It’s Time to return to the forest, where all new terrors lurk in the moonlit shadows – brought to life by team of monsters ready to go the extra mile to give us some safe, clean Halloween fun!
In its ’13th Year of Fear,’ A Petrified Forest is an event that runs eleven select nights between October 15-31, 2020, every Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, and Saturday including Halloween night itself. A Petrified Forest features three different haunted trails, as well as occasional entertainment and roaming monsters in a very “Northeastern Fall Festival” flavored atmosphere brought to the heart of Central Florida.
Note that while there is no parking available at the venue, A Petrified Forest has partnered with several neighboring businesses to offer free use of their lots on event nights. This year, to promote physical distancing, A Petrified Forest’s famed Terror Trolley will not be offered. However, ample parking is available anywhere marked with a purple car icon on the map below, all within a quick walk of the venue. Unfortunately, this year due to time constraints, both Special Needs Night and Total Eclipse nights have been temporarily discontinued, although both are expected to return in time for the 2021 season.
Dark Forest
Deep in the unexplored wilderness, lies a patch of horrifying woods that hides timeless darkness. Moments of terror and pain throughout history are curated here, preserved as a macabre collection. Try to maintain your footing as you journey past primordial creatures, bloodcurdling monsters, and a depraved sorceress that will attempt to make you part of the disturbing display here in the Dark Forest.
A leisurely stroll through the woods can be relaxing – unless, of course, that stroll happens to be in the pitch darkness of night, and those woods happen to be, you know, entirely cursed. Dark Forest takes everything that’s made A Petrified Forest unique throughout the years and cranks it up to eleven.
A sinister medieval flare makes the perfect home for The Witch, one of the icons of 13 Years of Fear. A crumbling, castle-like stone façade marks entry into the Dark Forest. Overtaken with vines, it becomes clear that the forest itself is in control of this land. Occasionally, a dragon bursts through the wall in a cloud of smoky fog, no doubt acting as a guardian of the Dark Forest’s mystical inhabitants.
As the old wooden doors creak open, fractals of light shimmer through their stained glass windows. On the other side, the darkness is all-consuming. A swirling green portal transports fool-hearty explorers into another world – a world of danger and mystical forces – into the Dark Forest.
The path through the forest is constantly winding, creating a very real sense of disorientation. It’s impossible to not get that classic “lost in the woods” feeling very quickly here. The constant howling of distant wolves is enough to put even the bravest explorers on edge. Low hanging branches, dripping with Spanish moss create overhead obstructions that must be ducked and dodged – oftentimes forcing explorers to walk directly into a trap perfectly laid for an effective scare. Sometimes, those traps may fall far more literally than others, momentarily capturing explorers and creating a tangible sense of the survival instinct needed to escape the Dark Forest.
The woods, rock canyons and glowing swamps of the Dark Forest are full of mystical creatures – and none of them are pleased to find trespassers afoot. Trolls lurk under bridges, beasts hide within the roots of massive tree trunks and normally friendly goat-like satyrs run across rocky ledges seeming anything but playful. Dark Forest is full of many elevated suspension bridges that creatures cross frequently to create a strong sense that they’re simply everywhere. Sometimes, they stop for a scare – but it’s perhaps even more impactful when they simply pass by, almost as if they hadn’t noticed the trespassers below. But most dramatic of all – some of the Dark Forests inhabitants don’t need those bridges to begin with; instead, they quite literally float through the air above, traversing the space via well-hidden ziplines in the woods.
A trek through the Dark Forest feels like a lengthy journey, taking explorers through a haunt that just keeps going and going. Best of all, this highly immersive experience is ominous, dark and at times, genuinely scary – making for what might just be A Petrified Forest’s best trail to date.
Curious Carnival
If you can say “Who doesn’t love a carnival?” then you’ve clearly never been trapped inside one by The Ringmaster, alone, left to run for your life. But, that won’t stop curiosity from drawing in thrill seekers from near and far. Framed by the façade of this Curious Carnival’s Haunted House, its exterior is intentionally cheesy, evoking memories of low-rent spook houses found at the traveling shows of years gone by.
Once inside, the ride itself awaits; literally. An actual fully functioning dark ride car travels along a warped, looping track, still carrying its last passenger – or his skeletal remains, anyway. Following an evacuation route along the track’s perimeter, the net barrier will do little to keep carnival-goers safe from the ride’s animatronic characters who have seemingly come very much to life.
The next attraction at the carnival doesn’t even have a line. A classic hall of mirrors takes on a far more sinister tone, as demented clowns stalk passers by through the warped glass. It becomes easy to wonder which are threats, and which are simply your own reflection.
And what would a carnival be without games? Sure, they’re always probably rigged – but this time, it should be of much greater concern that they might also be deadly. From the classic ring toss to knocking down the fuzzy guys there’s plenty of opportunities to be ripped off by these carnies, before they chase you into the darkness.
And speaking of those dirty carnies, they truly steal the Greatest Show on Earth with their highly immersive interactions. Staying entirely in character at all times, they live their roles in a most believable way, be it barking for players at a would-be game, inviting thrill seekers to ride the malfunctioning ferris wheel of giving personalized future readings (as usual, mine was bleak.)
The Fun House is a must see attraction – if not because it’s the only way out. Behind its chilling clown-faced façade hides some delightful physical surprises. Beyond it, back outside, the woods become much darker. The remnants of freak show wagons sit parked in a circle – seemingly serving as the home of the transient tricksters who remain on staff. They ran away to join the circus – and now make it their goal that no one will be able to run away from it.
Camp Carver
A rustic wooden gateway transports campers not just to their summer getaway, but seemingly back in time to the 1970s. Camp Carver would be a great place to send the kids for some active fun while school is out – if it weren’t for the whole legend of the Disco Slasher, that is.
Although officially, counselors insist that the Disco Slasher isn’t real, long-term campers tell a very different story. They claim he’s a madman with hip, long hair, rocking a white pressed-velvet, suit complete with bellbottoms dripping with blood. As the legend goes, he stalks the camp after dark, using his bedazzled chainsaw to hack apart campers. But that’s just an old campfire story.
A visit to Camp Carver begins in the recreation hall, where an overwhelmed counselor is trying to manage both the current crop of kids, as well as the influx of hundreds of new campers arriving to check in. The counselor, wearing a microphone, addresses campers with an attempted sense of authority – but does little to manage to control them now that their parents have left. She instructs newcomers personally to go to their bunks and get ready for this evening’s costume contest, adding a strangely urgent and seemingly out of place warning to avoid the drive-in movie theater at all costs.
The counselor is the first of several highly interactive characters to be encountered throughout Camp Caver, and serves as a sign of just how immersive this haunt will be, right from the start. In the bunks, two female residents completely disregard the arrival of new campers as they argue about what costumes will work best for this evening’s contest. Their incessant bickering can be heard continuing even after passing campers leave the cabin and move on toward the mess hall (where naturally, it’s sloppy joe night!)
Back into the woods, campers may catch their first glimpse of the Disco Slasher in the sequined flesh, before being guided back on track by some concerned kids doomed to spend their summer here too. The path ultimately leads to a fork in the woods, and a choice. Go left and return back to camp, or go right and venture through the creepy woods to the old drive-in theater. Remembering the stern warnings from our counselor, but also fully recognizing that despite our site name, we have a problem following the lead of authority, naturally, we turn right.
The drive-in is a massive, jaw-dropping scene that unfolds in a clearing in the woods. Front and center, a large screen plays coming attractions and classic advertisements to visit the concession stand. Multiple rusted out old cars sit seemingly abandoned around the screen, their views of the movie somewhat obstructed by the branches of surrounding trees which are actively overtaking the space. And of course, like in a classic horror movie befitting that screen itself, all hell breaks loose forcing campers back deeper into the woods.
On the other side of the clearing, the forest is much darker than before – a noticeable shift in tone that creates a chilling and foreboding sense of things to come. A bumbling counselor, searching the woods with a flashlight, chastises campers for breaking the buddy system by going to the movie. But despite this well-placed moment of comic relief, the Disco Slasher guarantees this campfire story ends with anything but laughs.
This is not one of our typical Haunt review sections, but we feel that it’s critically important to address during the 2020 Halloween Season. We understand that a lot of you are still nervous about venturing out this fall, and may have questions about what venues are doing to keep you and your loved ones safe. It is our hope that we can assuage some of those very valid fears in our Health & Safety section of each Haunt Review.
Of everywhere we’ve visited this season, A Petrified Forest sets the standard for Haunted Attraction Health & Safety practices. Quite simply, they do everything the right way, with evident care for both their guests as well as their staff.
Upon arrival to the event, all guests receive a quick, easy laser-read forehead temperature scan. Anyone with a temperature reading 100.4° F or higher will not be allowed entry. The first of many complimentary hand sanitizing stations is at the end of the admission queue, just before guests reach the box office.
Timed entry windows, offering limited event admission every fifteen minutes, allows A Petrified Forest to retain complete control over the flow of event guests, ensuring that at no point will there be bottlenecks or backed up queues. With that implementation, this uniquely modified flow allows for the removal of individual haunt queues. Instead, each of the three trails is daisy-chained together, with the first exiting directly to the entrance of the second, and the second straight into the third. This means that guests only need to wait one time to experience all three distinctly unique attractions.
Although the queues through the grass and natural dirt don’t exactly create an opportunity to place physical distancing markers on the ground, ample amounts of active, attentive operations staff are omnipresent. It is their role to keep a watchful eye on every corner of the line, encouraging each and every guest to maintain at least six feet of physical distancing at all times.
It is this same operations team that deserves a significant amount of credit – and thanks – for making A Petrified Forest the safest place to visit in Central Florida this spooky season. Each and every team member we passed, from the security and temperature check, to the box office, to the queue entrance and starting point of each trail greeted us personally. With it, they gave a kind, welcoming reminder that masks are to be worn over the nose and mouth at all times, and that maintaining a distance of at least six feet from other parties is always required. What we most appreciated is how these rules were presented in such a warm, compassionate manner. It’s impossible not to recognize that A Petrified Forest has put them in place to keep each and every one of us as safe as possible this year.
At the entry to each trail, another helpful team member will squirt sanitizer onto every guests’ hands. While it’s requested that guests not touch the props within, taking this extra step guarantees that if they do, it will always be with freshly sanitized fingers. Best of all, in a move that further enhances both the experience itself and Health & Safety, guests will enter each trail with only their own private group. And yes – that means if you’re traveling solo for the evening, you get to experience three epic haunted houses alone.
We stand up and applaud A Petrified Forest for their obvious care to providing a safe, fun environment during these uncertain times. Simply put, when it comes to Health & Safety, there’s nothing they could have done any better.
This year, every guest who visits A Petrified Forest is able to experience all three trails – and best of all – they need only wait in one single, quick moving, safely distanced line to do so. This instantly adds value over prior years where experiencing every haunt garnered a higher ticket price. But there’s no question that the best value of all comes from the private, intimate, boutique haunt-flavored experience that accompanies these new Health & Safety requirements. This is a rare chance to have private experiences in some of the area’s very best Halloween attractions!
For nearly fifteen years, A Petrified Forest has been a hidden gem in Central Florida’s haunt scene. With its trails almost exclusively outdoors, through the the actual over-grown woods, there’s something visceral about this experience that makes it more than a little bit unique. There’s an aura about A Petrified Forest that’s just distinctly different from other haunts. It’s very homemade – in the best possible way – not as a slight to its quality, but as a compliment to the clear passion behind its crew. We have great respect for the fact that this venue actually has deep roots to a time when it actually was a home haunt, free for the neighborhood at the owners’ residence nearby.
The forest setting this event embraces is very real – and from the moment you step between the trees you become instantly lost. You won’t be seeing any surrounding buildings or roads. There are no passing cars. More importantly, there’s none of the endless, crowded conga lines of people found at the big theme park haunts. Here, it’s just you in the middle of the woods, in the middle of the night, and what results is a genuine sense of vulnerability.
But A Petrified Forest is far from a low-tech affair. There’s some truly clever things hidden in those woods. At times, you may even find actors swinging towards you down zipline-like cables, allowing the scares to come from all sides and above. The cast goes the extra mile to stay in character, and while some certainly rely on the more clichéd “boo!” scares, this year more than ever, many embrace their roles and interact on a personal level, delivering themed dialogue that draws guests even deeper into their wicked world.
Another rather unique feature is the nightly ability to purchase (for a very low price) a Backstage Tour. On it, a member of A Petrified Forest’s team will guide you behind the scenes of both houses, have a private Q&A session with a monster and hear stories of not only how the effects and scares are achieved, but also on the history of the event as a whole. But without question, the highlight for most will be the opportunity to actually become a scareactor. After some brief training and safety rules are addressed, Backstage Tour guests are allowed to actually be placed in one of the three haunts and given the opportunity to scare other paying guests as they pass by!
The “hometown feeling” this event creates makes it easy to understand how A Petrified Forest has been lurking in the Central Florida woods for so many years. The intimate nature of the haunts creates a mood difficult to find elsewhere, and their forest setting alone is guaranteed to plant a seed sure to grow into a favorite Halloween tradition. Over the years, we’ve witnessed A Petrified Forest sprout rapidly in the quality of its presentation. This year, such great attention has been given to its stories, allowing for deeply personalized, highly immersive interactions. A Petrified Forest is no longer “that really good home made haunt.” Make no mistake, this year, it’s Central Florida’s headlining Halloween attraction. If you’ve not visited A Petrified Forest in the past, this is not just an event marketing tagline; It’s Time.
You can find an extended photo gallery from our night at A Petrified Forest in this exclusive album on the Escape Authority Facebook page! While there, why not give us a “LIKE” if you haven’t already? We’ll give you candy!
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Venue: A Petrified Forest
Location: Altamonte Springs, FL
Dates: Select Nights October 15-31, 2020
Hours: 7:15 pm – 10:30 pm (ticket booths) with haunts closing at 11 pm. (Timed entry slots range every 15 minutes.)
Cost: $27 per person for one entry to each of the three trails / $39 for VIP admission including Backstage Tour. (*Note that on-site ticket booths are cash only, though an ATM is available.)
We thank A Petrified Forest for inviting us to experience this haunt. Although complimentary admission was generously provided, that in no way impacts the opinion included within this review.