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Field of Screams
Lancaster, PA |
On
another wet northeastern evening, we set off for Field of Screams
in Lancaster PA. Dreading yet one more hayride in the rain, we
lucked out that we had driven through most of the downpour and
had only to deal with slightly wet behinds and bad hair.
Not quite knowing what to expect and hearing mixed reviews of
the event, we are quite pleased to say that we had a great time
and this attraction earns the credit of our most interesting anecdote
of the season. But I’m jumping ahead….
Set in farm country, Field of Screams boasts 3 attractions, 2
buildings and a hayride, and they keep with the “carnival”
atmosphere that we have come to expect (and enjoy!) as part of
the modern haunted attraction. Several food carts offered a small
variety of foods, and from the picnic tables one could find a
number of entertainment choices. One of the local radio stations
was present this evening and hosting “Pumpkin Bowling”
for prizes…. Our prize went to the girl who hurled the pumpkin
into the side of their nice shiny van, it never even touched the
ground. Perched above the crowds was a zombie torso who kept the
crowd amused with a mixture of “abuse and humor.”
FOS also offered a paintball booth “Shoot a Spook,”
another option that is cropping up in many of the locations we
visit. Also present was a stage where a band would perform later
that evening, allowing one to make their visit a complete evening
of entertainment. 
The 25 minutes hayride was enjoyable, but standard fare, with
clowns, a toxic waste dump and ending with a trip thru a Vortex;
the houses were far more interesting and “challenging.”
The first building we entered was Frightmare 3-D. While several
of the rooms were done in over-blown colors and images as in many
3-D houses, we encountered several “new” features,
such as 3-D’d stairwells (stairs are nearly unheard of in
haunted attractions to begin with, now in 3D?) and the use of
very small spaces that one is forced to work their way thru, almost
making it a combination haunt and “obstacle course.”
 Very
few 3-D houses aim for the big scare, and are usually the milder
houses of a multi-building event and this was no exception.
We worked our way up several floors until we encountered the room
that I found most interesting in the house, and perhaps one of
the most interesting uses for the effect to date. The room was
very understated, going for eerie, not mind-blowing. To our right,
a snowy television set, rabbit ears cocked to the side, to our
right, the skeletal remains of a couch potato. Not very impressive
until I add that they sparingly used fluorescent paint around
the room to give the appearance of a haunted attic, touching on
the skeleton lightly, so that one did not see “day-glo”
splatters, but rather a simple ghostly hovering above the remains….
And this ethereal effect was mirrored throughout the room. Probably
one of my favorite rooms of the season, not for scariness, but
for good atmosphere.
Once out of that building, we got in line for the Den of Darkness,
their more traditional house, or so we thought. Another old building
utilized to house a haunted attraction, we climbed steps floor
to floor and squeezed thru and around more tight spaces past the
actors who had plenty of places to hide, through rooms of various
themes, encountering Dragnok the Giant in his skeletal lair and
over the suspension bridges of the swamp. On the top floor, we
came to a room where the exit door was only about 3 feet high.
 The
resident ghoul directed us to duck down and exit much like Alice
thru the “White Rabbit’s little door.” In the
next room, we were once again directed thru a similar small doorway,
but with the added surprise that it did not lead to another room,
but to a carpeted tunnel. On all fours, the group set about crawling
their way thru the tunnel completely devoid of light. Me first,
then Sarah, Carolyn, Brian and Vince. 
We moved forward, laughing at the sheer absurdity that they were
making us crawl, until in the darkness, I put my hand down on
a warm, sweaty leg, and all sense, reasoning and motor skills
completely shut down. Yes, they spooked the HauntFreaks, no small
task.
Since this is a family show around here, I’ll leave out
the more colorful language…. But I yelled back to the group
“There’s a person here!” to which I received
several responses of “what?” “There is a PERSON
here!!!” Ok, now the really, really funny part. Still not
quite believing that there is a person lying in the God-forsaken
heat, in this dark, airless tunnel, and on CARPET no less….
I begin to “poke the body” trying to figure out if
it was REALLY a leg I felt, or some sort of prop that FELT like
a leg….. (don’t ask me…. Something filled with
warm water…). And I continued to poke the leg for a minute
or so. How this person did not laugh is beyond me. NOW, the staff
is beginning to bang on the walls and are yelling “Crawl
over it!!” to which I respond “I AM NOT CRAWLING OVER
IT!!!”  Ok….
So now I’m crawling over the body….. Sarah next, and
the body takes her shoe… then Carolyn, Brian and Vince.
As we are crawling out of the tunnel into the light,  Sarah’s
shoe caught up with us, then passed us, landing a few feet ahead.
I only wish they had caught us on film. It had to be better than
any of those awful pictures theme parks take of you on their roller
coasters…. We caught up with Ben from FOS shortly thereafter,
still laughing and out of breath from our adventure. Playing it
off at first like he knew nothing of a body in the tunnel, he
later explained that the tunnel was not always in use, there was
an alternate route that was utilized during peak nights with heavy
crowds. Lucky us!
Overall, we would recommend the attraction to those with a sense
of adventure and up to a slightly more physically challenging
haunted attraction. Stop out and see them, tell them we sent you.
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Check
out there wedsiter for more info.
http://fieldofscreams.com |
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