Usually a haunted corn maze means small groups of people, with one flashlight per group, timidly walking through stalks of corn. And, every so often, actors in masks leap out and scream, buzz by them with chainsaws, or sneak up behind for a quick “jump scare.” Well not anymore. The folks at Menomonie Theater Guild are taking it to the next level this year, as they haunt Govin’s Meats and Berries’ maze and offer maze-goers the opportunity to take part in an interactive plot. 

“They’ll be presented with a scenario that they’ll be able to ‘act’ through. They’ll still be led through a haunted maze, but things will come up that play into the plot and setting.”  – Ryan Peterson, MTG’s maze director

“They’ll be presented with a scenario that they’ll be able to ‘act’ through,” began Ryan Peterson, an MTG board member and the maze’s director. “They’ll still be led through a haunted maze, but things will come up that play into the plot and setting.”

When participants show up, they’ll be warned of a plane crash in the cornfield. They’ll be issued props and be recruited into a search-and-rescue team. “So they’ll encounter victims of the crash and other rescue team members who fell victim to the walking dead, but also crazier and crazier surprises throughout,” added Peterson, who works for University Communications at Stout.