2019 O’scares spotlight best, worst in corn mazes
A haunter dressed as Billy the Puppet from the "Saw" movie series scares visitors to the 2019 Old Farm Corn Maze in Elwood.
Scary surprises await in a coffin at the Old Farm Corn Maze in Elwood.
A warning sign to visitors is posted in the 2019 Old Farm Corn Maze in Elwood.
Visitors to the 2019 Old Farm Corn Maze in Elwood might run into a wolfman.
The Old Farm Corn Maze in Elwood is open through Oct. 31, 2019.
Colorful artwork jazzes up displays at Black Island Farms in Syracuse.
A huge slide is one of the popular attractions at Black Island Farms in 2019.
A circus instructor greets visitors to the corn maze at Black Island Farms in Syracuse.
Sure, things get a little scary around Halloween — but they can also turn pretty corny.
Corn mazes are as much a part of this fall holiday as spooky porch decorations and caramel apples. So for 2019, our annual O’Scare Awards highlight some of the best and worst attractions in Northern Utah’s corn mazes.
Our TX. staff visited three mazes filled with scary haunters and cute farm animals, hay slides, zombies and more.
Old Farm Corn Maze
Most Terrifying Pint-Sized Scarer: You would never expect a 5-year-old to be scary. But when this little guy dresses up as a mini Pennywise the Clown and hides in the corn at Elwood’s Old Farm Corn Maze to jump out at you, you realize anyone big or small can be just as frightening. Many visitors have been scared by this kindergartener, making him one of the best and smallest haunters.
Fluffiest Side Attraction at a Haunted Corn Maze: While the main attraction is the corn maze, there is no rush to get inside. Before going in, you can buy a cup of animal feed for 50 cents and feed all the different critters at the site. It’s no surprise they have animals — the place is called Old “Farm” Corn Maze, after all!
Most Creative Homemade Props to Make Your Jaw Drop: While walking around the corn maze and noticing all of the spooky props, you would think they were taken right out of a horror movie. From a casket filled with a jump-scare, to the gallows with a pumpkin man hanging from it, the real surprise is when you find out that none of them are store-bought props. They are all homemade!
Best Place to Warm Up at the End of the Night: There’s a fire with benches right next to it so you can relax after a long night. Whether it’s before you go through the maze, or after, the fire is always there to keep you toasty!
Sneakiest Haunter Dressed Like You and Me: While going through the corn maze at night, you can barely recognize anyone — even those in your own group! This haunter uses that to his advantage as he dresses in regular clothing, and follows you and your group as a normal visitor. You quickly realize that he isn’t any normal visitor when he starts up his chainsaw. It makes you question if everybody else around you is trying to find the exit or trying to make you jump!
Best Secret Paths to Keep You Lost in the Corn Maze Forever: Getting lost in a corn maze is one problem, but getting lost on secret paths in that corn maze is an even bigger problem. While there is a “normal” exit at Old Farm, visitors have to venture through secret paths to find the hidden exit. The problem is, once you enter a secret path, one wrong turn can lead you in completely different directions!
If you go: Old Farm Corn Maze is open through Oct. 31 at 9595 N. 4400 West, Elwood; visit Old Farm Corn Maze on Facebook.
– Peri Maynard, Bear River High
Black Island Farms
Best Artist: The artwork in the displays at Black Island Farms in Syracuse was very well thought out, clean, neat and tasteful. It was also very timeless — and modern. It made you feel as if you had stepped into a Halloween cartoon.
Cutest Animals: The goats and pigs specifically were extremely adorable. The younger children were captivated by the different colors and species of animals as they were able to gently pat their heads and scratch their noses. While the animals themselves wouldn’t have been of particular interest to any teenagers visiting, the darling children would have definitely caught the eye of a person of any age.
Least Scary Maze: The scary corn maze entitled “Haunted Acres” was definitely not as scary as it was made out to be. The chainsaws were a bit overdone, and the masks were relatively unconvincing. However, the Freddy Krueger character was funny and very popular with the teens.
Poorest Value: The prices for this venue seemed really high; I would not recommend this as a place for students saving for college to go for a night of fun. Two teens, Eli Rentmeister and Carson Evans, both of Northridge High, were there with dates, and Evans said, “(Black Island Farms) is insanely overpriced for what it is. It was fun … (but) I think we scared the people (in the maze) more than they scared us.”
Most Thrilling Rides: The slides here were clean, safe and very fun to go down. The giant tube slide in particular was a lot of fun to both ride and watch. The kids in line whispered about how nervous they were and it was definitely an exciting adventure.
Best Kids Activities: There was everything from a cornbox, (a sandbox filled with corn kernels) to a giant blow-up bouncy house. There weren’t a lot of kids there due to the late hour, but the ones that were there appeared to be having an absolute blast! There was laughing, screaming and so much happiness.
Worst Customer Service: The employees here were very unaccommodating. On my way inside, I was told there would be hot chocolate for $1 due to the rain, however, once inside it was impossible to find. Then the cocoa was very watery and cold, and the portion was so small it hardly helped warm me up. Also, there were no employees watching the children and many seemed to be getting hurt when big kids trampled over them in the bouncy house or corn box. There were also adults who needed directions or simply just had a question and there were no employees in sight.
If you go: Black Island Farms is open through Oct. 31 at 2075 S. 4000 West, Syracuse; visit www.blackislandfarms.com.
– Kaia McClure, Syracuse High
The Corn Maize
Most Creative Means of Transportation: The Corn Maize in Ogden had a kid-sized train pulled by a tractor that took children on tours around the farm. It may be too small for teens, but it looked fun!
Best Nachos: It’s the first corn maze that I have seen that serves nachos, but the best all the same. The snack really fueled a night of spooky adventures!
Friendliest Animals: We saw the cutest dog in the parking lot, or should I say “barking lot” (see what I did there?). He was gray, which made it even more spooky. Maybe he was a ghost all along.
Most Creative Use of Hay Bales: This award is for the slide made of stacked hay bales. It actually got going pretty fast, and the straw from the hay bales made us go even faster.
Nicest Zombies: We met some friendly zombies who helped us get directions and even took our picture. Most of the zombies were still spooky though.
Most Clever Name: I love the pun, and The Corn Maize makes perfect sense. It is also nice and simple.
If you go: The Corn Maize is open through Oct. 30 at 2801 S. 3500 West, Ogden; visit thecornmaize.com.
– Corinna Healey, DaVinci Academy