If driving the backroads of Omaha during harvest season wasn’t eerie enough, pulling into Bloodrush Forest of Terror made that ride feel like a Sunday stroll. Unexplained crashes echoed from the woods, chainsaws growled from the shadows, and distant screams begged the question – were those from the actors… or the guests in front of us who wandered in?
As one of the longest haunted trails in the region, Bloodrush doesn’t just stretch across the forest – it owns it. Massive sets rise from the dirt like nightmares brought to life: decrepit houses, skeletal boneyards, a deranged RV park, and this year’s gruesome addition, the Cannibal Cabin. The creatures inside spoke in their own garbled tongue, part (what we dubbed) Tasmanian Devil, part pure insanity, as they threatened to slice, dice, and entice us to dinner… though we’re pretty sure we wouldn’t have been the ones doing the eating!
With every corner darker than the last, we never knew what waited in the next clearing – only that it probably had a knife, a grin, and a craving for a human entrée! Standing outside a sketchy-looking cabin, the screams from the woods surrounded us. It wasn’t long before we confirmed our fears – we were about to find out exactly what… or who called this place home!
As we entered Bloodrush, we hardly had a moment to think, with the actors popping out at us, especially at the beginning of the trail. The cast did a fantastic job of getting us in a few spots. We will also give credit to a few leaves falling from the tree that scared Tyler and Dallas! Haha! Most of the creatures of the night were silent but eerie and made weird, creepy noises at us, snarling like dogs and deranged hillbillies with their own language. We think it was Tasmanian Devil. One group of actors that we remember the most is the Big Piggy’s BBQ area, where the cast members were very believable and portrayed the crazy backwoods people outside, and the food workers inside the restaurant.
There were times that along the trail we would walk minutes at a time without coming across anyone or just one or two actors. It seemed that they were mostly bunched together at times. But when we found a group of them, boy, were they on us like stink on sh!t!
We exited the haunt and were greeted by some lovely cast members playing what looked like tug of war with each other. R.I.P. the Clown was trying to get us to double-dog dare him to do something, and he stayed in character like most of his castmates. At one point, we watched him and two others come out of the same porta-potty… what the?
Bloodrush’s cast came dressed for chaos, and we mean that in the best way possible. Sharp teeth, oozing mouths, crazy hair, and darkened facial features set the tone right from the start. Many wore tattered apparel and dirty teeth with a few unique masks. The majority of the cast featured airbrushed makeup. Colored contacts were worn by some, which made their faces pop in the low light.
A few even sported hats or crazy hair to finish off their looks, and at least one wig made an appearance for good measure. Props that matched the costuming were also carried, including a severed baby doll arm, a shock stick, and a squeaky chicken.
While most characters were dressed to impress (or distress), we did notice a few t-shirts wandering around and bare skin that broke the illusion a bit. A touch more layering or distressing would’ve helped maintain Bloodrush’s otherwise strong visual consistency.
One eerie white-faced doll-like character in a dress looked like she had come straight out of an attic nightmare, while R.I.P. the Clown stood out with a colorful mask and a tactical vest that had been fully clownified. Another mask, complete with dreads and disturbing teeth lining the bottom, was nightmare fuel on its own!
The characters roaming the queue were fully decked out, too, with complete costumes that kept the energy high before we even entered the attraction. One performer had green ooze pouring from their mouth and all over the skull they were holding – an image that’s not leaving our brains anytime soon. Darcy also stood out with a memorable look of their own.
Finding this scary trail out in the woods was very easy. Our GPS took us right to the property, and their large grass lot was easy to park in. Bonus: Parking was free!
Bloodrush has an impressive website and Facebook page that has tons of information we needed for the event. They also have a dedicated behind-the-scenes crew, including the ticket booth staff, merchandise booth team, and security personnel.
This is an outdoor trail, so make sure you wear proper footwear. The ground can be uneven at times, but we didn’t notice any significant trip hazards. Navigating the facility was super easy, and the ticket booth and waiting lines were marked.
As we were leaving Bloodrush, the security team received a radio call about a patron being rough with an actor, and they quickly sprang into action to address the situation.
Bloodrush really is a haunted trail out on the beaten path, and the moment we arrived, we knew it. Plenty of signs and a massive banner pointed us in the right direction, and before we could even lock the car, an overly eager Darcy came running toward us – arms open and lips puckered. What the hell kind of place did we just land ourselves in?
From there, we made our way to the main queue in front of the towering multi-story cabin. A few roaming creeps slithered through the crowd, serving up pre-scares as the band Ghost blared through the speakers (points scored immediately for that soundtrack choice).
Once inside the woods, the immersion came alive. Some buildings were jaw-droppingly detailed, while others felt a bit bare due to stretches of quiet space and a few unpainted walls. We could occasionally glimpse outside areas beyond the trail, which pulled us out of the illusion momentarily. The crew told us they had recently battled major weather damage, and considering the overhaul they’ve done, it’s impressive how much life – and death – they’ve breathed back into the woods.
While there isn’t a central storyline, there is a clear sense of chaos tying everything together. The wild-eyed cast brought consistency through their shared madness, making each encounter feel part of the same blood-soaked ecosystem. One thing’s for sure: if it can kill you in the woods, it’s probably lurking somewhere along this trail!
Bloodrush didn’t use a lot of animatronics, yet they still found ways to keep us immersed in the special effects. They had us get on steep ramps from an old cattle chute and disoriented us in the clown maze with repetitive, curved doorways. They also messed with our senses by hanging clothing in closets we had to feel through, and by utilizing a variety of lighting effects around the haunt. At times, some areas were very dark, and we found ourselves slowing down to see what was in them.
The few animatronics that were used had great timing and were realistic, paired with effective soundtracks. Speaking of sound, the music was a little loud in some areas, but in the more open rooms, it was just enough. We also noticed ambient noise throughout most of the haunt, unless it was in a specific room with music.
There were a lot of hauntingly beautiful facades and scenes throughout, including a church, cagin, Big Piggy’s BBQ, and the carnival area, which was well-decorated, complete with a retired Ferris wheel and funhouse facade. At one point, they also had us walking through a partially tipped school bus! The in-home meat locker with dangling bodies was grade A. We always love it when the bodies are already moving on their own… Not!
21. How scary was it? (35% of score): 7.75
22. How well did they provide scares to everyone in the group? (15% of score): 8.5
23. How predictable were the scares? (25% of score): 8.75
24. How well did they provide a wide variety (types) of scares? (10% of score): 8.13
25. How strong was the ending / finale? (15% of score): 7.63
While the dark woods can be unnerving on their own, what lurks in those dark woods at Bloodrush is far worse! Out here, you never know what’s waiting to attack, from crazed chainsaw lunatics and carnivorous cannibals to sudden bursts of noise and disorienting lighting that keep your nerves on edge. They attacked our group in various ways by splitting us up, stalking us from the back of our group, double-tapping us, and coming at us from down low!
The majority of the scares came from the actors themselves. They popped out from clever hiding spots with perfect timing, then stalked and retargeted our group more than once to make sure no one felt safe. A shock stick proved to be a particularly effective weapon of choice, and the actor wielding it knew just how to get it close enough for it to make us uncomfortable. A type of scare utilized here that we don’t see often was gore, and in some areas, there was a lot of it! Needless to say, we weren’t sticking around in these areas long!
The attraction also featured some downright disturbing sounds that crept through the air and kept us tense between scares. Combined with the darkness, isolation, and relentless cast, Bloodrush delivered a steady flow of fear that hit from every direction. Adding a few more cast members throughout certain stretches of the trail could make it even stronger, filling in quieter moments and keeping the scares more evenly distributed from start to finish.
General admission tickets were priced at $36.10, which is reasonable for the size of Bloodrush. It took us roughly 31.5 minutes to escape the fear and terror! That brings their MPD (minutes of entertainment received per dollar spent) to 0.87. While the average going rate is $1 per minute, this was a long trail with a lot to offer! Every room or area was different, which kept us on our toes.
In addition to the main haunt, roaming characters and upbeat music kept the crowd thumping. There was a photo op area. There should also be a movie screen up on busy nights, but they didn’t have it going on the night we went. They also have celebrities on-site often to sign autographs and take selfies. On the night of our visit, we got to meet Mark Burnham, who played Leatherface in the 2022 Netflix version of Texas Chainsaw Massacre!
For those who can’t get enough, the folks at Bloodrush offer combo tickets and season passes with a variety of options.
Bloodrush Forest of Terror is a unique haunted trail that immerses folks right into a twisted tale of horrific and heinous acts! Be sure to visit them for their 11th season! Just be careful of who… or what, you trust in these parts!
23301 W Maple Road, Elkhorn, Nebraska 68022
