Demon Woods is a Long and Scary Halloween Hay Ride near Providence (4.5 stars)
Set just north of Providence, Demon Woods is a hay ride open weekends and with “non-scary” night on Wednesdays that are safer for younger children and jittery adults.
Parking lot attendants were helpful, and it was nice to find two food trucks on site. You sit in the back of a long cart, on comfortable seating along the left and right of the ride. Then you are pulled through the woods!
A forest is naturally spooky at night, and as New Englanders we like the crisp, clean-smelling air. Then at times the ride would stop at a scene decorated with staging, and a scene would play out with costumed actors and music.
There’s a poison garden, a haunted doll house, the Texas Chainsaw BBQ, a haunted farm, Michael Myers from the horror movie Halloween, and more. I was delighted to find that every location had a real scene to play out, a theatrical scene where actors didn’t just jump out and shout. Instead some actors had real lines to say.
Kudos to all of the actors for their enthusiasm. When a scene ends, the hay ride moves on of course and the actors are left behind to wait for the next visitors. But twice, actors whose scene had ended surprised us by running out chasing the hay ride with a burst of energy! That was great. Once the ride stopped in a tent made of tarps, but nothing happened.
Although the staging was generally basic, and without special effects, Demon Woods had three big animatronics! And some scenes were original. I’ve never seen a demon Santa Claus before, or aliens at Stonehenge!
A few nitpicks are possible. Sometimes the hay ride moved through dangling cloth strips that touch every guest’s face as we pass through. That’s gross and unnecessary, spreading germs and such strips tend to get moldy, being left out in the weather. At times the spooky scenes took place on both sides of the hay ride, but at times the action was happening behind me where I couldn’t see, or in front of me, but too low (the audience facing me on the hay ride blocking my view of action at ground level). Other hay rides place their scenes on elevated stages and try to cover both sides at all times.
Although the hay ride is this site’s only attraction, and elements of scenery and costuming were usually basic, it was a remarkably long trip at 26 minutes, with energetic actors, creativity, and some “wow” animatronics. I’ll give 4.5 stars to Demon Woods.
For more, see demonwoods.com.