The Agricenter Haunted Hay Ride Review

Haunt: The Agricenter
Address: 7777 Walnut Grove Road, Memphis, TN 38120
Price: $5
Dates Open: Fridays and Saturdays in October, 7pm-10pm

Category

Skulls

Notes
First Impression I headed for the Hay Ride after exiting the Corn Maze. The crowd was still pretty good, although it seemed thinned out from what it had been closer to opening. The hay ride had no wait time when I got on, and I was lucky enough to arrive at boarding time. The fair-like atmosphere was still there, with the Hay Ride at the edge of the event.

Actors Unlike in the Corn Maze, actors seemed a bit scarce on the Hay Ride. The few actors you encounter don't have much impact due to them being so much lower down than the audience. Only when an actor actually steps onto the wagon do you take much note of them. The are mostly almost gone by the time you see them. The actors really need to be higher up to pose a credible threat to the audience and give a scare.
Audio/Sensory The music from the Corn Maze quickly fades into the distance and is replaced by the low hum of the tractor engine pulling the trailer. Other than the talking of other patrons and a couple of shrieks from actors, that's about all the sound you'll get during the hay ride. There was no mood setting, no sound effects, or any use of senses to enhance the attraction.
Special Effects There really was no use of effects during this event.
Theming and Storyline There is no unifying theme during the Hayride. There are a few isolated scares along the ride with nothing tying them together.
Fright Factor This attraction was very tame by any standards. The wagon provides a protective environment for the audience, with the scares all at a distance and low enough from the ride, they don't prove to be a threat. The only real scare was when a haunter boarded the ride, and that was mostly only effective against the small children on board. You should be able to take children on this attraction without much worry at all of it being too scary.
Gore Factor If one skull wasn't the bottom of the scale, I'd have probably given zero here. There was no gore to speak of.
Value Although this attraction is the lowest price point of anything I'll be reviewing this season, I can't say it's a great value. The ride is fairly short, and with the lack of scenes, effects, and scares there isn't a lot to it. It is almost a relaxing non-haunted ride and holds some value as such. If you are looking for something to introduce your kids to halloween without scaring them too much, this might be the right attraction however, since family friendly halloween events are somewhat lacking in the area.
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