Nerds That Geek Movie Review: 'Hayride'

Written by Scott Edwards

One of the things that I love about Halloween is all of the attractions that are built in its honor. With haunted houses going up by the truckload, there are also the natural attractions that can be just as scary. Corn field mazes and hayrides are cheap and easy to attend and why not, as farmers just make their guests a little patch that can only be traversed at night. Not knowing what can be hiding in the darkness is what drives people insane during these events and for good reason, because let’s be honest, there is nothing scarier than being on a psycho farmer’s farm with all of their equipment.
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Returning home on Halloween weekend with his girlfriend Amanda, Steven cannot be more excited.  Knowing that there will be something special to show her when it comes to his uncle’s ever popular hayride event, he tries to explain what goes on behind the scenes. Knowing that she will love it, the two see Uncle Morgan working on his truck and while trying to find out who will be playing the character parts, Morgan will only disclose this information if Steven decides to work on the hayride once again.

Down the river, a killer is on the loose and Detective Loomis is on the case. Seeing that the officer that was driving the inmate was killed, he knows it is only a matter of time before the perp kills again. Searching the area around the car and finding nothing, the police get word of a missing person and have to head north. Finding an old farmhouse with dead bodies inside, a couple of officers call it in, but are quickly disposed of when Pitchfork finds them on his property. Seeing that the body count is rising, Loomis does not care about the legend of the old killer, but rather the escaped killer who will be making his rounds.

The night before the big event, Morgan and family surround the fire and tell their stories when Morgan decides to tell the tale of Pitchfork. Being based on a real farmer that lost his mind and killed his family, he continues to try and frighten Steven and Amanda to no avail. After a long day of cleaning up what a storm took down, the Captain Morgan Hayride is up and ready for business, but nobody knows that the terror that will come from this ride will be deadlier than ever before.

This is a fun little down-home story that takes a turn for the worse when a killer is on the loose. Putting the scares in the ride for the night, nobody knows that they have become targets for a psycho and that has to be my favorite part of the movie. Because when the killing starts, you don’t have time to catch your breath from the carnage. With everyone being a target, it is great to see how Steven jumps into action to try and save the love of his life and while it may be enough to save her, it may not be enough to save himself. With a killer on the loose, a life changing ride, a story for the ages and plenty of blood, it is just fun to see how people respond to a new threat. I will say that this movie has made me think twice about taking a hayride ever again, and while I will probably do so, I will keep my ears glued to the police scanner to see if there is someone looking to make my experience more sinister than it needs to be. Stay Scared.

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