Terror on Rural Street Review (2022)

With approximately 30 actors comprising this haunt, it made it easy for this attraction to be covered in all areas. There were very few dead spaces if any, and each scene seemed to transition well to the next with little wasted space. Actors expertly transitioned you between scenes to direct the audience to the next space for more evenly distributed scares.

All scenes and special effects played well with the actors. The creepy banter they had with the customers was believable, and they did not break character once, even when I started interacting more with them! Even though this is a small haunt, I would have to say ALL actors were very professional and were able to act their roles to the tee and adjust for differing situations with customers. I didn’t see any characters whose presence did not make sense where they were placed in the haunt or whose conversations did not fit with the situation. Characters worked well with their surroundings; whether it be the hillbillies in the swamp, the clowns in the carnival, or the mad doctor acid-dipping his victim, they all threw something different at me.

All costumes were detailed and played well to their specific characters. Makeup and props really enhanced areas of the haunt and helped create more of the mood. Most of the makeup was airbrushed to a very high degree of detail. The makeup flowed seamlessly into the costumes and created a cohesive character or monster. All costumes were designed well and allowed full movement and communications between the freaks and the customers.

Whether it be the scarring of faces or limbs, the extra loud colors used in the clown area, or the heavily distressed and bloody clothes of the hillbillies, they all were very well done and focused attention on the actors in every specific detail.

The queue actor costuming was complete. The demon and their interaction with customers consisted of looming over, lurking behind, and getting down into customers’ faces while following and chasing them. Another queue actor we noted was hilarious and a bearded woman who wandered throughout the waiting areas, taking pictures with people and flirting as they went. She was very interactive and always stayed in character.

The Terror on Rural Street website and Facebook page are well maintained and will give you any information you need to contact them regarding the attraction. All correspondence I had before coming to the venue was via Facebook Messenger, and they were very prompt and easy to get along with.

Terror On Rural Street is located in Hartford, WI, in a small town in the southeast of the state, right on Highway 60, and easily located using any map-type app. Signs on the street side will show you where to turn off Highway 60, and a lighted sign will show you where to turn into the parking lot, which is plenty big.

Once in the parking lot, the haunt is located between and behind the Arts Center and the Wisconsin Car Museum, with a large sign above the entrance door. Once inside the haunt doors, you will find the ticket booth to the left and the covered haunt entrance to the right, along with porta potties. Just past ticketing, they offer a heated waiting room with a photo area where customers can take phone photos that the haunt puts on its Facebook site. They also sell concessions ranging from candy, popcorn, and soda to Jell-O shots and adult beverages. Many picnic tables are in the courtyard area for lounging before entering the haunt.

You will be called to the queue line in a very different way than many other haunts here. First, a maniacal laugh over the speaker system and then the last three numbers on a ticket are called, and if it’s a higher number than your ticket, you are the next victims up! In case you missed your number being called, they also have the number scrolling on led signs in both waiting areas.

Everyone I encountered was very helpful and nice and answered any questions I or anyone else had while I was there. All workers were volunteers and pretty much local to the area. One of the head volunteers even let me know about all the great charities they give to and let me know they are always looking for future volunteers.

Terror on Rural Street may not be the largest or the longest haunt out there, but it does pack in a bunch of scares and creates that decently creepy ambiance. Spooky music and chanting playing in the background at the courtyard waiting area and the occasional crazy laughter announcing the next to be able to enter the attraction set a good tone to the night.

Creepy trees and a scary façade on the far end of the courtyard kept people on edge of what may happen next. The two yard actors, as I call them, kept the people in the ticket line and waiting areas busy with interactions, giving them a small taste of what to expect inside until their turn to enter the haunt. I did not see a lot of queue actor activity in the queue line itself, but they were busy all the time in the waiting areas. A few more queue people could add even more pre-scares before entering the attraction.

Upon exiting the house, it seemed like kind of a nonchalant stroll out into the alleyway, but there was a surprise that livened things up to end it once and for all!

There are many audio effects in this attraction. They vary from moody organ music to chanting and the ever-popular circus-type music and sounds in the carnival area. Many others are available such as air horns, air blasts, and just generally creepy mood music, to name a few.

The lighting effects ranged from simple fog and laser lights to strobes and semi-darkened areas, which helped hide things that go bump in the night. Flashing lights and the crazy effects in the vortex tunnel gives both your eyes and balance a ride for their life.

The scenes for each area were so well done and each detail had intention which helped build the feel of the whole area, giving cohesion to the overall attraction. One area I thought was especially cool was the swamp. Inside, all paths are on small bridges through an area of plant life, both painted on the walls and hanging from the ceiling. It also included hanging snakes which added to the feeling of being in a murky and spooky swamp.

As for animatronics and such, they were used well either in scenes to enhance the effects or as fillers in spots between areas so as to not let the victims off the hook and get a breather from the action. Some of the most effective were the writhing snakes in the swamp and the dungeon hallway with all the chained skeletons on the walls trying to escape.

One of the coolest effects, I thought, was the maniacal laughter that always preceded the calling of the next ticket numbers. Although it’s more simple, this haunt’s entry had a very unique way of accomplishing a task and freaking a lot of folks out!

Even with the smaller size of this attraction, it did pack a good punch when comes to scares. All of the creepy conversations with the hillbillies coming to take me away, the creepy clowns and their diabolical antics, and the executioner in the electric chair (which was shocking) kept me on my toes. Add to that the eerie sounds, set design, and nonstop interactions between areas, and you get one hell of a haunt!

Overall, the haunt was a great time with many great jump scares and characters that caused a lot of unease in their victims. The finale, while being a good surprise, was a bit underwhelming for an ending to an action-packed attraction.

It took me about 16 minutes to complete my jaunt through the haunt. General admission is $15 and available only at the box office. This puts the MPD (minutes of in-haunt entertainment per dollar) at 1.07. Fast passes may be purchased either at terroronruralstreet.com until 6 pm on haunt nights or at the box office. Tickets are on sale from 6:30 pm- 1030 pm, and the event opens at 7 pm. It’s a lot of fun and scares packed into a short time.

Please remember this is a non-profit haunt with an all-volunteer cast, and all ticket proceeds go to support great causes such as the Hartford High School Scholarship, the fire and police dept., and the local arts center, to name a few.