16717 Lockwood Avenue, Tinley Park, IL
years: 2011
One of the many fun benefits to touring various haunts is when we discover something we were not expecting. Such is the case with the Forest View Farms Haunted Hayride. The Forest View Farms Equestrian Center is a location that the Tourers have passed many times during their tours of the Oak Forest/Tinley Park area, yet it was by pure chance that one night we happened to pass when the marquee
indicated that there was a haunted hayride taking place. Since we were right there we decided to drop in and see what it was all about. There were quite a few people there when we arrived, but we amused ourselves by visiting the petting zoo area and feeding the goats, as well as partaking in some snacks that were on offer. Once our turn came for the hayride, we boarded a large wagon and proceeded to drive across the street and into a wooded area leading us wonder whether the hayride was all a sham and whether or not Jason Voorhees was waiting for us. Luckily it was for real. There was no Jason, but there were a number of interesting scenes to look at. The evening we went was pretty warm for October, so we were comfortable on the hayride, which was a plus. The wagon wound its way past a nuclear waste/radiated mutants setup, a hillbilly encampment, complete with obligatory crazy rednecks, and even through what looked like a real junkyard. Even when there was no specific haunted scene to view it was interesting just looking around, as we never know what might jump out at us. The highlight of the entire ride, though, had to be the appearance of the Headless Horseman. The wagon started going down a long, tree lined stretch of trail, and after a short while, we spotted a horse and rider in the distance, far behind the wagon. |
We all watched him get closer and closer, and soon realized that he was headless, dressed all in black riding upon a white steed and carrying an orange lantern. The imagery was perfect, and evoked visions of what Ichabod Crane must have seen when encountering the Horseman in Washington Irving’s famous short story, “The Legend of Sleepy Hollow.”
Of course the wagon slowed down, allowing the Horseman to get up close and personal with us. As he pulled alongside us, we could see that the costume he was wearing really did make it look like he had no head. He also did not speak, but rather simply rode along with us, making it that much creepier. It was a really great effect, and made for a most enjoyable hayride – one of the best we have been on, in fact. We found ourselves actually a bit disappointed when the Horseman rode away, as we would have liked to have seen him some more.
Overall, the ride was about 20 minutes or so, and encompassed a rather large area. It was a nice change from the standard haunted house, and was enjoyable not only for the haunted aspects, but also for the hayride itself and the Equestrian Center surroundings. All in all, we were glad we decided to take the chance at visiting, and hope to do so again in the future.
Of course the wagon slowed down, allowing the Horseman to get up close and personal with us. As he pulled alongside us, we could see that the costume he was wearing really did make it look like he had no head. He also did not speak, but rather simply rode along with us, making it that much creepier. It was a really great effect, and made for a most enjoyable hayride – one of the best we have been on, in fact. We found ourselves actually a bit disappointed when the Horseman rode away, as we would have liked to have seen him some more.
Overall, the ride was about 20 minutes or so, and encompassed a rather large area. It was a nice change from the standard haunted house, and was enjoyable not only for the haunted aspects, but also for the hayride itself and the Equestrian Center surroundings. All in all, we were glad we decided to take the chance at visiting, and hope to do so again in the future.