Final Scores – By Category:

Cast (20% of Final Score): 7

Costuming (10% of Final Score): 7.72

Customer Service (10% of Final Score): 9.7

Immersion (10% of Final Score): 7.71

Special Effects (15% of Final Score): 7.63

Scare Factor (20% of Final Score): 7.41

Entertainment & Value (15% of Final Score): 8.31

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Final Scores – By Attraction:

Attraction 1: 7.79

The Aurora Maze at Adventure Farm in Aurora, Missouri, is the go-to all-ages event during the autumn and spooky season! With hayrides, concessions, zombie paintball, and tons more, there is so much fun to be had! The haunted corn maze is their main attraction, and rightfully so! Prepare to be lost in the maze and encounter many monsters along the way! It’s been a couple of years since we last visited, and the improvements that have been made in that time are quite impressive! You can also expect something new every year, as they always have a new maze design! Read more to see what they offered for their 2023 season!

Being in a corn maze, blending in the dark is key for good jumpscare, and the actors took this idea to heart. While some of them could be seen, many were able to blend in really well with the cornstalks to offer some great jump scares. There was a decent mix of jumpscares and actors who lingered out on the trail itself. Many of them followed us close behind to keep our guards up and continued scaring us as we tried to figure out which way to go. While there was not much in terms of dialogue, we did have a couple of fun interactions with the cast.

An actor was wearing a cowboy hat, so I complimented it. He ran up and growled, “What did you say?!” And I repeated how I liked his hat. He said, “Thank you! I tip my hat to you!” The clowns were by far the most animated and energized actors within the maze, one meeting us a little way before we got to the tent, running around us while crouching down and inviting us inside. The clowns within were in our faces, laughing maniacally the whole time we worked our way through. There were also two actors walking around the midway on stilts, scaring guests and taking photos with them! Those actors are always my favorite, as they are terrifying yet almost whimsical. At least that can be said for the skull demon, who was more slow-moving and almost curious in nature. Meanwhile, the clown stilts actor was quick-moving and aggressive towards guests as he passed by.

For as long as the maze was, we would’ve liked to see more cast scattered throughout. It was clear that the scares by the cast were used to help guests know they were going the right way, but it would help break up the long periods of time of wondering. We would also like to see more diversity in terms of acting and scares themselves. The set pieces that were scattered throughout would make great scene setups for more unique scares! This is more of a family-friendly maze, so of course, it doesn’t need to go extreme with its scares if they don’t desire to be absolutely terrifying, but a bit more acting diversity never hurts!

The corn maze not only had very fitting costume pieces for the attraction, but they had some truly impressive ones as well! One of the first queue actors we saw had a monstrous pig-like face with possibly blood splattered on it while wearing some adorable overalls with corn patches. It gave off the vibe that something horrible takes over once nightfall comes down on this wholesome family event. The stilt actors also had really great costumes! The skull demon was wearing a robe with pieces of tattered fabric draped across his horns and body, and his strange long bone hands shaped like scythes. The clown wore a nice suit, a matching black and white clown mask, and a top hat. Really felt like he owned the place with how much control he had maneuvering around the courtyard!

The costuming inside the maze had a bit more basics in terms of costuming with simple masks and costuming, but they did dress them up with more detail with blood or dirt. The masks were well-fitted, and the outfits themselves were cohesive, not just thrown together. There also was variety amongst the cast with clowns, skeletons, chainsaw-wielding butchers, slashers, and more. One of our favorite costume pieces came at the end of the first maze, with one of the most unique costumes we have seen all season. It was a treant/tree man with a full-fitted bark armor, a crown made of leaves, and foliage that twisted and turned all over his body. It was insanely impressive, and his glare only added life to his character.

The corn maze is located a bit in the countryside, so as long as the GPS is up, it will take you straight there if you have never visited in the past. They have signs up telling you where to go for parking and staff who are ready to get you right into an available spot with no trouble. The staff is friendly and courteous, and we could tell they enjoy what they do.

There are no safety concerns; just be sure to wear the appropriate shoes, as this is all outdoors! There are all staff members in the corn maze to help customers navigate and keep them safe as well. All information can be found via their Facebook page or on their website!

The Aurora Maze and Zombie Harvest event is full of Halloween spirit, and the corn maze carries the fun inside. While it is haunted, there are gaps where there are no actors or props, so it becomes the more typical corn maze experience. However, this can help build tension to the next jumpscare, even if it takes you out of it a bit. That being said, at its peak, it’s incredibly fun going through the part of the maze with props/set design.

The first maze has you going through a spinning tunnel and an old run-down bus, and the second maze starts with a butcher barn and ends with a circus tent! Those are definitely the highlights, but the moments within the corn maze with an excellently executed jumpscare will really get you with the right amount of timing and tension that’s built!

Through the twists and turns, we found ourselves getting more and more disoriented in the corn. Although the feeling of being lost was thrilling for the most part, it also became a tad daunting in places where there was an overall lack of special effects in the maze.

There are definitely a few highlights to note! The spinning tunnel was a great way to enter the maze as you almost felt like you were being transported, followed by a bus with passengers who weren’t able to make it off the ride. The circus at the end was also a great touch; while dodging the clowns and chainsaws, you can catch the whiff of cotton candy in the air.

They also have a butcher’s barn with some skulls and equipment scattered throughout, leaving an ominous and dreadful feeling of what we were walking into, as well as a truck jumpscare towards the end! A vast improvement from years prior. We would love to see how this haunt can be even more immersive and chilling by adding some more sets and special effects that stimulate the five senses throughout the rest of the maze.

There were a ton of great scares in this attraction, and the tension built while trying to find your way through the maze kept that fear factor up. This is more of a family-friendly attraction, but that doesn’t mean it doesn’t offer good scares throughout!

Overall, you are going to be paranoid at every turn, either for making the wrong turn and getting lost or running into another jumpscare! The corn maze has vastly improved from years prior, and we are very happy to see how it’s grown.

The Maze Pass for the corn maze itself is $12, $25 if you get the Zombie Harvest combo, which includes zombie paintball. The first part of the maze took us 22 min, and the second took us 25 min (though I think we got extremely lucky with some of the routes we took). Overall, expect the whole maze to take about 50 minutes, at least for this year!

It’s easy to spend a whole evening at Adventure Farm. Along with the corn maze, you can also go on a hayride, do zombie paintball, go for a coffin ride, see the vendors, roast up some smores, cozy up by the bonfire, and SO much more! It’s a perfect way to spend your autumn evenings. Make sure you pay them a visit!