by Nathan Boddy
Quinn Kirkland and his wife, Sandy, did not set out to create one of Montana’s most popular Halloween season attractions. But when they first started their Corn Maze just south of Victor 23 years ago, it didn’t take long for visitors to suggest that haunting the maze would be a good fit. The Kirklands took the gamble, stayed open past dark, added a few scary elements including a ‘chainsaw guy,’ and, says Quinn, “It was a huge hit.” According to Kirkland, it didn’t hurt that it was a corn maze and could already be considered ‘eerie.’
Fast forward 23 years and the Field Of Screams MT is going strong and already accepting trembling visitors for the 2022 Halloween season. The Kirklands run the Field of Screams as a family business, but also employ over 40 workers and actors to make it come alive.
The Field of Screams MT is unique within the national circuit because so much of the haunting takes place outdoors, but that is not to say that it takes place entirely under the open sky. Visitors will meander through the corn stalks, alongside a swamp and occasionally taking routes through buildings, graveyards and more. During their walk, visitors are regularly visited by monsters and ghouls of all types. The self-paced experience can take anywhere between 20 and 40 minutes depending on your speed, and Kirkland encourages the slower pace to assure you don’t catch up to the group ahead of you.
One of the elements within the attraction that Kirkland enjoys the most are the ‘Fright Fotos’ that are taken of visitors during one of the scariest moments. Visitors are presented with a chance to see and purchase their photos at the conclusion of their tour, and Kirkland says it’s always entertaining to see the results. He finds it interesting to see how many strapping young men have a tendency to push their girlfriends in front of them when faced with a sudden jump scare.
Kirkland acknowledges that running the Field of Screams is a lot of fun, but that it comes with a lot of year-round work and uncertainties such as inclement weather. Nonetheless, they buckled down for another great season this year by making many structural changes.
“This year we pretty much did an entire overhaul on the whole place,” says Kirkland, saying that they’ve added over 10 new rooms, reworked the entrance, and even adopted a new online platform for ‘scheduled ticketing.’
“The lines had been getting longer,” says Kirkland, adding that people often come from as far as Butte, Bozeman and even out of state to go through. With thousands of visitors each year, they decided to make the leap and go for time-scheduled entries into the attraction. Visitors can still buy general entry tickets on site, but he hopes that scheduled entry times will mean less wait for many.
Despite the zombies, live Chucky dolls, werewolves and more, there are other attractions at Field of Screams for younger visitors or those less certain about exposing themselves to their own fear. There is a mini-maze, a plHay-ground and even Escape Rooms all on site. Daytime visitors needn’t worry about monsters jumping out at them, and Kirkland says this might be a good place for people to start if they’re unsure about the nighttime version. Still, the main event ramps up when the sun goes down, but Kirkland encourages everyone to remember that, “it’s scary, but it’s fun.” He also points out that the Field of Screams doesn’t end like a typical horror movie since his visitors will live in the end.
“It’s a good experience,” he says, “one that you’ll remember for the rest of your life.”
Information on tickets, hours and location can be found on their website: https://fieldofscreamsmt.com.