Submitted by mr. pringles on October 17, 2007 - 5:30pm.
ValleyScare had a wide variety of "haunts" for me and the kids this past weekend. The smaller kids enjoyed the storytelling witch and trick-or-treat trail in Pumpkin Hallow. Plus, we hit our favorite park rides that are still open. Wish we could've stayed for the scarier spookhouses, I heard they are really were cool.
Submitted by hardware2k on October 18, 2007 - 4:45pm.
I was a part of ValleyScare last year, so that means my opinions are completely biased, I am sure.
But here are my opinions on a couple of the local haunts:
• ValleyScare has 4 great mazes, but the 2 outdoor "scare zones" are only mildly amusing. The mazes take several minutes to go through, so you get a lot of good haunting out of them. (One maze is outdoors and therefore opens later on Saturday, likewise for the scare zones, and none of those are open on Sunday.)
From what I've read online, there's a difference in opinion as to which maze is the best.
I cannot speak to the value of the family friendly activities during the daytime on Saturday and Sunday, as I have no youngsters to take to it. My nephew is too old for that stuff.
The drawback to ValleyScare is that you pay more for a ticket than you do elsewhere. The argument is that you're getting rides as part of your package, but if it's 45F and chilly the roller coasters don't have a lot of appeal to me. And they still charge you for parking, so it's definitely more expensive than other area attractions.
I won't rate one attraction over another, but if the rides are of interest to you, you can ride most of the coasters and some of the other rides as well as enjoy four well done mazes. Without taking advantage of the rides, ValleyScare is too expensive.
• I have been to the Trail of Terror annually for the past few years, and I have become more and more disenchanted with it. It draws tons of people, so on a Friday or Saturday night you could end up waiting two hours for the haunted hayride. The hayride is fun, and there are some good special effects, but it's hard to make hayrides scary. It's not worth waiting two hours.
The big indoor haunted maze is hyped as 3/4-mile long, and while it's huge, I timed it last year, and we were done in 15 minutes. It's not nearly as spectacular as they hype it, and not worth the wait when it takes more than an hour to get in.
Despite the fact I have been less than tickled with the experience in the past couple of years, (it took a long time to get through the two attractions on a Sunday night last year,) I may end up going again this year, thanks to free tickets. There's a new attraction they added this year, so I'm anxious to see that, otherwise I'd definitely write it off this season.
There are also four haunted trailers there, they're short, usually not a long wait to get into, but not highly entertaining or spectacular. To me those are a throw away attraction, and were actually run as their own amusement a few years ago before they were folded into the Trail of Terror.
• Screamtown is the new one in Shakopee this year and I have yet to visit, but weather permitting, I will make it this season. I am anxious to hear what anyone else thought of it.
Submitted by Sugar Beet on October 18, 2007 - 1:38pm.
Screamtown's concept is great...a lower priced outdoor Halloween attraction, but really lacked in scare factor. Maybe it was just a slow night, but the mazes lacked characters, most of the time you just walk through empty rooms with props in them. One maze seemed to rely only on a strobe light with 1 clown in it. I was disappointed that Screamtown's maze design, props, character costuming and overall atmosphere reflects their cheaper admission price. I guess you get what you pay for. I do love the fact that 3 area Haunted Attractions have to compete for our business. Hopefully that will encourage all of them to keep improving & updating their "scare" from year to year.
Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on October 26, 2008 - 9:01pm.
You may not like Screamtown, but guess what. Several groups (Jack FM, The Vikings, Spirit Halloween, etc.) have voted it the scariest haunted attraction in MN. So, yeah!
Submitted by hardware2k on October 18, 2007 - 4:44pm.
I like the creepiness of the clown maze. The special effects, if you buy the 3-D glasses for $1, add a little something extra to it. The carnival music on acid really sets the creepy tone. I could never work in that maze, however, as the music would make me insane.
The vamprie maze has great costuming and a couple of cool effects. It's decent, and well liked, but not my favorite.
I think the asylum is the most entertaining. It's got some great props, great scenes and a few good surprises. There are a few parts of it that are weak, but not every room in a maze can be top notch entertainment.
Submitted by hardware2k on October 24, 2007 - 12:26pm.
I visited Trail of Terror recently and it seems like they're getting a bit stale. Perhaps it's because I go every single year, but they didn't seem to do anything new to make their hayride more entertaining, or at the very least, different. They did seem to make changes in the haunted maze since last year, and that's what they do best. The new "dungeon of doom" they are promoting is dumb. It's a small trailer, like the others they already have, cheap little gimicks that aren't very good. I hope to go to Screamtown this weekend.
Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on October 13, 2008 - 1:15pm.
I'm a former employee at Trail of Terror. Their management has been changing for the past three years and, basically, the Trail is starting to get "stale" because the actors are being treated worse and worse each year.
Scream Town has a great concept (as stated in a previous post) and the guy who runs it cares about the scares and not the money. (Unlike Trail of Terror)I worked for one night at Scream Town and also noticed that it just wasn't... terrifying. And even as an actor there, it felt like there was very little I could do to change that... however- I suggest that, if you don't like Scream Town this year, go next year and the year after. Practice makes perfect, and they have a lot of potential. Also, this is one of the places that I don't mind giving my money to, because I know they are in it for the fun.
I'm going to the Soap Factory as a patron on Sunday. I've heard a TON of great stuff about it.
Submitted by Leah Shaffer on October 25, 2007 - 2:10pm.
The Soap Factory's Haunted Basement is supposed to be really creepy.
According to the Web site, "Groups will explore the 120-year-old basement with only the light of their handheld lanterns to guide them. This event is 18+ and a waiver must be signed before entering…that’s how scary it is."
One writer on MnArtists said the experience made him scream "like a twelve-year-old girl"
Submitted by lisa (not verified) on September 26, 2008 - 2:39pm.
i'v heard of the soap factory too. is there any way you have the website i could go too. i'd like to find out more. i really wanna go this year! thanks
Submitted by hardware2k on October 27, 2007 - 9:31am.
I have now been to Screamtown and I would agree it doesn't have the horror aspect to it that ValleyScare or the Trail of Terror do. There were monsters in the mazes, but not tons, and while there were set designs and a few special effects in the mazes, they weren't unique or frightening. The haunted corn maze is a fun idea, however, and it would have been better if it had been darker throughout the field. There was too much indirect light and moonlight to make it as dark and creepy as I would have liked. But it was fun.
It seems to me like Screamtown would do best as a family-oriented attraction, a place to take kids who might not do well in an intense haunted attraction, but are ready for the thrills a few haunted characters would provide.
It's a little tame for my liking, but I think they put forth a good first effort.
The Soap Factory is on my list of things to do next year. I just don't have the time this year, and it's nice to know there's something to look forward to next season.
Submitted by Miss Mollee on September 30, 2008 - 2:30pm.
Screamtown has moved to a permanent location on a huge farm field west of Chaska. This year they'll have four attractions for one price - a haunted corn maze called "Terror in the Corn", the "Klown House," a haunted house called "Hillbilly Motel" and a forest walk "Oak Blood Forest."
I was there during the day for a sneak peek and the forest alone was enough to creep me out. You can read more about it in this week's upcoming Chaska Herald or check out www.chaskaherald.com on Thursday for the story.
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ValleyScare had a wide
ValleyScare had a wide variety of "haunts" for me and the kids this past weekend. The smaller kids enjoyed the storytelling witch and trick-or-treat trail in Pumpkin Hallow. Plus, we hit our favorite park rides that are still open. Wish we could've stayed for the scarier spookhouses, I heard they are really were cool.
I was a part of ValleyScare
I was a part of ValleyScare last year, so that means my opinions are completely biased, I am sure.
But here are my opinions on a couple of the local haunts:
• ValleyScare has 4 great mazes, but the 2 outdoor "scare zones" are only mildly amusing. The mazes take several minutes to go through, so you get a lot of good haunting out of them. (One maze is outdoors and therefore opens later on Saturday, likewise for the scare zones, and none of those are open on Sunday.)
From what I've read online, there's a difference in opinion as to which maze is the best.
I cannot speak to the value of the family friendly activities during the daytime on Saturday and Sunday, as I have no youngsters to take to it. My nephew is too old for that stuff.
The drawback to ValleyScare is that you pay more for a ticket than you do elsewhere. The argument is that you're getting rides as part of your package, but if it's 45F and chilly the roller coasters don't have a lot of appeal to me. And they still charge you for parking, so it's definitely more expensive than other area attractions.
I won't rate one attraction over another, but if the rides are of interest to you, you can ride most of the coasters and some of the other rides as well as enjoy four well done mazes. Without taking advantage of the rides, ValleyScare is too expensive.
• I have been to the Trail of Terror annually for the past few years, and I have become more and more disenchanted with it. It draws tons of people, so on a Friday or Saturday night you could end up waiting two hours for the haunted hayride. The hayride is fun, and there are some good special effects, but it's hard to make hayrides scary. It's not worth waiting two hours.
The big indoor haunted maze is hyped as 3/4-mile long, and while it's huge, I timed it last year, and we were done in 15 minutes. It's not nearly as spectacular as they hype it, and not worth the wait when it takes more than an hour to get in.
Despite the fact I have been less than tickled with the experience in the past couple of years, (it took a long time to get through the two attractions on a Sunday night last year,) I may end up going again this year, thanks to free tickets. There's a new attraction they added this year, so I'm anxious to see that, otherwise I'd definitely write it off this season.
There are also four haunted trailers there, they're short, usually not a long wait to get into, but not highly entertaining or spectacular. To me those are a throw away attraction, and were actually run as their own amusement a few years ago before they were folded into the Trail of Terror.
• Screamtown is the new one in Shakopee this year and I have yet to visit, but weather permitting, I will make it this season. I am anxious to hear what anyone else thought of it.
Screamtown's concept is
Screamtown's concept is great...a lower priced outdoor Halloween attraction, but really lacked in scare factor. Maybe it was just a slow night, but the mazes lacked characters, most of the time you just walk through empty rooms with props in them. One maze seemed to rely only on a strobe light with 1 clown in it. I was disappointed that Screamtown's maze design, props, character costuming and overall atmosphere reflects their cheaper admission price. I guess you get what you pay for. I do love the fact that 3 area Haunted Attractions have to compete for our business. Hopefully that will encourage all of them to keep improving & updating their "scare" from year to year.
You may not like Screamtown,
You may not like Screamtown, but guess what. Several groups (Jack FM, The Vikings, Spirit Halloween, etc.) have voted it the scariest haunted attraction in MN. So, yeah!
Definitely. And the new
Definitely. And the new location is even scarier. Screamtown is the best, in my opinion.
Hardware2k: which indoor
Hardware2k: which indoor maze was your favorite at Valleyscare? I heard the Asylum is really cool.
I like the creepiness of the
I like the creepiness of the clown maze. The special effects, if you buy the 3-D glasses for $1, add a little something extra to it. The carnival music on acid really sets the creepy tone. I could never work in that maze, however, as the music would make me insane.
The vamprie maze has great costuming and a couple of cool effects. It's decent, and well liked, but not my favorite.
I think the asylum is the most entertaining. It's got some great props, great scenes and a few good surprises. There are a few parts of it that are weak, but not every room in a maze can be top notch entertainment.
I visited Trail of Terror
I visited Trail of Terror recently and it seems like they're getting a bit stale. Perhaps it's because I go every single year, but they didn't seem to do anything new to make their hayride more entertaining, or at the very least, different. They did seem to make changes in the haunted maze since last year, and that's what they do best. The new "dungeon of doom" they are promoting is dumb. It's a small trailer, like the others they already have, cheap little gimicks that aren't very good. I hope to go to Screamtown this weekend.
I'm a former employee at
I'm a former employee at Trail of Terror. Their management has been changing for the past three years and, basically, the Trail is starting to get "stale" because the actors are being treated worse and worse each year.
Scream Town has a great concept (as stated in a previous post) and the guy who runs it cares about the scares and not the money. (Unlike Trail of Terror)I worked for one night at Scream Town and also noticed that it just wasn't... terrifying. And even as an actor there, it felt like there was very little I could do to change that... however- I suggest that, if you don't like Scream Town this year, go next year and the year after. Practice makes perfect, and they have a lot of potential. Also, this is one of the places that I don't mind giving my money to, because I know they are in it for the fun.
I'm going to the Soap Factory as a patron on Sunday. I've heard a TON of great stuff about it.
The Soap Factory's Haunted
The Soap Factory's Haunted Basement is supposed to be really creepy.
According to the Web site, "Groups will explore the 120-year-old basement with only the light of their handheld lanterns to guide them. This event is 18+ and a waiver must be signed before entering…that’s how scary it is."
One writer on MnArtists said the experience made him scream "like a twelve-year-old girl"
i'v heard of the soap
i'v heard of the soap factory too. is there any way you have the website i could go too. i'd like to find out more. i really wanna go this year! thanks
hey just to let you know the
hey just to let you know the website for the soap factory is soapfactory.org
I have now been to
I have now been to Screamtown and I would agree it doesn't have the horror aspect to it that ValleyScare or the Trail of Terror do. There were monsters in the mazes, but not tons, and while there were set designs and a few special effects in the mazes, they weren't unique or frightening. The haunted corn maze is a fun idea, however, and it would have been better if it had been darker throughout the field. There was too much indirect light and moonlight to make it as dark and creepy as I would have liked. But it was fun.
It seems to me like Screamtown would do best as a family-oriented attraction, a place to take kids who might not do well in an intense haunted attraction, but are ready for the thrills a few haunted characters would provide.
It's a little tame for my liking, but I think they put forth a good first effort.
The Soap Factory is on my list of things to do next year. I just don't have the time this year, and it's nice to know there's something to look forward to next season.
Now that it is in Chaska
Now that it is in Chaska though...it is much different. It gets pretty dark. Like the person said below, the woods are very creepy.
Screamtown has moved to a
Screamtown has moved to a permanent location on a huge farm field west of Chaska. This year they'll have four attractions for one price - a haunted corn maze called "Terror in the Corn", the "Klown House," a haunted house called "Hillbilly Motel" and a forest walk "Oak Blood Forest."
I was there during the day for a sneak peek and the forest alone was enough to creep me out. You can read more about it in this week's upcoming Chaska Herald or check out www.chaskaherald.com on Thursday for the story.
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