Seven haunted mazes, six scare zones, and dozens of people looking to scare you: Dorney Park’s annual Halloween Haunt is a trademark of the Lehigh Valley. Each year, the production draws hundreds of visitors — and rightfully so. On fall weekends leading up to Halloween, there are few activities as befitting of the season as the Halloween Haunt.
Immediately upon entering the park, the atmosphere is different from its usually jovial, family-friendly ambiance. Filling the air is artificial smoke, which smells faintly reminiscent of maple syrup, casting the whole park in a spooky haze. Roaming right behind the carousel there are dozens of scare actors practicing and fashioning their monster persona.
The scare nights all begin with the show “Queen of the Monsters” when she comes out, rips a fake audience member’s heart out, and declares the Halloween Haunt officially open. The shows are all intended to add to the lore of the event — which, in theory, works, but when all of the attractions are so vastly different, it ends up falling a little flat.
Once the show is over, the rest of the night commences. The haunted mazes open, and the lines all start to pile up.
Each of the attractions — including Trick or Treat, Ghost in the Machine, Blood on the Bayou, Tourist Trap, Roadside Stop and Chop, Necropolis, and Blackout as mazes, as well as the Steel Yard, Port of Call, The Hollow, CarnEvil, Dystopia, and Midway Misfits as scare zones — have different themes, and each of them is intricately and impressively put together.
Every night of the Halloween Haunt is different, too — the scare actors have different makeup from day to day and often have new lines each night. The slight differences enhance the experience, and make each time you go feel unique.
The real key to having the absolute best time at the Haunt is getting there on a day when it isn’t too crowded. Thousands of people go to the Haunt every night, and when you have to wait in line for an hour for a single attraction, it really hinders your experience. Haunt doesn’t last long enough for you to be able to get to every attraction if lines are too long, so if you go on a particularly crowded day, you aren’t experiencing enough to justify the cost of a ticket.
Going to the Haunt each year is a highlight of the spooky season — on the right kind of day, with minimal crowding, the Haunt is a great way to celebrate Halloween.
4/5 stars.
