EXETER TOWNSHIP, Pa. — A residential yard in Berks County has morphed into an interactive, walk-through horror gauntlet. What began five years ago as a modest front-lawn graveyard now operates as Rotten Roots, an engineered seasonal installation built by Exeter Township resident Garrick Heim and his family. The project pulls crowds straight through the property rather than keeping them on the sidewalk.
Fright displays typically rely on static skeletons and store-bought strobe lights. Heim chose a different route. Built around an original narrative scripted by Heim’s wife, the attraction stages a turf war between witches defending a cornfield and an invading contingent of aliens. Giant arachnids clash with extraterrestrial invaders across the grounds. It is tactile, chaotic, and loud.
Pulling the installation off requires serious manual labour. Heim sources towering corn stalks directly from neighbouring Lancaster County, bolting the perimeter together with wooden pallets and structural metal braces. He converted standard battery-operated props into hardwired units linked to a central power grid, eliminating dead batteries mid-show. A customized cooling rig chills mist pumped from an industrial fog machine, pinning a dense vapor blanket directly against the turf. Setup takes two full days of outdoor electrical and mechanical work.
Yet the real shift lies in audience participation. The family linked the display to the Fright Maps platform, integrating its interactive Fright Links system. Visitors approaching the property can tap their smartphones to command mechanical werewolves, hounds, and animatronic witches on demand. Concealed pressure pads and infrared sensors track foot traffic through the corn path, triggering sudden mechanical lunges without human intervention. During live evening runs, Heim’s stepdaughter dons masks to ambush older teenagers navigating the labyrinth.
The family is already sketching expansions. Heim plans to fabricate a 12-foot alien figure to anchor the front-line battle sequence, cementing the property's standing on regional haunt directories like HauntMap as preparations begin for next season's run.