Hackney Haunts 2021 Review
On October 9th, two of us in the HRC made our way to Westminster, Maryland to check out a haunt that is new to our crew. Hackney Haunts has two haunted houses located at the TownMall of Westminster and a haunted corn maze at Local Homestead Products LLC. Hackney Haunts has only been around for three years and this is the first year with the corn maze. We went through the two haunts at the mall, but did not make it to the haunted corn maze.
While we were excited to attend a new haunt, we were not sure what to expect with it being located in a mall. A location in a mall can be hit or miss depending on the design, the attention to details, and of course the actors. Here at Hackney Haunts they did not miss… it was a solid hit. From the outside it may not look like much, but once you enter into the waiting area it’s a whole different experience. You no longer feel like you are still in the mall. It almost feels like you have been transported to just outside Hackney House for one attraction and then the vampire’s castle for the other. The details in the scenery just in the line areas are incredible. With the amount of details in the scenes, you can see the passion they have for what they are designing. That attention to details can be seen throughout the scenes in the haunts as well as in the props and costumes. There were times we were not certain what was a prop and what was real.
We started our evening by going through The Haunting of Hackney House. This haunt has you feeling as though you are walking through someone’s house and that it is definitely haunted. With how long we have been reviewing haunts, we usually have an idea of where the actors are going to pop out from. Through this haunt that was not the case. We often had no idea where the actors were going to come out from and they got at least one of us almost every time. It almost seemed like we were being watched and the actors waited for the best time to let their presence be known. The possessed girl on the bed did an amazing job. We were starting to wonder if her acting was that good or if it was really happening.
After going through Hackney House, we needed a moment to collect ourselves before heading into Bite Fight, the other haunted attraction they have at the mall. This haunt follows the story of a vampire leader who was peaceful until the humans took the woman he loved and accidentally killed her. He gets his revenge on the humans only to learn that it was because of what the werewolves did that she was taken in the first place. As you go through the haunt, the werewolves are leading you to the vampire leader who has taken control and is no longer peaceful like he once was. Just like in the first haunt, we again had no idea where the actors were going to come from. Sometimes they were even out in the open, but they seemed like they were a prop and not real. We got right next to them or past them before they let it known that they were real and not part of the scenery.
Our nerves were on edge from beginning to end through both haunts. There was never a moment to feel like you might be safe. You might think you can feel safe when you see the exit, but that is not the case here. They are still going to get you even then.
Each haunted attraction is $10, so for only $30 you can have a fun filled evening of scares. The show and experience is well worth that price and then some in our opinion. When you make your way to Hackney Haunts at TownMall in Westminster, park between Belk and Boscov’s. The ticket booth is located not far inside the mall entrance between the two stores.
For the two of us from the HRC who made it out to this haunt, we both agree that this is a must visit haunt. Rain or no rain they will be open. You gotta go this year and check out what they have done because every year so far they have completely redone their haunts. You won’t get this same experience next year. When you go, let them know the Haunt Review Crew sent you!
