Article by Hannah Henson | Owl Staff
Hershey Park’s drop towers line the sky.
During most of the year, Hersheypark is a wholesome playground for the entire family with mascots, thrilling rides, and delicious treats. On Halloween, however, it takes a dark turn. When the sun goes down on a cold October night, there’s a witching hour that you wouldn’t expect to see from such a wholesome place. To be honest this had left me spinning by the end of it.
This event is called Dark Nights. Hershey Park’s very own Halloween scare fest. Honestly, I did not think it would be that scary.
Above shows the “Fallout Zone” portion of Dark Nights.
These hauntingly lighted structures are Hershey Park’s drop towers. While I didn’t see all the zones in the time we had, I was expecting a chilling atmosphere, interactive actors, and tricks to heighten the scare factor. I even wanted to go into a haunted house at first. Key word: at first.
When the event was in full swing, I was caught off guard by everything the park pulled off. First off, the fog machine they had used for the haunted coal mine. I wasn’t expecting it, or how thick it was that night, I saw attractions in this hazy, almost trippy light.
“The actors were fierce, sliding clipboards on the ground like blades. The way they lumbered and how deranged they seemed, like zombies.“
So much so, I thought I was hallucinating at some point. Although, it wasn’t just the smoke that misdirected me. There were eerie crates in the zone. They could’ve been for the sound, or the fog machines, but I was paranoid. I just didn’t feel right, like something bad was going to happen.
That unpredictability messed with me so badly, I couldn’t stop looking over my shoulder, knowing something might sneak up on me while I was off guard. To my surprise, nothing happened throughout my paranoid walk.
That same haunting feeling of discomfort and paranoia followed my into the next zone I went in: the Fallout Zone.
Pictured is the pumpkin sitting in front of Hershey Park on the “Dark Nights” event.
Fallout is just as the name suggest, the aftermath of a nuclear disaster with horrific consequences. When I first saw the zone with ghastly green lights through the fog, my anxiety spiked to an all new high.
The actors were fierce, sliding clipboards on the ground like blades. The way they lumbered and how deranged they seemed, like zombies. As if that was not enough, every few minutes sirens would go off and fire would spew from the bridge. The first time I saw that terrifying combination, it was panic inducing. I was spiraling, walking through that section.
“..this had left me spinning by the end of it.“
I could tell the actors took pride in their performances, but in my mind everything was a threat. Although I knew this was all pretend, but in the moment I felt like a sitting duck in black. I personally believe that’s what made the event so terrifying, how real everything felt.
They took advantage of that unpredictability. There would be many sound cues and distractions, each one I would instinctively turn my head. The trained actors knew that was the exact moment to strike.
I am impressed with how well done it was, it really was scary. The sound design was impressive, the lights and fog were incredible, and the actors themselves fully committed to their act in this stirring atmosphere.
Dark Nights, what I thought was going to be a chill first time, night event, turned into one of the most nerve-racking nights of my life.