for growth and improvement should look no further.
With continued enhancements and build quality to each of the attractions, investment in sound/scene/character designs, and a focus on delivering fear, Demon Acres can be the evolution of the old-school haunts of the past, one’s that were not afraid or shied away from being “scary” for the sake of “family” entertainment. With diversity, custom design, a little larger budget, more refined acting in some scenes, and expanded media presence, Demon Acres can quickly establish itself as a must-visit darker, grim Scarepark. A joy for hardcore horror fans and those looking for “fear,” Demon Acres is in your face; it is disarming, intense, and a great surprise of the season!
Strengths
- Custom Designed Horrors
- Innovative Interactive Rooms
- Quality Performances and Acting
- Dark Mature Themes
Room for Improvement
- Continue building up hayride
- Add additional actors, performances
Location: 341 Co Rte 36, Hannibal, NY 13074
Website: https://www.demonacres.com