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Last Updated: Oct 22nd, 2008 - 02:19:55 |
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An unidentified young man runs from a chain saw wielding assailant Oct. 19, at Terror in the Corn in Erie. (Photo by Drew Jaynes•ajaynes1@mscd.edu)
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As stillness falls over the stalks of corn and as the sun drops below the Rocky Mountains west of the town of Erie, Terror in the Corn visitors find themselves on a wagon guiding them through row after row of corn.
A sudden chill rests on the wagon riders as the sky goes dark. The tall corn starts to stir. The visitors anxiously wonder when they will be able to find their feet on the ground. Other customers squint in the dark to see what terrors are hidden in the corn ahead.
Before the leaves drop and pumpkins make their debut, Anderson Farms is typically used for weddings, family reunions and company picnics.
Brenda and Jim Anderson, owners of Anderson Farms, can boast the oldest corn maze in the state as well as a large pumpkin patch.
Scaring the living souls out of people was never the plan for Anderson Farms. At least, not until the property was scouted by Wayne Wells six years ago.
Wells approached the Anderson family with the idea of turning their family-oriented corn maze into a spooky, adventure-filled one with creepy sets and gruesome-looking props. After reading an article about the property, Wells was impressed by the amount of people who came to the farm every year.
“It was just one of those things– we’d give it a try and see how it goes. It didn’t hurt to try,” Brenda said.
Over time, part of the land transformed into a full-fledged haunted enterprise. Every year, Wells and the Andersons brainstorm a theme and reinvent the landscape into their own vision.
Last year’s pick was Pirates of the Cornibbean. They constructed a boat on the property to simulate a sunken pirate ship filled with sets including a pirate bar where prop skeletons serve themselves.
This year’s pick is a haunted mine shaft. A set was once again built to fit the theme. Although the theme changes every year, the ghost town has become the mainstay of Terror in the Corn.
“Six years ago, I got on Brenda’s husband’s tractor right here, and he said, ‘what can you do in this parcel of land?’ and I said, ‘lets put up a ghost town’,” Wells said.
By using scraps from old farm buildings around Erie, the ghost town has been built up by Jim and Wells. Wells has been constructing scary sets for the last 37 years.
He became interested in building sets when he was asked by the children to build a haunted house while teaching physical education at Frederick Elementary School.
“We built a cemetery on the gym floor, and then up on the stage, we put about five to six rooms. And then it just grew from there,” Wells said.
In addition to directing the 40 to 50 actors on their movements and behaviors, Wells inserts comedy that many customers might overlook while running and stumbling away from the “scarers.”
In the ghost town, cardboard cutouts of Sen. Barack Obama and Sen. John McCain lean against plank walls. The outdoor cemetery includes gravestones with epitaphs such as “Here lies Alf Abet: a good speller.”
Customers can expect to hear more than just the rustling of the stalks. A sudden chain saw sound may catch them off-guard.
“Just the thought of it just kind of makes shivers go up your back and make you run,” Anderson said.
The attention to detail in different scenarios of the ghost town makes this attraction truly stand out. Each set surpasses the next. The ghost town is super creepy with a skeleton wedding scene with vintage music playing in the background and dripping water from the rooftop near the swamp.
Brenda likes it when the ghouls are out of her field, and she’s still brave enough to face her own backyard.
“I figure I own the place I have to go at least once. All my friends like to go with me because I scream so loud,” Brenda said.
They tell her: “You make it fun!”
Location: 6728 WCR 3 1/4, Erie
Dates: Oct. 23 - Nov. 1
Price: $20, $15 for children and seniors
Hours: Opens at 7 p.m.
Ages: Under 6 allowed with an adult
Walk-through:
30 - 45 min. |
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