By Grant Duvall, with photos by Ellie Logan
On Sunday, December 8th, Ellie and I had the privilege of returning to Sir Henry's Haunted Christmas. Collectively, we have gone over the last few years and watched this grow bigger and bigger. When we got the invitation, we bit at the chance, knowing that we would be in for a major treat! What would this year's edition bring?
The format has stayed the same, with two haunted trails and a hay ride (the hay ride was added last year). However, a big change we noticed was how much more interactive the haunts were. Sir Henry's has always had a much more interactive element than most other haunts. Normally, scare actors would talk to us for a second and then move on.
At this edition of Sir Henry's Haunt Christmas, the characters talked to us for longer, even in the mazes! When we went on the hay ride (more on that later), one of them even sat next to Ellie for several minutes, providing commentary.
While we were in the haunts, characters would ask us if we had seen other creatures and would ask us, "Have we been naughty or nice?" In the main hub, creatures of the night, particularly the evil gingerbread man Jimmy and the Yule Cat, would hang out for several minutes. This is an interaction that you cannot get anywhere else.
The first haunt that we did was Silent Knives, which involved carolers "singing" intentionally awfully and encouraged us to sing "Silent Night" so we wouldn't get killed. We joined in in a few spots and found that to be a really fun aspect. The actors did very well, and Ellie even screamed a few times! Another thing, these haunts are incredibly long. Winding inside and outside, the trails are full of twists and turns, and when you think they're over, there are actually several more minutes of haunt to go!
The other trail they have is Krampus Returns. This one starts off inside, snaking in and out of buildings, through closets and other tight quarters. This was the gorier house, as there were several decapitated and mangled bodies. Krampus is a beast, as they have very large, imposing people portraying him. This is a more intense house, and it is very exciting to see where Krampus could be popping out of next.
The haunted "slay ride" is a tour de force. We hopped on a 15-minute tractor-guided vehicle through various scenes, including demonic snowmen, an evil Santa, undead elves, and other festive haunts. The sets are very well done, and the vehicle stops at various points as we watch vignettes play out. Characters would jump on the vehicle for added scares, and Santa had full conversations with us when we entered his workshop. This was a 10 out of 10.
The hub area has monsters free-roaming and stalking people, including one who enjoyed scaring people with balloons. There are various food trucks, drink options (alcoholic and non-alcoholic), snow cones, and other festive treats. The gift store even had its own cookbook! The escape room and laser tag were not running, but I'm sure they're fun. Also, new for this year is Klaws's house, where guests can get their photos with Mr. and Mrs. Klaws.
Overall, Sir Henry's Haunted Christmas is a great experience for those of us who miss haunts and want some festive screams. However, you have to hurry, as it ends on December 15th! Tickets are online only here and range between $35 and $47. Also, all proceeds go to charitable causes and improvements. This is truly a special place, which keeps getting better every year. No wonder they rank #5 for USA Today's list of the best haunted attractions!
