The Escape Ventures - "Cornstalkers: Lost in the Maize"
- Dave Bristol
- 17 hours ago
- 4 min read
LOCATION: Orlando, Florida, USA
Photo above is property of The Escape Ventures
Photos above are property of ESCAPETHEROOMers
📝 ETR DECODER
🔑 GAME: Cornstalkers: Lost in the Maize
📅 DATE PLAYED: January 12, 2026
🎬 GENRE: Horror
🧠 DIFFICULTY (Based on 2 ppl): 6/10
👥 TOTAL # OF PLAYERS: 2-12 ppl
🕒 LENGTH OF TIME: 90 Mins.
💰 PRICE: Starting at $64.99/ pp
☎️ BOOKING TYPE: Private
🔓 ESCAPED/ COMPLETED?: Yes
📖 THE STORY
As some of the coolest influencers around (obvi), you’ve scored an invite to a VIP experience at Clearview’s Fall Festival, known for its games, snacks, photo ops, and their legendary Maze of Fear. It’s the kind of content your followers live for. But as you venture deeper into the festival’s attractions, things become…less performative photo op and more real terror. Legends whisper of the Cornstalkers, and you’ve heard not everyone who enters the maze makes it back out. Can you show your followers your wits and courage to escape its fearsome grasp before you become part of the lore?
🎯 HIT THE BULLSEYE
Top-tier acting and character work. The intro does a fantastic job setting the tone and pulling you straight into the expereince, and the characters you encounter are all distinct, memorable, and seamlessly integrated into gameplay. Even the crow-based hint system feels clever and fully in-world. Our GM, Rina, was a particularly incredible actress (one of the best we’ve had)! But, having played a number of their other games with other GMs, we’re confident that all their staff would deliver a good experience. It’s clearly something considered in their hiring process.
A fall festival brought vividly to life. The autumn theme is nailed, with immersive sets that do a lot in relatively compact spaces. There are fun surprises tucked throughout, and the overall design feels playful, eerie, and lovingly crafted rather than repetitive or bare-bones.
Puzzles don’t get lost in the corn. Despite being a heavily experiential room with actors and scares, there’s no shortage of puzzles. As a duo, we were constantly busy and escaped with only about ten seconds to spare…
Smart separation of scares and solving. Intense moments are clearly delineated, allowing you to focus on puzzles when needed and then fully lean into the fear when it’s time. It strikes a great balance between adrenaline and brainpower.
Adaptable fear and difficulty levels. They do their best to accommodate different types of groups in this a-maze-ing experience. The scare intensity and actor interactions can be toned down as needed, and there is also some adaptable difficulty, depending on your group’s experience level.
Excellent use of sound. Audio cues (both digital and physical) cleverly help guide gameplay flow (alerting you when something’s been solved or signaling where danger lurks) while also reinforcing the spooky festival atmosphere.
An evolving story as you progress. You gradually learn more about the fate of those who came before you and the unsettling legend of the Cornstalkers, giving the experience a satisfying narrative arc rather than a static premise.
Content creator–friendly. Unlike many escape rooms, filming and posting are actually encouraged while you play, which fits the influencer framing perfectly and adds another fun layer to the experience. (Not to mention some great, free user generated content for them…)
🧩 MISSED THE MARK
A bit more consistency in one puzzle. One symbol-matching puzzle could have slightly more consistent renditions of like symbols.
Lighting rules. While phones are allowed for content purposes, you’re told that flashlights and flashes are off limits. However, our eyes definitely required the flashlight for a number of locks. We didn’t get scolded, but either saying they’re allowed for that purpose or providing flashlights or other lighting in those spots would be helpful for rule-followers!
🏹 TAKE A SHOT?
I’m a bit of a wuss, but I definitely consider this a SCARY game. (We played at the default full scare intensity and highest difficulty level.) Even though the experience can be toned down, players should be ready for something at least creepy.
If you’re up for that, "Cornstalkers" absolutely delivers a robust 90-minute experience that blends strong puzzles with experiential, actor-driven moments. Be prepared for some heart-pounding encounters! Add in the impressive behind-the-scenes coordination, immersive world-building, evolving story, and truly fabulous performances, and this became a clear highlight of our Florida trip (and that’s saying something in a state packed with great rooms). So get ready for your close up, grab your VIP pass, and see if you can escape with your followers (and your nerves) intact.
ℹ️ ADDITIONAL INFO
Free Parking
Lobby with games
For best experience, players must be able to crawl and climb. Accommodations can be made however.
Photos above are property of ESCAPETHEROOMers
Check out our YouTube video for a sneak peek of the location, interview with the owners, the room(s) (no puzzle spoilers) and more:
Video above is property of ESCAPETHEROOMers
(If you do decide to try this game, give us a shoutout or tag us on social media so we know you heard it from "ESCAPETHEROOMers"!)
Disclosure: We thank The Escape Ventures for comping our tickets for this game. Although complimentary admission was generously provided, it does not impact our opinion on the review whatsoever.
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