Looking for the mecca of haunted houses? Look no further than the Hartford/Slinger/Hubertus area for 3 of the states scariest attractions! As they are just a few minute car ride apart, avid haunt fanatics are certain to be foaming at the mouth at the opportunity to frequent these three ghoulish gems.

Arguably the best venue of the 3 is Hartford's Terror on Rural Street. Located right off of Hwy 60 it's very easy to find. The parking lot is well lit and offers a plentiful supply of spots. The waiting area is heated and indoors and offers a wide selection of treats and beverages as well as an occasional spook or two to heighten your anticipation of the terror that's to come.

...and then there's the haunt.

I've attended this haunt with the same group of friends for a number of years now. Traditionally this haunt has been one of our favorites...and this year was no exception. A few of the scares were eerily similar to last year but there are also a few new scares to keep the avid fan of this venue sufficiently satisfied.

The fun and scare ratings indicated on this review reflect the collective feedback I received from everyone in my group.

Favorable Comments from the group included:


** I had a blast interacting with the actors.

** I think that corpse splattered real blood on me!

** played peek-a-boo with a hole in the wall...got the crap scared out of me in return!

** Great attention to detail with the costumes and set design.

** Just when I thought we reached the end there was another room!

** Liked the Vortex...loved the laser room!

Rather than to leave you wondering why Terror on Rural Street didn't receive a perfect score the following comments were made:

** a couple dark hallways had uneven floors...nearly tripped a few times and I'm sure the person behind me would have fell right on top of me.

** too many dark hallways for my taste...not really comfortable with a complete stranger bumping into me from behind.

** Caught up to the group in front of us.

** felt rushed as the group behind us entered the room before the actors in our room were finished.

** I was stuck in the back of my group of 6 the entire time and missed what was going on in a few of the rooms.

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Neenah's Most Haunted celebrated their 25th year of fear this year. Neenah's Most Haunted is a non-profit haunt and all the proceeds go to help youth in the area. There are no animatronics and all of the rooms are designed by the students themselves. I have often said that the imagination of the youth is much more creative than most adults and they contribute greatly to anything "haunted". The students of Neenah's Most Haunted attend a class in the summer that teaches them how to design and how to scare. The students or "scharacters" (as they are referred to) comprise of up to 70 different actors throughout the entire haunt. The night we attended there were about 40 "scharacters" acting because of homecoming that weekend, but you couldn't tell as every corner masked a ghoul or two.

Finding Neenah's Most Haunted isn't difficult as there is a very well lit sign and plenty of ghouls wandering about the grounds. As we walked to the enterance one of my friends reached for the door of a port-a-potty and a large masked man with a chainsaw came barreling at him. It was at that point that we knew we were in for a real treat! The tickets are only $10 at the door (the most inexpensive I have seen yet) and again they go towards a really good cause. I will admit that the admission price had me concerned that this haunt may not be very scary. Boy was I wrong! From the moment you leave your car until the moment you get back in (that is if you make it out) there are ghouls surrounding you. The wait is outside so be prepared if the weather does not cooperate. The wait to enter the house was brief, but for me it seemed long as a werewolf was intent on making me his next victim.

As we entered the Haunt we were grouped into a clan of 7 people. The introductory room contained two very well versed "scharacters" and they were disturbing in a very good "off-putting" way. They taunted and teased our group until everyone was ready to leave the room screaming. However, we could not find a way out! The theme of mysterious exits echoed throughout the entire house. Nothing was what it seemed and even a veteran would find themselves confused and trapped. Each room was very carefully designed and there was never a point that we felt we were in a "non-profit" haunt!

My biggest moment of fear was walking through a hallway and hearing someone in our group say "those are REAL spider webs". I'm still uncertain if they were or not, I just knew I had to get out of there! You will notice ramps throughout the house, but that is because this haunt is 100% wheel chair accessible. We played a good game of "Ring around the Rosie, but after that each member of our group slowly disappeared. We regrouped and finally found the exit, but to our friends dismay the masked man with a chainsaw found him once again. The entire haunt took us about 25 minutes without a second of downtime. The only bad thing I can say about this haunt is that I wish I would have been able to make it to "The Hallow's", their haunted walk through the woods. The Hallow's is usually put on the opening weekend and is set at Memorial Park. It is only $5 to enjoy the fear of The Hallow's and I look forward to enjoying it next year when Neenah's Most Haunted celebrates their 26th successful year.

I had a lot of anticipation for going to this haunted house. This was my first time to what is becoming a classic. Hauntfest has been known for the attention to detail that they give there haunted house every year. It's got a great location that is accessible to those both in and outside of the city.

It is interesting to see the area usually given away to cream puffs, cows, and nature conservation booths filled with a large crowd gathered together blasting themselves with sounds of horror and enjoying the enjoying zombies and serial killers running pell mell all over the State Fair grounds.

The haunted house that they awaited held nothing back and was nothing short of amazing. The attention to detail in the scenes and the non-stop pace of screams and scares made what probably was a fairly short haunted house seem much, much longer.

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Ahh...The Country...Rolling Hills...The sweet smell of freshly cut silage...The red barns....The Zombies.....

...Zombies???

Yes, something sinister has arisen out in Stoughton and it has taken over the farm. The adventure here doesn't just leave you inside, but it takes you outside into the dark, mysterious woods behind the barn. You get to experience all the trappings of a rural haunting.

I arrived early at the farm, which I had little difficulty finding. I enjoyed the wait watching the different families wait to get into the haunt. I was actually surprised at the amount of families there, as most of the crowds at the haunts I have frequented as of late have tended to the high schooler/college-aged groups. I have, usually, seen more adults/kids inside the haunt, than waiting in line. It actually was a relief to me to see families in attendance. It is diversity of ages here and the atmosphere of the haunt reflected that.

The haunted barn actually was a barn, with all the trappings of a barn and scenes which seemed to depict a more rural way of haunted living. This does not mean that the haunts special effects were any less than the larger, more big budget haunted houses. The special effects here were great and more effectively used than in many other places.

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