Vickie PapageorgeOctober is the perfect time of the year to seek fun and thrills in the spirit of Halloween. But what if the fun and thrills become real fear followed by real discomfort?
That’s just what happened at the Valley of Fear in Feasterville, Pa. on Friday, Oct.12. I went to the Valley of Fear expecting a great time and maybe some fun thrills but what I really got was nothing of the sort.
A night at the Valley of Fear, which includes the hayride, two haunted houses and a walk through the Valley of Fear itself, will cost $31 per person. The price is a little steep but I figured it would all be worth the cost.
The first attraction we decided to go to was the hayride, which was about a 20-minute wait. The hayride was cramped and nothing more than a small covering of hay on top of a hardwood floor.
The ride started out scary enough with a few “ghouls” popping out and a convincing witch that guided us on our journey. However the sight of the driver smoking a cigarette just a few feet away from the pile of hay behind him was the scariest part of the ride.
Just before the ride was over, piles of a foam-like substance began to pour all over the riders. Those on the ride seeking thrills were then granted their wish when they could not see and were swallowing the foreign substance at an alarming rate. A cry from a child “Mommy, I can’t breathe,” could be heard over the shrieks of the passengers who managed to fall off of the hayride in an attempt to rid themselves of the foam.
At this point I attempted to take a picture and was told by an employee that I would be removed from the premises if I took a picture. I then requested a towel for my shivering girlfriend and was told she could “use the toilet paper in the porta-potty.”
The rest of the crew and I then waited, shivering in the cold night, for the two haunted houses. The wait for these houses was about an hour and the actual visit in the house lasted no more than five minutes. A few ghouls popped out to scare us but other then that it was a little disappointing.
Lastly, we ventured on the famed Valley of Fear. There was no wait to get into the Valley of Fear and the people working there were very convincing and never broke character. It was completely dark and it seemed that people were jumping out and scaring you left and right. A man carrying a chain saw and another “creature” who appeared to be on stilts highlighted the walk.
Overall, the Valley of Fear was not worth the wait nor was it worth the money. The reaction of the employees to the guest’s concerns was disappointing and showed a lack of a commitment to quality. Perhaps the Valley of Fear should spend less time covering their guests in suspicious foam and more time listening to their comments and concerns, maybe then the Valley of Fear would be worth another visit.
