Sonny Acres Haunted Barn and Hayride 2021

Sonny Acres Haunted Barn and Hayride
West Chicago, Illinois
Visited on Sunday, October 10, 2021

Vital Signs:
Number of attractions: 2 that are haunted, multiple others
Number of actors: 25
Setting: Outdoor

We have been to Sonny Acres Farm before, and it is a beautiful family-run and friendly pumpkin patch and farm experience. Each year, they run their annual Fall Fest on the Farm, which features their market of homemade goods, petting zoos, truckloads of pumpkins, selfie photography stations, and amusement rides. The farm is flooded with everyone from 9 days to 99 years old, all enjoying the best season of the year: Autumn. But, we weren’t asked to attend so we could talk about their fun fall fest. Instead, they called us to focus on their two haunted attractions: The Haunted Barn and Hayride.

At the helm this season is “Spike” Mike Skodacek, a 20+ year veteran of the haunted attraction industry. With his impressive history as part of legendary shows like “Dream Reapers,” “Asylum Experiment,” and “Rob Zombie’s Great American Nightmare,” we knew that the experience would be nothing less than impressive. Let’s just say that we were not disappointed and were beyond pleased with what we got to see.

First, we experienced the Haunted Barn. Housed inside a very old 2,000 square-foot barn, the team designed a scarecrow-themed adventure titled, “Curse of the Scarecrow.” With some of the best use of space we have seen in years, this attraction was not short on thrills, technology, animatronics, or activity. Every inch is used to result in maximum impact for all guests. Scenes and paths stay dedicated to the scarecrow theme, and actors are precise with attacks. We found ourselves enjoying the screams of those ahead of us, while checking the corners of our eyes to make sure the next attack wasn’t coming for us! One of the best highlights was an indoor corn maze within the barn! The corn smell, the twisted path, and the peep holes just big enough for a hand to sneak through in the dark. We exited with some of the biggest smiles all season!

While the barn experience never felt small, but was technically a small physical space, the hayride has plenty of room. Guests boarded traditional hayracks pulled by tractors and set off for the dark trail ahead after passing underneath the huge trees adorned with hundreds of hand-carved and lit pumpkins. (Check our social media – they are absolutely gorgeous!)

This hayride was unlike anything we had experienced before. It was not laid-back or relaxed in any way. Trails were lined with perfectly-timed animatronics and props who not only provided great distractions for the acting crew, but also were highlights themselves. Once we got into the heart of the ride, there wasn’t a slow moment of low activity.

One of our favorite moments was when our wagon stopped on the tracks and a train ran right through us! Some others included our stop with the garage crew, the circus clowns, and the movie theatre that gave you a take-home snack! But, everything would change once we were introduced to the Purge.

Themed after the Purge series of movies, the last segment of the ride introduced guests to a night of lawlessness and chaos. Removing any sense of safety, actors used fire and chainsaws to deliver chills as they attacked the wagon without regard. The entire experience was well-executed and delivered one of the best hayride experiences we have been on!

Monster of Note: The Scarecrow

The Bottom Line: Don’t let the family farm exterior distract you from an incredibly fun and thrilling set of haunted attractions! They made us jump, they made us shriek, and we can’t wait to come back again next year!

But, don’t just take our word for it, check out media from our visit: