Iowa-based haunted house information, since 2010. Posting haunted house videos since 2006.
Here is a look at this year’s Barnum Circus of Freaks ticket. They are one of the few haunted houses in the area that gives you a physical ticket.
The backside of the ticket has a $1 off offer for a drink at the nearby Maggie’s Rumble Room. They also hand out an additional micro-flyer advertising $30 off a tattoo at Arick Reese Art & Tattoos if you show them your ticket stub.
We finally made it out to Barnum Circus of Freaks this year. Find out what’s new, and make plans to visit this bizarre haunted attraction.
Back for its second year, Barnum Circus of Freaks has once again proven to be something “quite different” than the typical haunts in the area.
One of the things that surprised us last year was the odd layout. Certain rooms would be passed through multiple times during the visit. For example, you might enter a space with a row of barrels separating the left and right sides. You travel down the left side early on, then later find yourself in the same room, this time walking down the other side of the barrels. You might even encounter other visitors heading the opposite direction. (This might be a good time to warn them about what they are about to encounter 😉
This year, it felt like there were more areas that did this (at least three, we think?). At least one room we must have walked through three different times. It was very disorienting since you could never tell if you were getting closer to the exit — or looping back to the start.
This haunt features a circus theme. There is creepy circus music playing throughout the building. There are plenty of clowns and other things along the way — a gorilla, a mime, the ring master, a fortune teller, etc. While some of them provide the expected jump scares, the rest seem to be there just to be creepy. There are plenty of times you find yourself walking through a pitch-black hallway with “something” following you. Many things knock on walls, or growl as you pass by.
The whole place puts you on edge as you wonder what is around the next corner. Many rooms are full of so many things you expect could jump out at you that it is hard to spot which is the actor versus the dozens of mannequins and other static figures. Several times, things we confidently “knew” were dummies would suddenly prove otherwise. Nice. Keep your head on a swivel. Some things might even be above you.
Unlike the other haunts in the area that sell tickets online, Barnum has a $0 service fee. The $25 price they advertise is indeed $25 — tax included. That is a refreshing change, since most places charge you a few bucks for the “privilege” of buying a ticket.
In addition to the base ticket price, there is a “line skip” ticket that will put you at or near the top of the queue. For those planning on visiting multiple haunts in the same evening, this option may save you some time so you can get to the next haunt on your list. It certainly beats the old days when you could stand in line for 2-3 hours on a busy night.
As we drove up on a Friday evening, there were only a handful of people lingering around. Why? We expected crowds on a Friday night. It turns out, they use a waiting system similar to what you might find at a restaurant. There are no timed tickets. Whether you buy your ticket online, or show up and buy at the ticket booth, you “check in” and they will add you to a texting list. You are then free to go elsewhere for a drink or a bite to eat. Or, perhaps you just want to smash some pumpkins… which is a thing they offer this year.
When it is your time to enter, you receive a text and can head back to the haunt. At the entrance they have a list of expected names and you can show your text and get in.
The “no service fees,” “no standing in line,” and unusual layout make this haunt stand out from the others in the area. At one point we were stopped by a fortune teller and given something to carry with us the rest of the haunt. The whole experience was a bit surreal.
If you are expecting heavy metal, chainsaws, and folks screaming at you while they pound on walls, this is not that kind of haunt. Instead, you get a mix of long pitch black hallways (similar to what you might find in Linn’s Haunted House), black light areas, jump scares, and even some automated effects (air, electric firecrackers, bubbles, etc.). There is even an out-of-order arcade machine along the way… Read the sign.
Last year we described it as one of the funnest haunts we’ve been through. This year, it was even more fun.
But will it scare you? Those who find clowns terrifying are surely going to have nightmares. If you have a fear of the dark, or being lost, it should get to you. For us, we got about a dozen good jumps out of the experience, which is more than expected. We are pretty jaded at this point having already done a number of big haunts in Orlando earlier this season.
As to length, the time it took us to walk through (after entering and being told the rules) was about 18 minutes. During that time, we never ran in to another group. We were told the crew will try to hold groups in certain rooms to keep them spread out once inside the haunt. This may explain the interaction we had with the ringmaster as he pointed out various sideshow artifacts in the room he was in. Based on how fast or slow the groups are moving, your trip could take much more time. There are certainly plenty of areas where they can “hold” you for awhile, if needed.
Besides the fortune teller and her “gift” to us, I think my favorite thing happened in a section of blacklight hallways. I don’t want to spoil it, but the three actors that greeted us when we first entered did something that really stood out. It made the rest of the walk through those hallways quite tense. Maybe it will get you too 😉
At a price of $25, Barnum Circus of Freaks is basically at the same price everything else around here is (not counting the more expensive multi-attraction haunts like Adventureland and Sleepy Hollow Sports Park). If you are looking for something different than the typical “heavy metal and gore” haunt, this is a fun one to check out.
We really enjoyed it and can’t wait to go through again. Maybe next weekend…
“If you don’t like it, don’t go.” This post is about one of the main reasons I don’t go to as many haunted houses as I used to. It will also address one of the main complaints I hear about the pricing I list on my site.
It wasn’t too long ago that haunted houses were in the $10-$15 price range – and that had tax included. All costs have gone up, so paying $25-$35 for a haunt doesn’t surprise me. What does surprise me is how much service fees can be.
Last year, I bought two tickets and the added taxes and fees was an extra $8.88. That was almost 15% on top of the advertised ticket price.
All of us understand “plus tax” since that since we have dealt with that our entire lives. But, all the haunts here used to just round the price up to include tax. That made sense when you were taking cash and didn’t want to have to deal with coins for change.
But today we live in a world dominated by credit cards and online sales. Online businesses save payroll for register clerks and can offer us lower prices. We have seen the downfall of many “brick and mortar” stores as the cheaper alternative – buying online with a credit card – gained popularity.
Yet, because of the extra fees to purchase online tickets, haunted houses are more expensive to buy online than buying at the “storefront.” Why do these ticket systems charge so much? Do any other types of online stores stick you with an extra fee just to buy stuff from them?
When we visited Linn’s Haunted House last year, we watched a family with kids (and their friends) drop $175 ($25 per person) to go thru. The cost is what it is. But, had there been taxes and service fees on top of that, they could have spent an additional $26.25 – more than the cost of a ticket! The fees would me like “buy seven, pay for eight” 😉
Every haunt can set their prices so what you pay is what they advertise, but they don’t. The closest we get to that is Zombie Hollow. They say they are a $20 haunt, but when you go to buy a ticket online, it is $18. After the taxes and service fees, the price $20.74. We’ll call them $20-ish. They certainly are one of the most honest of the bunch when it comes to telling folks how much it costs to go through their attraction.
“It seems like only yesterday” we had the very first local haunt to move to an online ticket system with fees. At the time, I listed the price as they posted it. I soon heard from numerous folks correcting me saying it was closer to $5 more. My site, they said, was not showing real prices.
With this in mind, I want to add a new price categories so there will be a Gate Price (if offered, which may or may not already include tax) and an Online Price (which will include taxes and service fees). This should make budgeting your Halloween excursions a bit easier.
For 2024, here are some references for pricing this upcoming Friday night:
Just be aware that that advertised prices are not what you pay. While you may expect to pay sales tax, you may not expect to be hit with a few bucks more just for the privilege of buying a ticket 😉
And, to those of you who contact me about my “wrong prices,” I get it, and I’ll work on updating the site.
Until then…
Always check with the haunt’s official website or social media before heading out. Dates sometimes get added or removed. Or both, in the case of Winterset’s Zombie Hollow. From their Facebook page:
We’ve switched up our calendar a bit. We took out Thursday the 26th but added Sunday the 29th. Friday night is looking dry and just right! Come on out, grab a hot chocolate at Nick’s Kettle Korn located right at our front entrance and carry it with you as you enjoy the show! By Tuesday, we may be adding Christmas lights if the snow keeps up! ????????????❄️
Zombie Hollow on Facebook
Barnum Circus of Freaks also posted about adding an extra night this week.
For outdoor events, weather may also be a concern, with rain expected today and a potential to see some snow this weekend. Carlisle’s Haunted Woods has posted about potentially changing hours due to weather. Outdoor events such as these (and Sleepy Hollow, and Adventureland, and Trail of Terror, and…) can be impacted by wet or color weather.
Wrap up warm this weekend!
DISCLAIMER: These posts should not be taken as reviews. They should be taken as my interpretation of what the attraction is like. See “what is scary” for more details.
The official title of this haunted house, according to their Facebook page, is:
Barnum Circus of Freaks: A Haunted House Experience
Their website describes it as follows:
“Prepare to be mesmerized, horrified, and utterly captivated by the twisted and the bizarre. From spine-tingling spectacles to jaw-dropping curiosities, our haunted attraction is a chilling journey through the macabre. Dare to witness the eerie, the unsettling, and the supernatural as you navigate through darkened corridors and shadowy chambers. With every creak of the floorboards and every flicker of candlelight, you’ll find yourself immersed in a realm where the normal is anything but.”
https://www.barnumcircusoffreaks.com
This doesn’t really describe what is inside this nearly 12,000 square foot maze of rooms, passages and total darkness. I’d call it a “twisted creepy sideshow funhouse” but that doesn’t look as good on a sign.
When we arrived on Saturday evening, there did not seem to be many folks in line. We learned they use a timed ticket system where visitors will get a text message when it is their time to enter. If the weather is bad, folks can wait in their car. If you drive by and say “oh look, there’s no line!” you may be disappointed to find you still have a wait.
During the time I was there, the courtyard filled up as folks gathered to watch Sabba Circle, a fire show. Fire shows seem to be popular at area haunts — I’ve seen them at at a few other haunts in the area.
I suppose this gives folks an incentive to hang around and get a snack at the Kool’s Sweets & Treats food tent. The food included circus fair such as cotton candy, funnel cakes and hot dogs. There is also a photo backdrop featuring a circus wagon.
When it is your turn, you walk up a long ramp to a doorway. A “circus performer” bursting with happy enthusiasm will welcome you inside. From there, you go from room to room, either through openings, doors, slitted plastic or large flaps. Sometimes you are in a completely dark hallway where your pace becomes very slow as you navigate the twists and turns waiting for something to jump out at you. Other times, you cross through open rooms with barriers keeping you on one side. You later discover than your path will take you through the other side of the same room. Sometimes you encounter other groups heading in the opposite direction, and wonder if they are going where you just were, or if you are headed to where they are.
One room had a small stage and a performer on it – a contortionist, but the looks of the shape they could bend themselves in to. Should you stop and watch? Or will lingering get you some undesired attention from something else nearby?
The rooms all have a general circus/carnival type theme. Our favorite was probably the funhouse area. If you go looking for a creature in a cage, you probably will find it. If you wonder where that smell of cotton candy is coming from, you definitely will find it. If you are observant and notice details, you might even find out what happened to circus legend P.T. Barnum.
And yes, there are clowns. There are also a few automated props — the first one actually caught me off guard and made me jump. Our favorite character was probably the mime that you run in to several times as your path winds in and out of its room. It is a very clever and efficient way to have an actor be able to cover multiple scare zones. The mime was funny, as he pulled us towards him with his invisible rope.
The entire walk takes about 20 minutes, but I could see it taking longer if you were hesitant to approach something at the end of a hallway. And, although “haunted house” appears in the description, I think the key word is “experience.” You are walking through a twisted circus-themed funhouse of lights, sounds, and creatures. This is not your typical “walk in to a room and someone jumps out and screams at you” haunt, though there were plenty of those moments.
I find it hard to describe, and even remember all the scenes (it just kept going, and going, and going), but I know I enjoyed it. It was not what I expected, and I want to see it again. I think a second time through would be even more fun. The first time, we were constantly on the lookout for folks to jump out and scream at us and likely missed plenty of details.
This haunt has a number of jump scares, but if you can handle those, I think it is more accessible to a wider age range than some extreme haunts are. We saw families with young kids coming out without any signs of trauma. While there were some minorly graphic scenes (butcher shop, some random body parts), it was not at all a gory splatter fest. It’s a circus, after all. Just a weird, dark, and twisted one.
Barnum Circus of Freaks was actually the first area haunt to reach out to me this year and invite me out to see what they were up to. I was too busy and did not have time to event start working on this website until mid-October. I regret not making time to visit with them earlier. I feel like I was late to this party.
If you go see it, tell them DM Haunted Houses sent ya. Thanks.
I previously hosted the website for Circus of Freaks in Bussey, Iowa. The last time I posted about them was in 2020 when they announced they would not operate that year but stated “huge things are coming for the circus. (Ah, Covid, we lost so many things to you that year).
At the time, I had a site category of “Circus of Freaks” for them. With the new-for-2023 Barnum Circus of Freaks, I kept accidentally using the old “Circus of Freaks” category in posts about them. I have now renamed both categories so we will have:
And they both start with ‘B’ so I’ll try hard to select the correct one. For now, I think I have the Barnum posts updated to use their new category.
I also added a new tag in the Directory for “Women Owned“, assigning it to Barnum. I may need to add “Women Managed” as well since in her recent video interview she mentioned this.
I need to see if there are more. Tormented Souls Haunt is led by Kumari Henry (she’s the Walt Disney of that operation), and Haunted Woods is led by Marilyn Harris. They might need one or both of these tags added. I am not sure how many women-owned haunts we have had in this area, but Ankeny Haunted Barn was ran by Mindy Bales after her husband passed, then later ran by her daughter and sons. Going back twenty years, several of the haunted houses at Sleepy Hollow were designed and managed by women. Have there been many/any others?
More to come…
Another video has been posted to YouTube and Facebook. And the Video page of this site. And here:
