I am a notorious scaredy-cat. I am afraid of the dark, I hate the unknown, and when it comes to fight or flight, I freeze. So a haunted house is not my idea of a good time. However, I have never been to the famous ones at Manns Farms, and thought it was high time I finally do. This, even despite them being advertised as the “Scariest Corn Maze in Canada”.
We visited on the opening weekend, where they have brought back and expanded their three haunted houses, hidden within their 10 to 15 feet tall corn maze. Worth mentioning is that on the right is their all ages, family-friendly corn maze; where you answer riddles for prizes. Whereas after hours and when it grows dark, the left side of the field comes alive with the screams and shrieks of the frightened.
This evening, as media, we were able to pull out our phones and record the actors and catalogue our experience. However, they do not normally authorize photography or videography. This is to ensure that everyone stays in the moment and experience the haunted houses as intended. And so that you do not ruin the surprise for those who have yet to visit by posting behind-the-scenes photos and videos.
We got there earlier to be able to enjoy the farm and its regular daytime attractions. This includes petting farms, marketplace, and pumpkin fields picture-ready for the season.
We would start off with some food and drink, joking that we needed something to scare out of us. Not only a clever novelty, but as a fun way to drink wine, you can grab one of their fruit wines in a blood bag.
Think a freezie, but in a plastic see-through bag with dark coloured raspberry wine that looks like blood, that you sip from. There is a clip at one end to stop the flow of liquid, ensuring that there is no spills if you need to save the rest for later. As for the wine itself, it was a little too tart and juice-forward for my taste. Worth mentioning is there are other fruit wine flavours available like strawberry, blueberry, and even a pumpkin wine for fall.
For food you head into their marketplace to the main kitchen area, where you are able to order full meals prepared using recipes from the matriarch of Maan Farms. There are kid-friendly options like chicken tenders, but I always go for the authentic Indian dishes like the butter chicken bowl and veggie samosas. They even have butter chicken tacos as a fusion option and a new pumpkin pizza that I wish I got a chance to try. Described as roasted pumpkin on a savoury crust, it sounds like the perfect cozy dinner for fall.
And as we waited for our meal to come to the window and and alert us via electronic buzzer, we lined up for some desserts. Like the drink and entrées before this has its own line, forming out of an old, repurposed shipping container.
Here, we grabbed a couple of their farm fresh apple juice served in cute, collectable pumpkin and apple shaped containers. There is nothing overly unique about this. You are honestly just ordering it for the novelty, and we did end up keeping the containers for future use.
Similarly, you can get their double spiced, homemade ice cream in either apple or pumpkin. Depending on the flavor, it is served in the appropriate hollowed out vessel. The bonus of getting the double spiced apple is that you can eat the fruit after. Whereas the double space pumpkin option leaves you with a gourd that you need to discard. Both of which warming with ribbons of cinnamon and a quick to melt rate, so best to share this one. I especially loved the crumble topping for its crispy texture.
We actually ended up having our ice cream with a bag of their apple flavoured mini donuts. We liked the flatten crispier rounds as a textural contrast to the melty ice cream, and found them like mini ice cream sandwiches.
I also wish we got to try the new apple tacos. From the photo menu they looked like apple compote served in a crêpe. However, they sold out earlier in the day.
The food would keep us warm, as the sun set and night sprung to life. We heard welcoming remarks from the Maan family, celebrating the return and success of their Halloween experience. We learned that it has grown from year to year and now they employ over 150 actors, fully committing to the experience with professional set designers and make up artists.
There are three different haunted house experiences, all hidden within a cornfield with stocks as high as 15 feet. Show runners promise an immersive time that l makes you feel as if you’ve been transported to another time, place, and world.
Be warned, there will be lines as the experience requires you and your party to enter each haunted house alone, and not run into the group before or have one after catch up.
“Homestead” is one that has actors reaching out to you, pulling, and grabbing you in every which direction. The scare is from this surprise touch and being separated from your party. Expect being locked up in a coffin, chained up, and trapped in a box.
Thankfully, there is a safe word and should you not want to be touched or scared you can say it, and all the actors will put up their hands and avoid you. I was quick to exercise this option shouting “I am a chicken, squawk squawk, I am a chicken“.
My partner on the other hand had to be brave, and was the one to have everything done to him, where I was able to simply watch. There was one scenario where I had to answer a question in order to free him from his confines. This I did do successfully.
And during the points, where I coward in a corner and refused to be separated from him, they sent one of the actors to accompany me as a “friend”, that dressed like the undead. Mind you she was scary, covered in pale make up, wearing torn clothes, caring a sad monkey toy, which she told me had been abused. However, I still appreciated it. Her company made things less scary, diminishing the unknown with her leading the way.
So it is safe to say that I am not built for haunted houses, but that Maan Farms can accommodate those like me. So if you too are a scaredy-cat, you can still have fun this spooky season.
The other haunted house focusses on phobias with specific rooms designed to test your fear of either spiders, tight spaces, or clowns.
And the last one is Texas Chainsaw Massacre themed where are you roam round the cornfields being chased by chainsaw wielding psychopaths.
In short, I can see why they have only grown more popular over the years and have earned the title of the “Scariest Corn Maze in Canada”, and you can experience this for yourself from now until Halloween’s end.
Maan Farms
790 McKenzie Rd, Abbotsford, BC V2S 7N4
(604) 864-5723
maanfarms.com
