Haunted Wisconsin

Please note: this review is for the 2008 season rather than the current season.

The Haunted Barn Stoughton (PERMANENTLY CLOSED)

by earthangel129 (Newbie Review Crew Member) after attending on Saturday, October 11, 2008 at about 5 p.m.

Submitted: Wednesday, October 15, 2008

Fun Factor: High Fear Factor: Medium

Review

Overall, I really enjoyed this haunt. The property has a unique creepy feel that most commercial haunts do not have. I believe you can feel how much the people who work at this haunt and put it on really care about making you scared. I think that some people may not find it as flashy as they expected but I think that just enhances the feel of it. Just envision it, a Barn and a wooded walk in a secluded rural area- absolutely creepy. The props were not plentiful but I think that the ones they had
were extremely fun. The vortex is a favorite of many haunt goers. Also, the bus and the electrocution scene were great. The people were extremely welcoming and even though I showed up right as they were about to close because I got lost due to my lack of directions-they let me through without a problem and the haunt was just as good as if I would have been there right in the middle of their time open. I thought this haunt was a lot of fun and I really enjoyed the kittens they have-super cute! This haunt is also age appropriate for older school age children. In conclusion, make sure you have good directions or stop at the gas station in town and enjoy the unique feel of this fun haunt. This is a diamond in the rough. Finally, be on the look out for eight-foot monsters or you will get scared!

Signage / Visibility / Location

This place was a little hard to find but there is a gas station near that was kind enough to give great directions. Once you are there out in front they have a sign at the end of the driveway. It looks like it lights up but wasn't when I got there. This could have been because I got there right before closing due to being a little lost.

Wait Area / Line Entertainment

There was no wait! I got to go straight into the haunt-that was great. The waiting area is decorated nicely and there is a cool novelty shop to look through that is set up in what I think was an old trailer-VERY COOL.

Actors' Performance

The people here were great. I thought they stayed in character very well and did a great job with moving around to creep you out. My favorite was the guy with the huge monster costume. It was about eight feet tall and definitely made me jump.

Sets Scenes / Props / FX

They do have some neat props/ effects. Some of my personal favorites were the vortex, the electrocution scene and the bus. Also the long, quiet, dark walk through the woods was really creepy!

Length

Altogether approximately 25 minutes but remember that was with no waiting.

Crowd Control

They have a line barriers to keep the crowd straight and things to look at while you wait.

Most Memorable Moment

My most memorable moment at this haunt was actor with the eight-foot monster costume-GREAT! I jumped and screamed. I was definitely freaked out.

Summary

This was a really good time. The actors and the props were good, and the people there were very hospitable. I arrived late when they were about to close and the haunt was just as good as I would expect it to be if I came during prime time. This is a diamond in the rough.

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Please note: this review is for the 2008 season rather than the current season.

The Haunted Barn Stoughton (PERMANENTLY CLOSED)

by scooter after attending on Saturday, October 11, 2008 at about 10:30 a.m.

Submitted: Tuesday, October 14, 2008

Fun Factor: Medium Fear Factor: Medium

Please note: this review is for the 2008 season rather than the current season.

The Haunted Barn Stoughton (PERMANENTLY CLOSED)

by louiscyphre (Newbie Review Crew Member) after attending on Saturday, October 11, 2008 at about 4 p.m.

Submitted: Monday, October 13, 2008

Fun Factor: High Fear Factor: Medium

Review

An enjoyable, home-grown haunt, making full use of its farmy-setting to provide victims with several different stages of spookiness, including walking through a haunted barn, then outside up a spooky, moonlit hill, through a forest and graveyard at the top, then down past a cornfield, where you're eventually forced to creep through a schoolbus (perhaps having just unloaded Isaac and Malachi and the rest of the Children -- hey, that's a cool idea!) and back into the barn for a final go. I really love these outside, nighttime haunts on clear evenings; there were some points where you could look down over the whole farm from the top of the hill and see all the different lights and action and get an idea of scenes to come...chilling and cool.

This is not a haunt which is telling a story, and is more in the vein of wanting to scare you suddenly rather than break you down with a creeping sense of dread, so if you like your haunts jumpy and "Rargh!"-y, this is for you. Not as sophisticated as some of the more expensive and professional haunts in the bigger areas, but definitely worth the money, took a nice amount of time to go through, and, as above, had great atmosphere. A Wisconsin farm on a moonlit night, how can you go wrong?

And, the snackstand had kittens for sale!

Signage / Visibility / Location

It's pretty clear that it's the haunted farm from the highway; coming from the north, just take 51 south through Stoughton, and it's in the country right outside the city. The farm is all lit up and such, and looks suitably atmospheric.

Wait Area / Line Entertainment

We had no wait, which was great; attractive little area outside the barn where they sell popcorn and soda, etc, including a little trailer giftshop with cool haunted house supplies and funky halloween black-light esoterica. Staff was really friendly and seemed to be enjoying themselves And they had kittens for sale. Vicious little kittens.

Actors' Performance

Performances were fine, but don't expect a lot of characterization; this isn't a haunted house where they're necessarily telling a story, and they seemed to be more intent on surprising and intimidating you. We did get chased by a giant-headed grim reaper-type who did a fantastic job of looking inanimate until we had passed him...Oh, and I must give props to the three (two? I got confused, they seemed to multiply) little ghoul kids who out-screamed our little group of Grade-A screamers. The lung capacity on this generation -- this is how we keep America competitive, people!

Sets Scenes / Props / FX

Scenes kind of basic, cemetery, cornfield, etc, but again, really cool atmosphere. You know what I really liked? There is some kind of great sound and lighting system all throughout the farm, or maybe just really excellent acoustics, 'cause you could hear all kinds of things, music and thunder and stuff, while walking around outside and then in and outside the barn, so it kind of all hung together and added to the spookiness. They had the barn rigged for lightning to flash overhead inside every now and then, and a lot of the usual halloween props, like cut-up body parts, etc. Lightning -- cool. Cut-up body parts -- not so exciting anymore, but that might just be me being jaded from going to lots of haunted houses over the years. Anyway, space in the barn is made good use of, and they have a cool vortex at the beginning, which kind of implies that you're going through a portal into another dimension -- of horror!

Really liked the deserted schoolbus, too; where did they get that?

And Freddy Krueger looked like he had real metal knife-fingers; where did they get those?

And they had kittens for sale. I suppose those came from another cat.

Length

Very nice length, maybe about 20 minutes, and we kind of moved through it rather quickly after being chased a couple of times.

Crowd Control

No crowd when we were there, 9 PM on Saturday night (but probably very early in the season). Looks like it would work fine, though, plenty of parking and wait area was sizeable and offered distractions, like the gift-trailer. And the kittens.

Most Memorable Moment

The view from the top of the hill, standing in the cemetery, looking down over the farm and seeing ghouls roaming about, other patrons being terrified and screaming, and knowing we were going to have to eventually start down the hill ourselves...

Summary

Again, a good atmospheric haunt with a genuinely spooky, outside-at-night, moon-shining-over-everything, sense to it; this is the kind of haunt you can only get in places like Wisconsin, with our wide-open farm country and rolling hills and readily-available chainsaws and deserted barns and home-grown, beloved cannibals.

And did I mention there were kittens for sale? Mmmmm....delicious kittens.

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Please note: this review is for the 2008 season rather than the current season.

The Haunted Barn Stoughton (PERMANENTLY CLOSED)

by mommyof2 after attending on Saturday, October 11, 2008 at about 3 p.m.

Submitted: Sunday, October 12, 2008

Fun Factor: Very High Fear Factor: Very High

Please note: this review is for the 2008 season rather than the current season.

The Haunted Barn Stoughton (PERMANENTLY CLOSED)

by dirkadirka (Newbie Review Crew Member) after attending on Friday, October 3, 2008 at about 3:30 p.m.

Submitted: Thursday, October 9, 2008

Fun Factor: High Fear Factor: Medium

Review

Signage / Visibility / Location

The setting is one of this haunt's strongest assets. Located just off I-90 to draw people from around the region, close enough to Stoughton to receive local support, and yet still retaining the feel and darkness that only haunts in secluded rural areas can provide. By capitalizing on the farm
venue the TTT Ranch has created a unique haunted attraction that starts in a barn, transitions to an outdoor trail, and re-enters the barn via a creepy old school bus.

Wait Area / Line Entertainment

There is plenty of free parking and as soon as you leave the safety of your car you hear the foreboding music of the haunt and see the menacing hearse in front of the barn. We heard the themes from Beetlejuice, Psycho, and the Rocky Horror Picture Show on our trip. There is a covered wait area
that would not shelter more than one group and a lonely guy selling pizza.

Actors' Performance

Even though I was with a couple of newbies, this haunt was more fun than it was scary. We rolled up
on the first day of the season so many of the ghouls were still working on their scares. The only minor complaint I have with this haunt is the lack of actors, specifically outside. Talking to the owners, they assured me that there will be more monsters over the following weeks, especially on Saturdays. Our favorite performers were the young girls terrified of Freddy and the creepy lady with a baby. This haunt has great potential for 2008 and I found myself thinking about actor improvements that would put the TTT Ranch on a higher level.

Sets Scenes / Props / FX

The all new interior of the barn has been spruced up this year with the acquisition of a vortex tunnel and set pieces from a defunct haunted house in Wausau. There were no sparse rooms or hallways and
the creators did a great job of putting decorations everywhere and constructing the haunt by hand. Money was well spent on full-size monster props tucked into dead ends and a couple of animatronics
scattered throughout. All of the actors had good costumes/masks/makeup and the Freddy Krueger sequence stood out as a favorite. The addition of a trail leading through the prairie and woods into a 'cemetery' adds a whole new facet to this year's spooky attraction. To nitpick, the Haunted Barn would have benefitted from more than two themed rooms and the solar lights near the graveyard were inadequate (the operators planned on bringing in a generator for better lighting the next night)

Length

Good length. It took us about 25 minutes because we spent time enjoying the outside walk and the anticipation of the surroundings

Crowd Control

I don't think the Haunted Barn uses a ticket numbering system like others, so bring a sweatshirt and some friends you can stand. There are no mazes in the haunt so even on a busy night things should move smoothly. Hidden security cameras monitor the action

Most Memorable Moment

The one-of-a-kind bottomless pit

Summary

This haunt has a lot of things going for it. $8 is a fantastic value, the haunt competition in the greater Madison area is weak, and the owners are very nice people. We rolled up on the first night of the operation and it was obvious that they will improve throughout the season. Although the Haunted Ranch may not be on the same production level as major haunts in the Milwaukee area and elsewhere, we still had a blast and it is well worth a visit. Just remember to bring a sweatshirt because you will be waiting and walking around outside

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Spooky Entertainment Guide

2008 The Haunted Barn Stoughton (PERMANENTLY CLOSED) Event Reviews

The Haunted Barn Stoughton (PERMANENTLY CLOSED)

Review

Signage / Visibility / Location

Wait Area / Line Entertainment

Actors' Performance

Sets Scenes / Props / FX

Length

Crowd Control

Most Memorable Moment

Summary

The Haunted Barn Stoughton (PERMANENTLY CLOSED)

Review

Summary

The Haunted Barn Stoughton (PERMANENTLY CLOSED)

Review

Signage / Visibility / Location

Wait Area / Line Entertainment

Actors' Performance

Sets Scenes / Props / FX

Length

Crowd Control

Most Memorable Moment

Summary

The Haunted Barn Stoughton (PERMANENTLY CLOSED)

Review

Summary

The Haunted Barn Stoughton (PERMANENTLY CLOSED)

Review

Signage / Visibility / Location

Wait Area / Line Entertainment

Actors' Performance

Sets Scenes / Props / FX

Length

Crowd Control

Most Memorable Moment

Summary

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