Taylorsville Terror Review (2022)

It was evident that some of the cast members at Taylorsville Terror were having busloads of fun entertaining guests. Although they warned us of an atypical decrease in monsters on the night of our visit, it seemed like they could utilize many more to help cover all of the haunts. There’s a lot of property to cover, after all.

As we traveled back in time, the characters portrayed various familiar horror movie villains. Freddy Krueger was the most believable, interacting with his scene and using film-appropriate dialogue. Michael Myers also played his role well, stalking us through a series of dark spaces. Other than a few screaming and crying victims, most characters didn’t speak much (if at all), and aside from a few select assailants, most watched us walk by after emerging from their hiding spots.

Inside Chuckles’ Fun House, a few energetic clowns did what clowns do best by pointing us in the wrong directions multiple times. We’re horrible at mazes, so it wasn’t hard for them to steer us wrong. A few utilized fun dialogue. Buckles intimidatingly stared at us with his pitchfork in hand, and a van of clowns awaited outside the exit.

Our bus ride began with comedic banter with Chuckles and another run-in with Buckles. These clowns loved having fun and interacted with as many guests as possible. Chuckles has terrible yet hilarious driving techniques, and he sure is a hoot! It was all fun and games until the Sheriff pulled us over. He arrested a few of us adults, and upon telling us to get into the back seat of his car, he warned us that Chuckles taught him how to drive. At that moment, we found anything we could to hold on to!

The trail and corn maze had many lengthy areas where no creatures stirred. The characters we did see were unique from one another. Ghostface jumped out of nowhere, questioning where Sidney was, and the chainsaw assailant was energetically running around, waving the saw ahead of us. The Creeper stalked us from atop a bus, and while we walked through it, he walked across the top to snarl at us on the other side.

The cultists and their sacrifice were the standouts here. As a victim helplessly called for us, a robed figure slit her throat. The victim remained dead until we were totally out of the scene, and more robed villains emerged from the surrounding woods, staring at us with their blank-faced masks. It was creepy, to say the least. Although the lady in the cemetery was verbally interactive, she repeatedly told us to “hurry up,” “you’re walking too slow,” “I don’t think you understand what hurry up means,” and similar phrases the entire time we were in her large scene through thick fog. Unfortunately, her dialogue didn’t convey as scary, creepy, or funny. We understand that guests get roped back through this area, potentially past others, but there are more effective ways to hurry guests along.

The costumes ranged in detail and uniqueness. We noted various attire, masks, and makeup applications throughout all attractions, but some characters appeared to have very little costuming beyond hoodies and other “street clothes.”

In 1984, the costumes mostly fit the scenes we found them in. Michael Myers had a complete outfit with an appropriate stature; he totally looked the part! Freddy also featured proper attire with his burned mask and metal-clawed leather glove. One victim had bloody clothing, while the other wore medical scrubs to match their respective scenes. We also ran into Vecna, but their mask wasn’t tucked in, and the plain robe-like clothing they were wearing with it didn’t sell the rest of the look. We also noted a glowing mask (with a hoodie) and a clown suit in this area.

In the funhouse, all the characters were dressed appropriately as clowns, but again, the level of detail ranged. One clown had a giant bow attached to a hoodie. Others had facial makeup that enhanced their characters’ looks. A female Pennywise had the appropriate costume and makeup style, while Buckles’ costume stood out the most, complete with giant clown Chucks. There was a lot of exposed skin under masks, too, and covering this skin with some simple black makeup would help sell the character’s looks even more. Also, it was super hard to hear the chainsaw clown through his latex mask, so maybe that character would be better off with a non-speaking role or a different mask.

Outside, Chuckles also had a full costume, carrying a handmade clown staff. The sheriff had a flashlight and hat to go along with his wardrobe. While Ghostface had one of the most complete costumes along the trail, his location was strange and random. The chainsaw guy had a well-fitting mask, a scarecrow was wearing some bibs, and the Creeper had some wings to help signify who he was portraying (although he had no Creeper mask or makeup, and he appeared to be wearing a hoodie and loose pants).

The cultists and victims in their scenes had the best costumes during our visit. They featured robes and various expressionless masks (which were appropriate for their characters, in this case), and some were holding flickering candles. Their looks truly made them creepy in their wooded surroundings.

While our trusty GPS did take us to TT, we nearly missed the entrance. There was a sign hanging on a fence by the road, but because it had no lights, we didn’t see it until it was almost too late. However, free parking was available in a dim, self-service grassy field.

Navigating the premises was reasonably self-explanatory. The ticket booth and VIP line entrance were marked. However, it was pretty dark in these areas, and we noticed a long extension cord running from the ticket booth into the parking lot across the paved driveway, where all customers had to walk over it; be sure to watch where you’re walking. They did have nice indoor restrooms on location, but you will need to ask to use them and how to get to them, as they are not located close to the queue area.

They had a nice list of reasonably priced concession items near the ticket booth. The staff we spoke with were friendly and helpful.

Inside the haunt are some low areas where you’ll need to duck and crawl. We don’t recommend running. Most of the path and corn maze was marked well, but there was quite a bit of uneven ground and random dips in the trail. Most of the course was lit with colorful flood lights or string lighting, which we much appreciated.

Taylorsville Terror doesn’t have a website up as of this writing, but they’ve ensured the most pertinent information and a few FAQs are featured at the top of their Facebook page. They also have a ticketing page to purchase tickets online. Guests can find additional information about their haunt on their ticketing page.

Taylorsville Terror takes place out in the countryside of Kentucky along a curvy road. It can be creepy just driving out there. A 12-foot skeleton sporting one of the haunt’s T-shirts overlooked the parking lot near an old, rusty car with more skellies inside. Several other vehicles covered in cobwebs, Halloween decor, a skeleton-horse-drawn hearse, and another haunt sign confirmed we were at the correct location.

Despite the entrance sign to Taylorsville Terror saying “Taylorsville Asylum,” some surrounding decor appropriately alluded to the “1984” theme. An old jukebox, vintage Halloween decorations, and more lined the walls. The doorway to Chuckles Fun House featured a painting of Chuckles, and we immediately knew it wouldn’t be long before we faced some cackling clowns.

The theme for Taylorsville Terror 1984 was precisely that: horrors from the 1980s. We encountered fan-favorite horror movie villains and a segment from Stranger Things. Chuckles Fun House was a world full of clowns. The bus ride and trail didn’t seem to have a theme, per se, so you can expect to find a range of beings lurking in the wilderness.

When it comes to immersion, we noticed many things that took us out of the feeling of being inside a haunt. Some of these included black plastic or tarpaper walls, an exposed fog machine near the walking path, several loud generators, and non-haunt items randomly placed within eyeshot of the trail.

This year, we’re also paying more attention to the flow of the attractions we visit. The first thing we noticed at TT was significant time spacing between groups being admitted into the first attraction. On busy nights, guests may want to count on purchasing fast passes. Upon exiting the trail, we were routed directly back to the parking lot, away from the ticket booth or concessions. Hence, it was easy for us to forget to pick up a quick snack or snap additional photos near the decorated entrance before we left.

Taylorsville Terror is an old-school, actor-driven show. Many of the effects and props appeared to be created in-house.

The scenes inside featured varying details. In some spots, we were immersed in what was going on, while others could use more decor and layers to enhance realism. Thick fog, suitable sounds, a green fog vortex, a pick-a-door segment, and a bloody bed swallowing an actress were notable. We also walked between two walls lined with vintage records and into a room full of vintage arcade games.

The scenes had some unique twists and turns, routing us through a caged maze and into various dead ends and low spots (including the “glory hole”) where we had to crawl in total darkness. A classic car from Christine with a blasting horn surprised us as it looked and sounded realistic upon entering the room.

In Chuckles Fun House, carnival music flowed through the halls. Lots of bright colors were used, along with pitch-black walkways. A modern Pennywise prop, a spinning Ferris wheel, fun mirrors, a bubble gun, and a homemade clown container surprise further made for a fun trip.

We don’t want to give too much away about the bus, but Chuckles gives a heck of a ride back to the trail, and the Sheriff’s ride was a whirlwind of a good time!

Along the outdoor paths, the scenes and decor were simple. Multi-colored lighting illuminated the trails ahead. A large, foggy cemetery elicited the most decor, while a filthy bus made a neat addition to the field. We also walked past a camper, a truck, and a hearse, complete with a casket falling out of the back. As we passed through some sort of ritual, this area of woods was modestly decorated yet effective; it kept us on edge as we passed through.

The ‘80s offered a few interesting surprises. We became disoriented on multiple occasions, and there were several bouts of entrapment in pitch-black areas. A few quick surprises caught us off-guard, and the appropriate statured Michael Myers intimidatingly followed behind us. A drop panel got a scare out of the group, while the “below-the-floor surprise” in the tunnel had us crawling faster.

In the clown area, we came across more disorientation and pitch-black areas. Near the finale, a clown of vans was set loose upon our group, and as we watched the one start his chainsaw, he finally got it and walked alongside us as we made our way to the next waiting line.

On the bus, we couldn’t stop laughing as Chuckles seemed to continue to get the gas and brake pedals confused (he’s still doing this after our last visit three years ago). Nothing on the bus ride was actually scary, but if you are chosen to get arrested, you may get a surprise from the Sheriff. Also, the group separation at that point throws in a twist.

On the trail, there was a lot of walking time where nothing was going on. It could have been easy to target us at several points along the way, but we mostly predicted the scares due to the scenes around them. A chainsaw assailant creepily stalked around us, and a few well-hidden surprises caught a few of us off-guard. Thick fog made it hard to see where we were going or what was coming from within it, but nothing did. There was a suspense build-up to the Creeper’s bus due to the iconic whistling tune, but he was already standing on the bus in plain sight. He did stalk us from above, but there were no surprises inside the bus, which could have offered some great hiding spots.

Witnessing the sacrifice could have made a great ending to the entire outdoor section, but the haunt continued through a giant maze where only one actor was encountered that “rawred” at us. As we approached the exit, nothing was going on aside from the path we walked on up to that point.

General admission is $30 per person, and fast pass tickets are available for $40.00. Be sure to check their Facebook page for potential coupon information. If you purchase tickets on-site, remember the ticket booth is CASH ONLY.

It took us 7 mins to escape the house, another 5 mins to find our way through clown chaos, 4 mins on our trip back to the woods, and another 20 mins finding our way back up to the parking lot totaling 36 minutes (not including wait times). At the GA price, this brings their MPD (minutes of entertainment received per dollar spent) to 1.2. Although the length-to-price ratio is above average, there was a lot of downtime along the way when nothing was happening. As noted above, we were warned that they were short on staff, so we hope they will have many more creatures hiding in the darkness in the future.

While we waited in line, we noticed one actor interacting with those waiting, and there were some items to take photos with. But as we said, the line moves rather slowly, so we recommend showing up close to opening time unless you plan to purchase the fast pass.

Taylorsville Terror is a family-owned attraction put on by folks that love Halloween. We would love to see this crew focus on building their characters more while utilizing the spaces within their scenes to create more (and more impactful) scares. For the most part, we had a good time and laughed a lot, which seems like that’s their goal. If you’re looking for a unique haunted attraction south of Louisville, KY, that shouldn’t traumatize you, “it’s terror time!”