Welcome, investors! Shady Pines Asylum is opening their doors to you, to tour their rustic design and tranquil walking trails that only aid and assist in the recovery of the inmates who are undergoing rehabilitation. Also, lucky for you, Dr. Bodkin will be showcasing his new technology—which couldn’t have flourished without your investments—and the inmates that it has already successfully helped. Please, join us and invest, so Dr. Bodkin can continue his work bringing his cancer serum research to market by the end of 2022. We promise there are absolutely no side effects—and if you see any tunnels under the clinic, please, just ignore those. Dark Harvest 2022 created Shady Pines Asylum with Pirate’s Cave Haunt.

Dark Harvest 2022 created Shady Pines Asylum with Pirate’s Cave Haunt.

In 2014, Adam LeBlanc left Perdition Home to open his own full-scale haunted house he called The Fleshyard – but collaboration has never been far from the mind of LeBlanc. In 2018, The Fleshyard joined Horrorworld, combining Larry and Cheryl Bones’ Into the Black with LeBlanc’s The Fleshyard under one large roof. But it was 2020 that saw a name change, in which The Fleshyard joined forces once again with Perdition Home to form Dark Harvest—an insanely intricate and lengthy walk through a real corn maze at Frosty’s Forest in Chino, CA. Now in 2022, The Fleshyard has kept the name Dark Harvest and joined forces with Dave and Jacob Larson’s Pirates Cave Haunt to create a frightening haunted house with plenty of passion and scares!

Dark Harvest 2022 is an 8- to 10-minute walkthrough haunted attraction in Anaheim, CA that sends participants into the Shady Pines Asylum just moments after the inmates have attempted a coup, taking control back from the guards. While the guards still maintain some control and attempt to get you out safely, it’s mainly the inmates that jump out from the fog—or from under hospital gurneys—to scare your group as you move through the experience. Like Prism, Murder House Productions, and Hauntington Beach Manor, this experience is part theatrical and part haunt, where one group enters, experiencing scenes within that play out theatrically, and move through the haunt halls with the goal of ultimately escaping. Actors will not touch you, and there are some wonderful special effects and innovative scares that will impress even the most veteran haunt goer.

For those who attended Pirate’s Cave in 2021, you may recognize their incredible elevator and “mine shaft” effects in Dark Harvest 2022: a 30-second rickety elevator that rises up to safety, only to fall to the long, foggy tunnels below Shady Pines Asylum. Dark Harvest 2022 perfectly incorporates both these effects into their narrative and flow to create a jaw-dropping mid-section of the haunt. These effects, combined with some wonderful water scares in the shower room and a great entrance moment for the first inmate we meet, make this feel like so much more than a standard haunted attraction. Finally, upon escape, the forest becomes a labyrinth of fog and creatures, as the dumping ground for Dr. Bodkin’s failed experiments is revealed in full glory. The effects here elevate this above any of the mazes you’ll experience at Knott’s Scary Farm or even Fright Fest.

Beyond the special effects, the actors were the highlight of the experience. Before you even step inside Shady Pines Asylum, Dark Harvest 2022 employs an army of clowns to engage those waiting in line. Kids screamed to Limbo to dance for them—as a Beetlejuice-dressed clown returned time and time again to show off his arsenal of weapons. They hid behind tables and chased cars—with no limit to their energy—this could have been a haunt all in itself.

Yet, the actors inside only served to elevate the experience. A highlight was Carnie (Kelvin Cruz), an inmate adorned in intestines, a hospital gown, and wearing the face of a past guest who toured Shady Pines. He runs the spare parts division and comes armed with puns to help you get ahead in life and he’s always willing to give a hand. The energy and passion in this room is incredible and infectious. A few rooms later, guests enter a foggy room bathed in blue and purple light, as a massive clown lies across a series of barrels smoking a cigar. A younger, female clown, with a perfect Harley Quinn accent leaps from atop barrels with perfect finesse to engage with audiences—moments before security tries to rescue guests. And who could forget the swamp creature and his shrunken head: Bob. He followed us to our car, until we said hi to Bob and gave him the adoration that Bob truly deserves.

The façade of Shady Pines Asylum hides a lengthy haunt within that extends through the asylum, the tunnels below, and into the forest outside. Filled with over a dozen actors inside, scares barrage you from all sides, creating memorable moments, screams of terror, and even laughs from the crazed inmates. The sound elevates an already wonderful experience—and the strong lighting and fog truly immerses you in the experience, making you forget you are on the corner of La Palma and Imperial Highway.

Overall, Dark Harvest 2022 and Shady Pines Asylum has perfectly combined the strengths of Adam LeBlanc’s The Fleshyard with Dave and Jacob Larson’s Pirate Cave Haunt. We are so happy to see Pirates Cave move out from the restrictions of a home haunt, allowed to use fog to their content and let audiences scream as loud as they can—without disturbing neighbors. Dark Harvest 2022 is a passionate haunt with some strong scares, passionate actors, a strong narrative to push guests through the asylum walls. We hope this collaboration continues, and we see the strengths of both of these haunt powerhouses help each other grow and become a dominant force for years to come!

For more information about Dark Harvest 2022 and Shady Pines Asylum, check out their Facebook, Instagram, and website. For information about similar events, check out our Event Calendar.

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