The Bates motel & haunted hayride 2022 Review

The Bates motel opens in 2022 to it’s 33rd season! We eagerly ran to do the hayride 1st since it has previously been a socially distant walk-through due to covid precautions. It has now returned in all its gory, I mean, glory to take you on a frightful ride. Randy Bates and crew continue to lead the industry in larger-than-life sets and animatronics. They’ve added an entire scene to the hayride, throwing us right into an old western. It was fantastic and once again felt like we were in a movie. The carpenters, artists and set designers here have come up with a flawlessly executed system for their sets. They do not go out and buy a ton of props or scenes. This place is homemade and you won’t see these scenes done anywhere else… many try no one comes close. A perfect ending with their legendary headless horseman! We went from the hayride into the revenge of the scarecrows haunted trail.

This is an indoor/outdoor event. They blend scenes and ghouls perfectly. The scares are in unexpected places as you walk this trail. The corn comes to life in ways you’ve only seen in your nightmares. They even have a gator in the swamp. Beware! The trail is always a lot of fun, but don’t let our smiles fool you, Smiley himself almost got us with the chain saw! We escaped to check out the Motel itself last (not before making a fresh donut truck stop) and it did not disappoint. The theatrical aspect is one we so appreciate in the Bate’s Motel. The scenes set the mood and pace, but the actors here really know how to “feed” off of the patrons. They interact without breaking character, and they know how to time a surprise in a way that “gets” everyone. We had more than a few gothchas and got up close and personal with several monsters, enough we could appreciate their movie quality makeup! Thank you Bates for always putting on an incredible show. This weekend was their opening one, as the season progresses it will only get better and busier. Get out there ASAP. Tell then HRC sent you!