Summary:

Haunted Barn:

Throughout the Haunted Barn, there were several scenes that were separated by lengths of long dark hallways.  Some of the scenes were detailed, while others were just simple, static displays.  Satan's Bathroom featured a toilet with a red hand reaching up out of it, a skeleton in a shower and some other toilets with snakes coming out of them.  Just when you thought it was over, there was a nice surprise by the mirror above the sink.  The open casket scene featured the Grim Reaper looking down at the body, from behind the casket.  I really enjoyed the detailed Frankenstein's Monster scene.  The animated Frankenstein twitched on the table, apparently coming to life.  The scene was accented with a strobe light, a Jacob's Ladder and power panels & laboratory equipment that lined the back wall.  The graveyard was nice, too.  The most entertaining scene had to be the Circus Sideshow with Chuckles the Clown.  As patrons walked by, they were heckled by Chuckles.  That was pretty funny.  The scene also featured a pretty cool visual effect.  A couple of other things that made this attraction interesting were the tilted hallway and the ramp with a spongy surface, which made it hard to walk down.  With the exception of "Chuckles" and the enthusiastic guy in the cage area, most of the rest of the actors were fairly tame.  There were a couple of times where scares were poorly-timed; however, in their defense, it was their opening weekend and I'm sure not everyone had their timing down yet.  Overall, though, everyone in the house did a pretty good job.          

Hayride:

The haunted hayride consisted of a collection of simple scenes, which were set up along a winding country path lined with tiki torches.  The fogger they used filled the whole area with dense patches of fog, which really enhanced the spooky atmosphere of the attraction.  Throughout the hayride, actors converged on both sides of the hayride to scare the patrons.  Some of them even jumped up on the hay wagon!  Most of the scenes, with the exception of the two cemeteries, had actors playing out a skit of some sort.  In one of the scenes, a girl was screaming and trying to escape, as a couple of actors held her down on a gurney, then a madman with a butcher knife attacked her.  In another area there was an overturned cart.  As we passed by, three zombies rose from the dead and attacked the hay wagon.  In a number of the scenes they used some good distraction scares, attacking you from behind while you were looking at the scene being played out in front of you.  For the most part, all the actors did a great job.  They were very energetic and eager to get as many scares as they could.         

The South Beloit Haunted Barn / Hayride is a great family-friendly event.  Because of it's moderate intensity level, it would be appropriate for haunted house fans of all ages.  Definitely check this one out if you get the chance.