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This year, Shocktoberfest has transformed itself into Zombie World, an undead variant of Jurassic World.
Everything from the signs to the music plays off that theme. Instead of being caught in a world where can’t-be-tamed dinosaurs go awry, your night is made hellish by the constant presence of can’t be-tamed zombies.
The star attraction of Shocktoberfest consistently has been its “Prison of the Dead.” This year’s no different.
The haunted house begins as you board an inmate bus that sends you to a massive prison. As you near the entrance, upbeat-sounding music culminates with a narrator saying, “We hope you have a magical evening here at Zombie World!”
For the next half-hour, you’ll twist and turn your way through the prison. You’ll crawl on your hands and knees in near-total darkness as you hear the undead prisoners moan, taunt and touch you.
“Prison of the Dead” features Shocktoberfest’s best actors, best props and best frights. It’s worth every penny.
Unfortunately, Shocktoberfest fails to deliver much fright with its “Zombie Safari” haunted hayride.
During our hayride, we sat next to a mom from Philadelphia named Kathy. She confessed to being easily scared and warned us ahead of time she might need to hold onto our arms if she got too frightened. Her fears were unfounded, though: “Zombie Safari” had the hayride laughing more often than not.
It’s unfortunate the acting was so unconvincing here, because the story line and props are better than average. The hayride begins with a promotional video for Zombie World. You’re told this safari will show “natural and genetically engineered zombies” in a “safe and controlled environment.” It’s one of the more clever hayride stories we’ve encountered, and we really wanted to love it.
Halfway through the hayride, I asked Kathy to rank it from 1 to 10, with 10 being terrifying. “Four,” she told me, before quickly changing her mind. “Maybe a three.”
How bad was it? When an angry professor screamed out “What are you doing here?!”, someone retorted: “Good question.” When another character yelled “Get out! Get out!”, another person deadpanned: “We’re trying.”
After the hayride, Kathy pulled me aside to adjust her ranking: “Make it a two.”
Shocktoberfest’s third attraction, “The Unknown 2.0”, was much better. It plays off last year’s theme, though you’re warned that the zombies are “smarter than last year.” And indeed they are.
“The Unknown 2.0” is where Shocktoberfest pushes the limits. It’s where there’s the most touching, the most toe-curling shrieks, the most terrifying clowns, the most creepy dolls, and the most number of rats. Yes, rats.
The ending alone — Sorry, fear-seekers, no spoilers here! — is worth the price of admission.
In addition to those attractions, Zombie World features a Monster Midway filled with games and fried goodness.
Rating: 3 Coffins out of 5
