Pantophobia Haunted Attraction — Attraction in Mahwah

This was overall a decent experience, and I would give it 3.5/5 stars. In general, I'm not 100% convinced on coming back to be totally honest. I'm not sure if it was an off night, but I went on the night of Halloween, and the experience during the ride felt lacking at times. There were a few long stretches where nothing was really happening aside from some actors walking about and some lights and decorations moving/flickering. There were two games that were played on board, but they honestly felt more like children's games (which is a bonus for folks with kids, don't get me wrong!)

The upsides were that the staff were really nice (outside of the actors trying to scare you of course lol), and it was an organized experience getting on board. The line was short since it was a Monday night, and my group of 3 waited about 30 mins from getting in line to boarding. I can definitely see how the line could get kind of long with a lot more people, though.

Overall, it was a little disappointing just because the ride has so, so much potential. There were areas where they could've taken advantage of the terrain, vehicles, buildings, etc. The spots they did go all out, though, the design was pretty solid.

There was some spooky audio playing during the ride that followed a scary storyline, but it didn't really quite reflect itself in what was going on. It was so clear there was a lot to work with to achieve that, but they either just didn't take advantage of it or didn't have the bandwidth to make it happen, which is understandable since it's clear it's just a farm doing a Halloween event as a temporary business fixture. A set designer/haunted attraction designer would absolutely help and would be able to help elevate the experience, but I doubt that's something within their budget or capabilities as it's just a local attraction. If any staff is reading this though, I have some suggestions if you're open to hearing them!

Bottom line: A decent experience, but if it was cheaper, it would've felt more worth it. $27 feels steep as it stands right now, and had there been a 2-hour wait, knowing what I know now, I'm not sure it would feel worth the wait. Definitely wouldn't go for $35 VIP in my opinion unless you get antsy in long lines.

I'll give them some benefit of the doubt though and assume that going there on a Monday night made them a bit short-staffed which contributed to the lacking feeling. Just some food for thought for future iterations. Thanks to the farm staff and actors for the...

I went yesterday with a few friends and while it was a lot of fun, I think people are forgetting that we're in the middle of a pandemic. Most of the crowd behind us kept taking their masks off and although there were clear orange lines drawn to indicate that people should be standing 6 feet apart, no one actually complied and the groups behind us were standing so close we felt they were on top of us. Not to mention, the actual hayride was PACKED with 20+ people, also all on top of each other. People should be able to attend events, even during a pandemic, without fearing that others will spoil the fun for them. Would have been nice to see the staff at least trying to enforce the 6 feet rule.

replying to the below comment by the business owners: I just wanted to take the time to thank you for responding to my above comment. I wish you guys had taken the time to actually read my review instead of stating all the things that you apparently do but was not all seen. No one actually made the effort to separate anyone and maintain the 6 feet between different parties. You get that, that is also part of CDC rules for staying safe, yes? I rated this 2/5 stars because that was also your job and it took away from my experience. If the party that registered is 20 people then you have a responsibility to ONLY allow the 20 people on the hayride and not additional people / parties. I am not trying to start an argument here but the person who responded keeps insinuating that keeping their customers safe is the highest priority and yet there were clearly some safety...

I must say, BEST HAUNTED HAYRIDE I've ever been on! I originally found out about this place from a friend who went on it last year so I figured I'd give it a shot. I first went with my friends and boy was it scary! My other friends that I went with were on the floor of the wagon the entire ride it was nonstop scaring, you didn't know where they were hidden, what was coming at you, and when they were gonna come out. Big shout out to the gillies they did an awesome job scaring along the pathways especially in the location of the hayride. It is really dark at night to the point where you have a nice view of the fullmoon and stars (atleast that's how it was when I went) perfect for the theme and the gillies fit in perfectly with the bushes and plants. Overall the makeup was phenomenal, had to have been done by a pro. I defenetly went back and brought my family too, they enjoyed it. I give this hayride a 5/5 and I'm looking forward to go next year! You're missing out if...