Gotta Get Scared on Halloween

I’ve been seeing signs for haunted corn mazes all over for months, so this weekend Robert and I tried one out.


“Fields of Terror” in East Windsor has three attractions: a haunted corn maze, a haunted barn and a haunted hay ride.

We chose the haunted maze and barn.

It would be scary to walk around the corn field at night even without the “haunted” aspect, we thought, the sound of the wind rustling the corn stalks alone enough to creep us out.

If a thousand other people hadn’t shown up the same night, it probably would’ve been extremely creepy. When you’re waiting on a long line with throngs of giddy people, the creep factor is substantially diminished.

We waited and waited and waited and finally it was our turn to walk through the corn.

Before we set out we were told by the less-than-enthusiastic teenager working the maze not to touch the corn or the actors and to stick to the path.

Not the slightest attempt to maintain the “fourth wall.”

Still, I was ready to be scared.

Along the path were various structures, like old school buses, a boat, done up to look like a maniac had murdered people in them. Actors would jump out and spook us.

I thought I had the hauntedness figured out. This would be cute and fun but not legitimately scary.

Until we got to a narrow structure where everything suddenly went pitch black and quiet.

The man in front of us said to his panicky girlfriend, “just push through, just push through.”

I squeezed Robert’s hand tight. What were we walking into?

With people following close behind us and not being able to see, there was no time or way to decide another way out.

Robert went first and I followed into what felt like a narrow wind tunnel, just wide enough to walk through without having to turn sideways, with a black cloth forcefully pushing into you from the front and one side into the wall on the other side.

It was suddenly hard to breathe and walk.

I tried to keep the cloth away from my face and maintain contact with a wall so I wouldn’t be pushed to the ground with people who couldn’t see where they were going so close behind me.

Just push forward.

With that guy’s words in my head and knowing Robert wouldn’t let go of my hand, I got to the end without a panic attack.

Finally there was light – Robert was stepping out. My next step was out too.

That thing was no fun, but the rest of the evening was.

The haunted barn was sometimes goofy, sometimes scary.

We wondered if another corn maze would’ve been more fun and less crowded.

So, we decided next year we’ll get started sooner and try them all.