Cedar Hill Farm - Trail of Terror

Haunt: Cedar Hill's Farm
Address: 008 Love Road; Hernando, MS 38632
Price: $10 for the trail of terror, $9 for the haunted hayride, $7 corn maze, and $1 black hole, or $20 combo pack for all 4.
Dates Open: October 9th, 10th, 16th, 17th, 23rd, 24th, 30th & 31st; 6:00 p.m. - 10:00 p.m.

Category

Skulls

Notes
First Impression Cedar Hill Farm has an advantage over other haunt locations due to the other fall and halloween events they hold. The large market area full of different sized pumpkins immediately dominates your attention and gets you in the spirit. Nearby firepits with groups gathered around them also help to set the mood. (The fire areas can actually be rented for the night if you'd like to take a group and give yourself a "base camp" to attend the other events, and perhaps sit around and tell ghost stories.) The location also has the advantage of being the only haunt with public restrooms (not port-a-potties), as well as a full restaurant and store. The atmosphere is somewhat reminiscent of a fall fair as much as a haunted event.

The trail of terror itself is away from the main gathering area. You can see it in the distance through the trees along the hillside, marked by orange lights along the trail. It's actually a bit ominous and a nice visual. The beginning of the trail is also marked by a campfire, which you take a walk accross an open field to get to.
Actors As a common issue I've seen with haunted trails, the actors are fairly thinly spread out, leaving a lot of dead time between scenes. Most actors are stationed at scenes, where you can expect to see them, with a few actors hidden along the trail between scenes.

Although there seemed to be a few veterans among the actors, if I had to guess, I'd say that most seemed to be new to haunting, as they didn't have a firm grasp of scare timing and techniques. There wasn't much dialogue, and some of what there was really seemed more like the actors were scared than the patrons. Hopefully these are some skills that will improve as the season progresses. Unlike what I've seen with opening weekend on some other events, there didn't seem to be as much energy behind the actors either.
Audio/Sensory Although I'm a huge fan of the natural sounds of the wind through the trees as a setting, there wasn't really much of anything else for sensory input. The only sounds included are actor scares, and there isn't really a use of smells or touch througout the trail.
Special Effects The trail doesn't really make use of special effects, relying just on the actors for the entertainment and scares. Although there are preset scenes, they don't really make much use of effects.
Theming and Storyline The trail is really a series of random scenes, and doesn't carry a theme or storyline throughout the attraction.
Fright Factor The Trail of Terror is an average haunt when it comes to scares. There are a few startles that will catch people by surprise, and a couple of the actors do a good job going beyond that for scares. The fact that it's in the woods, giving it a naturally creepy atmosphere just adds to the scare factor. I actually think the choice of lighting also gives the trail a bit of a sinister feel.
Gore Factor This haunted attraction does not make use of gore, and doesn't contain adult themes. It is recommended as a family event, and for those who don't want to jump right into more intense events.
Value At $10, this attraction is in the middle price point for area haunts. It is made up of 7 scenes including an asylum, a graveyard, a hall of masks, and a rather impressive collection of jack-o-lanterns. The scenes are separated by sections of trail lit by orange lights. Walking the entire trail takes about 15-20 mintues of time, which I'd consider about right for the price point.
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