The Backwoods Maze Yard Haunt
Walk-Through Halloween Attraction
1912 North Pepper Street
Burbank, CA 91505
Website: www.facebook.com/TheBackwoodsMaze
2012 DATES: October 12-14, 19-21, 26-28 & Halloween night. Also possibly on October 30, though not confirmed.
HOURS: 7-10pm
PRICE: Free but donations accepted to defray costs
PARKING: Ample free street parking in this quiet neighborhood.
UPDATES: Click here for news & reviews
2012 BACKWOODS MAZE INFORMATION: For this Halloween, the Backwoods Maze leaves the slaughterhouse behind, instead offering a “journey into the heart of a once prosperous city that has fallen victim to a devastating war. An army of unknown origins has overtaken and morphed this town into a wasteland under siege. Maneuver past guard towers and trudge through the trenches in a world without law and order. Chaos prevails as hostile warlords and scavengers who are starving to survive warp this town into a barbed wired war zone.” Sounds like fun!
BACKWOODS MAZE HISTORY: After making its debut in 2003 as the Haunted Experience in 3D, this amateur attraction changed its theme to the Backwoods Maze in 2004, taking you into the depths of rural Texas for a tour of Farmer Porky’s farmhouse, where pigs and cows were not the only livestock on the menu. The front yard set the tone – a cemetery loaded with tombstones and monstrous mannequins, including Jason, Freddy, Michael Myers, and one demonic figure towering 12-feet high. This rather bold display raises high expectations for the maze – which, fortunately, are satisfied by horrors too intense for impressionable young kids out for some easy candy.
The front yard (photograph copyright 2010 Scott Stevenson)
As the title implies, the Backwoods Maze offered a rustic setting, with several mutant cannibals. The “rural loonies” theme yields effective results. The maze benefits from a careful layout that effectively uses the available space: it seems far too long to fit into the back yard of a typical neighborhood home. For an amateur effort, the sets and props are impressive, with some gruesome grand guignol on display; everything looks home-made or at least heavily customized, not off-the-rack. The actors wear masks rather than makeup, but they are very detailed, and the costumes are accessorized to suit the backwoods setting, and the cast are really into their roles (although they will back off for a cute puppy).
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