Saunders Farm’s Fright Fest

As Halloween approached, spookiness was in the air. What better way to partake in the spookiness than to go to Saunders Farm?

Each year at Saunders Farm, the company creates a park-wide Halloween scare-fest. There is everything to do from pumpkin picking to a haunted hayride, and it’s great for all ages. If you want a more relaxing and kid-friendly environment, we suggest that you visit Saunders Farm during the day. At night, however, the company turns up the fear with a night-only event called Fright Fest. During Fright Fest, the activities become more intense, as the park adds more actors and special effects. They also open up attractions that are closed during the day as they would most likely traumatize smaller children. Follow me and explore one of the most popular Halloween attractions in the Ottawa area…..

For this review, I will be using a Fear Scale to rate each attraction. It can go from one to five (five being too scared to finish the experience and one being texting while walking/riding through).

When you first arrive in the park, you are right in front of the Barn of Terror. This is a mildly frightening walk-through, as there are loud noises and a couple of jump scares. From my experience, this is a very well-designed attraction. There are plenty of twists and turns, which build suspense for a jump scare. The actors do a terrific job of playing their roles, and they can make you believe that they really are monsters. On top of that, there are plenty of special effects. There is an animatronic (robot) as well as loud bangs and hisses. There is also a point in the barn where a large amount of pressurized air was released which is loud enough to stop you in your tracks. Personally, I would rate this a two out of five on the Fear Scale as you do want to look around as you are walking through, but you can talk to your friends/family at the same time.

Next up is the Cemetery Scare Zone. I am going to cut to the chase by rating this a one out of five on the Fear Scale, as this is a more-or-less rendezvous point to meet up with people, with a few actors walking around to make it a bit interesting. There is a stage surrounded by benches where you can eat, plus, there are periodic puppet shows for younger children.

From there, you arrive at The Coven - a witches in the woods - themed attraction. This is the first seriously scary attraction that you will come across at Saunders Farm. It is one of the most extensive walk-throughs in the park with multiple bridges, paths, and even a house! There are a large number of actors and actresses in The Coven - all in costume and all wearing makeup. Screaming plays a large part in The Coven. The employees are known to scream right in your face as you are walking past, and even chase you while doing so. I would rate The Coven a four out of five on the Fear Scale, as there are moments where you feel like turning around and running.

As you continue further into the park, you will come across the Haunted Hayride. It is near the back of the park, so it is around a 5-8 minute walk. This is a ride where you sit in a big cart at the back of a tractor and the driver takes you through multiple paths that wind their way past the back of the park. On these paths, there are a lot of actors and actresses as well as sets that you pass by or even stop in front of. The ride is bumpy, so make sure that you aren’t holding an open cup of coffee or your phone. Positioning is important on this ride. If you are near the front of the cart (closer to the tractor), then the ride will be less scary, as all of the sets and actors/actresses focus on the back of the cart where they are the most visible. Therefore, if you sit in the back, you are closer to the “action” if you will, and will be more scared. I would rate this a 2-3 on the Fear Scale depending on where you are sitting in the cart.

Finally, next to the Haunted Hayride is the scariest attraction in the whole park. It is called Shambles. It is a “slaughterhouse” with mutated pig-people. Similar to The Coven, it is a walk-through that winds its way down a hill and back up again with multiple chases and jump scares. There is a large portion of the attraction where you are in a room made of multiple cargo containers with pig blood (fake) on the walls, smoke everywhere and strobing lights. To add to that, in this room, there are jump scares with chainsaws, making this a room from your worst nightmare. I would be lying if I said I wasn’t scared during this walk-through. I would rate this about a 4.5 out of 5 on the Fear Scale because without my friends, I wouldn't have been able to finish it.

Although Fright Fest has closed for the season, I plan on buying my tickets early next year so that I can see what they have up their sleeves.