The Hayride is spiced with sets that showcase impressive pyro effects. The Psycho Circus has an elegant 1920s German Expressionist vibe and, just so things don’t get too arty, an outhouse disgorges an army of down-home boys that clamber aboard, presumably looking for someone to squeal like a piggy. Make sure to sit at the rear of the wagon for maximum enjoyment.
The Black Bog is big on “atmos-fear” and traditional
scares. The attraction underwent some major additions during the
summer, including a lengthy cave that emerges into a mine. A western
town features a brothel and a blood soaked barber shop. There are
haunted wells, toxic waste dumps, trailers with dot rooms, a vortex
tunnel, a schoolbus containing a pillar of souls, open crypts,
graveyards and, yes, even the infamous Room of Bunny Death. The
Hellevator comes early and is the high point, bucking and thrashing
like a shorted-out mechanical bull. Too bad we never got to meet Satan
like the Hellevator operator promised.
THE WAIT: Lines can be long, running up to two hours. The trek through the Black Bog takes about 25 minutes and the Hayride 20.
DETAILS: Open 1/2 hour after
sundown to 11:30 p.m. Fridays-Saturdays through Oct. 30 (weather
permitting). 6070 Springboro Road, Lebanon, Exit 32 off I-75,
937-748-2272, www.springborohauntedhayride.com
THE DAMAGE: Hayride $12, Black Bog $10, combo for $18; parking is $2.
CITYBEAT RATING: PG-13 (Haunted Hayride), R (Black Bog)
