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2008 The Dark Side Haunted Adventure Event Reviews


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3 total reviews. Showing 2 of 3 on this page (1 filtered).

Page 1

Please note: this review is for the 2008 season rather than the current season.

The Dark Side Haunted Adventure

by zombie-aholic after attending on Friday, October 31, 2008 at about 3:30 p.m.

Fun Factor: Very High Fear Factor: Very High

Review

On a mild Halloween Night, I began my adventure to the Dark Side. Accompanied by some buddies, I drove to rural Ixonia( following mapquest directions) and was already creeped out being in the middle of nowhere. I purchased my ticket from one of the very helpful staff and we waited our turn. After 15-20 minutes we were guided by one of the story telling undead to the haunted mine. Inside were scares at every turn. Things slamming down, jumping out and squeezing us in, we didnt know which way the next scare was coming from. After we made it through we waited at a bonfire and then were loaded onto the hayride. The wagon was eerie in appearance and as the ride began I was already on edge. We entered the forest where my fellow passangers and I were scared from all angles by actors and props alike. We were unloaded by a second fire and broken into groups by one of the most entertaining ghouls i have ever met. We walked through the forest guided by a rope light and the sounds of screams to guide us. Extremely scared my friends and I entered the corn maze and were scared from start to finish.

Summary

This is one of the best haunts I have been to. The actors are from the " jump-out-from-nowhere-and-shout" school of scaring, making each new area exciting as well as terrifying. I was most impressed with the attention to detail in the mine and the walking woods portion. I wanted to stop and look at each area but was kept moving by the energetic cast. I also enjoyed the stories told to us by the guide on the way into the mine. I will most definantly recommend this haunt to all my friends and family.

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Comments: (0)

Please note: this review is for the 2008 season rather than the current season.

The Dark Side Haunted Adventure

by dirkadirka (Newbie Review Crew Member) after attending on Saturday, October 18, 2008 at about 5 p.m.

Fun Factor: Very High Fear Factor: Medium

Review

By day, the Glacier Rock Farm is an outdoor classroom for schoolchildren to learn and explore the beautiful Kettle Moraine scenery.  At night the scene morphs into a spooky monstrosity known as the Dark Side that sprawls across all 100 acres and includes a haunted mine, hayrack ride, haunted trail, and corn maze.  Are those cute Shetland ponies actually undead flesh-eating zombie horses controlled by the freaks and demons of the Dark Side? Probably.

Signage / Visibility / Location


Usually googlemaps is sufficient, but I got lost trying to find this haunt.  There is a sign at the end of the lane, but one in Ashippun would really help.  Street signs are small and dark in this rural area, but that just adds to the adventure.

Wait Area / Line Entertainment


Because this is a multi-attraction haunt there are several different wait areas as you progress deeper into the rotten heart of the Dark Side. If it is a chilly night $1 hot cocao and cider from the gift shop will make the initial wait more bearable. The last two wait areas both have toasty bonfires but no marshmallows. There were no actors to entertain those waiting but whatever; I would rather put those actors in the woods and fields anyways.

Actors' Performance


All of the creatures inhabiting the forests, cornfields, and mine did a great job.  Most of them successfully used the old-school scare tactics of surprise and loud noises, and having a chainsaw in your hands makes it easy to be terrifying.  Probably more actors than I have seen in any one haunt location so far this year and many of them manage to scare you more than once.  My favorite actor was a young guy who got stepped on by almost every group that went by.  He's got to be pretty dedicated and tough to be taking that kind of abuse.  There also seemed to be a lot of clowns although I don't remember a circus theme anywhere.

Sets Scenes / Props / FX


Of the four different attractions, the hayride was by far our favorite.  The creators designed great sets that reach down and touch your face while you're constantly on the lookout for the next monster.  Sharing the scares with the whole group is fun because you start laughing at someone else's screams, but then you get spooked and the laughter is returned.  The production value will not blow your mind but the craftsmanship and unique touches make the Dark Side different than anything else you will find this Halloween season. 

Length


Clear your nightly haunt schedule because this one took us an hour to get through, seriously.  Probably 20 minutes were spent in the four waiting areas but this is still the longest haunt I have been to.  The anticipation from being outside and hearing screams from both your group and those a half mile away keeps your blood pumping during the down times.

Most Memorable Moment


It took some convincing, but my parents accompanied me on the trip to the Dark Side.  The last time either of them joined me, my chauffer dad was sleeping in the van waiting for my 14 year old friends and I to finish our hauntings for the night so he could take us to Pizza Hut, a yearly tradition.  They both really enjoyed the experience, especially the hayrack ride. I enjoyed hearing my mom scream and swear every time she got scared.

Summary

The Dark Side is absolutely worth a drive out into the country and is a perfect haunted destination if you are part of a large group.  The operators are good people, the actors are dedicated, you get four completely different experiences in one place, and everything costs only ten dollars.  At a price that low I almost felt like making a donation or starting a tip jar because I definitely got my money's worth.  Be sure to bring a sweatshirt and old shoes because there is a lot of walking and some of it can be muddy and treacherous in the dark. 

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Comments: (0)

Please note: this review is for the 2008 season rather than the current season.

The Dark Side Haunted Adventure

by bluebliss909 after attending on Friday, October 10, 2008 at about 2:30 p.m.

Fun Factor: High Fear Factor: High

Review

To begin with the haunted experience a woman started to tell us about the 'history' of the farm. The first haunt is the mineshaft. They separated our group into twos and sent us off. I liked the idea of it, although I was pretty sure it was fake, I think it went under ground. I wish that this part was longer.

After we got out there was a tractor with a trailer waiting for us. Unfortunately there was no one there to tell us to get on the tractor so we stood there for a while confused. Once on the trailer a speaker began to pour out scary music and voices. The ride was pretty long. A couple actors got on the trailer. Although the surroundings could have had more actors and props, the woods and the river were pretty and scary at the same time. Then the tractor pulled us into the middle of the woods.

A man was waiting by a bonfire to instruct us through our adventure. (they broke us into two again!) This was the scariest part. Because we were sitting in anticipation for frights we were even more anxious. The woods were pitch black. Save for a trail lit by rope lights, there was no light. I've never gotten as scared as I was in this part, and the actor didn't even do anything that I haven't encountered dozens of times before! I think it was the surroundings that scared me the most.

Once out of the woods we went into a haunted corn maze. It was okay. Yet again there was no one there to control the patrons. We ran into a bunch of other groups of people. Although I'm sure the maze could have been better the actors were too busy trying to scare the people before us that they missed us i think.

Once we got out of the maze we thought that our experience was over, even though we had purchased the combo ticket. I took the initiative to ask someone about this, and we were instructed to enter the corn at a different part that wasn't lit up at all. I wouldn't recommend the maze. It was really hard to go through, and we couldn't find the non lit markers that we were supposed to locate. There also weren't any actors in the maze to scare us either

Summary

I really enjoyed the main event! I would recommend to the owners to place at least one person between each haunt so that they don't get confused. I wouldn't recommend the the corn maze unless you feel like walking for a long time.

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December 22nd, 2024 12:02 a.m. CST 24.11.01