The Trail of Terror Helps Charities with Spooky Fun (4.5 stars)
The Trail of Terror, in South Central Connecticut, is a volunteer-run Halloween woods walk run by volunteer staff and performers by Scare Crew Productions, which for 31 years has raised money for charities for humanitarian aid and housing.
There is a lot to see! It’s a long forest trail that can take up to 45 minutes, through attractions such as a doll house, circus town, an evil church, and a cemetery. The strength of Trail of Terror is its set design and costuming. One setting brings to life the Alien and Predator movies, with remarkable costumes and performances, and an even scarier Silence of the Lambs section with the insane serial killer dancing. Wow!
You’ll find a power plant control booth and so much more. There’s not an inch of “filler” in the attraction. Every footstep takes you through some place that has been carefully and creatively built into a themed setting, often featuring seemingly “found” decorations like old laboratory equipment. Although you won’t find as many animatronics and special effects, they are there. One skeleton plays a spooky organ, and an animatronic witch comes out of a mausoleum. I love the fog effects and especially the laser lake, where a laser creates a horizontal plane of light, although you can’t walk through it because it’s below you, underneath a metal grating at your feet.
It’s not a perfect venue. Satellite parking is needed to cut down on the traffic. In the dark, the ground is not as even as other forest trails, and some ramps — such as the one exiting clown town — need better lighting for safety. Unlike other attractions, you will need to walk up and down ramps and stairs, and occasional doorways have a ground-level wooden board to watch your step walking over. I’m not sure what the fun is in having to stoop down underneath some intentionally low barriers. The set design and costuming are magnificent, but actors aren’t given lines or scenes to play out to match them.
Despite these reservations, The Trail of Terror is a good cause and packed with scares. There’s not a single foot that lacks something interesting and when it reaches for heights it achieves them. 4.5 stars.
For more, see trailofterror.com.