A working blueberry farm just outside Tavares has transformed into a maze of haunted houses, scare zones and a sideshow circus for the fall, with Fear Reach Scream Park open on select nights through October 24. The attraction sits about a mile down a dark field road at Far Reach Ranch, and this year it centers on a new storyline about a girl named Willow who was placed into cryostasis by her uncle to escape an infectious plague that swept the farm.
A Doll Comes to Life on the Farm
According to Orlando Weekly, Willow is trapped in cryostasis by a character called Uncle Budge, and her dreams manifest in frightening forms throughout the park. Her doll and imaginary friend, Hush, reportedly came to life because of dark manifestations on the property and took over the venue, bringing along freaky friends including the Cyanide Circus. Hush dolls are reportedly available for purchase on-site, per the same report.
The park has two main haunted houses this season. One, called The Discarded, is where Willow is located, while the other, formerly known as Grimmore Manor, has been renamed Parasomnia and includes a different nightmare in every room. The gottagoorlando.com website describes those rooms as places where “every room manifests a raw terror pulled from the depths of Willow’s Parasomnia.” The Orlando Sentinel separately describes the Tavares haunt as featuring two haunted trails in Lake County.
From Family Haunt to Nonprofit Arts Project
Brennan Hamill, Far Reach Ranch's operations director and the haunt's founder, ran the attraction for five years before donating it to Dona Vista Arts, per Orlando Weekly. Dona Vista Arts, headed by Leslie and Chris Wasgatt, created the Willow's Nightmares storyline and now produces the park's scares alongside the A.S.H. Collective, using the operational blueberry farm as its canvas. The park is presented by Dona Vista Arts in association with A.S.H. Collective, and per the gottagoorlando.com report, a percentage of proceeds from the Cyanide Circus specifically benefits A.S.H. Collective's 501(c)(3) nonprofit, while spending at Dona Vista Arts' games goes toward assisting financially challenged arts students.
The Cyanide Circus itself is billed as a separate, premium add-on experience that requires a general admission ticket, according to Fear Reach Scream Park's own ticketing page. It features fire-eating, sword-swallowing and suspension acts, and is hosted in collaboration with the A.S.H. Collective. General admission to the park runs between $20 and $30, per Orlando Weekly.
Games, Music and a Planned Maker Space
Beyond the haunted houses, the park offers carnival games and midway actors at Dr. DeViAnt's Games, plus a themed bar called Pitchfork Parlor. Nightly live music comes courtesy of The Dismembered, the park's in-house entertainment act, which performs every night the scream park is open and plays a playlist featuring the Cramps, Jackie Morningstar and related artists, per Orlando Weekly. Work on this year's expansion has reportedly been underway since January, and the park plans to add a maker space that will teach woodworking and other practical skills.
The combination of classic haunts, practical effects and scare actors has made Fear Reach Scream Park a repeat destination for local visitors, according to the same report. In a sign of its growing local following, one couple reportedly plans to get married during this year's haunt. The park bills its offerings as PG-13 frights, and Fear Reach Scream Park is located at 1255 S. Dora Blvd. in Tavares.
How It Compares to Orlando's Bigger Haunts
Fear Reach Scream Park's run overlaps with larger seasonal competition in the Orlando area. SeaWorld Orlando's Howl-O-Scream operates on select nights from Sept. 11 through Oct. 31, with the nighttime event starting at 7 p.m. and gates opening at 6:30 p.m., according to SeaWorld Orlando. Pass members can buy single-night Howl-O-Scream tickets starting at $42.99, though that ticket does not include daytime admission to the park. SeaWorld's event also offers a Front Line Fear Ultimate pass with priority access to five haunted houses, including Crawlspace, Dark Net and Rave Yard.
