You’ll find two types of people in October: Those who love trips to the pumpkin patch and watching scary-yet-sweet movies like “Hocus Pocus” with a mug of hot apple cider in hand, and those who delight in all things spooky, like bone-chilling ghost stories and haunted house jump scares.
If you fall into the latter category and are looking to have a frightfully good time this Halloween season, then the Ouija board says a visit to a haunted house is in order.
One thing that makes Colorado haunted houses extra special is that many of the monsters are homegrown. Distortions Unlimited—a premier monster-maker that manufactures animatronics and masks for theme parks, haunted houses and Hollywood blockbusters—is based in Greeley and supplies several of the state’s haunted houses with high-tech animatronics and almost-too-real masks.
Ready to have your socks scared off? Read on. These six Denver-area haunted houses are what nightmares are made of.
Terror in the Corn in Erie
Terror in the Corn is a haunted house set on a farm. A mile long (it’s nicknamed the “Mile of Mayhem), it’s recognized as one of the top haunted attractions in the country by The Haunted Attraction Association. Make a night of it: The farm has fire pits where you can make s’mores and is also home to Colorado’s longest corn maze. Zombie paintball and escape rooms are also part of the Halloween fun.
Tickets start at $40. 6728 County Road 3 1/4, Erie, CO 80516
Elitch Gardens Fright Fest in Denver
Don’t be surprised if you lose your voice after your visit: Elitch Gardens Fright Fest is known to elicit screams. Haunted houses with carnival, prison break and séance themes await you there and rides stay open after dark, so you can ride roller coasters under the moonlight. The theme park also holds nightly “Insidious Circus” shows led by a Grim Reaper Ringleader.
Tickets start at $32.50. 2000 Elitch Cir., Denver, CO 80204
The Ritual Haunted House in Englewood
You’ll start your journey in a rickety shack, and the haunted house scenes just get more disturbing from there. The Ritual Haunted House’s theme is a cursed swamp, and the scarily skillful actors playing the roles of swamp people should be cast in a sci-fi film. Beware: The haunted house also features a super-creepy cannibal’s lair.
Tickets start at $25. 301 Englewood Pkwy., Englewood, CO 80110
13th Floor Haunted House in Denver
At the 13th Floor Haunted House Denver complex, creepy characters like a clown on stilts mingle with guests as they stand in line. Once you make it inside, you’ll step into a shaky elevator that delivers you to the haunt. Two different haunted houses, with a total of three spine-tingling storylines, await you there: A nautical nightmare, a remote cabin inhabited by a twisted taxidermist and an evil sorcerer.
The haunt also offers secret bars, a tiki tarot-themed bar, axe throwing, a terrifying clown experience, games and a merch shop. New this year is a “My Fright Film” option, which involves getting a film pass before you enter and then picking up a video at the end of the haunt that shows your group’s journey through the haunted house. It’s the stuff nightmares are made of!
Tickets start at $29.99. 3400 E 52nd Ave., Denver, CO 80216
The Frightmare Compound in Westminster
The Frightmare Compound is Colorado’s oldest haunted house. It’s been around for four decades and keeps coming up with new ways to scare the daylights out of visitors, like a coffin ride that simulates being buried alive (Shudder!), escape games, and a museum dedicated to all things monsters and props where you can take some terrifying selfies.
Tickets start at $29.99. 10798 Yukon St., Westminster, CO 80021
Haunted Field of Screams in Thornton
A corn field at night is already super spooky. Add in a storyline about it being on a haunted road where lost souls and creatures roam and the scarecrows are rumored to come to life, and you’ll no doubt feel the hairs on the back of your neck rise. At the Haunted Field of Screams, you’ll weave through corn fields and tour the haunted houses. The attraction, which claims to be the largest in Colorado, sells timed-entry tickets, so you can spend less time standing in line and more time getting creeped out.
Tickets start at $29.99. 10451 McKay Rd, Thornton, CO 80233
