2018 Event Reviews

This was the opening night in the second year for Revenge, and the first year that I’ve attended it. It’s always exciting going to a new haunt for the first time! Located in Sobieski, it feels like you’re in the middle of nowhere. Don’t blink or you will miss it… it comes up fast!

This also is the first time this haunt has been reviewed on Haunted Wisconsin! I’ve been to haunts in the past that have been in barns, and for the most part they are short and lackluster. Don’t let the fact that Revenge is in a barn fool you. This barn is HUGE, and the folks that put this on are NOT messing around.

This is a dark maze in a very old barn. Throw in some creepy sets, eerie sound effects, creatures and you have Revenge. There were several times it felt like we were at a dead end. Then the dread starts setting in that you are stuck in a dark maze with things all around you!

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Years ago I reviewed Zombus, and loved every minute of it. I wanted to review them again to see what has changed and to see if they are as good as they were previously? As before, there are many different things to experience at Zombus, so much so that the title is really deceiving and doesn’t shed light on all the great things here. Besides the bus ride where you get to shoot zombies, there’s the Haunted House Trail, the Haunted Laser Tag, and a cool Zombie Carnival under a tent! There are different price point depending on what you want to do. The best value is getting all three big events for $24! The weather was not playing nice and was misting throughout the opening night, so attendance was light. But trust me, this is one haunt you do NOT want to miss!

Haunted House Trail: Your walk starts at a creepy looking house that is stacked with great visuals and scares in each room. My favorite was the kitchen! Your time in the house is short lived, and you’ll breathe a sigh of relief when you’re out in the night air. But then you realize that even more things are lurking in the woods just waiting to meet you… and you long for the creepy house again! In the woods there are moments of bright light in some areas and complete darkness in others. This haunted walk really does have everything: a huge snake, swamp people, a huge walk-in freezer, creatures up high and down low, inside a house and outside in the dark woods, uneven footing, an awesome rope bridge, and probably a few things that my mind has blocked out! Although the Zombus is the ‘headliner’, I enjoyed this walk more than anything so far this season!!! Length – 20 minutes

Haunted Laser Tag: As in previous years, they have a nice laser tag area that contains different forts and obstacles. Nothing really has changed here from previous years, but it’s a fun thing to do between the other events. Length - 15 minutes

Zombus: The Zombus is really what they promote, and it’s always a fun time. You jump on a bus and drive around shooting at zombies. For the most part, this is as it was in previous years, maybe 90% the same. But it’s unlike any other haunted experience in the area and if you’ve never done it, put it on your bucket list! Length - 20 minutes

Zombie Carnival: Something new this year is the carnival! There are several carnival games there with a zombie theme that are a lot of fun. You can purchase tickets to play the different games: Feed The Gargoyles, Zombie Brain Smash, Attacking Zombie Ring Toss, and Angry Raven! Depending on how well you play, you can trade up for different prizes!

And if that’s not your speed, then go crawl up on the bull and see how long you can stay on! There’s also a nice bonfire and waiting area. This haunt again has everything and there really is something for everyone here. This is only about 10 minutes north from Green Bay so don’t miss it!

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This was my fourth year visiting Terror on Rural Street, and it is so amazing to see them continue to top their own creations year after year! TORS is an amazingly intricate, nonprofit haunt that boasts a lovely waiting area, tons of parking, shockingly cheap entry and room after room of true terror! A truly fantastic haunt!

Terror on Rural Street begins in a small town scene, and you are immediately transported in the haunted world, this year, with a confusing maze. While I love the disorienting aspects of mazes, I’ve found they are often hard to control with timing, and unfortunately this was a (minor) issue that followed us throughout the haunt. However, every actor was amazing and “got us” so many times, and I love seeing the new sets and ideas they come up with year after year. There is horror in many veins here – clowns, darkness, prison, dolls – you name it, they’ll find a way to scare you! TORS is a unique, creative haunt with a lot of passion and an intricate twisting halls that always leave me wanting more!

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Dwelling of Despair is a great haunt, beginning with a nerve-wracking walk full of scares through the Forest of Fear, and punctuated with tiny, twisting rooms designed to disorient the attendee. I really enjoy the multiple location aspect of this haunt – there are a lot of different scenes that involve being in all sorts of different rooms, including a big metal overpass, the creepy forest, and a final maze that will leave you confused and frustrated. The actors are varied and focus on the characters they are creating, and as a nonprofit, they also use child actors for an extreme creepy effect! They also do a wonderful job with their crowd control and have a nice covered waiting area for their guests!

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A thick fog began to settle in and a fine mist filled the air as I arrived at Terror on Rural Street. Ahhh, what an eerily perfect way to set the tone as I kicked off my 2018 haunting season! While some may argue that only a duck could enjoy our recent Wisconsin weather, you need not worry about the weather at this particular haunt as Terror on Rural Street comes stocked with several creature feature treats to combat Mother Nature’s unavoidable tricks. Upon arriving, this haunt greeted my tour group of 3 adults and 2 teenagers with a well-lit, paved and spacious parking lot along with a patrolling ghoul which left little doubt that we were in the right place. (No trudging through muddy dim lit fields as you approach the ticket window here.) As an added bonus we were delighted to find that Terror on Rural Street has a heated indoor waiting area with a fully stocked concession stand complete with food, snacks, beverages, beer and Jello-shots. Another nice treat offered by this haunt is the numbering tickets which allow you to wander about as you wait for your tour to begin…no need to stand in a dreadfully long line and count spiders on the wall as you wait here! If you love taking selfies with your brothers and sisters you’ll certainly enjoy the photogenic ghouls wandering about the waiting area who are just dying to photo bomb your shot. This entire haunt is indoor, including the final staging area before you actually enter the haunt….there’s no need to endure that wrath of Mother Nature as she tests your Halloween Spirit.

Here are some of my personal observations about Terror on Rural Street…

SPACIOUS ACCOMODATIONS: My tour group of 5 consisted of 3 adults and 2 teenagers (…all experienced haunt goers….), with the 2 teenagers attending Terror on Rural Street for the first time and 1 adult who has yet to miss a season of Terror on Rural Street. If you have a personal pet peeve as I do of being placed into an over sized tour group and crammed into small rooms, put your mind at ease. Terror at Rural Street’s mystic maze of mind bending sets and corridors easily accommodated our group of 5.

CINEMA QUALITY SETS: This haunt features several Cinema quality sets, many of which are pimped out with a dedicated sound system and special effects you won't find any place else. Portions of this haunt are an interactive style haunt with rooms showcasing a unique theme and a skit performed by volunteer actors. While the actors may be volunteers, the costumes and make-up were professionally done and very realistic. This was most evident in the final pre-tour staging where you receive final instructions before embarking on your tour. While it’s very easy to get distracted by the costumed actors be sure to take note of the keen attention to detail both with the facial make-up/costumes of the actors as well as the staging set as well. This same attention to details persists throughout this entire haunt.

DAZZLING SPECIAL EFFECTS: Admittedly not all of the acting performances knocked my socks off nor did every room send me off screaming to the next. But what Terror on Rural Street lacked with its actors and potential scare factor it more than made up for with its dazzling special effects and elaborate sets. Scares and surprises frequently came from unexpected flashes of brilliant light, dedicated room specific sound systems and a variety of lifelike techno effects

CREATIVE CONCEPTS: Terror on Rural Street continues its strong tradition of being a techno haunt goer’s dream come true! There has never been a year when I have been disappointed with the electrifying showcase of terrifying themes found at the Terror on Rural Street. This year was certainly no exception. If you’re leery of visiting a haunt more than once in a lifetime you’ll be pleasantly surprised with the number of new rooms/concepts found in this year’s edition. While a few of the techno-effects have been recycled for this year’s haunt most of them have been given a new creative twist. (I REALLY enjoyed this year’s version of the observation deck….the room alone is worth the price of admission!)

TOUR GROUP RATINGS: Here’s how my tour group rated Terror on Rural Street for both the Scare and Fun scale (1 to 5)

Haunt Teenager (first timer) #1: SCARE-4 / FUN-5
Haunt Teenager (first timer) #2: SCARE-4 / FUN-5
Haunt Adult #1: SCARE-4 / FUN-5
Haunt Adult #2: SCARE-3 / FUN-4
Haunt Veteran: SCARE-4 / FUN-5

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If you tour as many haunts as I have you’ve probably realized that while haunts come in all shapes and sizes and offer different creature features they all have one thing in common….they all want to scare the bejesus out of you. Similarly, you’re probably aware that while cars come in all shapes and sizes and offer different creature features they all have one thing in common…to get you from point A to B. Likening Haunts to Cars, I would classify the Dwelling of Despair Haunted House & accompanying Forest of Fear as the minivan of Haunts. While its initial appearance as you drive past will likely not give you reason to look back over your shoulder for a second look…when you get behind the wheel of this Haunt it performs as admirably as the Tesla in the quest to scare you senseless.

The Dwelling of Despair Haunted House & accompanying Forest of Fear is a self-guided, interactive ghoulish attraction known for its awesome animatronic special effects, elaborate decor, skilled actors, unique monsters, unusual themes and chilling detail! Now in its 34th season the Dwelling of Despair has prided itself in providing a creative and ghoulishly good time to all haunt goers along with a few (ahem, more like several!) frightful moments. 2018 marked my 26th visit to this haunted venue and similar to prior years I was once again amazed at how many of the sets/themes have changed. While you may notice quite a few similarities along your terrifying tour outside of this haunt, what awaits inside will torment and twist your mind in new ways. Following the lead of last year’s version, the chills, thrills and scares are delivered more upfront and in your face than with the skits that traditionally tormented you in the Dwelling of Despair. Rest assured though, this haunt still offers opportunities to interact with the demon’s inhabiting the Dwelling of Despair and retains the same Halloween charm that has brought guests back for the past 34 years!

The 2018 edition of this haunt presents two horrifying sections to test your wits and your desire to survive. The Forrest of Fear kicks off your terrifying tour on a dark and twisted path patrolled by evil spirits and several fiendish ghouls. If you're lucky enough to slip past these gorish guardians the entrance of the 3 story Dwelling of Despair awaits from the 3rd floor balcony. To escape the nightmares found within the unfriendly confines of the Dwelling of Despair you must successfully navigate a maze of uniquely themed rooms and hidden passages through the bowls of the entire house. Along the way you are sure to encounter each and every inhabitant of the house...some fun, some helpful but most of all they are all quite frightful!

My tour group this year consisted of 2 teenagers attending this haunt for the first time and 3 adults who have visited in the past. All thoroughly enjoyed their experience this year noting how much they enjoyed meeting Wild Eyed Kid Rock, the giggling Gaggle of Clowns and the mind boggling maze.

TOUR GROUP RATINGS: Here’s how my tour group rated Dwelling of Despair for both the Scare and Fun scale (1 to 5)

Haunt Teenager (first timer) #1: SCARE-3 / FUN-4
Haunt Teenager (first timer) #2: SCARE-3 / FUN-4
Haunt Adult #1: SCARE-2 / FUN-3
Haunt Adult #2: SCARE-3 / FUN-4
Haunt Veteran: SCARE-3 / FUN-4

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