Terror on Route 66 Review (2024)

The cast was on fire and full of energy during our visit! We felt that the cast utilized their space well, even when some of them were given smaller sections with narrow hallways. It was common for most of the actors to work off of each other to share the space given, or even come up with scenes together for different types of scares.

We were very impressed by the physical acting offered by the actors, creating unique and diverse scares that fit well into the characters they were playing. The cast was popping out from room to room, following us menacingly brandishing their weapons and unsettling words, climbing and standing on elevated platforms that towered over us, creating some terrifying and convincing scenes, and much more!

Many of the actors also had some creative dialogue with us or with each other, and while we noticed a couple of them were at first hesitant to interact and conversate, they soon fell into conversation easily with us throughout our journey. Not only that, but some of the noises these actors were making were downright disturbing and inhuman!

From what we can tell, the all-female presenting cast in Dolly’s Play House was offering some excellent jump scares that were coming at us from all sides. It definitely set the tone for how our frightening journey was going to go!

While we felt that the Pitch Dark Maze could have utilized more actors, the moment we ran into the skeletal figure, was one that nearly toppled us over. The dark figures that loomed throughout the Zombie Graveyard were an eerie presence, disappearing behind the fences and tombs to only show up later on. This included Percy, the plague doctor who welcomed us into his cemetery. This appears to be the Zombie Graveyard, but we encountered other monsters in other realms that felt more like zombies than the actors here.

The graveyard led into the Twisted Midway, full of energetic clowns who were a little too eager for guests to arrive, following us and dishing some great distraction scares. They definitely enjoyed toying with us, as they couldn’t quite leave while we entered the Laser Swamp.

The Hansley Sanitorium was filled with deranged doctors and even worse-off patients, and we are not sure which ones are worse! Many of the patients were feral as we passed, while the doctors were seen fully picking up screaming patients and carrying them away! We later saw a patient lying on the ground in the same room as a patient who broke out of her straight jacket, and was electrocuting herself with a shock stick, then threatening us with it.

After getting chased out of Chainsaw Alley, we entered the Junkyard and the Toxic Terror realm. These two areas that seemingly bled into each other were filled with all sorts of infected and unhinged folks that were growling, snarling, and threatening us as we passed, with another chainsaw scare for good measure!

We soon entered the Woods, as a camouflaged figure bursted out and warned us to not enter his realm. When we asked for his name, he hesitated for a moment before declaring himself as the Bush King. He promised to see us again, and he indeed kept his promise as we made our way past other dwellers of the forest, many of whom also walked and talked with us as we made our way out!

In terms of costuming, we felt that most of the cast had detailed looks that matched the scenes well. Some of the costuming didn’t feel like it completely matched the scene they were in, such as the tooth clown that was found in the Toxic Terror instead of the Twisted Midway where he was advertised, as well as another clown wielding a chainsaw in that same area.

We noticed plenty of gory special effects like unique makeup looks. The cast that had more airbrushed makeup looks were a bit lacking in comparison at times. The clothing was distressed in most areas, but we would recommend that the “Within The Woods” area could have a bit more wear in their clothing to match the scenes and roles.

There were a few masks that appeared too big on some of the actors, and we could see the skin beneath. Other than that, none of the masks appeared store-bought, and the ones that were well-fitted looked very realistic and intimidating!

Our first highlight outfit of the night was the straight jacket patient with the shock stick, who had a very distressed and dirty straight jacket, crazy puffed out hair, striking red eye contacts, a mask, and a chain around her throat!

A lot of the outfits from the Sanitorium felt very authentic and fitting for the realm. Our other highlight is the Tooth Clown, who had teeth for eyes, a bright vibrant blue wig, and a very unique carnie out! We appreciated all of the clowns we encountered during our visit as they all looked very unique and not like any other clowns we had seen.

Terror on Route 66 is very easy to locate, and you can easily spot and identify it as a haunt as it is right off the road. The staff and parking attendants were extremely helpful and welcoming, and they truly felt like veterans in their 3rd season of operating! We got to speak with Lynda and it’s very clear how much care and heart was put into the attraction.

The website and social media platforms laid out a lot of great and easy to find information before you visit, including the address, attraction details, tickets that can now be purchased online, dates of operation, and more. There were no safety concerns to note, and despite the dark areas, we were able to stay on the correct path the whole time.

We were properly hooked upon arrival as we made our way up to the ticket booth, hearing all sorts of strange sounds on our way to the haunt. While there were not any queue actors lingering about, this year, they have implemented vendors for shopping and food trucks before or after your visit to entice you to stay for longer.

The leading ghoulish woman, Lady Grimm, at the entrance gave us a proper welcome while going over the rules of the attraction with us, preparing us even further for what we were about to experience!

While we explored the many different realms, each section was highly detailed and kept us immersed throughout. A couple of the transition areas were a bit barren than others, and some realms felt like an odd switch from one to another. The Zombie Graveyard, besides having the more unfortunate outside placements as the highway, is noticeable from there. This did not feel entirely like a Zombie Graveyard, with the plague doctor and other actors seeming more ghoulish than zombie-like.

The last realm, “Within The Woods,” put us out into the parking lot, with a long stretch of darkness that could have been utilized well as a final chase out, but instead, we walked alongside our newly acquainted pumpkin monster friend.

It’s truly incredible how this haunt is only in its 3rd season and can pull off impressive special effects and set designs! The craftsmanship is excellent, from the designs and details of each realm, to the lighting and sound effects.

Let’s go over the set design first, as this is where we were blown away. The entire haunt had this grunge look and feel to it that made each of the most dramatic scene changes still feel cohesive. So many small details cover every inch of each realm that you are bound to find something new every time!

The expansive and ever-growing Dolly’s Play House had hundreds of unique dolls scattered about, all kept within a broken and weary-down house that never looked like it was cleaned a moment in its life.

The vintage-looking carnival brought us back in time when the fear of clowns were likely born. With vintage posters that we wish we could have, giant set pieces like an elephant leg, and a painted decrepit head, to the other set pieces that the clowns in the circus could climb on top of and into!

The Hansley Sanitorium felt the most intimidating to enter, with disgusting and grotesque set pieces, gore, and an overall design that breaks every OSHA violation.

The sound effects were extremely effective in each area to bring them to life, and it never felt too loud or drown out the actors within. Subtle music shifts with excellently layered sound effects queued us in on what we were entering and kept up at every turn. At some points, it was hard to tell if it was an actor making a sound or if it was a perfectly timed sound effect! The sound effects overall were executed well enough to become the perfect ambient background noise, keeping us immersed and keeping the intensity up without being distracting.

The lighting was also very well utilized, as they understand the balance of where light is needed and where it should be dark. It casts the perfect shadows for actors and elements like animatronics to hide within while giving us just enough light to ensure that we aren’t getting ourselves lost anywhere. Speaking of, while there was only one or two animatronics, they were placed extremely well for incredibly effective jump scares!

We are happy to say that Terror on Route 66 offers plenty of terrors and frights! We were caught off guard at so many moments, making us topple over, rush out of areas, or hold onto each other for support! Many actors knew the space well enough to pop out at us for several jump scares in a row, and the cast worked well together to overwhelm us at certain points.

Terror offers a variety of different scares and frightful sights to customers. From the actors themselves to well-placed animatronics, tight spaces, loud horns, intense gore, and more! Chainsaw Alley, in particular, was brutal, as they do not let up on you for a single second, and back off for a moment just to come charging back at you again! The scenes that Terror implemented as well really took us by surprise and were a welcomed addition to see!

Our walkthrough time was about 30 minutes. General Admission tickets are $25, and Fast Pass tickets are $35, which we believe is very reasonable for Terror! For you haunt lovers who love going to the same haunts several times a season, they also offer a Season Pass for $75! We wish more haunts would implement this!!

Terror is one of the very few haunts in Missouri that offer off-season events as well! We attended their Halfway to Halloween event earlier this year, and there will be an upcoming Christmas event and more on the horizon! They also are doing many special events during the season, including a kid-friendly night, a “go through twice” night, and an extreme night!

Overall, Terror on Route 66 is making strides in the Missouri haunt scene. Many factors of Terror make it feel more like a veteran attraction than one that only started a few years ago. It’s clear that they care a lot about the haunt community, and they have made this attraction FOR haunt enthusiasts BY haunt enthusiasts. We can’t wait to come back, and we are so excited to see how this attraction continues to develop and grow!