Hobb’s Grove, a notorious haunted house and fright fest near Sanger managed live up to its reputation. Never having gone to Hobb’s Grove before, I walked in skeptical not fully expecting what was to come. Needless to say, the night was very satisfying.
Having arrived at around 6 p.m., the sun began to recede and dusk began to fall on the farm. The trees became twisted and indistinguishable, the grounds black and obscure, and then the fog settled. Dim lights and fire pits were lit to help illuminate the resting areas, providing an eerie and unsettling atmosphere. And that was just the start of the evening.
Attending with a group of friends, we decided to eat first before we lost our appetites during the “festivities”. Food was provided at a number of different stands. People could purchase hot dogs, cotton candy, burgers and soft drinks, along with all of the trademark carnival foods.
As we enjoyed our food a number of the staff approached us. All of them donned some kind of sick or demented costume, but underneath each of them were friendly individuals who just wanted to make small talk with customers. The phrase, “don?t judge a book by its cover,” came to mind when I thought back on some of the staff members working there.
After we finished our meal and it was dark enough, we decided to go on the Hayride. Apparently this attraction was the most popular, since there was about a 40-minute wait in the line. However, the ride itself made up for the wait.
The ride started out smooth enough, relaxing at first actually. But then they started to show themselves. They stayed far away at first, in the fields. They were just silhouettes, shadows in the dark of the night. But they got closer, and closer, and closer until they eventually reached the sides of the tractor. Zombies and ghost nurses, or very realistic costumes of zombies and ghost nurses, began to terrorize the people on board.
Not bad, I thought to myself. If only I knew that was just the start. The ride accelerated, moving faster than it did before. Soon we arrived at a slaughterhouse where fire sprayed from some kind of pipe and shot out into the night sky, revealing the masked figures and dangling bodies from the top of the rails. The sight of this evoked memories of Texas Chainsaw Massacre.
After the ride finished we decided to rush over to The Forest. My friends said it was some kind of maze, but that was all they told me before we entered.
They lied of course. The Forest had one path, and there was no turning back. Ghouls, zombies, chainsaw wielding psychopaths, and worst of all, clowns, chased as us as we ran through this demented trail. To top it off, a hand grabbed my ankle from the ground. As I looked down a sickening looking woman convulsed on the ground, I promptly felt the urge to leave and bolted. However, a tree branch caught the back of my hoodie and against my urges to move forward, could not. In fact I had to walk back towards creepy demon possessed convulsing on the floor lady in order to unsnag myself.
After calming down, we went to the very last attraction: The House. Starting off, we are each given a pair of 3D glasses. Upon entering the house, a number of optical illusions and psychedelic feelings took over. Disorientation soon set in, and I was glad to take them off as we left the first section.
However, that was not the end of this horror house. Behind every corner was some creature, behind each shadow something lurking, every room sent bristles down my arms and shivers down my spine. The black room, one devoid of any light, was truly terrifying. No sight was awarded to those who entered, except for the shining reflection of a small knife in a white hand that walked closer and closer. Too someone who enjoys horror movie and a good scare, this one room legitimately frightened me.
Of course there is more to this place than a few jump-scares and creepy settings, but to go into any more detail would spoil the whole thing. All the rides and attractions at Hobb?s Grove are best enjoyed with an element of surprise, and I would not want to ruin all the fun.
Hobb’s Grove ends on Nov. 1, so make sure to visit while you can if you enjoy a good scare.
Make sure to visit their website at http://www.hobbsgrove.com/ for ticket sales and opening hours. Tickets cost about $30 to visit all of the attractions.
Hobb’s Grove’s address is 14265 E Goodfellow Ave, Sanger, CA 93657.
Hobb’s Grove also hosts weddings and other events when halloween is out of season.
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