Eugster’s Farm Market, located on Hwy 138, has provided quality produce and excellent service to Dane County for the past 40 years. Settled between Stoughton and Oregon, Eugster’s Farm has grown to include a Petting Farm and many seasonal features, such as Lambing and Kidding Days in the spring, Sunflower Days in the summer, and Orchard Days in the fall. Another autumnal feature at Eugster’s is the brainchild of Jacob Eugster: a haunted excursion, Screamin’ Acres.
The Beginnings
Bloody butchers, ghastly ghouls, and men with tattoos of their 12th wife “Gladys” welcome all who dare to enter Screamin’ Acres. Jacob Eugster owns this fifty-five-minute haunted excursion with parts that will keep you on your toes and always have you looking over your shoulder. Whether you’re being chased by a cattle prod or unknowingly followed through a cornfield, Screamin’ Acres offers haunts like no other attraction.
Now on its twelfth year running, Screamin’ Acres continues to find massive success with the surrounding community. However, this now widely-loved aspect of Stoughton wasn’t always selling out tickets every night.
In 2011, when Eugster was a freshman in high school, he founded Screamin’ Acres. He began production in July with the primary goal of intending to learn how to manage a business, and finished his first haunted attraction in early October of that year.
“I look back at the scenes that we were so proud of creating, and it was nothing close to the standards we have today,” Eugster said. “At the time, our haunted house was all of 15 minutes and was only a fourth of the size it is now.” For the first couple of years, on slower nights, it was possible for only 35 people to show up.
Back then, Scare actors watched for cars to pull into the lot, and then would have to rush back into place. It was four years later when Eugster saw his efforts come to fruition.
On a busier night than usual, Eugster stood on top of the trailer used as a makeup tent. From there, he saw a usually sparse parking lot full of cars. Filled with equal parts relief and gratitude, Eugster knew Screamin’ Acres would grow to be a huge success.
“Haunted houses don’t always have a reputation of succeeding,” Eugster said. “Typically, less than a quarter of haunted houses stay open for over five years. It all comes down to how the community accepts it, and thankfully, Stoughton was just the right place.”
Up until this point, Eugster had been investing his life’s savings into Screamin’ Acres. While the first two years were sluggish, he maintained hope through these times and continued to develop bigger and better sets to entertain his audience.
Set Designs
With each passing year, Screamin’ Acres adds more meticulously designed sets that all stem from the minds of the designers.
Originality is crucial in Eugster’s mind, and he and his team pride themselves on the settings they’ve been able to develop. However, on the size scale alone, Eugster couldn’t do all this himself. A large part of the year still required heavy attention towards the agricultural aspects of the farm, and Eugster needed someone who could take the reins full time.
One of the members of Eugter’s team is Operations Director Kyle Kosiboski. Hired in 2018 as a scare actor, Kosiboski later took on the leadership role in April of 2022. Described as a ‘jack of all trades,’ Kosiboski takes on every job thrown at him.
“For most of the year, I focus on redesigning areas of the haunted house,” Kosiboski said in an email. “Once Summer comes around, the focus shifts a little bit toward more of the management and behind-the-scenes stuff like hiring, scheduling, marketing, and inspections. Once fall comes around and the season starts, everything is focused on keeping everything running smoothly, fixing things that break, and getting prepared for the next build season.”
Once the scare season concludes, it’s back to the drawing board for Eugster and Kosiboski. The idea of “change” plays a large part in the construction process. The last thing Eugster wants is for people to know what scares are coming, and that’s why, each year, around 25 to 30 percent of the entire attraction is changed.
“Every year, we take a look at the map of Screamin’ Acres and circle weaker aspects of the haunt,” Eugster said. “We determine the weaker aspects based on how it compares to sets of previous years. If it doesn’t meet our increasing standards, we knock them out.”
Eugster’s dedication to reconstructing sluggish sets keeps hundreds of new visitors flooding in each year. “Haunted houses that remain stagnant tend to go downhill,” Eugster said.
In early 2023, Eugster and Kosiboski took on the challenge of wiping the entire 3D set and starting fresh. Previously, the attraction consisted of walking through neon-lit hallways with walls covered in illusionistic paintings. This year, however, Norse Starians who visited Screamin’ Acres were met with a two-story attraction with an even more intricate design than before.
The revamped attraction is called “Side Effects: RECHARGED!” and while it still maintains aspects of the old 3D set, such as the neon paint, illusionistic paintings, and mandatory 3D glasses, the attention to detail in this attraction alone was far greater than in previous years.
When it came to designing the set, Kosiboski said that there was nothing set in stone.
“As much as I’d love to have every idea work out exactly how it looks in my head, it never happens that way,” Kosiboski said. “Drawing something on paper can look great, but once I get in the space, it can be a total change of the plan.”
Kosiboski worked alongside his team and Head Makeup Artist, Dawn Svanoe, the mural artist for Side Effects: RECHARGED! On top of that, Kosiboski used what little time he had left to create a small city totaling around 3,000 square feet.
“Our new outdoor area that was added this season is one that I’m most proud of, both from a design and timeframe perspective,” Kosiboski said. “The set that was previously in the space took up a couple hundred square feet, and since our Halfway to Halloween event in June, I tore down and rebuilt the area to emulate a small city. The city includes a barbershop, laundromat, coffin store, and a gas station,
Kosiboski looks forward to the coming years, where he hopes to bring more life to sparse areas. Even though the design process is finished for 2023, he’s always looking for new ways to expand.
As for the coming years, you can always expect Kosiboski to change the atmosphere and bring new ideas into play.
This year, Norse Starians who visited Screamin’ Acres were met with a two-story attraction with an even more intricate design than before. The revamped attraction is called “Side Effects: RECHARGED!” and while it still maintains aspects of the old 3D set, such as the neon paint, illusionistic paintings, and mandatory 3D glasses, the attention to detail in this attraction alone was far greater than in previous years.
When it came to designing the set, Kosiboski said that there was nothing set in stone.
“As much as I’d love to have every idea work out exactly how it looks in my head, it never happens that way,” Kosiboski said. “Drawing something on paper can look great, but once I get in the space, it can be a total change of the plan.” Kosiboski worked alongside his team and head makeup artist, Dawn Svanoe, the mural artist for Side Effects: RECHARGED!
On top of that, Kosiboski used what little time he had left to create a small city totaling around 3,000 square feet.
“Our new outdoor area that was added this season is one that I’m most proud of, both from a design and timeframe perspective,” Kosiboski said. “The set that was previously in the space took up a couple hundred square feet, and since our Halfway to Halloween event in June, I tore down and rebuilt the area to emulate a small city. The city includes a barbershop, laundromat, coffin store, gas station, and many other detailed facades and shops.”
Kosiboski looks forward to the coming years, where he hopes to bring more life to sparse areas. Even though the design process is finished for 2023, he’s always looking for new ways to expand. As for the coming years, you can always expect Kosiboski to change the atmosphere and bring new ideas into play.
Scare Actors
Screamin’ Acres features talented scare actors who deliver thrilling jump scares and chills. They master the art of fear and bring nightmares to life, leaving visitors breathless and ensuring a memorable experience.
Radio Manager of “The Last Resort,” Austin Moody, has been part of Screamin’ Acres for seven years. The character that he plays is his own creation.
“My character Stan was based on the Joker. He does a lot of Heath Ledger’s Joker[…] I like to think of my character as a movie guy.” Moody said.
He is just one of many characters; some have intense makeup, and others have intricate costumes. Actors typically show up two to three hours before showtime, for makeup and costumes to delight.
Newbie scare actor Cash Haas enjoys scaring people; he has lived near Eugsters since he was a kid.
“I lived right next door, so we always got free tickets and everything because we’ve got to put up with the noise,” Haas said. “I was always just surrounded by everything, and I just always just kind of wanted to be an actor.”
Scare actors have the opportunity to bring childhood fears to life, delivering jump scares to people of all ages. Screamin’ Acres
ensures their actors bring dedication and talent to the industry.
“Look for the person that is more scared, I noticed that brave people go first, and then another brave person goes in the back because many people creep
up on you when you’re in the back. But if you’re in the middle, [I can] always tell with their posture and everything […] I go for people like that, and they
always get super scared. If there’s one person who looks absolutely scared, I will go for them. That’s what makes the experience super fun.” Haas said.
Scare actors face character breakage, or poor coordination. This impacts their overall performance Moody used a unique approach to scare his audience by letting them see him in the hallway and then, flickering lights when they approached, and then leaving when the lights returned. This method was effective in keeping the audience in the unknown, demonstrating that not always a traditional jumpscare is necessary.
“When I was one of the big mechanical puppets, that was very hard to control sometimes. Once, when I was on, the puppet had these big, long
arms hanging very low to the ground.
I remember turning around super quickly and accidentally dentally tripping one of the visitors. He was fine, but I still had to check to ensure that he was alright” Moody said.
Scare actors are sometimes forced to break characters because of emergencies.
“Someone removed the fire extinguisher from the hanger and squirted [it] all over my area. That was when I also had a whole lineup of people I was supposed to separate. A terrible time,” Moody said.
Every scare actor has experienced bad moments, but Moody emphasizes that crew has a family-like dynamic “Seeing people you know come through are the most iconic moments you will remember because you can go 10 times harder on them. ” Moody said.
The whole show shows people the characters’ backstory, showcasing their creativity and adding a whole level of humor to the experience.
Once you become a scare actor, you will have those moments where you’ll remember either making a mistake or scaring someone super severely.
“I had one where a girl was holding tightly to her boyfriend, and then she lost her shoe, and she dropped it once she saw me in my character. The shoe was in the middle of us. I picked it up, walked slowly over to her, and dropped the shoe,” Moody said, “She was slowly creeping back, trying to get her shoe. When she grabbed her shoe, I immediately jumped forward and ran at her. She dropped the shoe again and just trampled over her boyfriend. It is also ingrained in my thinking of how loud she yelled because she was screaming at the top of her lungs. Her boyfriend was laughing and falling on the ground, but she spent at least a minute fighting over that shoe,”
Having fears about time-consuming or not meeting expectations can stop you from pursuing a career as a scared actor. However, this could be a fun and creative outlet, with practice and confidence allowing for unexpected surprises.
“[Scare acting is] the most laid-back job. You can do whatever you want if you stay in your area and follow the rules. It’s super easy.” Haas said.
Connecting with others, sharing experiences, and learning from one another are great ways to grow and build long-lasting relationships.
“Whatever you are ready for. You can whatever you like, be a silent or jump scarer, just remember to be in your own character, and whatever you think is scary, just do it,” Haas said.
High Schoolers and Screamin’ Acres
If you are a horror movie lover, you know several factors make a great scary movie. An isolated town, a psychopathic stalker, gory kill scenes, and suspenseful music that swells as our last surviving character faces the masked killer. And one more thing, teenagers.
Having teenagers play the main characters in horror movies draws young adults to be the number one consumer of the horror entertainment industry. Weirdly enough, we like to be scared, making high schoolers flock to Screamin’ Acres in droves.
As Halloween gets closer and closer, high school students look for ways to celebrate the spooky season. And what better way than visiting Stoughton’s Screamin Acres? Senior Annalise Schreier has been visiting Screamin Acres for several years now.
“It’s always a blast. It’s super scary in the moment, but afterward, you’re like, ‘Oh my god, that was so fun.’” Schreier said.
“I think everyone likes the fright, the thrill of it. People our age, high schoolers, like to say they did this scary thing.”
There’s safety in numbers… or is there? The pulsing lights, thick fog, piercing screams, and jumpscares create an atmosphere that encourages holding your support person tight.
Going through Screamin Acres with friends is a massive draw for many high schoolers, including senior Teagan Seidel.
“Usually, during the fall, my friend group will go to numerous haunted houses; we’ve been doing that for a couple of years. It’s a tradition,” Seidel said. “It brings us closer together, and we still talk about the funny or scary things that happened.”
For Seidel and Schreier, the fun outweighs the fright. But Screamin Acres has been sharpening its scare tactics for twelve years now, certainly leaving an impression on its more scare-susceptible customers, like SHS senior Lauren Model.
“Honestly, I try not to do anything scary around Halloween, so I’ve only been to Screamin Acres once. I went with friends, and it was fun to go with them, but I don’t think I’ll ever go again. I was terrified,” Model said. “My favorite part was leaving.”
In Schreier’s opinion, the idea and process of getting scared is what makes Screamin Acres so thrilling.
“There’s this build-up while you’re waiting in line, and you’re super stressed. I love to be in the front because you get to experience the scares first, so it’s way more exciting,” Schreier said.
Interactions with the scare actors are another highlight for high school students. Every year, the physical layout of the haunted house is different, and no two scares are the same. Every person who dares step foot into Screamin Acres has a unique experience from start to finish, which appeals to high schoolers who, above all else, avoid boredom.
Seidel has had many memorable interactions with scare actors, with one of his favorites being “[…] a guy who must have been four foot five, who really startled me. But then I said out loud, ‘Why am I scared of you? You’re super short.’ He got real mad and started thwacking me in the butt with the prop sickle he had. I skedaddled right out of there.”
The scare actors don’t only lurk inside the attraction, but interact with teens as they wait in line, gather around the bonfires on cold nights, and even as they use the porta-potties.
“One time I was in the bathroom, and [the scare actors] shook it, and it was so scary because I was literally in the process of going to the bathroom. I was not expecting it,” Schreier said.
Many students at SHS would say they have a special relationship with Eugster’s Farm, having gone there for years growing up.
“Stoughton’s a small town, so when things like Screamin Acres are going on, it’s this big excitement. It’s something different every year for people to have fun,” Schreier said.
Screamin Acres is a dynamic and engaging place for high schoolers to make spooky memories.
“With Halloween coming up, Screamin’ Acres is a ton of fun. It’s a good time no matter what, if you want to be scared or not!” Seidel said.
