Halloween Hodgepodge

Overview - Dreadwood Haunted Forest

Dreadwood Haunted Forest
Attended on Friday, October 7

Dreadwood is located in the middle of nowhere. At least that’s what it feels like to someone who doesn’t know the area at all. We found the entrance easily as there was a red light that shone onto the trees. They also have some signs that show you were to go nearby.

We pulled in and weren’t too sure where to go. There was no one or any signs pointing out where to go. We decided to travel the narrow dirt road behind the barn. There were only two or three signs along the way which looked like they might be part of the haunt, and simply had an arrow on them. I was ready to turn back several times, as driving out into the middle of nowhere on a narrow dirt path just feels like a bad idea. Horror movie bad. Luckily we finally made it to the end where there were guides showing where to park.

Dreadwood does a nice job with their lighting, so it was pretty easy to tell where the entrance was. Unfortunately, their waiver form table needs more lighting as we walked right past it and were told to turn around and to sign the waiver before we could purchase tickets. Once again, with the dim lighting, it was nearly impossible to read the form. A nice perk is the $2 discount that's given if you bring in a canned/non-perishable food item. It's a definite plus when a haunt contributes to the local food pantry.

We arrived at the scheduled start time, but were told they were going to wait a while longer until it was dark enough. During our wait, there were a couple of hillbilly’s that roamed about. They also had some concessions available.
When it was our turn, they took a group and we sat on bleachers while someone went over the rules. To my surprise she stated that the haunt was family friendly. I was in shock as their advertising says

 “You should expect the unexpected, at times graphic, at times offensive, and always unsuitable for children. We cannot stress this enough -- what we show you will be disturbing. Those who are faint of heart are welcome to stay safe at home”.

 She then laid down a rope and told the group to stand in two lines on either side of the rope and then to pick up the rope and hold on throughout the haunt. We were given a hillbilly tour guide, who took us through the woods. This was my first experience holding onto a rope throughout a haunt and quite honestly, I’m not sure I cared for it.

There were some surprise scares throughout and scenes ranged from hillbilly shacks, a vampire lair, to a radiated camp. Based on their advertising, I had really high hopes that this haunt could be the scariest in Wisconsin. Unfortunately, it didn’t live up to that. I'd like to see one theme continued on as the guide and many scenes were based on a hillbilly theme. Vampires and the zombie area didn't really seem to fit. Overall they did a good job, but should consider adjusting their advertising to reflect who their audience is or adjusting their scares to reflect their advertising.