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Above: Snelling’s Ranch of Horrors was almost too spooky for our youth reporters. (Photo by Aaliyah Jensen)
By Cassandra Avitia and Aaliyah Jensen
SNELLING, Calif.–Snelling’s Ranch of Horrors originally opened in 2015 in a secluded place out in Snelling. But only this year has it gained lots of attention due to the recent close of the seasonal Frightmare Farms. Earlier this fall, I, Aaliyah Jensen, and my co-worker Cassandra Avitia had the opportunity to check out Ranch of Horrors.
Ranch of Horrors is located in Snelling and is easily spotted with the decorative lights they have displayed. As soon as you drive in, you are led by workers into the parking space. Walking in, you can immediately find the ticket booth where they have their prices listed. Ahead of the booth, there are signs directing you to the many attractions they have to offer. Some of the attractions they have to offer include the House of the Dead, The Quarry, and The Dredging Fields. We were able to participate in the House of the Dead, and The Quarry.
Our Expectations:
Cassandra: Before going to Ranch of Horrors, I had only been to Frightmare Farms, and was solely exposed to their Haunted Barn. My expectation of Ranch of Horrors was for it to be similar in both decoration and costume usage as I had seen before. I also thought the House of the Dead, an attraction at the Ranch of Horrors, would have the same setup as Frightmare Farms. The pictures they had on their website both raised my interest and fear due to their hidden location.
Aaliyah: The only real haunted house I have been to has been the Haunted Barn at Frightmare Farms. I was also expecting it to be similar since some of the people who worked for Frightmare Farms went over to Ranch of Horrors. For The Quarry (an “interactive” hike through the property) I have never been through anything like that or have done anything close to it, so I don’t really know what I was going to expect.
The Quarry
Aaliyah: I was excited to shoot people and ‘kill’ pretend zombies. More because I am a fan of zombies and I thought it would be fun. It was super fun, however it was also super scary. It was really dark and I could barely see. I think the Quarry was definitely worth it and was my favorite part of the trip.
Cassandra: When I first read the description, I knew it consisted of having a paintball gun, which I was looking forward to since I had never been able to use one before. So when we got there, we geared up, were told some of the safety rules they had, and were sent in to shoot at zombies. One of the things I didn’t expect, however, was to be walking through an area similar to that of the woods that made the scene even more realistic.
The House of the Dead
Aaliyah: The House of Dead was terrifying, especially when you enter. They didn’t waste anytime trying to scare you. There was many different parts to the House of Dead and there’s definitely some kind of creature that will scare you. Even If I didn’t get scared by one thing in one room, I’d walk into the other room and bam! There was a clown and there I was in tears.
Cassandra: The House of the Dead seemed to be small from the outside, but when we went through it, it seemed to go on forever. It also felt like an enclosed space, which really added onto the scare factor. Another part of the attraction that made it even more frightening was when we got to a completely dark room.
Overall Thoughts
In conclusion, Aaliyah and I thought the Ranch of Horrors was a success! The attractions were terrifying, yet fun. We definitely recommend it, whether it’s to scare your family or friends.
