Terror on Rural Street is back! After a year off in 2020, Terror on Rural Street has returned, and they have a few new tricks up their sleeve! I was so excited to see one of my "staple" haunts return this year, and with having a year off, I was excited to see what has all changed. It seems as though everyone else in the area was excited too--the line for the haunt was one of the longest I have seen for this location. Luckily, the haunt has plenty of parking, and a large, heated indoor waiting area with full concessions, including adult beverages. New this year--there is a decorated outdoor 'courtyard' open for waiting as well. This haunt features many live actors, starting in the waiting line and extending all the way through the haunt. Special shout out to the larger-than-life devil haunting and chasing patrons both in the line and in the waiting areas! This haunt has both regular admission and VIP admission to accelerate your waiting time. We opted for the VIP experience to skip the line and get inside faster! As always, Terror on Rural Street is an affordable haunt at only $15 for regular admission, and all of their proceeds go to the local community.
Terror on Rural street is very well organized from ticket booth to waiting lines. Upon entering the doors you are sorted into groups and have the opportunity to take a group picture, which is then featured on their Facebook page and can be downloaded free of charge. One of the things I was most excited for was to see what changed, and I was let down a bit when I realized a majority of the first half of the house was very familiar from years past. What didn't disappoint was the amount of live actors, the scenes and makeup, and how some of the actors truly got into their role and made the scene and room their own. Look for the incredible special fx makeup and combination of classic scares and modern, life like props. Once we entered what I believe to be the 'second' half of the haunt, we were surprised to see a lot of changes! The second half definitely had a 'theme' going, so all of you with coulrophobia--watch out! The second half had some amazing new scenes, and was definitely more 'fun' then scary. They did a great job of tying in all of your senses--see if you can sniff out what I'm talking about! Overall, we were excited to see Terror on Rural Street with their doors open again, and the teaser of 'new' mixed with the familiarity of old has us on edge to where Terror can go in the future.
Signage / Visibility / Location
Terror on Rural Street is located off of Highway 60 in Hartford, near the Schauer Arts Center and the Hartford Recreation Department. There is plenty of signage pointing you in the right direction, and there is a large, well lit parking lot to hold all of the haunt-goers.
Wait Area / Line Entertainment
Terror on Rural Street is one of few haunts with a large, heated, indoor waiting area with full concessions including adult beverages. You won't be bored waiting here--and your scares may start in the ticket line!
Actors' Performance
Some actors really embraced their role! Some left a bit to be desired. Kudos to the creepy clowns and their rat infested popcorn, and the silent but creepy grim reaper!
Sets Scenes / Props / FX
Terror on Rural Street has a great combination of classic haunt and some modern day props and fx. Some of their props I had a hard time distinguishing if they were and actor or a prop! They truly activate all of your senses, with moving sets, creepy sounds, and enticing scents.
Length
From entering the house to end took us roughly 15-20 minutes in length.
Crowd Control
Terror is a well organized haunt, which is to be expected for how long they have been in operation. Even with large crowds, security and staff presence was well noted, ticket lines and group lines were well organized, and even with a small group we didn't catch up to the group ahead of us while inside the haunt.
Most Memorable Moment
There is a very large, new prop in the second half of the house that we loved. I don't want to give it away, but I think you will know it when you see it!
Overall, Terror on Rural Street remains a staple haunt in our household. We love that it is non-profit and benefits our community, and we love that it is affordable and filled with volunteer, live actors. We are excited to see what the future holds for Terror, and would love to see them make more changes and mix up the sets. This is a haunt to put on your list for this year and for years to come!
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