Please note: this review is for the 2009 season rather than the current season.

Terror Trail (PERMANENTLY CLOSED)

by pud27 (Newbie Review Crew Member) after attending on Sunday, October 25, 2009 at about 2:30 p.m.

Fun Factor: High Fear Factor: High

Review

Our fourth and final haunt of our three day 385 mile Review Crew tour took us out to Wautoma for Terror Trail. The location is out in the middle of nowhere, back in the trees, the type of area that just makes you feel like your going to die. There are signs off of the highway and then again where you turn to get back to the haunt, so it's not difficult to find even though its in the middle of nowhere. They park a truck with a flashing light on it and direct you to the parking area. There  was only one other car there, but there appeared to be an adequate amount parking available if needed. From the parking area it was a short walk to the ticket area. There was no line entertainment while we were there, but the only thing we had to wait for was the actors to resume from their break. There was a tent as well that would have provided cover for a few people if the weather required it. 
The cool thing about this haunted trail is they also built buildings that make it an indoor/outdoor event. you go through the door and speak with the nurse who allows you admission to see the doctor. This was a very well done scene with quite a few surprises. And when you think someone grabbed you, they did. This haunt allows their actors to touch, which enhances the experience in my opinion. Once through the doctor's office you find yourself out on the trail. It is lit by candles or lights in plastic pumpkin pails. IT provides enough light to guide yourself, but not so much that you see what's coming up. The trail winds a lot, which allows a small amount of actor's to be in a few different scenes. The scares are well done for what seemed to be a fairly small group of actor's. The set up of the trail requires good spacing for the groups, of which they do not allow more than four to go together. This may make for a longer wait, but a much more enjoyable time once inside. They use fog machines and strobes to really mess with your eyes which keeps them from adjusting to the dark. This makes every little scare just a bit scarier because you can't see them coming. The scenes and effects were great throughout. This haunt had possibly the coolest and simplest effect I have seen with the clown room, and the ending is quite a surprise as well. It is definitely a well run haunt that you should not miss if you find yourself in the area. The only problem I really found with it was it was a bit short. I feel they could use a little character development to make people slow up a little bit. At 12 minutes after an hour and a half ride from Green Bay it's a little hard to justify just this haunt for the distance. If you are in the area though, definitely put this on your list to check out, you won't be disappointed.

Signage / Visibility / Location


The location of this haunt was great. It's out in the middle of nowhere, in an almost junkyard/farm setting. As I stated earlier, as you get deeper into the woods, it's exactly like a horror movie, you expect to die.

Wait Area / Line Entertainment


They do have a small awning/tent that 10-20 people could fit under if close together. I did not see any line entertainment, but we had virtually no wait anyway. We did have a pretty interesting conversation with the guy at the front of the haunt, although it wasn't haunt related.

Actors' Performance


The actors were great. they were in multiple scenes, and never broke character. There were a couple of them that really made you feel like you were not going to be leaving there in one piece.

Sets Scenes / Props / FX


The sets and scenes they had were great as well. They really took their time to construct a really good haunt this year.

Length


As stated before, we completed it in 12 minutes. I'm not sure how it went that quick, because there were so many scares and surprises it felt like it was at least 20 minutes.

Crowd Control


There was no crowd to control, but they do only allow 4 through at a time, and the trail winds and gets close to itself in spots so the spacing has to be good when there is a crowd.

Most Memorable Moment


The most memorable moment is tied between the building where my fiancee walked right into the wall as she didn't realize it turned because of the smoke, and the Jason character who was staring at us from the edge of the woods as we were leaving. Believe me, thats a creepy thing to see in your headlights.

Summary

Overall I was impressed with the quality of this haunt even though it was a little short for my liking. I've been through haunts that were longer and worse. The only major flaw is if you are going from a ways away  make sure you plan a couple of other stops to truly make it worth your while. Keeping in mind that it is a charity operation, it is really well done.

View all Terror Trail (PERMANENTLY CLOSED) reviews

Comments: (0)

 
 





April 19th, 2024 6:50 a.m. CDT 24.01