Review: The 817 Haunted Truck Stop

As some of you may have seen, Friday, October 13th was National Haunted House Day! National Haunted House Day is held the second Friday of each October, and is a day to celebrate the artistry and hard work of the haunted house attraction industry. Last year we celebrated by going to Scareview Grave School (Schoul?) in St. Albans, WV. This year, however, we decided to try out a new location---the 817 Haunted Truck Stop.

Located in the Old Country Roads truck stop along the former Route 35 (now 817) just north of Winfield, this haunted attraction is in its first year of operation and I gotta say...for a newly opened haunted house, they've done a really great job! 

The 817 Haunted Truck Stop is open Thursdays from 6 p.m. until 10 p.m. and Fridays and Saturdays from 6 p.m. until midnight, with dates running through until November 4th. Thursday admission is only $8 with a donation of canned food and Friday/Saturday admission is $10. Concessions are available on-site.

My friends and I arrived Friday night around 7:30 p.m. and were pleasantly surprised to see that plenty of parking was available. It was a short wait to buy our tickets and be taken through the maze. Our group of three were taken in by ourselves, which made for a nice, intimate experience. And, like I said earlier, for being its first year in operation, I was really impressed. 

Each room or scene wasn't too overly gross or gory, which I really appreciated, but some areas did seem a little...sparse...something I'm sure will be improved upon as this haunt continues to grow. But whatever was lacking with props and stage setting, the scare actors certainly made up for it! Each one of the dedicated volunteers really had an innate knack for knowing where to be and when. They did a great job with distracting you and focusing your attention in another direction....and then popping out where and when you least expect them. I'm not usually one that gets startled easily, but there were definitely a couple of times where I was knocked off guard. And I have to give bonus points to one of the youngest actors in the haunt---she played her role perfectly and was the embodiment of spooky and unsettling, lol. 

One thing I would have liked to have seen was a little more cohesion in the theme from room to room. It did flow just fine, but this place was an actual truck stop at one point. I would LOVE to see that unique aspect utilized more, especially with the sounds of truck horns, headlights coming at you, and out of control truckers running around. Clowns and Freddy Krueger are certainly frightening, but when there's a CLEAR story line running through the entire location, it just bumps the whole experience up a notch.

Everyone we dealt with in connection to the haunt was very nice and professional, an aspect that made the evening all the more enjoyable. I loved the small group size as well, which is great for customizing the scares a little. It can get a little spookier for the adult-only groups, but then the actors can back off a bit if there's a group with younger guests...and there were plenty of younger guests in attendance that night. I guess since this is a no-touch haunt where the actors do not rely upon screaming obscenities, and the scenes are not overly gory or inappropriate, it does make for a perfect experience for someone visiting such an attraction for the first time. That doesn't mean it isn't scary, though! As evidenced by the tally board in the ticket area, plenty of guests are experiencing the FULL haunted house experience!

As a paranormal investigator, though, I'm always looking for REAL haunts and scares...and like many other haunted house attractions, this one might actually be haunted. According to the entry on the WV Ghosts Halloween Attraction Index, the truck stop is haunted by the ghosts of several truck drivers who passed away and a cook who died in the kitchen area. I'm not sure if that was just part of the fabricated back story or a hint at some real activity...but I hope to find out and maybe get the chance to bring HPIR in to investigate! If you have any details as to whether or not this place has a true haunted reputation, please let me know in the comments below or over at Theresa's Haunted History Facebook!

Anyway, there are a couple more weekends to come and experience the 817 Haunted Truck Stop for yourself before the close of the season and I highly recommend that you give it a shot if you're in the area! It is well worth the price of admission. As an added bonus, this haunt is just a short drive from the Fear on the Farm attraction on the other side of Winfield, and of course, Scareview, located in nearby St. Albans. If you time it right, you could hit up all three in one night! 

*Photos are from the 817 Haunted Truck Stop Facebook page. You can also find them on Twitter and on Instagram*

Accidental Hanging Claims Boy

I was recently perusing old newspaper articles when I came upon this Associated Press story printed in the October 30, 1977 edition of the Herald-Dispatch (Huntington, WV). Warning: This story is pretty tragic. While I usually try to capture and share the beauty and magic of the Halloween season here on the blog, I think we sometimes all need a reminder that life isn't always perfect. 

Leslie Methodist Church, Google Images

DUNN, N.C.---A church Halloween carnival "house of horrors" became grim reality for a 13-year-old boy who apparently accidentally hanged himself, authorities said.

Keith L. Norris strangled on a fake noose which was rigged in a plywood booth and intended to scare visitors by making it look as though someone had been hanged. The boy, who had been playing the part of a hanged person, was found on his knees, suspended by his neck from an inch-wide nylon parachute strap tied to resemble a noose.

He would have been 14 on Halloween Day.

"It looks as if he was leaning into the noose and just slowly lost consciousness," said Dr. Brad B. Randall of the state medical examiner's office who performed an autopsy on the boy Friday.

The death was ruled an accidental asphyxiation.

Norris' limp body was discovered about 9:15 p.m. Thursday, shortly after the end of a Halloween carnival sponsored by the Leslie Methodist Church.

Charles C. Matthews said his 13-year-old son Marchie was the first to realize something was wrong with Norris.

"Marchie said he walked by once and the boy looked like he was playing," the father said. "Marchie was going to take out some trash, and when he came back the boy was in the same position, on his knees, so he called somebody to look at him."

G. Floyd Barefoot, who  was cleaning up after the festival, was called to look at the boy.

"I tried to revive him. I gave him mouth-to-mouth resuscitation, trying to get air back into him. Tried to get it going, but it weren't there," Barefoot said.

Scareview Grave School

Friday, October 14th marked National Haunted House Day, a day dedicated to supporting all those spooky, gruesome, and just plain FUN haunted house attractions out there! Due to prior commitments, we had to hold off the celebration until the next day when we visited Scareview Grave School!

Touted as WV's premier haunted house, Scareview Grave School definitely lives up to its reputation! I've been to a LOT of haunted houses over the years, and I'm always thrilled with what Scareview has to offer. Located in St. Albans, WV in the old Fairfield Grade School, this haunted house attraction is hosted by the West Side Volunteer Fire Department.

The fact that this event is hosted by the fire department is probably one of the reasons I love it so much. It really is a community event with proceeds going to a great cause. The admission price is extremely reasonable as well---it costs $10 per person, or $8 if you bring a donation of a non-perishable food item. Those food items are then donated to local food pantries. And for that price, you really get a great bang for your buck.

Like I said, I've been to many haunted houses, many with a much more expensive admission price, and they don't really measure up to what Scareview has to offer. The 20 minute walk takes you through a labyrinth of spooky scenes, covering two floors of the old schoolhouse. I don't want to give away any of the surprises, but many things that you find at more expensive for-profit haunts, you'll find here at Scareview. For an attraction that is put on by volunteers, every scene and every transition is well thought out, well staged, and well staffed---there are NO shortages of actors ready to pop out at every corner at you, which brings me to another really cool aspect that I love:

The scare actors seem to absolutely love and take pride in their work. The costumes are excellent, they stay in character, and they know how to entertain the crowd as you're waiting to enter the attraction. Back to the community aspect, many of the scare actors are students who are earning their school's community service requirement through work on the haunted house! How cool is that?

Pretty cool, if you ask me, lol. In fact, its all pretty cool. I don't really have any negative things to say about this attraction or how its ran. Everyone we encountered was super nice, there were excellent concessions available for fair prices, the house was fun and entertaining, and it was a great community event close to home. The wait time was a little longer than I'd like, but if you go early in the season or early in the evening, the wait time is usually no more than an hour. Oh, and did I mention that the building may actually be....haunted? But that's for another blog!

Until then, go check it out! It's open every Friday and Saturday through October 29th!

Happy National Haunted House Day!

The second Friday in October is National Haunted House Day! Well...a group of dedicated haunters are at least trying to MAKE it an official holiday. If you're a fan of haunted house attractions, please consider supporting this initiative. The National Haunted House Day website has a list of ways you can show your support. I'll be showing MY support this Halloween season by patronizing some of the tri-state's best haunted house attractions---look for my reviews throughout the season, and stop over at Theresa's Haunted History of the Tri-State's Facebook page to let me know what YOUR favorite haunted house attraction is!

Haunted House Humor

Ha! I know what it's like growing up in a haunted house, and its not all bad. In fact, its pretty cool most of the time. I still love going to haunted house attractions, though, every Halloween season. Each year, I try to hit at least one or two. While they don't scare me, or even really startle me anymore (which may be a direct consequence of living through an actual haunted house, lol) I love them for their creativity and energy. The people who work/volunteer for these places REALLY enjoy their work! What are some of YOUR favorite haunted house attractions? Let me know below in the comments.