Final Scores – By Category:

Cast (20% of Final Score): 9.26

Costuming (10% of Final Score): 9.43

Customer Service (10% of Final Score): 10

Immersion (10% of Final Score): 9.57

Special Effects (15% of Final Score): 9.39

Scare Factor (20% of Final Score): 8.25

Entertainment & Value (15% of Final Score): 9.24

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Final Scores – By Attraction:

Attraction 1: 9.2

Terror in the Corn has long been one of the best haunts in Colorado, nestled near the foothills the northwest of the Denver metro area. Past visitors will recognize the huge, hallmark pumpkin-topped silo just north of Highway 52 a moment before smelling the campfires offered for rent at Anderson Farms, which boasts the mile-long haunt along with an outstanding assortment of other fall activities, including one of the state’s largest (not haunted) corn mazes. Haunt goers who embrace the less scary festivities of fall should note that tickets to the haunt also permit entry to Anderson Farms’ daytime Fall Festival activities. Folks can make a full day of visiting the farm, finding their way through the corn maze, enjoying the variety of games, paintball shooting galleries, huge bounce mats, escape rooms, playgrounds, photo ops, and a wide variety of food and drink stalls, not to mention Anderson Farms’ own country store, with all the cute kitsch one could caboodle, before making their way to the haunt queue line at their designated time. Combining all of that with the masterfully-crafted haunt makes Terror in the Corn, in a word, terrific!

The cast at Terror in the Corn has always been one of the haunt’s strongest areas, featuring both an extraordinary number of cast members, many of whom return year after year, and training throughout the year. At the heart of that cast features the eponymous Wells twins, who have held the town of Raven’s Gulch in their grubby grip for years before the witch, Dumitra, arrived insidiously spreading her ravage throughout the old west town. In addition to Dumitra and the Wells twins, guests will also encounter other recognizable citizens of Raven’s Gulch, such as the Sheriff, the Mayor and the creature of the corn incarnate, Jack!

The town is, of course, fully occupied by its unfortunate residents, some of whom live among the corn stalks. That cast did a great job of weaving around us, popping out in front, trailing from behind, and even coming at us from above and below. The cast interaction ranged from simple snarls and hands snatching at us as we passed to lengthier banter or actively approaching antagonists with a wide range of behaviors. Some cast members seemed to take more pride in being playful than being fearsome, which occasionally broke the immersion, and many others embraced a more subdued approach, but overall, the cast did a great job of keeping the town bustling, keeping the scenes entertaining, and bringing a diversity of dreadfulness to the attraction.

The costuming at Terror in the Corn is unparalleled. Every single actor we encountered had incredible vestments, not only being appropriate styles for the old west setting but also featuring the timeless grunge and grime that exemplifies the haunt. Standing in stark contrast to the dust-colored frontier town, however, are the rune-riddled areas infected by Dumitra, with their glowing scrawls and ritualistic chanting, and the bright and clean traveling Romani wagons, offering warnings and curses to passersby. In another spot, and much to my astonishment, one actor settled back into the pile of dirty laundry from whence it had emerged a moment before, quite literally vanishing before my very eyes.

Terror in the Corn also features some incredibly realistic and unique masks and high quality, expertly applied makeup, furthering the appearance of the costumes. The two cast members manning the lobby of the Wells Hotel are a great example. The front desk clerk greeted us with a cheery affect but with remarkably complex and ghostly makeup that included a repeating pattern of black and blue hues while the manic guest sitting across the path featured a ghastly pale face with dark circles around her eyes that looked less like makeup than the result of her own depraved reality. She stared off into space before snapping to and scurrying off on all fours. This same level of virtuosity was amplified even further for the cast haunting the queue line and actors lingering outside of the haunt exit.

Given that Terror in the Corn has become a Halloween staple in Colorado, there is no shortage of information available. Anderson Farms hosts several different events over the year, and the Terror in the Corn crew stays active in the community as well, including being a big part of off-season events, such as Monster Day in Greeley. As the weather begins cooling and the leaves begin changing, though, Terror in the Corn’s presence grows, alerting willing visitors that their time has come. From there, it’s as simple as visiting the haunt’s website, which has all of the pertinent info one could desire (including linking to the Anderson Farms page, for those investigating the other Fall Festival activities to fully round out their plans). Anderson Farms’ ample parking lot is more than adequate, and navigating to the farm is as simple as pulling up your map app, though the road signs along I-25 and Highway 52 alone can guide folks far enough to see the famous pumpkin-topped silo. The staff at Terror in the Corn is also incredibly helpful, friendly, knowledgeable, and willing to help, whether manning the queue line or selling tickets to the paintball and escape room.

When visiting Terror in the Corn, the anticipation begins to build as soon as the farm comes into view. The well-lit premises stand out against the dark fields surrounding them, with the last remnants of daylight stretching over the mountains just to the west, painting sky a fiery orange. The Fall Festival festivities greet guests first, setting the perfect scene for all the autumnal entertainment one could imagine. The haunt vibe intentionally doesn’t begin until haunt goers approach the queue. But after scanning in with the staff, the vibe really kicks up a notch or two. The energy in the queue is kept high by the two animatronic skeleton DJs spinning hits before guests get the rules and a greeting by the deft and dexterous queue cast.

Inside the haunt itself, the immersion was rarely broken, though the sense of immersion also seemed less deep than it had in previous years as well, as segments of the town seemed less distinct from others than they had in the past while its citizens seemed less otherworldly. There also seemed to be less of an emphasis on the Wells versus Dumitra storyline in the haunt itself, with only a couple of actors even seeming to acknowledge the struggle. Nevertheless, the majority of the haunt remained immersive, even when meeting other groups along the path, as you get to witness the love and attention showered upon each guest by the inhabitants of the haunt, knowing you’re up next!

This season, the immersion extends beyond the farmland, right into fans’ very own homes, as Terror in the Corn has also partnered with some amazing talent to bring two firsts to the haunt industry! First, Terror in the Corn has partnered with top artists such as Joshua Viola, Sean Eads, Juan Samu, Tom Napolitano, and Matt Therrien, to publish the first edition of the Terror in the Corn comic book series. The comic is available in full color and Crimson Noir, with a special signed UV Spot variant available with the purchase of a Platinum Pass! Next, in partnership with FreakZone Games, the Terror in the Corn video game is out now on Steam and Nintendo, and coming soon to Playstation and XBox, taking players through a first-person walk through the haunted corn stalks!

Terror in the Corn features some top-quality effects, ranging from some of the latest in haunt tech to old-school fire, fog, and strobes. The sound design throughout the mile-long event is well-crafted, with peaceful cricket chirps in the background to crackling radio music in the foreground to the live screaming of the chainsaw engines in the distance. The scenes are also masterfully designed, albeit sometimes lacking a little in variation as noted above, with scenarios ranging from chance encounters with the hermits and hut dwellers inhabiting the corn, to the winding paths of the decrepit town center with the ominously ticking tower. Aside from one particular reptile, a bit out of its depths, the animatronics and other mechanized animations all worked well and were timed well also. A few of the animatronics breathed new life this season, occupying new, unexpected spots, which caused quite the uproar when triggered, and kept us on our toes. All and all, the special effects at Terror in the Corn are spectacular!

Terror in the Corn lives up to its name, terrorizing guests while in the midst of the corn, but the experience is so, so much more than that. The expertly designed sets and well-staffed cast create an ambiance that fills visitors with both dread and excitement, the former pulling the pits of our stomachs low while the latter draws us forward. With a few too many of the actors honing their comedy chops, though, there were times their witty banter gave way to humor rather than scares, which ultimately lowered the overall level of tension built by the rest of the haunt. In other instances, the brevity and simplicity of the interaction with the cast, whether resulting from the flow of the guests or the actor’s creative choices, resulted in missed opportunities that, in turn, affected the immersion and sense of fear as well. Notwithstanding, we would be remiss not to mention some improvements made to the finale, which caused us to wonder if we had wandered from Erie, Colorado, into a small town in Texas circa 1974, as the blood-spattered walls did little to drown out the revving engines within. The entire area felt like passing through a frenzied shiver of sharks whose teeth rotate around their gums screaming angrily in your face, adding an extra spark to the end of the attraction!

Coming in at 42 minutes for around $40, Terror in the Corn is a great value alone, but factoring in the Anderson Farms Fall Festival activities that come with the cost of admission, folks would be hard-pressed to find a better deal. Not to mention, folks looking to keep the haunt vibe flowing can visit the zombie paintball gallery, which has glow-in-the-dark paintballs that guests fire at moving zombie targets. It was a blast being able to pick off a few undead avatars before heading home. Extras aside, it’s hard to find a better setting to celebrate the season in Colorado than Anderson Farms. Adding that to the world-class, mile-long haunt, it’s hard to beat Terror in the Corn! Make sure to buy your tickets soon because they do sell out!