On Halloween night (2002), the HauntFreaks gang set off to view several home haunts in the area and rounded out the evening with a trip to Cookie’s Haunted Castle, a smaller haunt attached to a garden center in Clementon NJ, which we were determined to visit after missing the opportunity for our 2001 season.
Arriving that evening, we were greeted by Cookie himself who told us in dismay that his crew of haunters were off for the evening as history had proven Halloween Night a slow night for the attraction, and the castle was being manned by employees of the mart. They were trying their best, but did not have the same enthusiasm for the scare as his normal gang of ghouls.
We were handed 3-D glasses and entered the smaller 3-D room that would serve as the holding area for guests. The room was splashed with fluorescent paint, scrawled with messages of warning, which we paid no heed to and we entered the darkened hallway when the door swung open.
We walked thru the dimly lit corridor to a black room where black hoses hung from the ceiling and a body hung from the center of the room. Pawing past the hoses we searched for the exit and encountered the scharacter of the set. Designed to blend in as a prop, he approached us just as we found our escape.
We passed thru a 70’s inspired living room scene, obviously in the wake of a madman. The props were a mixture of purchased and homemade with the use of mannequins. We found ourselves in the workshop, tools used to saw thru flesh and bone rather than wood…
At one point of the haunt we looked up to see a chain-linked platform above our heads. Actors, provided a great startle from above.
The most impressive room by far led us to believe that we had stepped outside from the confines of the building. We entered the room, the ground spongy and soft beneath our feet. The pathways had turned to dirt, and plants and trees lined the room, the air heavy with moisture. A small body of water was made crossable by a small footbridge. Skulls and bones were strewn thru the room, tucked into the underbrush. Being run by a garden center, they were in their element with this scene and it was exceptional.
We stopped again to chat with Cookie before leaving the haunt and were surprised to learn that the entire haunt took place inside, that underneath that spongy earth was cold hard concrete.
Overall, it was an enjoyable little haunt. With the “gore” scenes, we would not recommend for the smallest of children, but this haunt is not as aggressive or realistic as others and should be fine for older children who enjoy a good scare. Lines can be long in season as due to the size of the building, only few can enter the attraction at one time per Fire Marshall restrictions. We would suggest visiting on an off peak night if you would like to avoid the wait. The haunt’s last day is Halloween as this location immediately begins the transformation to ready themselves for the Christmas season. If you happen to be in the area, stop in, and please send Cookie our warmest regards.