The Freaks Come Out at Night
As the seasons change, and the warm summer breeze turns into a chilly fall wind, many traditions are enacted. In my hometown of Wallingford there are many fall traditions, such as raking leaves, dressing up for Halloween. The most enjoyable and most popular traditions are the many attractions that take place at Arasapha Farms in Glen Mills Pa. Arasapha is a farm that holds many attractions that are Halloween themed. Some examples of these are the Haunted Motel, an extreme Haunted Hayride, and to finish out the excitement the Haunted Maze. All of these attractions put together create quite a fun night for the whole family. This past weekend I made the trip to Arasapha to experience these scares once again.
My family and I have been going to Arasapha for many years; I can remember the Haunted Hayride scaring my pants off as a child. This is because at Arasapha they do not go lightly on the scares. The rides and attractions there are renowned for the depth that they carry. Meaning that you are not only scared once, twice, or three times when you attend. The farm is filled with many trained actors who are professionals in the art of fear. The makeup that the actors wear is topped by no one, also the little features that go into the facial expressions, and the time put into the makeup truly pays off in the end.
When I was approaching Arasapha many memories accompanied, as I finally felt that it was spring. As soon as I paid my admission I sprinted towards the line for the Haunted Hayride. This is the most famous event as the Hayride has been around for more than 20 years and it has the most tradition at Arasapha. This Haunted Hayride is no normal Hayride, as the caution sign says when you are entering the line for the ride. The ride is a fairly long one compared to the other ones that I have been on in my life. As a passenger you are not comfortable for one minute during the scary adventure. The many actors hired by Arasapha walk alongside the hayride doing their best impersonations of zombies, ghosts, and the walking dead. The aspect of the hayride that puts it over the top is the many different props put into the rides landscape and the special effects surrounding it. For example the actors surrounding the ride are equipped with fake chain saws that sound like they could slice through a tree. Fake machetes are wielded around by the actors like they are insane killers on the loose. The special effects are amazing as well. There are many gigantic horned animals as well as flying flames and dressed up figures that pop out when the rider least expects it. Overall the Hayride is the best experience at Arasapha and the tradition that goes along with it will only become more storied by the years.
After my lungs were warmed up to screaming I made my way towards the scariest attraction at Arasapha. This is the world famous Haunted Motel. When you walk into the hotel you instantly feel as if you were transported into a scene in a horror movie. This is no exaggeration as there is a great amount of time put into the surroundings and props. The actors that I spoke of before are even more prevalent in the motel scene. The actors are placed strategically in the Motel to produce the maximum amount of scream from the “guests”. They often reach out and grab the guest which increases the potential for scare exponentially. I have been coming to Arasapha for many years, and I am still amazed at all the different additions that are made to the motel annually, one thing is for sure that I never know what to expect when I make my entrance. The motel has made many appearances in magazines that rave about how epic the Motel truly is. Horrifique magazine said of the Motel “The actors are engaged, and seem to be genuinely enjoying playing their trade. They are eager for the scares, and will follow out of their designated territories.” (Horrifique) As you exit the motel and take a breather on the bench outside the motel you get a little bit of laughter. This is because you get to see an array of people running out of the motel to an accompaniment of screams. This is a nice ending to such a tense adventure.
The scariest Motel you will ever check into.
I ended my night with a nice walk through the Haunted Corn Maze. As so I thought, as a corn maze seemed innocent on the outset. Boy was I wrong. The corn maze was a scary adventure to say the least, but in this instance you had to use your mind to find your way through the dead ends of the corn maze while avoiding the many ghouls that pop out of the corn. This event was fun though and was geared towards a family atmosphere that the Motel lacked. This was a nice ending to the night as it was entertaining but had a milder atmosphere than the hayride and the Motel.
Overall I had a wonderful time at Arasapha Farms, and it was another year of keeping up the tradition. I am grateful that I have access to such a wonderful event that is so close to my home. As the years go by I will pass this tradition down to my children who can then enjoy it just as much as I have throughout the years. To view more information on the event and to purchase tickets and view videos and photos go to thebatesmotel.com/ .
