I can safely say that this was the first time that I have ever conducted an interview with the sound of gunfire going off behind me. On Saturday Oct. 12,I attended the haunted attraction: Legends of the Fog at Aldino Sod Farms, home of the Sinister Circus, Carsins Manor, and the best Haunted Hayride in Maryland! They also have a busy midway, with carnival games and a Looney’s cart that surrounds a bonfire.
After 18 months of preparation beforehand from owner Patrick Barberry and his wife, Legends of the Fog opened in 2007 and has run each year since.
“My wife and I came up with the idea originally; the name just came along with it eventually. We were going to make it about the seven ghosts of Harford County but the legends weren’t substantial enough to build a haunted attraction around it. So we decided we would write different stories and work up our own ideas to build it around.” Patrick Barberry, the owner and creator of Legends of the Fog, said.
All actors are volunteers many don’t do any acting or performing arts outside of the haunted attraction. People of all ages have given their time to be part of this big family of children, teenagers and adults.
“We have some younger guys made up as creepy kids, and they are in the manor but then our bigger guys are usually in mask and makeup and play the big scary roles.” Barberry said of his actors. Thanks to amazing makeup and costume, you would never be able to tell that the face behind the makeup is a completely normal one.
“We have a team of about 5 that do all the costuming. Then another team of 5 that do all the make-up looks. And we do a series of meeting throughout the year to decide what direction we want to go for this year. And this year the biggest change was in the circus we decided to go for more classical, spectacle type circus with all the freaks and geeks that go with it, which was a lot more characters. We really research and develop a lot of the characters.” Barberry continued.
As the owner and creator of this petrifying park, you would assume taking enjoyment in horror entertainment would be a requirement. Not in this case though. Patrick Barberry admits that he doesn’t really enjoy horror at all,
“I’m actually not [a fan of horror], I love the art and the entertainment, and I have always been in the arts. This was something that was just really intriguing. So for me it was just about putting together a really cool business plan.” He paused to let the sound of a chainsaw revving up, followed by blood curling screaming pass, “and everything here we have built from scratch, the sets, the signs, the costumes, the characters.” He explains.
I also had the honor of getting a behind the scenes tour of the newly renovated Sinister Circus by Bethany Davidson, Legends of the Fog Manager. The Sinister Circus has been completely gutted this year, pun intended, and built up from scratch. I was lucky enough to get to talk to the people behind the masks, and find out what it is about petrifying the public that they enjoy, and see how things run after you leave the tent screaming.
“This year we gutted the circus, and came up with completely new set, new characters, new everything.” Bethany Davidson explained, as she led me into the first tent. When we stepped through the striped curtains the first room held a hooded figure chopping away at candy with a butcher’s knife, while a short girl dressed up as a menacing Raggedy Ann pulled intestines out of a bucket. Respectively the two actors played The Candy Butcher and Tiny Trixie. I stepped aside to watch a group move through the room. Tiny Trixie met them at the opening, shoving a small rat in the terrified girl’s faces before returning to the counter to offer them intestines and chopped off fingers. The girls pushed and screamed, grabbing onto each other for safety, trying relentlessly to make sure they were not the ones leading the group.
“This happens often, we get a lot of really interesting reactions here, where people say they don’t want to go first or don’t make me go in, and usually then the guys step up to go first but end up making the girls go in front of them,” Davidson whispered to me as the girls shrieked and staggered passed Trixie. Slowly the girls moved onto the next room, and as I asked Trixie a few questions I could hear their terrified screams move through the maze of rooms.
“My favorite part of the circus is…,” she paused and twisted her hair, “making people cry and scream!” She answered vigorously jumping up and down and laughing girlishly. I paused before continuing due to the rapid gunfire that was happening in the background.
“I know it’s very shocking! But, don’t worry it can’t hurt you!” Trixie reassured me of the sound effects. She continued, “I am new to the circus this year but everyone has made me feel so welcome!”
Another room comprised of a stage with Misty the Marionette, who was hooked and chained onto her strings.
“I love working here, honestly it’s like family. I love all of it, the fun, the family, you get to meet a lot of new people but it’s also getting to be a character…it’s really funny when some people fall down in front of you, we have even had someone pee their pants.” Misty said. I then stepped back to watch her perform. It was amazing to see how quickly the actors could drop and pick back up their character; one minute I was speaking to the person behind the mask as if they weren’t covered completely in blood but, as soon as the curtain shifted, the actors became almost unrecognizable as they screamed and cried for help. It may have broken the illusion for me, but the other groups were completely convinced. Many were so scared they didn’t even see me standing in the corner.
“Her character is an imprisoned Marionette, as you can see from the chains and hooks, and she is very, very tired of being here. “ Davidson said as Misty grabbed and swung at kids.
Bel Air High School’s own Rebecca Davidson was even part of the cast. She plays one half of conjoined twins, who sit hidden away in a corner holding knives.
“Sometimes people get scared and fall, which is one of my favorite parts.” Rebecca Davidson said.
The final room we visited was in Clown Alley, where rouge zombie-like members of the circus had taken out clowns and soldiers alike, and waited around corners to jump out at you, chasing you out of the circus tent for good.
“You can tell the ones that are scared, the ones with their heads buried. But I don’t go for the obvious scare. I try to go for the ones who try and look tough. The best part is the scares… I mean it’s good when you get the big six foot, two hundred fifty pound man to jump, but it’s also good to get the 15 year old girl on the floor in the fetal position.” One of the zombies, said.
The makeup for the costumes is just as amazing as the performances themselves. A 10 year seasoned performer, who dresses up a zombie in the “clown alley” told me about the process she goes through each night to get ready.
“It takes about 20 minutes. This is foam latex prosthetic, which only take about 5 minutes to adhere, and then we fill in makeup around it to make it look more real.” She said in reference to her own makeup.
I’m not a big believer of the supernatural, but as I went through the manor and the hayride without the safety of a personal tour, I completely forgot that I had talked to the people behind these masks not moments before- the terror was completely genuine. Legends of the Fog does a phenomenal job of creating a believable set and interesting characters, that you can’t help but appreciate the craftsmanship as you scream and shriek.
The venue will be torn down temporarily in November, but it will return again next year at Aldino Farms. If you are interested in becoming part of the “freak show” look for information at LegendsoftheFog.com, preparations for next season are already being made!