Brimstone Haunt 2020: What to expect at haunted attraction during pandemic

As many local haunted house experts know, the Brimstone Haunt was originally the Springboro Haunted Hayride, which began in 1987. Four years ago, the Ohio Renaissance purchased the hayride, relocated it near the Renaissance grounds in Wilmington, and almost immediately added the Forgotten Forest. The Zombie Assault and Psychosis attractions were added in 2019.

Brimstone Haunt will open for another season of scares — this year from a distance — on Sept. 25.

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Credit: JRDEE2

Credit: JRDEE2

The Attractions

The four attractions possess varying degrees of “scarification.”

Haunted Hayride 💀💀

This hayride takes you through a once-prosperous family farm that now has curses and horrors lurking in the corn.

Scare factor: 2 skulls out of 5. Suggested age: 8+

Zombie Assault 💀💀💀

Board an armored bus with your fellow survivors and a protective assault team. The bus will barrel its way through a zombie-infested hellscape in hopes you will reach a small refugee camp and safety. This is a simulator with virtual scares. Will you survive the zombie apocalypse?

Scare factor 3 skulls out of 5. Suggested age: 10+

The Forgotten Forest 💀💀💀💀

This is no ordinary walk in the woods. You and your fellow explorers will enter the Forgotten Forest to discover the cause of the unnatural events that occur there.

Scare factor: 4 skulls out of 5. Suggested age: 13+

Psychosis 💀💀💀💀💀

Enter a dark maze where monsters lurk around every corner. It’s hard to find the way out when something is always leaping out to kill you.

Scare factor: 5 skulls out of 5. Suggested age: 13+

Credit: JRDEE2

Why Go? “Each attraction is unique and separate from the others. I also think you have a certain atmosphere in outdoor haunts that’s hard to recreate inside. We start planning in January, and then start building in March, making homegrown special effects and great costumes. We typically change scenes out every three years,” General Manager Brandon Moore said.

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Best Time to Go? “I would come as early as possible and early in the season,” Moore said. “By mid-October, there are going to be waits. If you can’t make it until then, but hate waiting, then you should get a fast pass.”

COVID Restrictions? All guests will be required to wear masks whenever inside a structure or in any situation where social distancing is not possible. (Employees will always wear masks and will have temperature checks every time they go to a scene). Hand sanitizers will be placed at multiple convenient locations throughout. Queue lines will be socially distanced. There will be ground markings for this purpose as well. There will also be increased times between groups entering each attraction.

Places to Eat Nearby: “There’s a restaurant on the Ohio Renaissance grounds called the 1572 Roadhouse BBQ,” he said. “There are also restaurants in Wilmington and Waynesville, and lots of places off I-71 near our exit. We’re not as far off (the beaten path) as people think.”