RECAP:  Springfield’s longest-running haunt has been terrifying thrill seekers for over 30 years! The scares kick off before you even step foot inside, as queue-line entertainers "Cupcake" and "Kandy," two mischievous jesters, crack jokes and hand out Trick-or-Treat candy to witty customers while setting the tone with playful banter. “I’m usually not this nice!” Cupcake warns. “You may want to turn back!” as she makes reference to an ominous “STOP” sign positioned above the entrance.

The journey begins across a wooden walkway that funnels the course past rustic buildings, sudden pneumatic scares, and into a creepy doll-filled cabin. Back out in the woods, a girl blocks progression, lunging at visitors attempting to cross a bridge. Scares escalate quickly past an electrocution, then through a catacomb of coffins, and a monster wheeling a gurney desperately searching for a hiding place to stash his latest victim! Darkness keeps guests on edge along with dead ends doors that refuse to open, and fiends grabbing from behind. A gruesome “Drilla Killa”scene witnesses a maniac piercing a bent over torso with a power tool, as pig-faced villains dominate the next sequence, one of which noisily pounds on a medical stretcher and another looms over a chainsaw graveyard of discarded saws.

The true showstopper is just ahead when groups become cornered in a chainsaw entrapment that appears to have no way out! The chaotic crisis finds a pair of saw-wielding lunatics pinning hostages in, and defying escape. A previously hidden passageway eventually enables rescue, but not before inducing panic by forcing you to circle back and forth, round and around.

Returning to the forest discovers mocking monsters warning, “I wouldn’t go that way!” foreshadowing the emergence of a couple of evil clowns, one threatening with a hammer, the other waving a large, metal hook! A barrel maze gives rise to a Taser-toting antagonist, as well as a terrifying, pig-faced butcher feeding human captives into multiple incinerators! A giant sewer serpent is encountered before the route stumble into a grisly cabin inhabited by a deranged mother and son serving up human cuisine while a massive saw rips through the carnage.

Mayor Bobo waits at The Clown Town Circus reading palms, and ushering the way under the big top, where fog, pounding music, and gags galore take center stage. Highlights include a massive clown-head actortronic lurching at passersby; Bubbles the prankster keeping the energy unpredictable; barrels of giggle juice; clown games like rock-paper-scissors; and pick-an-ice-cream-cone. Creepy playground antics mandate audience participation in reciting, “Ring-Around- the Rosy” onboard a merry-go-round. Crawling through the back of a hearse leads to altercations with more Taser-wielding clowns and even a clown execution.

The finale barrels into the forest once more, punctuated by mechanical monsters and a towering, red-eyed, wolf-like creature before spitting survivors out of Terror Maze.

ANALYSIS:  Terror Maze continues to prove why it’s been a successful Springfield staple for more than 3 decades. The attraction feels handcrafted and old-school, showcasing the creativity of props built in-house while sprinkling in just enough pneumatics and actortronics to add polish. The length is impressive with nearly 30 minutes of action making it one of the most value-packed haunts in the region. Their brand of scares can best be described as original, legitimate, appalling, and horrific, exemplified by the brutal “Drilla Killa” scenario. Additional frights similar in nature to this one would further elevate the score.

Lighting is adequate and creates a spooky environment. Some of the scenes are a bit on the quiet side from a soundtrack standpoint, but serve to intensify the feeling of isolation and abandonment within the dark woods. Dialogue could be improved upon.

Standout characters include Cupcake & Candy in the queue line, the chainsaw entrapment goons, aforementioned Driller Killer, pig-faced villains, and Bobo the Clown.  Entrapment and Driller Killer are most shocking and memorable scenes.

Terror Maze has stood the test of time and aged like a fine wine. Head on out to Springfield and enjoy some traditional Halloween Scares.