The Agricenter Corn Maze Haunt Review

Haunt: The Agricenter
Address: 7777 Walnut Grove Road, Memphis, TN 38120
Price: $10
Dates Open: Fridays and Saturdays in October, 7pm-10pm

Category

Skulls

Notes
First Impression I attended on opening night, and was pleasantly surprised by the size of the crowd. I arrived at 7:20, just 20 minutes after opening, and the ticket line already had about 50-60 people in line. (This made for about a 10 minute wait time.) Hundreds of people were around the parking lot and the ticket and concessions areas, and that doesn't count the people already in the maze. You could hear the Halloween themed music pumping from the corn field helping to get everyone into the mood.

Since this is a corn maze first, and a haunted event second, other than the music there isn't a whole lot of haunt theming outside the maze. Nobody is working the queue lines, there isn't a big facade or display, and everything is pretty family friendly. This is appropriate, since it seems there are almost as many people there for their kids to jump on the "jumping pillow" as there are people ready to delve into the maze. Basically, outside the maze, it feels more like a small fair than a haunted event.

I've always felt that corn mazes and forests have the advantage when it comes to settings. The natural environment does most of the work for you.

One other note with the beginning is that I wish they put more focus on the rules in the corn maze. Not only might it reduce the number of guests being rude to the actors, it would also help with safety, as touching actors is really a bad thing for any haunt, and I saw way too much of that from patrons.
Actors Although all of the scares in this attraction are provided by actors, there doesn't seem to be a lot of training to teach them to get the most out of their abilities. Scares are seldom set up, far to often actors broke character talking to guests, timing on scares was usually off, and actors didn't seem to know how to deal with unruly or heckling guests. (It's unfortunate they had to deal with so many hecklers and trouble makers.) Some of this will improve as the season progresses, since this was opening night, but some more training of actors might be in order. I spent a lot of time actor watching, and did see a couple actors adapt, changing locations or tactics when they saw something wasn't working.

I also do want to make note of one standout actress. In her black dress with her makeup you wouldn't think of her as too intimidating, but her crawling underfoot of guests, and her well timed screams scared quite a few people, sending them running, and even had one boy crying. She handled hecklers better too, just ignoring their comments and staying in character. If the others learn from her techniques, the scares would go a lot further.
Audio/Sensory Halloween themed music including the themes from X-Files and the movie Halloween blast through the cornfield, both giving everyone some mood between actors and scenes, and to give an auditory reference point to know what direction you going. This mixes with the light breeze through the corn, at times giving you a sense that someone is there, even when there is not, helping to build anticipation.
Special Effects Special effects are almost nonexistant in this attraction, as the natural setting is used over many staged sets. The single effect I recall from the maze involves a car that comes as a surprise, although the one controlling it unfortunately mistimed it when I went through, and didn't get a scare out of it. It was too bad, since relocating that effect and getting the timing down could make it very memorable. As the season progresses, and with more practice and experience, that effect might become a highlight of the maze.
Theming and Storyline There really isn't any theme to the Corn Maze other than it being a corn maze. Actors provide their own costumes and props (a fact I learned while one of the actors was talking to other guests breaking character). The result is a really mismatched grouping of ghouls, zombies, soldiers, scarecrows, demons, etc. There isn't a story to tie things together. It's more random haunters out in a corn maze. This can still be effective with startle scares, but it's the maze that draws you in more than the haunting.
Fright Factor I was actually surprised at how many actors were in the maze. With the size of the maze, I expected longer stretches of nothing but corn, but you seldom went long before encountering some kind of zombie or spook either walking among you, creeping from around a corner, or emerging from the corn. This keeps you on your toes, and as more actors pick up on techniques for scaring guests, I'm sure there will be a lot more frightened people.

Since the scares are fairly minor, this is a more family friendly haunt, and a large portion of the guests were either children or younger teens. Although there are certainly things to frighten someone (even occasionally an adult), there isn't anything over the top that should be giving nightmares or years of therapy in the future.
Gore Factor Gore is pretty nonexistant in this attraction. There is some fake blood in some of the makeup by haunters, but it was very minor. I saw no gratuitous blood, body parts, or entrails throughout the corn maze. This also adds to the family friendly side of the haunt. If I was going to give any parental guidance warning, it's that there is a hangman's scene, with an executioner and victim on a gallow, but no actual hanging takes place, and it's pretty tame overall.
Value I actually see the corn maze as solid value. Although it lacks detailed scenes, big stories, and dazzling effects, you can't argue with 60 minutes or more (I'm sure some people take several hours) of entertainment. The mix of getting lost, and the interaction with the actors for such an extended time is something most haunted attractions can't offer for the price.
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