Haunted Attraction Reviewed: Schaefer Farms - Farm of Horrors
Website: www.farmofhorrors.com
Location of Attraction: Flemington NJ
Date of Review: 10/10/2020
Total Number of Attractions Available: 4
Overall Haunted Attraction Rating: 6/10
Entertainment & Food Rating: 8/10
Atmosphere Rating: 8/10
Overall Costume & Makeup Rating: 6/10
Overall Cast & Crew Rating: 6/10
Overall Set Design & Special Effects Rating: 6.5/10
Overall Scare/Thrill Factor Rating: 5/10
Overall Feedback: Schaefer Farms - Farm of Horrors - is one of New Jersey’s larger multi-attraction haunts! Offering FOUR attractions, guests should expect a full evening's worth of festivities. Our squad got word of Farm of Horrors last season but were unfortunately unable to squeeze them in. With our plans to show New Jersey some love this haunt season we knew Farm of Horrors had to be on our schedule. We hadn’t really heard much in terms of other reviews on Farm of Horrors, so we weren’t really sure what to expect.
After our visit at Scare Farm earlier in the evening we darted over to Farm of Horrors in Flemington New Jersey. We arrived around 9:30pm to a FULL house! The parking lot was overflowing with guests eager for the show. Off in the distance we could hear upbeat music pumping from the DJ stand and quickly picked up on the MASSIVELY long queue line. We had purchased our general admission tickets online at $35 a piece. Fast pass tickets are available for an additional $15. With an estimated 2-3 hour wait, we elected to pursue fast pass upgrades as it was already getting late and most of our squad had 3+ hour drives ahead of us. At Farm of Horrors guests will experience the four attractions in a continuous fashion, meaning very little to no wait in between experiences. But this setup means a much longer initial wait! Fortunately the DJ had a great lineup of upbeat party favorites that had the crowd singing along which helped to pass time. After our brief wait, it was our time to board the wagon and prepare for the Hayride of Horror.
The hay wagons featured bench style seating and the staff did well distancing groups on the wagon. After reviewing the rules of the show we were sent on our way. The first portion of our Hayride of Horror journey was through a small cornfield. Nothing exciting here, rather simplistic props scattered about, and a few spooks darting out of the corn to deliver some “gotcha” scares. Eventually we encountered a string of scenes, featuring more of a theatrical actor driven performance. We encountered a deranged Doctor who was conducting some experiments on his deceased lab assistant, who eventually resurrected from the dead and murder the Doctor. Then we encountered two cackling witches who made a mockery of our names and eventually cast a spell on our wagon. Can’t forget to mention the epic showdown in the chop shop kitchen, where one pour soul was mutilated with a meat cleaver. Easily the most exhilarating portion of our Hayride of Horror journey was the epic encounter with a massive truck that came barreling at the hay wagon and a maddening chase sequence then ensued! These Jersey folks must love dangerously chasing their hay wagons with large vehicles, as we encountered an identical scenario at Scare Farm earlier that evening. Multiple times throughout our Hayride of Horror journey we encountered a small vehicle that would come flying at the wagon, firing off rounds, which left gunshots loudly echoing throughout the fields. This definitely caught us off guard and was a simple but effective scare tactic! Across the board the Hayride of Horror possessed minimal special effects and a simplistic set design setup, but it was effective enough to give the scare actors something to play off of. Special shout-out to our personal hayride guide who helped narrate the show and provide some comedic relief in between scenes!
Eventually the hay wagon came to a halt at the entrance to the Trail of Terror. The entrance facade featured several numbered doorway options and guests were being split into small groups and sent on their way. Some of the doorways had chainsaw wielding spooks hiding behind them, which certainly started things off on a thrilling note. From there we embarked on a casual stroll through the woods and into massive junkyard and graveyard scenes. Tons of props, vehicles, and other large objects lined with pathways, leaving dark and well hidden holes for scare actors to lurk in. Unfortunately, most of the scare actors in these sections were easily spotted and failed to possess any form of creativeness in their skits. One section featured several scare actors shouting “Hello” and many others referred to classic “what are you doing here?” and “get out!” actor phrases! Again, the scenes encountered were simple in nature and featured little to no special effects or animatronics. In terms of scare factor, there were a ton of missed opportunities that the scare actors failed to capitalize on. Had these folks stayed tucked away and pounced on groups at just the right moment, they could’ve easily provided quite a few pop scares along the way. Shout-out to the zombies in the graveyard for sticking to their zombified characters and kindly left all of our appendages intact. As we neared the exit we to the Trail of Terror we were “oohing” and “aahing” over an elegant statue. Little did we know this statue was a live person, who quickly came to life to deliver a well executed startle! We eventually boarded the hay wagon again which would act as transportation to the Massacre Maize. We don’t want to completely spoil what happens next, but we suggest holding on tight as things get a bit electrifying on your journey to the Massacre Maize.
Next up we ventured through Massacre Maize, a large cornfield attraction. The large corn stalks towered above us making for a dark and eerie journey. We encountered several scenes along the way, nothing too eventful or memorable. Scare actors were sprinkled throughout the attraction, some within scenes while others were lurking in the corn. We’d definitely like to see the scare actors throughout the Massacre Maize possess a larger presence, as most were a bit lifeless, leaving us feeling underwhelmed. The Massacre Maize featured limited amounts of special effects, leaving the scare actors as the driving force behind providing a spooky fun journey. And unfortunately we didn’t feel like these folks rose to the challenge on the particular evening we visited.
To round out our evening we set forth for the Carnevil of Chaos. The Carnevil of Chaos resembled a wasteland style setup with a post apoplectic vibe. Things kicked off with a small pallet maze and a few spooks meandering about. Narrow snake-like passages were utilized for the remainder of the attraction. Unfortunately the Carnevil of Chaos was practically over before we truly felt it ever started, as it only took a few minutes to stroll through. Two highlights of the Carnevil of Chaos were the 12’ skeleton creature imposingly staring down on us and the stilted creature that came barreling at us to deliver one final scare.
As we exited the Carnevil of Chaos we embarked back towards the midway area at Farm of Horrors. Along the journey we encountered some furry friends in a small barnyard area. Eventually we stumbled upon a small country style store and at least half a dozen food trucks. Ample amounts of seating was available under a large pavilion. The various food trucks had carnival style favorites ranging from pizza to funnel cake and nearly anything else you could think of! Our squad snagged some munchies and took some time to converse about our experience.
Farm of Horrors easily provided 75 minutes of in attraction experience. Unfortunately the experience had its ups and downs, with the highlights of the night being the Hayride of Horror and Trail of Terror. We felt Massacre Maize and Carnevil of Chaos provided underwhelming experiences, primarily due to lackluster scare actor performances. Across the board, Farm of Horrors possesses an old school haunt style, featuring minimal amounts of special effects and animatronics, leaving the scare actors as the primary form of providing a frightfully fun experience! The cast and crew was a bit more interactive and energized along the Hayride of Horror and Trail of Terror, which made all the difference in providing a spooky fun experience. We observed other guests exiting the attractions throughout the night and it seemed as if most folks were enjoying themselves. Shrieks of fear could be heard echoing throughout the property. Although Farm of Horrors didn’t necessarily “wow” our squad, they still succeeded at providing a spooky fun experience that’s appropriate for the entire family. We wouldn’t necessarily recommend traveling a great distance to visit Farm of Horrors, but if you’re nearby the Flemington NJ area or are just looking for something new and different, swing by Farm of Horrors for a fun night of frights!
Individual Attraction Ratings:
Attraction Name: Hayride of Horror
Overall Attraction Rating: 7/10
Cast & Crew Rating: 7/10
Set Design & Special Effects Rating: 7/10
Scare/Thrill Factor Rating: 6/10
Attraction Name: Trail of Terror
Overall Attraction Rating: 6.5/10
Cast & Crew Rating: 6/10
Set Design & Special Effects Rating: 7.5/10
Scare/Thrill Factor Rating: 6/10
Attraction Name: Massacre Maize
Overall Attraction Rating: 5.5/10
Cast & Crew Rating: 5/10
Set Design & Special Effects Rating: 6/10
Scare/Thrill Factor Rating: 5/10
Attraction Name: CarnEvil of Chaos
Overall Attraction Rating: 5.5/10
Cast & Crew Rating: 5/10
Set Design & Special Effects Rating: 6/10
Scare/Thrill Factor Rating: 5/10
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