It’s that time of year again. 95 degree days, choking humidity, sunscreen and cold lemonade. Yup, that’s right…the dog days of summer! But don’t let the sweltering heat and merciless mosquitos get you down. It’s important that we all remember there are certain constants within our universe. And one of those constants, perhaps the most important, is that time waits for no one…or no season. Autumn, as they say, is right around the corner. And we all know what that means…

(Que scary music. Like maybe Thriller, or the theme song to Barney.)

Since we’ve all been stuck in our houses for the past four months, I thought it might be fun to start planning things to do when we can finally get back out. Now, I don’t know about you, but I’m thinking road trip. Just picture it: we have a full tank of gas, half a pack of cigarettes, it’s dark and we’re wearing sunglasses. Open highway. Petty on the radio, and kids fighting in the backseat. What could be better? Well, I’ll tell you…the only thing more fun than a road trip is a road trip to a haunted house! So let’s take a ride; first east, then north, in search of the Jersey Devil. Legend has it he can be found in a little town called Mullica Hill.

Every autumn, from late September until early November, darkness descends upon Creamy Acres Farm. For seventeen bone-chilling nights, zombies, ghouls, and, of course, the Jersey Devil himself stalk the farm, and haunt your dreams. Creamy Acres Night of Terror is celebrating their 25th anniversary this year, and 2020 is gearing up to be their best year yet!

Okay, commercials out of the way. I’m a huge fan of haunted attractions, and I’ve been to many over the years. There’s just something about having my disbelief suspended in such a fully-immersive way that allows me to enjoy an experience on a completely different level. And my very favoritest haunted attraction of all is Night of Terror. The farm is owned by the Ambrusters, a husband and wife duo who take their scares very seriously. Together with the team they employ to help bring their nightmares to life, they are the horror-elite. But don’t take my word for it. Newjerseyhauntedhouses.com named Night of Terror as one of the 10 best haunts of 2019. It has been ranked as the 2nd best place in the northeast to celebrate the Halloween season. Oh, and HGTV named Night of Terror one of the scariest haunted houses in the country.

Let’s start with the good: The haunt features three terrifying walk-throughs…the first of which is The Harvest. This part of the attraction includes swamps, cornfields and haunted school buses. And don’t be fooled if you’ve survived the Night of Terror before. The Harvest has been revamped in celebration of the 25th anniversary, and is sure to provide all new thrills and chills.

Next up is Dark Dreams. This walk-through is exactly what the name suggests: nightmare fuel, extracted from the deepest, darkest recesses of your imagination. Whatever you’re afraid of, it is awaiting you in Dark Dreams!

And the third walk-through? Well, it’s all new for this year. And for now, it’s a secret. But whatever it is, you can rest assured that it will test both your limits, and your boundaries!

Now on to the better: Night of Terror’s Haunted Paintball Hayride. Flesh-eating zombies have overrun the farm, and the Haunted Paintball Hayride is your best chance to survive the night! This is the most fun you’ll ever have on a hayride! All wagons are equipped with mounted paintball guns, which you will use to defend yourself against the advancing hordes of the undead! Aside from the live zombies, there are plenty of other targets for which to take aim. But don’t worry…these zombies don’t shoot back!

This brings us to the best…The Ride of Terror! This epic, award-winning 25 minute adventure is unlike any hayride you have ever been on. Between the amazing actors, the breath-taking animatronics and all of the other creatures of the night, you’ll quickly find that you’ve never had so much fun screaming! Add to that the theme park-quality props and special effects that rival Hollywood, and The Ride of Terror is just about the closest thing you’ll ever find to the perfect haunted hayride!

Night of Terror opens for the season on September 25th, and runs through November 7th. For more information, visit nightofterror.com. And be sure to stay tuned for next month. We’ll be continuing our haunted house road trips, and taking a ride to the steel city!

– Matt Young. Hashtag Lewisburg City Paper #125. August 2020.