By Saffia Tiba and Lia Bergin
The “Night Terrors” event at Wiard’s Orchard is a local Halloween attraction that offers three separate haunted houses (each with its own backstory) as well as a haunted hayride. We decided to review each house and rank them on a scale from 1 (not scary at all) to 5 (terrifying). To keep an even perspective on the level of terror for each house, one of the reviewers handles scary things well while the other cried three times during this experience.
Hayride of the Lost:
The hayride is perfect for those who want the experience of a haunted house, yet not the trauma. It is around 10 minutes long and, besides a couple of jumpscares, there isn’t anything truly frightening about this ride. After the hayride, Wiard’s Orchard also provides free donuts and cider. Although the hayride was enjoyable, it is more expensive than a single ticket for one of the haunted houses; a ticket for the hayride costs $20, while the haunted house is $18.
OVERALL: 4 ghosts
Mined Shaft:
The Mined Shaft’s backstory of a fatal mining accident turned out to be more memorable than the haunted house itself. The beginning of the house starts with an actor calling out a group member’s name. That is the most eventful thing to happen for the duration of the house. This house is not worth the $18 charge.
OVERALL: 1 ghost
Alien Clownhouse:
This house is on the scarier side compared to the Mined Shaft or the hayride. It definitely plays into clown fears that many people have; the actors are dressed up as scary alien clowns and depicted as rabid, with some in cages. Even though some of the clowns were behind bars, the dense fog throughout the house make it seem like the clowns could pop up out of nowhere. Yet, although some moments were scary, there is a limited amount that one can do with the premise of alien clowns. As the house goes on, the jumpscares of the scary clowns get a bit predictable.
OVERALL: 3.5 ghosts
Asylum:
Out of all the houses, the Asylum is by the far the scariest, as well as the most interactive. There is a room that is entirely filled with fog and it requires people to feel around on the floor or walls to get through. There are moments when people crawl through tight spaces (common sense side note: never go to a haunted house if you have intense claustrophobia; it will not end well) and long periods of silence so that, when the actors do jump out, it is completely unexpected. This is the house where people are most likely to run out screaming or crying. We were no exception.
OVERALL: 5 ghosts
Here’s what we’ve learned: Don’t waste your money going into all of the houses. Wiard’s has many other fun activities to do during the Night Terrors event (like free karaoke or a baked goods store) so spending $60 for the full package is not worth it. Each of the Night Terrors’ houses, although not being the scariest haunted houses in Michigan, are still quite enjoyable with friends or family. Since the fright level of each haunted house varies, nearly everyone can find one haunted event to go to and have a great time.
The “Night Terrors” event at Wiard’s Orchard is a local Halloween attraction that offers three separate haunted houses (each with its own backstory) as well as a haunted hayride. We decided to review each house and rank them on a scale from 1 (not scary at all) to 5 (terrifying). To keep an even perspective on the level of terror for each house, one of the reviewers handles scary things well while the other cried three times during this experience.
Hayride of the Lost:
The hayride is perfect for those who want the experience of a haunted house, yet not the trauma. It is around 10 minutes long and, besides a couple of jumpscares, there isn’t anything truly frightening about this ride. After the hayride, Wiard’s Orchard also provides free donuts and cider. Although the hayride was enjoyable, it is more expensive than a single ticket for one of the haunted houses; a ticket for the hayride costs $20, while the haunted house is $18.
OVERALL: 4 ghosts
Mined Shaft:
The Mined Shaft’s backstory of a fatal mining accident turned out to be more memorable than the haunted house itself. The beginning of the house starts with an actor calling out a group member’s name. That is the most eventful thing to happen for the duration of the house. This house is not worth the $18 charge.
OVERALL: 1 ghost
Alien Clownhouse:
This house is on the scarier side compared to the Mined Shaft or the hayride. It definitely plays into clown fears that many people have; the actors are dressed up as scary alien clowns and depicted as rabid, with some in cages. Even though some of the clowns were behind bars, the dense fog throughout the house make it seem like the clowns could pop up out of nowhere. Yet, although some moments were scary, there is a limited amount that one can do with the premise of alien clowns. As the house goes on, the jumpscares of the scary clowns get a bit predictable.
OVERALL: 3.5 ghosts
Asylum:
Out of all the houses, the Asylum is by the far the scariest, as well as the most interactive. There is a room that is entirely filled with fog and it requires people to feel around on the floor or walls to get through. There are moments when people crawl through tight spaces (common sense side note: never go to a haunted house if you have intense claustrophobia; it will not end well) and long periods of silence so that, when the actors do jump out, it is completely unexpected. This is the house where people are most likely to run out screaming or crying. We were no exception.
OVERALL: 5 ghosts
Here’s what we’ve learned: Don’t waste your money going into all of the houses. Wiard’s has many other fun activities to do during the Night Terrors event (like free karaoke or a baked goods store) so spending $60 for the full package is not worth it. Each of the Night Terrors’ houses, although not being the scariest haunted houses in Michigan, are still quite enjoyable with friends or family. Since the fright level of each haunted house varies, nearly everyone can find one haunted event to go to and have a great time.