Terror in the Corn at Anderson Farms Review (2021)

As one might imagine, running a mile-long haunt requires a lot of manpower. This year, Terror in the Corn hired hundreds of cast and crew, all of whom filled their roles very well. From ghostly line entertainment to the denizens of the haunted town, the Terror in the Corn crew created, the monstrosities abound scream true to life (or death)! For this impressively lengthy haunt, there were plenty of cast members throughout, some popping out of unexpected places and others engaged in their dark daily tasks. Those actors did a great job doling out the scares to everyone in our group, sometimes targeting the first person, others trailing behind to get those cowering behind that first person. Sometimes even getting us all multiple times, aided by the expert construction and set design.

Each cast member filled a distinct role and had a unique and authentic-looking costume. Although no particular actor stood out in character creation or dialogue, they were all always appropriate for the scenes and setting and did a great job fleshing out the haunt!

The costumes and masks adorning the cast were all appropriate to the old town setting, with each fitting well into the various scenes. Subtle details, such as the bloody hairline adorning the town barber’s scalp, the mortal wounds on a shopkeep or the otherworldly pallor of a city dweller, were present throughout, really showing off the attention paid by the ingenious trio, Michael Edwards, Greg Allen and Bart Butler, responsible for the spectacle that is Terror in the Corn.

Although not living beings, the costuming on the animatronics and other human-like props was superbly done as well, such that there were multiple times we believed a prop was an actor waiting for us when it was really just a distraction from a real cast member waiting with a scare.

Makeup was done well but not over the top, and the masks we noticed fit the character rolls so well that none seemed out of place. All of the actors, inside of the haunt and milling about the queue lines, were dressed to kill!

For those of us who have visited Anderson Farms or Terror in the Corn in the past, there’s no missing it. As you approach County Road 3 ������������������ from Highway 52, you see the familiar huge pumpkin sitting atop a silo, and, this year, there was local law enforcement directing traffic, which proved a great relief both as we arrived and left. From that point on, there is no mistaking that you’re headed for an amazing haunting experience. The entire Anderson Farms complex soon comes into view on the East side of the road shortly after turning onto the County Road, beginning with the more tame and family-friendly offerings for the Fall Festival and school field trips before revealing the terror that resides along the back corner of the farm. There is no shortage of information available for those with questions, as both Anderson Farms and Terror in the Corn maintain separate web presences, both of which have all the information one could ever want (including information about how close they are to being sold out and how to get your tickets while you still can!).

With respect to safety, we didn’t notice any areas that we felt were unsafe, but there were locations that would be impossible to traverse in a wheelchair or with other mobility aids. The cornfields of the haunt had been rendered easily passable with no remaining rows or stray ears of corn to trip the unwary, and we were able to navigate the haunt without much ado other than the occasional steep ramp or intentionally tight turn.

As for the staff, you couldn’t meet a nicer group of folks, who genuinely enjoy what they do! We even got to witness some stellar customer service firsthand as we returned from slaughtering some zombies, as a customer’s paintball gun wasn’t providing enough PSI to reach the undead. The fatigue-clad staffer not only apologized and offered the guest and his son another go, but we personally saw him following up with his supervisor about the gun in question after everyone disembarked.

It’s hard to find a better setting than Anderson Farms, tucked along the far west side of Weld County, especially as the mid-October sun sets over the golden cornfields, painting the blue skies with streaks of red and orange before disappearing behind the snow-capped mountains. As the family-friendly Fall Festival slips into darkness, the sounds of screams and chainsaws replace the squeals of children echoing through the large common area. The combined scent of fog solution and firepits wafts through the air, already rich with the smells of the food and drink stands sprinkled throughout the central area of the farm. With the sights, sounds, smells, and energy coursing through the place, there is no question that you are at a heck of a haunt as you approach the Terror in the Corn and Zombie Paintball queue lines.

Although we didn’t notice any zombies or other creeps entertaining the paintball queue, the exterior setup does a great job of telling the story through faux news reports discussing the zombie outbreak, and the staff are dressed as military, further preparing zombie hunters for what awaits in the fields. As for the haunt, the queue line was preyed upon by at least one actor (though there were likely others, as we arrived just as they were getting started for the night), and it incorporates an entertaining repeating video of the rules provided by a very well done and witty zombie. This is all before ever entering either attraction, simply included with the price of admission!

Terror in the Corn has some of the most unique animatronics we’ve seen. The effects begin before you even arrive at the haunt itself, as guests are told the tale of the farm along with more rules by a wise-cracking skeleton, before being dropped off at the Wells Hotel deep in the cornfield. From that point on, special effects are featured almost everywhere along the mile-long haunt. Animatronics ranging from custom mannequins to off-the-shelf jumping spiders, and other fun electrical and mechanical haunt tech filled spaces well, often drawing attention that allowed living cast members to give us great scares. Other than the slightly distorted old-timey music that would carry throughout several scenes (and the screaming engines of chainsaws looming somewhere ahead at times), the audioscape remained well in control, not bleeding over from area to area.

Visually, Terror in the Corn did a great job using light and dark, and the occasional strobe and black lights to heighten the creepiness and disorientation of various areas. In one particular location, the transition from low light and a lot of movement to no movement and bright black lights was so disorienting that I was shocked to see how easily that dramatic of an effect was achieved.

With respect to scenery, Terror in the Corn knocked it out of the park. The level of detail that went into each area, and each scene in each area, is truly remarkable. More than once, I would slow to appreciate a detail here or there only to have someone jump out and startle me. Picture frames featured time-appropriate and weathered-looking photographs, peeling wallpaper plastered with old-fashioned ads, and seemingly inconsequential items like cans and dishes appeared rusted and dirty. Even with there being some familiar themes and set pieces, the changes the Terror in the Corn crew made over the off-season gave those items a new life!

Terror in the Corn’s website provides the full backstory for the haunt, telling the tale of the Wells twins and the terror they rained down upon poor citizens and passersby of Ravens Gulch, and it’s a great story. Whether you’ve read that backstory or not, though, it’s pretty easy to tell that the haunt has an old-West-town-turned-evil theme. Although some of the fidelity to the Wells twins story seemed to be lost in this years’ expansion, it wasn’t much missed. To be honest, other than the Wells Hotel building at the beginning of the haunt, I would have forgotten all about the Wells twin story on the website. The old west theme, however, is carried out tremendously. With the haunt being in the middle of a dusty cornfield, it couldn’t provide a better setting to legitimize the theme, so much so that if you hadn’t just paid to go through a haunt, you’d think you just stepped back in time and into a real-life horror movie.

Terror in the Corn provides scares from all around, and for everyone in the group. Sometimes the scare was as simple as a loud sound causing us to jump while others involved building apprehension while, for instance, walking through a tight row of hooded figures in dark cloaks, not knowing if any of them would abruptly step out in front of you or silently trail behind.

Another area where Terror in the Corn truly excelled was in avoiding predictability in that the scares, whether by actor or animatronic, often came from unanticipated places. As folks who tend to spot actors immediately upon entering a space, we were extremely impressed that we didn’t have that experience at Terror in the Corn, which kept us on our toes throughout the haunt.

The one area that would benefit from increased attention is the finale, which was adequate but didn’t leave the lasting impression one hopes for at a haunt. That aside, Terror in the Corn brings the fear to the field by the wagonload!

You’d be hard-pressed to find a better bang for your buck than Terror in the Corn, especially if you plan to make a full day of it. Your haunt or paintball tickets also entitle you to entry during the daytime Fall Festival, which is a lot of fun for autumn lovers, and you can either stay at the farm until dark or get your hand stamped and return when the haunting starts at dusk.

Between the feel and energy of Anderson Farms this time of year and the full mile-long haunt, which lasted nearly 30 minutes from beginning to end (and that’s not counting the time spent with the line walkers or on the way out into the field), the Wells twins have left their legacy safely in the hands of the masterminds behind a new set of sinister siblings: Terror in the Corn and Zombie Paintball. With only days left before the haunt’s 20th Anniversary is over, make sure to spend some time at Anderson Farms while you still can!