This place is 100% worth the hype!! We only did the trail but I'm totally sold on coming back and doing the town too next year. Amazing quality, dedicated actors, IMMACULATE vibes. I led my group and laugh like a hyena when I get scared so I'm sure all the actors could hear me coming a mile away, mad props to the guy who actually copied my laugh to me when he came up to scare me! The only thing I have a constructive comment on is the alcohol line. There's only one area to get drinks at and the lines can be VERY long, especially later in the evening as more people show up. There are technically two lines- one line for you to get your ID checked and get a wristband and then purchase alcohol, and then a (usually shorter) line for folks who already got their wristbands and are buying again. Another bar area or even just a bigger singular bar area might be helpful for that particular crowd control. Another point in favor of showing up early- despite the fact that online you buy tickets for particular time slots for the trail, forget all that cause when you show up you get in a trail line to get checked in and get numbered wrist bands for your whole group. That number is what determines your trail time. Our tickets were for 10 pm online but because we got there around 7:30 and got an early group number, our actual group number was called at like 9:15 (but you can go whenever you want after that number is called- you just can't go BEFORE your group number is called). I really liked this system as it gave way more flexibility, in my opinion. COME HERE!!! read more

Had an amazing night at Markoff's. The trail and town were phenomenal. Got some delicious food and watched all the fun going on in the main area. Highly recommend. read more

Probably the best trail on the east coast. The trail is long to, 30-40 minutes. The village is also awesome with great food.

After 10 years being in the area, we finally bit the bullet and bought tickets for the first weekend this year. While I'm glad we did it, I don't think we will be back. The pros: -great props -fast passes are 100% worth it -awesome to see the kid staff participate in the affair -family friendly -fun atmosphere The cons: -expensive, it was almost $100 between hubby and me to do both trail and town -the concessions are outrageously priced. $5 for 5 nilla wafers sized donut bites , are you kidding me? -really not that scary -if you don't live in Narnia-I mean Maryland- this place is a pain to get to -there are other haunted events probably closer with better value All in all, I'm glad we went and saw what the fuss was about. We arrived enthusiastic and left satiated but I attribute that to the fast passes getting us in and out. I imagine we'd have been slightly grumpier campers if we had to wait hours like the other reviews said read more

The best halloween event in DMV. Creative, elaborate sets filled with fantasy and horror. Many actors. You feel transported to another world. HOWEVER, we waited about 2.5 hours, which became boring and tiresome. The trail is also crowded. Three large groups of people caught up with us from behind and we had to wait to allow them to pass (as they seemed to be rushing through, perhaps out of fear). Try to do the Fast Pass thing by eating in-town, or bring something to occupy your time. The wait is much longer than it seems. The digital counter said 463 when we entered and we were only group 488, but it took 2 huors (plus .5 hours to get in to the waiting area). Lines for overpriced concessions are also very long. Bring snacks and drinks! Come prepared! read more

This place was awesome! Honestly the production quality was Hollywood level. We were there on the last trail walk of the last night, so it was incredibly packed and there were some traffic jams on the trail, but it was still incredible! I'll probably go a little earlier in October next year when there aren't as many people, but I can't wait to go back. Just FYI for people sensitive to smoke, they have gigantic bonfires - it's like you're standing in a fireplace, so bring a really good mask. read more

Markoff's is an annual tradition and gets better every year! The trails are so well done, it's incredibly immersive. The sets are fully built out, including an Abby and a Viking ship. We loved the area where you wait for your group to be called, it doesn't feel like waiting at all with food vendors and huge bonfires. It felt comfortably socially distant and the entire experience is outdoors. read more

The actors were just so in character that I felt like I was walking in a movie scene. From acting to props to management, everything was on point. Hotter than expected because of the big fire camps they got but overall a great experience. Line management was great, no long wait periods read more

They never disappoint! The trail always blows my mind, and the extra's they had this year were beyond my expectations. See you next year Markoff's! read more

Best haunted forest ever! Don't want to spoil the surprises, so just know that it is worth the drive, wait time, and money! Dress warmly!!

It's not so much that I've experienced better, as that Markoff's has BEEN better in the past. I've gone to Markoff's every year for about five years now. And while I think there's a great deal to recommend the place, it's starting to fall victim to its success. One of most successful things about Markoff's is the way they handle the wait to get into the forest. You're given a number when you purchase your ticket, and let loose in this big field with food, other activites, movies playing, and several bonfires. With a starry sky overhead and a chill in the air, warming yourself at the fire gives your evening this wonderful, autumnal-pagan vibe that sets you up nicely for the haunt. And the haunt DOES deliver. In 5 years, it has never failed to make me scream like a litte girl at least once on the walk. The owners clearly devote a lot of time and thought to making the path each year and creating spooky/terrifying vignettes along it. I still get the willies when I think about the horrifying circus big top they made one year. Clowns. *shudder* But delivering the terror is getting harder for Markoff's to do. And not because I've seen everything they have to offer, and am now some jaded haunted forest connoisseur. No, the problem is that they're now dealing with probably 2,500 people on any given weekend night, and that's a hella bunch o' peeps to scare. They aren't able to space the groups out enough, and you end up always catching up to the previous group. The element of surprise gets lost, and with it half of the scare. Finally - and maybe others will see this last complaint as a recommendation - Markoff's has gotten a little too....northwest DC maybe?....for my tastes. There's always been a large prep school contingent when I've been here, but last year there was a limo section in the cornfield/parking lot. They also had a VIP section of the waiting field with separate food service. So where else do I get to experience classes of service, hordes of entitlement-laden people, and areas I can't enter because I don't have the right kind of ticket? Oh, that's right. An airport. That's a whole different kind of terror. read more

Fear, as defined in the dictionary, is said to be: a distressing emotion aroused by impending danger, evil, pain, etc., whether the threat is real or imagined; the feeling or condition of being afraid. I define fear as: unpleasant, extreme spike in cortisol levels, afraid that you might shit yourself or piss your pants. I'm going to caveat this review by saying that I DON'T enjoy haunted 'stuff' and I never have. My fear factor is pretty much off the charts. Read: I scare really easily. I have gladly jumped out of a plane at 12,000 feet, after signing a waiver that said I couldn't sue the skydiving company in the event of my untimely death ... but when I was asked to sign a waiver at Markoff's Haunted Forest saying that I release them from liability in the event of my untimely death, I took a pause and said, "Wait ... why am I doing this again?" But at that point it was too late. I had paid my $25 and was through the HORRENDOUS line, which (lets face it) was haunting enough just from the sheer annoyance factor and lacking attempt from MHF for any decent line/crowd control. Really, buddy? You're going to smoke when everyone is crushed together like cattle? I'm standing so close to you, I could take a drag off of your cigarette and you wouldn't even notice. Really, shrill voiced teen behind me? You're going to all but shout at your friend about how angst ridden you are? You are close enough to grope me ... maybe take it down from 11 just a few notches. Please. If there is anything I hate more than standing in line, its standing in a packed line waiting to pay money for something I'm not that jazzed about doing to begin with. Once you've handed over your money you are given an orange sticker. Actually, an orange sticker is slapped onto whatever you're wearing. It has a number on it. The system works the same as when you take a number at a deli counter. When your number is called you are allowed to enter the forest and proceed on one of three trails. Before that happens though you are corralled into a large area where there are three HUGE bonfires, food stands, and various activities that you can engage in (all cost extra). From what I could see there was a zip line, haunted hay ride, some type of American Gladiator-esque jousting thing, paint ball, etc. There was also a DJ and fire dancers. Our number was 396 and when we walked into the bonfire area they were on number 376. I would say we waited about 30-ish minutes before 396 was called. It was pretty cold so I was happy for the bonfires. Once 396 was called I started to get anxious. This was what I had come for and this was what I didn't want to do ... actually go through the haunted forest. We were told to use Trail #2. M'kay. I was hoping Trail #2 was the shortest trail and would last for 5 minutes and then be over. Yeah....no. The first thing I can say about these trails is that they are dark. There are a few path lights, but they are extremely dim and really don't help you discern which way you're supposed to walk. This makes sense considering there are all kinds of people hiding in the darkness waiting to jump out at you. And jump out they did - and grab your ankle, and chase you with a chainsaw (yup), and send you into weird fun-house type scenes where things would come out of the walls, and wood shacks which were literally, pitch black. There was also something we walked through where you had to hunch over to get through and the walls were touching your shoulders on either side (like going into an MRI tube) AND it was pitch black AND stuff was there to 'terrify' you inside. Sweet. =o/ I think the trail lasted for about 25 minutes. If it had lasted any longer I would have come out of there with PTSD. With that being said, MHF is well done. It is obvious that a lot of time and effort goes into designing the trails, the costumes, the props, and the characters. Was I scared? I think that question is rhetorical. Would I go back? The experience of MHF really put a definitive NO on any future questions of "Do you want to go to a haunted [---]?" No. Hellz no. Fuck no. Absolutely no. I'll spend my Halloween season with puppies, popcorn, and romantic comedies from here on out and get my scares from watching Jillian Michaels snarl her way through another episode of the Biggest Loser. Any woman whose smile still looks like a snarl is terrifying ... and yes, fear is a factor for me. read more

The scariest thing about Markoff's Haunted Forest is that the following story is 100% true. If you are pregnant, nursing, or have a heart condition, I recommend clicking through any of my other yelp reviews. If not, this is your warning. You still have time to turn back... That time has now come and gone. Earlier this month, one of my friends came across a facebook advertisement for Markoff's Haunted Forest, claiming it was the "largest, scariest haunted forest in the east." Having zero other establishments with which to compare it, I figured that having some kind of ghost tour through a heavily-wooded area of Montgomery County could be exciting, especially so close to Halloween. Our final number was seven, and so we split into two groups, with my group of five arriving in wherever Poolesville is first. After navigating River Road for about 25 minutes, and stealthily avoiding the speed trap cameras into town, bright orange lights and queues of other cars let us know that we were about to make a giant mistake. After slowly wending our way underneath a huge, illuminated "MARKOFF'S HAUNTED FOREST" sign, we parked our car in an enormous grass field in the middle of hundreds of minivans and SUVs with Maryland tags. After five minutes of waiting - because the rest of our party hadn't yet arrived - an officer pulled up to my car and told us we couldn't wait in the parking lot. This led to a back-and-forth about how we needed to meet up with our group and blah, blah, blah. The officer, after feeling a bit of resistance from us to leave - how would we find our group? There was no cell phone service - asked us if we had any alcohol. "Ma'am, I'm 28 years old and I'm driving. Whatever may have been done by the rest of the party off of the premises is completely irrelevant and perfectly within their legal right to do so." At this point, she shines a flashlight into my car and tries to open the rear door of the vehicle. "Don't think we consented to a search, here," my legally-astute friend told her. "Okay, you two are coming with me, where's the rest of your group, I'm going to escort you all out of here." Now, before our story continues, I need to state the fact that this public servant is enforcing the whims of a private organization at taxpayer expense. . And she's detaining us for what? Suspicion that members of our party may have been drinking? That there may have been alcohol somewhere in my car? Legally ambivalent; ethically unscrupulous. When we get to the entrance of the forest, this officer, who had refused to give us her name, corralled our group near one of the empty cash queues (NOTE: If you still want to attend this well-organized scam, buy tickets there; there's no line) and contacted her lieutenant, Officer Diane Tillary. After some back-and-forth police banter, Officer Tillary asked the first cop, "At any point, did you see any alcohol?" "Well, no, I --" "You all go inside and have a good time." After that whole ordeal, I was pretty soured on my experience, but I tried to make the best of it, after all, I had paid $25 dollars to get inside. They let us loose in this constructed carnival environment where there were lines for everything and the food was typical suburban fare: hamburgers, apple cider, funnel cake... We were given a number - 577 - that had to be called for us to go to the forest. It was 10:20pm and number 533 was on the giant board. They changed them at a rate of one every ten minutes. We were in for a long night. Everything is laid out like the entertainment at Virgin Mobile Freefest, with the sole exception that one needs to pay for everything. These manufactured scares may be frightening for children and housewives, but for super he-men like me, it all came across as lame. The forest itself, once my girlfriend sweet-talked the gatekeeper into letting us in, was pretty well-decorated, and provided some tense moments, but all-in-all was pretty tame. The chainsaws were an interesting touch. The scariest part of the night was going the wrong way on River Road and ending up in the middle of an actual forest at 12:30 in the morning without cell phone service. ...AND I NEVER MADE IT BACK HOME... Oh. Wait. Yes I did. Bottom line (if you happened to be a trooper and read all that): - $25 admission fee, but expect to pay for everything else - If you don't like middle-schoolers or high-schoolers, don't go. - If you don't like men who look like they were transported directly from a trailer park in COPS, don't go. - If you don't like the suburbs, don't go. - The forest itself gets four stars for effort, but, towards the end, became a tiresome walk rather than a scare-filled tour. - A giant bonfire is a nice touch, but when outside drinks aren't allowed, and water is $2/bottle, it makes for a dangerous situation. read more

As far as haunted trails go, I can't imagine one being better than Markoff's Haunted Forest. Admission is $25. Cash only onsite, but you can prepay and sign the waiver online. Yes, you have to sign your life away to get into this place. A possible outcome is listed as death, which I'm guessing can occur from being scared out of your wits and having a heart attack, seizing from the many strobe lights in the forest, or losing your footing and smashing your head on a rock on the dark trail. But don't let that stop you. While you are waiting for your number to be called to gain access to the trail, there's a bunch of other stuff you can do at an extra cost: go on a haunted hayride, ride the haunted bus, participate in ax throwing or jousting, go on the zip line or the death jump. Watching teenagers beat the crap out of each other while jousting and going on the haunted hayride were the highlights. There's also 2 bonfires to keep you warm since it's cold out there in the middle of nowhere. Finally after all of this, your number is called, and you can enter the trail. There are 2 trails that run through the forest, and the ghouls tell you which one to go on once you enter through the black shroud. I'm not going to tell you much about the trail, but it was pretty incredible. There are something like 13 scenes in total, all with spectacular attention to detail. There are zombies with chainsaws hiding on the trail to jump out and scare you, as well as extremely tight spaces to wind through as you feel ghoulish breathing on your neck. The last few scenes on trail 2 (red trail) were freakishly wild. They also make great use of music - Tool, Rob Zombie, etc. The trail is steep in spots, a bit rocky in others, not to mention it is pitch black in some areas and pulsing with strobe lighting in others, so this is not for people who have trouble with balance. Also, I would not bring a kid under the age of 10 here. Other, more boring details: It's open throughout October. On Friday and Saturday nights you have to pull into the lot by 10:30 or they won't let you in. It's a solid hour from DC/Nova, so allow some travel time. We waited to get on the trail for about an hour once we were inside. Yes, it's expensive. But it's worth it. read more

Uhhhhhmmmm...hmmmmm okay so when you go to a haunted forest where the cast is allowed to touch you, you think...wow I'm in for the scare of my life and...idk...Markoff's was extremely expensive $55 for two haunted locations: the forest itself and "The Town" (you can do either or for about $25 each I believe). There's a really cool food and bonfire area to hang out at while you're waiting also. When you get tickets, you're placed into a group and a massive board announces when it is your turn. This place seems to be really popular but the forest was TOO long and not scary enough. They touch you but kind of brush your body or grab and ankle and I guess that's okay but I expected it to be scarier. read more

We went out to the haunted forest this past weekend - on Saturday night. I was anticipating a crowd because of the timing, but I couldn't have imagined how many people would be there. There were probably 10X as many people there on Saturday night as there had been in past years, when we had been out on Friday or Sunday nights. We caught the ticket line at a good time, when it wasn't snaking out into the parking lot, and most people were in pretty good spirits despite the cold and the waiting. There were a couple of spooks walking through the line, freaking people out - that helped to pass the time - and it was fun to hear the screams of people up in the woods - eek. There were a few people cutting in line, though - WACK. We were pretty sure that one group of younger people cut in line in front of us but we didn't say anything because we weren't positive. Then, when we saw them making a move to cut even farther ahead, my fiance grabbed the bull by the horns, walked over to them and asked "Are you cutting in line?" One of the guys said "No..." and then my fiance posed another question for the ages: "Are you lying?" The guy said "Yes," went back where he had been in the line, and I nearly died laughing. All things considered, the lines moved really quickly - for tickets, food and entrance to the woods. We got some hot cider and funnel cake while we waited by the bonfire - yum! - and watched people on the death jump, giant swing, etc. We were called to go into the woods much faster than we anticipated - score. I had a newbie friend along with me this year, and I was so excited to see her get scared out of her mind. Just before we went into the woods, she asked how many flashlights our group would have - when I told her they don't give out flashlights, her face went white. priceless. Now, it was really nice that we didn't have to wait for hours on end to get our haunt on, but the consequence was that there were a lot of people in the woods on the trail. The groups were not well spaced out, so we had to wait to get through certain areas, and we could see the people ahead of us getting scared, which sometimes ruined the surprise for us. Guess what, though - it was still super scary!! We went into one dark house where some guys had lights under their faces and had these weird pig nose things on. When I get really scared, I tend to yell either "whyyyyyyyyy?!?!?!?" or "nonononononono!!!!!!" but when these guys did a little oink/growl at me when I went by, for some reason I screamed "NO BITING!" I guess this inspired the dudes, who started to pinch my legs, sending me sprinting out of there - eeeeeeee!! There were plenty of other scares in there, but I'll leave them to your imagination - don't want to ruin the surprises for anyone who's going to make the trip! If you are planning on going, have fun - and try not to go with the rest of the metro area on Saturday night. Even though the big crowd made this year less spooky than previous years, Markoff's still gets 5 stars in my book. read more

I could stand for them to lower their prices a bit, or at least offer more than just one trail for the price of admission, but Markoff's still provides one of the better haunted thrill experiences out there. I had heard horror stories about endless lines and huge crowds, but I didn't experience any of that on a Friday, Halloween night. I'm not sure if it was because it was Halloween, or a Friday so I can't provide a definitive rule of thumb for skirting crowds. $25 gets you entrance into the main area with huge bonfires, access to funnel cake, and other various activities that charge you an equally crazy amount of money. These things should be free since you're just standing around with not a whole lot to do while you wait for your group number to be called out. Once our number was called, you enter into the dark woods and, depending on the day, you will be assigned to a particular trail. They do a good job with keeping groups together and then spacing them out so it isn't just an endless stream of people being rushed through. Even with a group of 6, you really do feel isolated and on your own, though you can hear sounds and screams off in the distance. As far as scares go, I'm gonna have to accept the fact that I'm just immune to being scared by these kinds of things. Psychological horror movies will freak me out, but people jumping out doesn't really do anything for me. Though I really do enjoy the creativity and they do an exceptional job. It seems like they focus on scaring the girls, so it's probably more suited for a group of guy-girl couples. While I thoroughly enjoyed the experience, $25 is a big pill to swallow. When you consider that for just $7 more you could go to King's Dominion for 8 hours, riding all the rides and having a lot more trails and houses to choose from, it makes $25 for one 20 minute trail look like a ripoff. read more

The trail itself is pretty cool. The people working there are really cool (except that Keystone Cop yelling at people out front). The problem is that they let in such a mass of humanity that you can't do a damn thing but sit around like a refugee until your number is called. (which can be over an hour) Everything that you can do in the waiting room cost extra money - $15 for a zipline, $9 bucks to stand on a telephone pole, be ridiculed by a large crowd and then jump off said pole in hopes of grabbing onto a trapeze bar. $$$ for food. This is not to say that each one of these things (and more) isn't fun, it just takes hours when the crowd is at its peak. The line for food in particular was 5 people wide and about 100' long. Needless to say, I didn't get food that night. But again, the trail itself is cool. Go on the very first weekend. Until the owners stopping overselling this, it's a huge timesuck on any weekend that's close to Halloween. Check out Eastern State Penn in Philly for the right way to limit crowds and have a good time in under 5 hours. read more

Truly excellent experience at Markoff's Haunted Forest. We came on the Saturday before Halloween and arrived about 7 pm. This place is really out in the middle of nowhere. The parking lot is a farm field. And then up, out of nowhere arises this oasis of activity... lights, ghouls, bon fires, a zip line, etc. It is SURREAL. The hub of activitiy starts as you walk into the main area that includes 4-6 gigantic bon fires, carnival type games, and a DJ who does a great job spinning tunes and getting the crowd excited. Concessions are also available and are reasonably priced (I think my sammie was $3). The concessions include pulled pork BBQ sandwich, pizza, popcorn, hamburgers/cheeseburgers, funnel cakes, sodas, water and other standard carnival fare. The pulled pork BBQ sandwich was delicious. From this hub stem a multitude of activities to occupy your time. These activites are over all in addition to the price for the haunted forest trail that is the main attraction and include: 1. A giant swing similiar to the sky ride at Kings Dominion 2. Two zip lines 3. Haunted Hayride 4. Haunted Maze and 5. Haunted Trails -- the main attraction. Markoff's runs an orderly system. Upon purchasing your ticket you will receive a numbered armband and when your number is up you can proceed to the Haunted Trail. They guarantee that everyone who is in the parking lot by 10:30 pm will be able to walk the trail. Regarding the trail, PLEASE, PLEASE wear comfortable walking shoes. You will be hiking through the WOODS; real woods with real trees, and roots in the dark. The trail is dark and dusty. It's at least 0.25 mi long if not long and takes approximately 30 minutes to get through. There are ghoulish sights all along the way and even props that pander to your most base fears and emotions (think pitch black hallway with narrowing walls). There are numerous "jump scenes" along the way with frightening zombies and other ghosts, ghouls and goblins popping out to give walkers a light hearted scare. And while it's not overly scary, there are some sights that I don't recommend this for children under 12 -- nothing family unfriendly but scary and gory. The cast members are wonderful and they really play up their roles and the Haunted Trail is a scary good time. Everyone in my group walked out good heartedly and with smiles all around. I also went through the haunted maze which was just as fun as the haunted trail but much, much less crowded. The maze starts with a tractor pulled bus ride to another part of the field and winds up at a old western type town hosted by a ghoulish sheriff and his deputy. You will walk through a "haunted mine". Again, it is very similiar to the trail but much shorter and meanders through some western mining town type buildings. I didn't try the hayride, the zip line or the swing but many did and they seemed to be great ways to occupy time while you are waiting for your number to be up waiting for the big event. All in all, GREAT experience and big fun. Big tips of the night: 1. Wear comfortable walking shoes and 2. But your tickets online to avoid at least some of the lines, 3. They have an onsite ATM but I recommend bringing your own cash money. read more

Not only do i have a very low spice tolerance, but i also have a very low "scare tolerance". I get spooked very easily, so its hard for me to judge exactly how scary this place was. however, i found it terrifying. After hearing about long lines and waits, we were prepared to wait since we were going on halloween, we figured it'd be packed. We took the ferry over, and man was that worth it as it just added to the spook factor. We got there, signed our waivers, and bought our tickets within minutes. If it hadn't been for the fact we had to wait for friends, we would have been in the forest less than 30 minutes after we parked! I guess Halloween is the perfect time to go :) The scares started immmediately as i was scared by my shadow and then the crazy man with a club who chased me into the bathroom! In the waiting area there were many people hanging out, waiting to scare the crap out of you. Once in the forest, well lets just say i'm glad that i went to the bathroom before i went in! Chainsaws, clowns, mummies, ghosts and creepy sheds. I think my heart rate was significantly elevated when i left! It was definitely worth the $25! I especially enjoyed that they took our pictures, as it was a nice way to remember our scary experience. only 4 stars instead of 5 since the "waiting area" activities suck. $12 to shoot some people in cameo with a paintball gun? $6 to jump off a piece of wood while attached to a bungy cord? $3 for some really gross fries? The only free things were the "last will and testament" and face painting, which definitely added to the creepy factor to see pictures of myself with my eyes bleeding. overall, a fantastic way to spend my halloween! read more

Omg awesome. Bit pricey. Especially as there are two trails but your admission only covers the cost of seeing one. I chose the clown trail. However the people I was with chose the woods trail, so that was the one we went on. This place is waaaaay out in the country. Don't let the Montgomery County address fool you into thinking it's in the 'burbs. It's dark out there and hard to find but totally worth the trek. Many other attractions, including several fire pits and a stand that sells hot chocolate. Almost all I need! Very organized and the wait for your turn on the trail is not arduous at all. Everything extra costs money. Personally I felt I had spent enough so I only bought some refreshments and spent the waiting time sitting by the fire. Note: Very scary and I don't scare easily. Not suitable for children. They will have bad dreams for the rest of their lives! Also, if you have trouble with confined spaces, especially in total blackout, you may feel uncomfortable at some points on their trails. All in all an EXCELLENT haunted attraction. I really recommend it on a great October evening! read more

To be fair, a lot of what went into this 2-star review isn't around the core product of Markoff's (the haunted forest), but the rest of the experience. First, the haunted forest itself. It's abundantly clear that the organizers and the participants who make the haunted forest really care for the craft and do their darndest to stay in character and to scare the bejeezus out of you. We did their original trail through dark houses and windy trails, and it's very easy to get immersed and caught up in the experience. For those 30 minutes, being in the forest was awesome and worthy of a 5-star rating in and of itself. The problem, though, was that the experience encapsulates a lot more than just the forest. Now to be clear, I'm not going to fault them for the ~1 hour drive through deep MD suburbia to get to them (weirdly enough, I actually enjoyed the 2 hours end-to-end of driving). Where the issues for me start is when we parked our car. Without any sort of communication as to when the Haunted Forest opened - not on the website or any handouts or flyers or anything - we made our trek out there coincide with sunset. We got there thinking that we'd gotten there nice and early and ahead of the lines, but we clearly weren't the only ones who adopted this strategy. We ended up staying in a line outside of the park for about 1.5 hours, and apparently the first hour of waiting was because the venue hadn't even opened yet. None of this was really communicated to any of us, leaving us quite literally waiting in the dark. I have pretty lukewarm feelings about what went on inside the park too. Even though there's activities offered to keep you entertained while you're waiting for your turn on the trail, there's either a) a massive line or b) an impractical added cost that keeps you from capitalizing. Food-wise, everything was reasonably tasty but definitely overpriced ($9 for a pizza the size of a paper plate, $4 for two spoonfuls of vegetarian chili), and this came after waiting another 25 minutes in another line. To take advantage of anything like the zipline or the bungee thing requires waiting in a line to buy tickets followed by another line to wait your turn for bungee. Even going into the forest required a line to get into the trail followed by another line before they dispatch you into the dark. All told, we probably waited in ~4-5 lines for a composite 2.5 hours for what amounted to a 30 minute spooky experience. And again, while the core product was really good, everything around it really did feel less than stellar. I guess that's the beautiful problem of being a really popular attraction (even with the 2 hour RT drive), but it left me thinking there couldn't have been some added mechanisms to improve the people management. What would happen, for example, if the ticket price was raised from $30 to $40 p.p. and the internal ticket system was done away with? Assuming only 10% really take advantage of the rides and attractions anyways, you're at the same revenues minus a couple lines and added hurdles to put your customers through. But I digress. Anyways, this review is getting really long, so it's time to wrap it up. Long story short, great core product, everything else is pretty meh to the point I don't know if I'd do it again or recommend it. Hence the 2-star review. read more

Came here for the first time on a Saturday night, and I really enjoyed it! The friends that I came with had been here before, and they said that last time they came the lines were super long (they apparently didn't start walking the trail until about 1 AM), so we made sure to arrive early this year. I think we arrived around 7 ish, waited 20 minutes or so for our group number to be called, and then we were one our way. Pretty smooth sailing! I held on to my friend's hand the whole time, but more because I was just scared of falling while trying to simply walk through the trail. I'm definitely a little clumsy, and probably would have fallen if I wasn't continually being warned by my friend where to watch my step. I only actually jumped once or twice, but that's because I was so focused on looking straight and not getting scared by things popping in from the sides. Also, I was in the back of a group of 7, so I could pretty much hear when characters were going to pop out. Even though this attraction didn't really get any real "screams" from me, I still thought everything was well put together. There was a lot of variety in the scenes, and just when I hoped the trail was ending, there was another thing to go through. I definitely thought it was worth the ticket price, and they probably would have got a little more scares from me if I was in a smaller group.( I jumped at a guy in costume that came at me while I was outside the attraction, so I do scare quite easily...) I'd gladly return! read more

I'm very conflicted as to what to write about Markoff's Haunted Forest. On the one hand, it does make for a very fun night out away from DC. You got your live entertainment (Even though it didn't really fit the mood, I do love bluegrass), fire throwers, bonfires. All the basics for an awesome fall night in the middle of nowhere. The problem is that while it was kinda scary, I don't know if it was really $25 scary. That's not even including the hayride, ziplining, concessions or other attractions. That other stuff requires tickets, all of which can add up to a pretty pricey night. Being that my friends and I are too cheap for that, we stuck with the main forest. I would say it lasts about half hour. Given that I spend faaar too much time watching horror movies, I didn't find it particularly scary but my big bad friend "who doesn't scare easily" but screamed every time someone jumped out seemed to find it pretty terrifying, maybe you will too. Overall, I'd say it''s worth it, just go into knowing how far away it is (you're definitely gonna need a car) and how much it'll cost. PS. Buy tickets online and get there early. Otherwise you will wait forever. PPS. The dude with the chainsaw will not kill you, despite the chainsaw and menacing look in his eyes read more

Sometimes I cry myself to sleep at night, because I went 24 years without knowing this place existed. This place is epic and awesome for all the right reasons. First off it's not just a haunted house, it's a Haunted park. with huge bond fires in the middle and FIRE THROWERS as pure entertainment's place is the Disneyland of haunted parks. Median Age for people who go: 20. Any age can go but I definitely saw more adults than kids scrambling everywhere. They have several mazes, a ZIPLINE, hayride, shows, attractions, games. You can easily spend 5 hours here. Bring CASH especially for the concessions. From what I remember they have two major haunted walk through. Disclaimer now, there is going to be a long wait. You get a ticket and you have to wait about 45 minutes before you even get in the line for the walk through, but there is a lot of things to do in the mean time. They have live bands and carnival games. This place is beyond amazing...I'm getting teary eyed just thinking about it. Bring WARM clothes that you don't mind getting dirty or smokey (because of the bond fire) and CASH. Definitely recommend this for a date or a group of friends. Have a blast!! :) read more

Horrifying! The best attractions in the area. The staff is incredible and goes above and beyond! We will be making Markoff's part of our Halloween tradition! read more

What a bad experience! I'm all for haunted houses and the outdoors, but this place was so disorganized. Looks like they need some kind of growth. We started by standing in a big line for 30 minutes to get in. Then, once we were in, we needed to wait to get into the actual forest part. We decided to get something to eat, so we stood in that line over 45 minutes. All in all, we arrived before 9:00pm and didn't get into the main attraction until almost 1:00AM. It would be different if it was a REALLY good, high value attraction, but it wasn't. It was maybe an eight or ten minute walk. Oh ya, if you decide to go, wear clothes you're prepared to throw away because the bonfires have a terrible smell associated with the fuel they throw on it. I'd say stay home and save your clothes, time and money! Ah yes....the "DJ" there kept shouting into the microphone over the music he was spinning. Ugh.....just stay home! read more

Went here for the first time last night with several friends and we will definitely be back!! Ok, so it's a fair drive from DC, but it's worth it at least once over the season because the quality and production value is EXCELLENT. I used to live in Los Angeles and would visit Universal Studios' Halloween event every year, and this was totally on par with the best set/costume designers, actors, and makeup/effects artists Hollywood has to offer. Only downside is they were out of mozzarella sticks by the time we got there Saturday night and the music was a little loud when we were trying to drink in the little booze corner. But other than that, it was great. A+, would totally recommend. read more

The price for the wait and the entertainment is ridiculous. Even with the discount for buying online tickets, it is not worth your money here. Yes, the trail is pretty cool and the actors do well compared to other places.. BUT 1) It takes more than 20 minutes to even get thru the line to present your ticket 2) The ticket is the same price as a local amusement park 3) Every other piece of entertainment in the place is not included in the admission price. You would think at least a couple trails or the hayride might be included, but all is $6-9 extra for each. 4) Numbers are assigned on your wristband to enter the main trail. It took us 2.5 hours waiting around to have 16 numbers pass for us to enter the trail. We have friends show up that we saw later on, and they were 40 numbers in waiting at 10PM. Nice that they have huge bonfires to warm up a bit, and that is about the only other positive thing to say. The DJs spinning music are horrible and about as funny as a heart attack, though they think they are hilarious. Don't waste your time or money.. read more

This was my first time going, and I will say, that this surpasses Cox Farms by a LONG SHOT! I went to Cox Farms' haunted attraction last weekend, and went to Markoff's tonight. By far, THE BEST! I went in a group of 5, and purchased our tickets online. We arrived shortly after 7:30 and was able to walk right into the waiting area, where it only took about 5 minutes for our number to be called. We lucked out and got a hybrid trail, which meant we got to experience both trail 1 and trail 2.The only lights you have are candles to lead you down the path. Almost right off the bat, there are people jumping out at you. I swear they targeted me the most because I was the one that screamed the most. The workers actually followed me (nice and quietly I might add) for a little, and scared me even more! They even touched me a few times! The details of everything are truly amazing. The makeup on all the workers are so good! You can tell how much time and effort these guys put into their attraction. I ended up taking my jacket off, because I got so hot (for November, it was crazy warm... ok fine, AND because I was beyond terrified and screaming my lungs out every few seconds!). We didn't stop talking about the experience the whole way home! Thank you Markoff's for such an amazing experience. I will definitely recommend this place to all my friends and family for next year! read more

Really a spectacular production. Once inside, there are huge bonfires, a skull shooting flames, activities, games, food, and more. The workers are friendly and helpful (in a ghoulish kind of way). The two haunted trails are fantastic, some say trail 2 is the best but find out for yourself. The hayride is fun and there's even the Enchanted Forrest for the younger kids. It's a great time, a fun evening, and worth the money. read more

*3.5 stars* I agree with Bill M. - kinda sparse on the scardeness for the $25 you pay for. If only they let you walk through both of the trails you can choose from once you wait long enough through all the lines to get into the thing. And it would've been nice if they light the path well enough so you don't risk slipping from the dirt or missing a step and landing on your face. Besides that the concept is pretty cool. This place is HUGE with lots of big bonfires when you're inside. Plenty of booths inside with overpriced for stuff like ziplining, wall-climbing, and food to keep you busy during the long wait. If I wanted Domino's pizza, I'd sneak it in and not pay the $3 they charge here. For a popular a place as this, our wait wasn't nearly that bad. We got there probably at 930, were able to walk straight into the main area, and were in line for the forest by 11-11:15. Probably the best haunted forest closest to this area, so I'd go back for this reason. If not I'd try looking elsewhere for a better deal. read more

This place was very low on scares and high in price. I would be ok with $25 dollars for just the trail if the trail was worth $25. I wasn't expecting to be transported to a world of terror and screaming, but the experience was pretty weak. Markoff's has the standard line up of ghouls, psychotic hillbillies and a animatronic monkey in a car crash, which is fine. And the fact that it was out in rural MD in a forest was a plus (for ambiance). Plus, the way it is run, your group you are with all gets a number and when your number is called, you enter the forest as a group. Good idea so far. The problem is that when you get on the trail, you are almost immediately in a line that you shuffle through with everyone else, getting stepped on by the people behind you, and getting a preview of the scares as they are occurring four people ahead of you. I only went once, on a Saturday, so that experience may have been an anomaly. But considering the hellacious (see what I did there) line that we stood in to pay, I doubt it. Although I didn't partake in anything, I liked their setup where you wait for your group number to be called. Big bonfire, snacks, zip line, rock climbing. Bathrooms that smelled gloriously unlike caca. All in all, I am disappointed and will try something else next year. We did Goatman in 2006, and while it wasn't scary, it supplied us with quite a few jokes and quotes for a few months. One thing is for sure. They pull in a lot of money with that Haunted Forest. read more

I heard mixed reviews about this place, but I'm glad I checked it out. It's definitely much scarier than Eastern State Penitentiary's Terror Behind the Walls. Here's why: 1. You're in the wilderness 2. No music making it seem like a cheesy horror film 3. People touch you & literally make you scream so hard that you pop a blood vessel in your eye (direct quote from my BFF) There are plenty of other attractions other than the haunted forest. They have giant bonfires going with benches in front them which was great for me because I'm always cold. They had an outdoor movie theater w/movie seats, haunted prison that you have to escape from, zipline and bands performing on stage. It literally has something for everyone, including adult scaredy cats. Make sure to bring cash because that's all they accept if you're hungry, or if you want to try out the other attractions. And, buy your entrance tickets online to avoid the lines. read more

First let me say that the ONLY reason I gave this 4 instead of 5 stars is because of the fact that if you don't leave the haunted house and get to Harper's Ferry by 10:30 you have to drive all the way through the other side of Maryland at the end of 28 and 270. I would give this a 4.5 if I could. OKAY, now on to my review. Hands down this is the BEST haunted experience I have ever had. It was pretty easy to find and the wait was eased by the many activities going on. I would have loved to do the zip line or the Death Plunge. The two guys I went with did the Death Plunge and both said they really thought it was worth it and a total rush. We even saw a bunch of kids do this thing and they were pretty fearless, I think that's what got the guys amped to try it themselves. The haunted forest was so super scary, I was either screaming or laughing so hard I had trouble catching my breath. Creepy scary clowns, ghouls, saws, cool music. Markoff''s did a great job. If you go with fun, cool people like I did, all the better. It was worth the money and the evening really lasted a long time for us. Reading these reviews I am only disappointed that I didn't get the point about the second trail, I would've done that for sure. Loved every minute of it. Even the fire pit was neat~so nice and cozy in the chilly air with great company. The whole crowd seemed to enjoy themselves. read more

Things worth knowing without all the fancy paragraphs: -buy tickets online -eat and drink before you actually show up -skip the $3 "hot cider" as it's really $3 "hot Mott's apple juice" -there are people EVERYWHERE -median age of the hundreds of patrons is probably around 19 -sections involve pitch black, tight squeeze areas (read: claustrophobic nightmare) I love scary things and Markoff's was a good time. There were a couple times where I was legitimately spooked but there were also times where I was bored of waiting for the group in front of me to move along. In the end it's about the people you go with and hearing all your friends' shrill screams of terror. Would I go back? Probably... but I'd prefer it be with some first timers each time. read more

I absolutely LOVE, LOVE, LOVE being scared and though this place is a little cheesy it really did exceed my expectations. I went with a friend and their 11 year old daughter and all three of us had a fabulous time. I highly recommend purchasing your tickets ahead of time so you can avoid the ridiculous line and don't hesitate to grab some tickets and take advantage of the other attractions. We really loved the haunted hay ride. The trail itself is pretty scary, its really dark and its not like those punk spots where they promise not to grab you, oh no, you will get grabbed and shoved and its good, really good. My friend's daughter got a lil too scared so we had to sandwich her between us but in the end it was all good fun and its for a great cause! read more

This is a MASSIVE operation, and a really fun way to spend an October night. The drive from DC is a solid hour, and the anticipation builds as you realize you are driving to the middle of nowhere. There were about a hundred cars there when we arrived at 10pm on Sat night. They won't let cars in past 10:30. We had a 20-25 minute wait to get onto the trail. There are plenty of spectacles and distractions while you wait, so it didn't feel long. The trail really is scary, especially if you are open to it. The price is steep, but they put a lot of effort into fueling your nightmares so I felt it was worth it. It would have been scarier if it was less crowded, but I guess that's what happens when you put on a cool show. They do try to space out the groups and have various trails. FYI - alcohol is prohibited, but nobody seems to monitor the parking lot before you go in ;-) read more

I came here a week before Halloween on a Friday night. We arrived around 10:30 and waited in the cold, rainy weather for 2 hours to enter the haunted forest tour. Luckily, it never down-poured. The tour itself takes about a half hour. It's a fun way to celebrate Halloween for adults or teenagers. I was shocked to see a couple with a baby no more than a year old out at 12 am in such weather. They do have a lot to keep you entertained even if you're waiting - the zip line, wall-climbing, a trapeze, face-painting, fortune telling, etc. For an extra fee of course. We pretty much just ate some funnel cake and tried to warm up by the giant bonfires. Where do the colossal pieces of firewood come from, I wonder? I had a fun time along the trail. While the costumes are elaborate and they clearly put a lot of work into the whole park, I can't say I was scared out of my pants. I guess I just don't get scared like I used to. What creeped me out the most happened even before we went into the forest - some of the costumed employees walk around the property sneaking up on you when you least expect it, to whisper something in your ear and catch you off-guard. Also, the chainsaws along the trail are seriously realistic. The trail isn't cheap - $25 a pop, but a friend of mine had gotten free tickets and invited us along. I think the only downside is the price and the long wait on the night I was there. read more

So I just got back from The Haunted Forest and I paid $27 online (which I thought was $$) but I bought the tix anyway because the website said there was a lot to do there so I thought it would be worth it. What the site does not say is that everything they promote to do there (Haunted Hayride, Haunted Bus Tour, Ziplining) is extra--like $10-$15.00 extra! So you pay $27.00 online and all the covers is access to ONE trail (you dont' even get access to both trails--you have to pick one!). By the time your done there it could cost you more than a day at Six Flags! And what really pissed me off was when you get there--they call your number to go through the trail. If you missed your number, you can still go on the trail after it's called. So, what a lot of kids were doing was waiting until everyone in their group was called and then going on the trail together---causing a massive back up. You had to wait literally an hour to go on one trail. And if you didn't want to wait on the ridiculously long lines for food or pay an additional $12 for a "Haunted Hayride" you were simply out of luck. I couldn't believe what a racket this was! And to see mobs of teenagers just spend all their money--this place is a cash cow. When we finally got on our trail--and it was good. Very dark, very hilly and very scary. Would I go again? Not for the price. read more