The Roller Coaster Alley crew headed out to Scarywood this past weekend, to check out this year’s iteration of the event. In this post, we’ll share photos, tips & tricks, and our overall thoughts on how 2023 measured up.
2023 marks the 15th year of Scarywood’s operations – a truly remarkable milestone. It seems utterly wild to be writing that down; we still remember the first teaser in 2009 when we found out Silverwood was planning to dive into the world of Halloween Haunts. And what a ride it has been ever since! The event has grown and evolved with every passing year. 2023 was by and large the same as 2022, aside from a few key differences. More on that in a minute.
We’ll start by addressing the crowds. Normally we shoot for one of the first weekends of the event so as to enjoy the event with short lines and minimal crowds. It’s been quite some time since we’ve attended mid-month, and the difference in crowd levels was stark. We arrived about an hour and fifteen minutes before park opening, and there was already a line backed up at security.
The courtyard also didn’t take long to fill up to the brim, so much so that the park even opened up about 15 minutes early; something we have never experienced previously. Not complaining!
It goes without saying, but this simply reiterates our advice to ARRIVE EARLY! We were able to knock out all four haunts, both shows, and all four coasters, with time to spare. None of that would have been possible if we had shown up “on time”.
Next up, let’s talk entertainment. This was one of two big changes from 2022. Last year, the “Hellbilly’s” show was staged in the entry courtyard, next to the carousel. This year, it was moved back to the picnic pavilion area, where Total Darkness used to reside.
From our perspective, nothing of value was lost with the retirement of Total Darkness. That haunt has been around for a while, and has felt stale for several years. It was fun to do once, but got very repetitive and uninteresting after that.
That said, although Hellbilly’s was definitely an improvement over Total Darkness, it was still a mixed bag for us. There’s no seating, so unless you’re right up front, it can be hard to see everything happening. The jokes and humor were hit-or-miss for us; some of it was clever, but other bits were a little cringe. Perhaps we’re simply not terribly into “trailer park” humor, so your mileage may vary.
The ending was fun, which we won’t spoil, but they have a great way of clearing the pavilion for the next show. Overall, we’re glad to see Scarywood investing in more entertainment for the event, and look forward to watching this show grow in the coming years. Suffice to say, the retirement of Total Darkness and replacement/relocation of Hellbilly’s was an “addition by subtraction”.
On the other end of the spectrum, Nick Norton and Isaiah Daniels’ “Dillusion” show was as fantastic as ever. Similar to the summertime show, both magicians were in on the act together, making for an even more packed lineup of tricks and stunts. And the latest enhancements to the stage and theater definitely were a nice touch.
This was easily the highlight of our evening. We will never stop hyping up this show because it truly is that good – do not miss Nick Norton…EVER!
Next, let’s discuss the four haunts. The biggest change was the modification of Planet Zombie to include the new “Lights Out” feature.
Each group was given a small red keychain flashlight (that’s one per GROUP, not per person!) and sent into the walk through. While it wasn’t nearly as difficult to navigate as Total Darkness was, we were still surprised just how truly dark it was in some spots.
This was a great new feature to this maze, and really added to the ambiance and story. We also noticed that the entire maze seemed significantly longer than in prior years, which was awesome.
The only downside to the “Lights Out” feature is that you don’t get to see as much of the detail worked into the sets as before. See the above photo for an example of just how dark it was. But that’s sort of the point, after all. So we won’t complain!
The other three mazes – Blood Bayou, Pharaoh’s Curse, and Chuckle’s 3D Sideshow, were all by and large the same as 2022. We noticed a few small tweaks to each one, including the addition of one of the props from Total Darkness making its way into Chuckle’s, but that was about it.
All three were operating in as good of condition as we’ve ever seen. It’s particularly impressive for Blood Bayou, which is in it’s 14th year.
We rarely see broken props, unused space, or visible signs of aging. Very nice to see the park investing in keeping these mazes in top shape.
The rest of the park was great as always. Scare zones were spread out in the various corners and across numerous pathways. Some were more clearly defined than others.
As with 2022, there was no shortage of scare actors lurking in every possible space. There really was nowhere to hide!
Suffice to say, Scarywood 2023 was yet another major success for the park. A few carefully considered changes made for an overall improvement across the board. There is still one weekend left before the park closes for the winter, so be sure and go if you haven’t attended yet!
We’ll close with a night shot of Stunt Pilot from the Corkscrew station. All of Silverwood’s coasters are fantastic, and even more so when you get to ride them at night.
Have a safe and Happy Halloween!
Planning a trip to Scarywood? Be sure to check out our Scarywood Haunted Nights Trip Planning Guide as well as our Scarywood 1-Night Itinerary posts to help you get the most out of your time in the park!
Have you been to Scarywood yet in 2023? What were your favorite parts? Do you miss Total Darkness? Do you prefer Planet Zombie with the lights on, or do you like the new version in the dark? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below!
The official Silverwood Theme Park website can be found at: www.silverwoodthemepark.com. All business-related questions should be directed to this site.
