COVID Brings Haunted Drive-Thrus
October 29, 2021
As psychotic clowns, shrieking witches, and giant inflatable ghosts announce the return of Halloween this year, the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic also brings with it drive-thru haunted houses.
Denise and Jeff Johns, owners of Lonesome Valley Farms in Greensburg, PA, had to come up with creative ways to adhere to the safety regulations that the pandemic brought last year. In the past, on their blood-curdling hayride, visitors would sit close together and zombies would jump out onto the wagon. The old haunted house consisted of narrow hallways and small rooms, with scary creatures getting in people’s faces.
It was clear to the Johns that their regular attractions would not be able to operate. “As a matter of fact, I believe the CDC told people not to go to events like ours and we thought, ‘Well, that’s great. We’ve been doing this for 34 years, and all of a sudden we can’t do it,’” Denise Johns.
The solution? A Haunted Drive-Thru.
At the sinister new attraction, guests drive their own car up through the middle of the farm on the former hayride trail. It’s pitch black. All that can be heard is the fierce howling of the wind. As guests drive up ahead, they see a dim, flickering light. Silence. Suddenly—a blood-curdling scream fills the air. The attraction, which lasts around 20 minutes, is sure to send guests into a cold sweat.
Even if visitors have a lower tolerance for horror, the drive-thru is a great experience. “If they (the guests) are scared enough about going, they just keep on rolling,” Jeff Johns said. “You’ve got a lot of people, especially younger kids who have a blanket in the back. When they get too scared, y’know, you just throw a blanket over them!”
The new attraction allows for little to no contact for the benefit of staff and visitors alike. To keep everyone safe, the actors aren’t allowed to touch or reach into the cars and the visitors never step out of their vehicle. And of course, if the guests wanted, they could safely scream as loud as they like.
The drive-thru brings another unexpected benefit. Before, people with wheelchairs couldn’t get onto the wagon for the hayride and couldn’t fit through the cramped hallways of the haunted houses.
With the drive-thru, they were able to stay in the car and understand what it was like. “That made us feel pretty good that we were able to do something, so that they could enjoy the experience they couldn’t do for so long,” said Denise Johns.
The Haunted Drive-Thru is a great spooky option for Halloween, especially for people who want to take an extra step to stay safe this year.
