Features:
✓-Free Parking✓-Restrooms/Porta Potties On-Site✓-Food/Concessions✓-Gift Shop/Souvenirs✓-Optional Games/Midway✓-“Old-School” (Low Tech)✓-You will NOT be touched✓-Original Characters✓-Uncovered Outdoor Waiting Line✓-All-Indoor Attraction
This attraction was reviewed on October 24, 2020 by Team Houdini.
How Do We Get These Scores?
Our Rating System
UPDATE FOR 2022: Our former “Atmosphere” and “Theme” categories have now been combined and renamed “Immersion.” Our intent with this is to give more appropriate credit to attractions that have shown a clear focus on achieving and maintaining better customer experiences (both inside and outside the attractions) and developing creative storylines.
Each of the category scores in this review are calculated using a weighted average of several questions that we rate on a scale of 1 to 10.
The following breakdown explains what these scores typically mean. All of our Teams use this as a reference for providing accurate ratings:
10: “Peak Performance”This score is treated as if it has a chastity belt on it. “10’s” are reserved for the best of the best; those that we feel could not possibly improve on what they’re doing.
9: “Innovative and Groundbreaking”It rocked! Nearly everything seemed to go as planned and it was one of the best we’ve ever seen! These guys are leaders in the industry, and attractions like this are truly hard to come by.
8: “Solid”A high score on our scale. They had a good handle on it and, overall, they knew how to use it well. Most attractions can learn from what these guys are doing.
6 to 7: “Good”We could tell that a good effort was made. However, we’ve seen this done much better at other places, or can detect areas where significant improvements can be made. This is about the top end of what we’d call “Family Friendly.”
5: “Average / Fair”Compared to the competition, they weren’t the best, but definitely not the worst. Scares and Special Effects in this range are usually considered “Family Friendly.”
3 to 4: “Below Average”We could see that a clear attempt was made, but most other professional attractions are doing a much better job at this.
1 to 2: “Poor”It appeared that very little time, thought or effort was contributed to this aspect.
0 (Zero): “Non-Existent”No apparent effort was made to make this a significant contributor to the attraction.
Afterword:This rating system is standardized across all of The Scare Factor’s official haunt review teams. However, keep in mind there will always be minor differences between Teams, as we all have varying levels of experience. Regardless, we do our best to remain true to our core values, which is to promote all haunted attractions!Perhaps the biggest thing to remember is: sometimes the score – in and of itself – doesn’t tell the whole story about an attraction’s merits. This is why we provide detailed explanations for each category… to help you better understand how and why we chose the score/s that we did.We do our best to not let feelings or emotions rule our judgement, while also viewing the attraction through the lens of the typical haunt-goer. But, because all reviews with ratings are inherently subjective, this is nearly impossible to completely prevent. Though, when in doubt, we tend to give slightly lower scores than our original “gut feelings” to account for this, and also give the attraction more room to improve over time.We also do our best to be fair and consistent across all of the haunts that we review. We know that you’ll be looking at these scores and comparing them to other attractions, so we hope this review helps you out in that aspect.Do you have some feedback about our review system? Contact Us Here to let us know what you think!
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Final Score: 7.79
How Did We Get This Score?
Final Scores:
(15% of Final Score) Cast: 7.88
(15% of Final Score) Costuming: 8
(10% of Final Score) Customer Service: 9.38
(10% of Final Score) Atmosphere: 7.5
(15% of Final Score) Special Effects: 7.51
(5% of Final Score) Theme:
(15% of Final Score) Scare Factor: 7.51
(5% of Final Score) Entertainment & Value: 7.95
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Summary:
Coolspring Corn Maze and Farm Market is located in Mercer, PA. It’s a little over an hour north of Pittsburgh. Coolspring offers a fall festival with several fun activities in the day and at night, they are best known for their gigantic non-haunted corn maze that has run for 16 seasons. However, about 3 years ago, they have added the Trail of Fear attraction to their evening festivities and we were invited to check it out.
The Trail of Fear currently is not their main attraction. This is a (cue Dr. Evil voice) ‘mini’ haunt, an added attraction for the season. We clocked it at five minutes at a moderate pace. It really can’t be compared to other haunts at this time, but we are scoring based on our normal criteria and what we experienced, and not solely off of the length. If you are in the area or looking for a full evening of fun you should check it out while you are there.
Cast: 7.88
How Did We Get This Score?
Cast Scores (15% of Final Score):
(20% of Cast Score) Did it seem like there were enough actors?: 9.5Explanation:
Per minute, the most amount of actors of any haunt this season.
Average haunt is 23 minutes and average amount of actors is 31.
(30% of Cast Score) How creative, believable and convincing were the actors?: 7.75
(20% of Cast Score) How interactive were the actors (verbally and physically)?: 7
(15% of Cast Score) How creatively & appropriately did they use dialogue?: 7
(15% of Cast Score) Was there a good variety of characters?: 8
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Surprisingly, for a five-minute haunt experience, we encountered 22 actors inside. Some of them were playing double duty, popping out more than once, making it feel more like 30 actors. These numbers are closer to full haunted attraction numbers. They had one gatekeeper/line actor. This gentleman was a very jovial individual with a southern accent and a 50’s sitcom, Leave it to Beaver vibe. There was also a girl in all black sitting inside a ticket booth for the trail. She took your tokens and helped signal when the next victims would enter.
The actors did a good job of supplying a multitude of scares. There were men with chainsaws who would pop out quickly with saws blazing., clowns crawling low out of the corn, and a creepy ghost literally hanging around.
Some actors utilized dialogue such as the crazy girl who spoke in a British accent, the clown asking for change to enter the show, and the soft-spoken Wicked Witch that gave me the biggest scare. She asked ‘leaving so soon?’ ‘You must come back and try my potion.’
There were also silent monsters lurking around, aliens, a flying monkey, a jester, and two Amish children that creepily stared at us (think Children of the Corn). A comical pair of larger than life animals altered our path.
The majority of actors provided some type of startle scare, but the actors with dialogue did a great job staying in character.
Costuming: 8
How Did We Get This Score?
Costuming Scores (15% of Final Score):
(15% of Costuming Score) How complete / finished did the costumes appear to be?: 8
(25% of Costuming Score) How creative / detailed were the costumes?: 8
(20% of Costuming Score) Was their makeup creative? Detailed? Realistic?: 8
(15% of Costuming Score) How effectively did they use masks (if used)?: 8
(25% of Costuming Score) How appropriate were the costumes for their scene/s & theme/s?: 8
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Costuming was also surprisingly good with some above-average costumes. We especially liked the large pumpkin head costume with its larger-than-life appearance and glowing eyes which made it an impressive sight. The clown costume, for the individual at the ‘ticket booth,’ was aesthetically pleasing. He also had giant clown hands adding to the overall effect. The alien’s masks looked familiar but realistic.
The costumes were fitting for the characters. The Amish children had traditional Amish garb, the jester had a normal jester outfit and hat along with a creepy clown face. Of course no haunt this season would not be complete without a pigman, 18 haunts and I swear everyone had a pigman.
The majority of characters had masks but we did notice the makeup on the wicked witch was nicely done. The traditional green face looked nice and smooth without blotching the makeup, it was not airbrush quality but very well done. We were very pleased with all the costumes we saw through the moonlit walk.
Customer Service: 9.38
How Did We Get This Score?
Customer Service Scores (10% of Final Score):
(25% of CS Score) How easy was it to locate the attraction, park, and navigate the premises?: 9.5
(30% of CS Score) How safe was the attraction?: 9
(25% of CS Score) How professional, helpful and friendly were the staff members?: 10
(20% of CS Score) How easy was it to find their information before* arrival?: 9
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Coolspring Corn Maze was easy to find using GPS and was easily found on Google Maps. It is pretty much a straight shot up 79. A large display shows the theme of the corn maze and leads to the ticket booth. Inside as mentioned they have a plethora of fall activities. They also have concessions offering foods and drinks. Near the entrance of the corn maze is the line to the Trail of Fear.
All the individuals we met with were very pleasant and helpful.
Inside the trail, it is an all-dirt path. It is very level and we did not notice anything out of the ordinary regarding safety concerns. We did notice some muddy areas where hay was placed down to help with customers slipping.
Regarding COVID, all guests are required to wear a face mask, employees receive nightly temperature checks, sanitizing stations around the areas, social distancing, and enhanced sanitation. Due to these procedures, we felt comfortable proceeding.
Atmosphere: 7.5
How Did We Get This Score?
Atmosphere Scores (10% of Final Score):
(60% of Atmosphere Score) How obvious was it that you were at a haunted house before entering?: 7.5
(40% of Atmosphere Score) How well did the atmosphere prepare you for what you experienced inside?: 7.5
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I am going to consider the atmosphere of the outside area of the haunt once inside the attraction area. Although the farm area does have a nice fall atmosphere.
Once in front of the Trail of Fear, you can hear a low track playing by the ticket booth with the girl in black. The ticket booth itself is decorated as well. A large stone sign stands above the entrance illuminated in red. Straw bales and large pumpkins sit outside the opening while screams and chainsaws flow out above the corn stalks. Simple but effective.
Special Effects: 7.51
How Did We Get This Score?
Special Effects Scores (15% of Final Score):
(20% of SFX Score) How effective were the sound effects?: 7
(20% of SFX Score) How creative / original were the scenes & props?: 7.5
(20% of SFX Score) How well were the scenes detailed?: 8
(25% of SFX Score) How well did they achieve & maintain the suspension of disbelief?: 7.25
(15% of SFX Score) How effective were the SFX at providing scares / entertainment?: 8
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The trail takes place in a cornfield and the majority of what you see is corn. They do have a few scenes and special effects. They have effective use of colored lights, black lights, and strobe lights that add some pizazz to the continuous corn. Fog is also used in several places helping actors hide even easier in the trail.
Some basic poles covered in black material have pumpkins on top of them that provide an eerie look. The baby scene was original and weird, in a good way. We also liked the glowing archways that felt like they were shrinking, reminding me of the doors in Alice in Wonderland. The crystal ball had a cool effect that distracted me. They also had a mechanical hot walker, I had to look that one up, and it provided a feeling of slave labor. We did not notice any animatronics. The effects provided some additional visuals to break up the repetitiveness of the corn stalks. Simple and effective.
Theme: N/A
How Did We Get This Score?
Theme Scores (5% of Final Score):
(30% of Theme Score) Could you tell what the theme was?:
(50% of Theme Score) How well was the theme carried throughout the attraction/s?:
(20% of Theme Score) How well does their location authenticate the theme?:
This score is left “N/A” when we believe the haunt is trying to target a random variety of themes or phobias, rather than a single overarching “Theme” or “storyline.”
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Corn, pumpkin monsters, babies, witches, aliens, chainsaws, Amish people, this haunt is a mixed bag with no concise theme.
Scare Factor: 7.51
How Did We Get This Score?
Scare Factor Scores (15% of Final Score):
(30% of Scare Factor Score) How scary was it?: 7
(15% of Scare Factor Score) How well did they provide scares to the entire group?: 7.5
(25% of Scare Factor Score) How predictable were the scares?: 8
(15% of Scare Factor Score) How well did they provide a wide variety of scares?: 7.25
(15% of Scare Factor Score) How strong was the ending / finale?: 8
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A large number of actors kept the pace and scares strong. Almost all the scares were generated by the actors with the d������cor used as a distraction. Boo scares were pulled off pretty well as the characters could hide well in the corn mixed with the fog and light placement. Some characters wandered the trail in plain sight providing anxiety, making us wonder what they were going to do as we got near. The actors did a great job with timing. Especially the witch. As I was admiring the crystal ball the Wicked Witch had the perfect opportunity to get right behind me, as I turned around all she did was whisper to make me jump, as I was completely off-guard. This was a great mix of scares from this talented group of monsters.
Entertainment & Value: 7.95
How Did We Get This Score?
Entertainment & Value Factor Scores (15% of Final Score):
(30% of E&V Score) How satisfied were you with the entertainment received during the main attraction/s?: 7
(25% of E&V Score) How satisfied were you with the entertainment that’s available with* the ticket price, excluding the main attraction/s?: 9
(30% of E&V Score) How appropriate is/are the ticket price/s?: 8
(15% of E&V Score) Have they effectively used their available space?: 8
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The Trail of Fear pass is $20, it includes the haunt, and one ‘extra activity’, pumpkin blasters or the Mechanical bull, and all of the general admission activities. General Admission offers the huge non haunted corn maze (day or night), Hay Ride, Indoor hay maze, Jumping pad, pedal tractors racetrack, 2-40 foot slides, and barnyard board games. We did not have time to partake in the activities but they did look like fun. Hopefully, next time we can try the maze. You receive a good deal of entertainment for your buck.
According to the site if you buy the $12 admission you can add the trail for $10. So it would be a better deal to buy the $20 pass. However using $10 for a 5-minute trail that comes to .5 minutes per dollar, is significantly below average, but they also have as many actors in a 15-minute haunt in that 5 minutes.
We were impressed with what Coolspring Trail of Fear had to offer. If you are just heading out to see the haunt and nothing else you may be disappointed in its length. However, if you are planning on taking in the other activities or live nearby it is worth checking out. We liked the setup and acting they had and hope in the future they can build this up bigger into a solid haunted attraction that can stand on its own. Coolspring has a lot of potential and I am interested to see where they take this haunt. They have proven they have quality over quantity.
How Did We Get These Scores
Our Rating System
Each of the category scores in this review are calculated using a weighted average of several questions that we rate on a scale of 1 to 10.
The following breakdown explains what these scores typically mean. All of our Teams use this as a reference for providing accurate ratings:
10: “Peak Performance”This score is treated as if it has a chastity belt on it. “10’s” are reserved for the best of the best; those that we feel could not possibly improve on what they’re doing.
9: “Innovative and Groundbreaking”It rocked! Nearly everything seemed to go as planned and it was one of the best we’ve ever seen! These guys are leaders in the industry, and attractions like this are truly hard to come by.
8: “Solid”A high score on our scale. They had a good handle on it and, overall, they knew how to use it well. Most attractions can learn from what these guys are doing.
6 to 7: “Good”We could tell that a good effort was made. However, we’ve seen this done much better at other places, or can detect areas where significant improvements can be made. This is about the top end of what we’d call “Family Friendly.”
5: “Average / Fair”Compared to the competition, they weren’t the best, but definitely not the worst. Scares and Special Effects in this range are usually considered “Family Friendly.”
3 to 4: “Below Average”We could see that a clear attempt was made, but most other professional attractions are doing a much better job at this.
1 to 2: “Poor”It appeared that very little time, thought or effort was contributed to this aspect.
0 (Zero): “Non-Existent”No apparent effort was made to make this a significant contributor to the attraction.
Afterword:This rating system is standardized across all of The Scare Factor’s official haunt review teams. However, keep in mind there will always be minor differences between Teams, as we all have varying levels of experience. Regardless, we do our best to remain true to our core values, which is to promote all haunted attractions!Perhaps the biggest thing to remember is: sometimes the score – in and of itself – doesn’t tell the whole story about an attraction’s merits. This is why we provide detailed explanations for each category… to help you better understand how and why we chose the score/s that we did.We do our best to not let feelings or emotions rule our judgement, while also viewing the attraction through the lens of the typical haunt-goer. But, because all reviews with ratings are inherently subjective, this is nearly impossible to completely prevent. Though, when in doubt, we tend to give slightly lower scores than our original “gut feelings” to account for this, and also give the attraction more room to improve over time.We also do our best to be fair and consistent across all of the haunts that we review. We know that you’ll be looking at these scores and comparing them to other attractions, so we hope this review helps you out in that aspect.Do you have some feedback about our review system? Contact Us Here to let us know what you think!
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