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Volume 28, Issue 09, October 20, 2005

metrospective

Haunted Denver

A brief guide to city's most spooky and spunky abodes

Crypt of the Reaper at Buckingham Square

Havana and Mississippi
Cost: $15.95

With the purchase of one ticket, patrons are welcomed to enter two haunted houses, "Crypt of the Reaper" and "Chuckles' Dungeon."

Visitors to the "Crypt of the Reaper" have to survive its five judgments. The difficult part was trying to distinguish when one judgment ended and another began. It was difficult to match the haunted house's story to its reality as people were being herded from one area to the next.

As far as the scariness factor, the intended surprises were predictable and many of the actors' timings were off. Often, the actors didn't make their move until their guests were walking into the next room. However, the effects were well done. For example, the room with the slanted floor and the spinning, hypnotic tunnel will throw off many people's sense of balance.

Across the hall, "Chuckles' Dungeon" is a traditional haunted maze that holds a crazy clown with a chainsaw named Chuckles. Each area in the maze has a number of different paths, but only one leads to the next area. People must feel their way through darkened rooms to find the curtain doors. With the exception of Chuckles and a few others, the actors are put in place to guide rather than to frighten. Although not incredibly scary, "Chuckles' Dungeon" is very entertaining and the more enjoyable of the two. Joe Nguyen - nguyejos@mscd.edu

The Haunted Mansion

303- 795-5006
5663 S. Prince St.Littleton
Cost: $12

Owner Greg Reinke may be running for Littleton City Council, but it's business as usual at the Reinke Brothers' Haunted Mansion in Littleton, one of Denver's oldest haunted attractions. With over 30 rooms, this detail-oriented haunt has a lot of scares to offer.

Reinke said, "Disney is my mentor." While The Haunted Mansion doesn't offer "blood and guts," it makes up for it with its handcrafted robotics and Hollywood-style rooms that are appropriate for all audiences. This is a family-oriented haunted house that forgoes blood and guts for a more inclusive atmosphere.

Reinke specializes in set, prop and costume design, and it certainly shows in this year's haunt. Each room is creative and original, as the owners and staff spent two years planning each haunted house so that the audience can come to The Haunted Mansion again and again.

The wait time is 20 minutes indoors, but robotics, a magician named Greg Shofner and a local band called Greywolf are sure to entertain while you wait. More information can be found at www.reinkebrothers.com

The Asylum

Asylum Hotline - (303) 453-0359
11425 Community Center Drive
Northglenn
General Admission: $13
VIP Fastpass Admission (No Wait): $18

Co-owner Chris Stafford says that "The Asylum" offers an "intense and up-close, personal scare." With phenomenal actors and creative rooms, this haunt is worth every penny.

The Asylum is located at The Boondocks Fun Center in Northglenn. But once you enter, it is anything but fun and games.

The attraction is designed to have the look and feel of an abandoned insane-asylum as victims are led deep into Gordon Cottingham's Hospital for the Insane.

The rooms are sparsely lit, which definitely gives the actors the advantage of surprise. The cast, from clowns to monsters, seems to jump out of nowhere and the actors are not afraid to follow the audience around until terror sets in.

The owners draw from contemporary horror movies and their years of experience to make sure that every Halloween is unique. The actors are from local high school drama clubs.

The success of The Asylum stems from well-planned rooms and cast participation that is unlike any other haunted house.

The Asylum may have a lengthy wait time and is located outdoors, but the thrill is worth the wait. Don't miss this haunt! More information can be found at www.getscared.com.

Sara Brito - sbrito@mscd.edu

Fright Fest

Six Flags Elitch Gardens
2000 Elitch Cir
Denver
(303) 595-4386
General Use (Guests 48" and taller) $37.99

Six Flags Elitch Gardens has made another stab at scare-inspired profit with this year's incarnation of "Fright Fest," the park's collection of haunted attractions.

This year features "Screams from the Past," a haunted house aimed at a younger crowd and "Terror Trust," a simulated s‚ance that features strobe lights and shaking seats. "Fright Night," a musical that is performed hourly in the park's theater, rounds out the holiday celebration.

Akin to a poor high school musical, this may be the scariest part of the park. Unfortunately, the fear it inspires has nothing to do with ghosts and goblins, rather it stems from shrill and untrained voices singing Michael Jackson covers.

"Brutal Planet," the most genuinely frightening and unsettling part of the park, costs an extra $5 or $15 for VIP passes. "Planet" lasts about 15 minutes and every nook and cranny of the darkened structure is packed with scares. The detail and care of "Brutal Planet" almost make the park worth the price of admission. Still, it is a costly 15 minutes.

Field of Corpses

(303) 423-FEAR (3327)
13251 W. 64th Ave.
Arvada
Admission: $13, $25 for VIP passes

With thousands of square feet and a host of enthusiastic actors devoted to scaring their victims, the crew of "Field of Corpses" has created a truly original and frightening attraction.

The park is notable not only for its detail and its depth, but also for its scale. Tour guides lead visitors through a maze of scary sets and rooms, each with its own quirky and creepy theme. The presence of the tour guide makes the voyage even more believable, as the constant presence of a stranger makes one's screams more pointed and shocks more memorable.

The key to a quick entrance to "Field" is early arrival. Although the doors creak open at 7 p.m., it is wise to show up at least a half hour early to avoid the mob.

This attraction is nationally recognized as one of the scariest, so there are plenty of curious thrill seekers that line up to enjoy what it has to offer.

Still, the thrills and chills the "Field" has to offer are well worth the wait in line. This is one of the best, haunted houses that Denver has to offer. With its gory details and tongue-in-cheek humor, "Field of Corpses" deserves its national reputation.

For more information, visit http://www.fieldofcorpses.com.

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[an error occurred while processing this directive]	Volume 28, Issue 09, October 20, 2005 metrospective Haunted Denver A brief guide to city's most spooky and spunky abodes Crypt of the Reaper at Buckingham Square Havana and Mississippi Cost: $15.95 With the purchase of one ticket, patrons are welcomed to enter two haunted houses, "Crypt of the Reaper" and "Chuckles' Dungeon." Visitors to the "Crypt of the Reaper" have to survive its five judgments. The difficult part was trying to distinguish when one judgment ended and another began. It was difficult to match the haunted house's story to its reality as people were being herded from one area to the next. As far as the scariness factor, the intended surprises were predictable and many of the actors' timings were off. Often, the actors didn't make their move until their guests were walking into the next room. However, the effects were well done. For example, the room with the slanted floor and the spinning, hypnotic tunnel will throw off many people's sense of balance. Across the hall, "Chuckles' Dungeon" is a traditional haunted maze that holds a crazy clown with a chainsaw named Chuckles. Each area in the maze has a number of different paths, but only one leads to the next area. People must feel their way through darkened rooms to find the curtain doors. With the exception of Chuckles and a few others, the actors are put in place to guide rather than to frighten. Although not incredibly scary, "Chuckles' Dungeon" is very entertaining and the more enjoyable of the two. Joe Nguyen - nguyejos@mscd.edu The Haunted Mansion 303- 795-5006 5663 S. Prince St.Littleton Cost: $12 Owner Greg Reinke may be running for Littleton City Council, but it's business as usual at the Reinke Brothers' Haunted Mansion in Littleton, one of Denver's oldest haunted attractions. With over 30 rooms, this detail-oriented haunt has a lot of scares to offer. Reinke said, "Disney is my mentor." While The Haunted Mansion doesn't offer "blood and guts," it makes up for it with its handcrafted robotics and Hollywood-style rooms that are appropriate for all audiences. This is a family-oriented haunted house that forgoes blood and guts for a more inclusive atmosphere. Reinke specializes in set, prop and costume design, and it certainly shows in this year's haunt. Each room is creative and original, as the owners and staff spent two years planning each haunted house so that the audience can come to The Haunted Mansion again and again. The wait time is 20 minutes indoors, but robotics, a magician named Greg Shofner and a local band called Greywolf are sure to entertain while you wait. More information can be found at www.reinkebrothers.com The Asylum Asylum Hotline - (303) 453-0359 11425 Community Center Drive Northglenn General Admission: $13 VIP Fastpass Admission (No Wait): $18 Co-owner Chris Stafford says that "The Asylum" offers an "intense and up-close, personal scare." With phenomenal actors and creative rooms, this haunt is worth every penny. The Asylum is located at The Boondocks Fun Center in Northglenn. But once you enter, it is anything but fun and games. The attraction is designed to have the look and feel of an abandoned insane-asylum as victims are led deep into Gordon Cottingham's Hospital for the Insane. The rooms are sparsely lit, which definitely gives the actors the advantage of surprise. The cast, from clowns to monsters, seems to jump out of nowhere and the actors are not afraid to follow the audience around until terror sets in. The owners draw from contemporary horror movies and their years of experience to make sure that every Halloween is unique. The actors are from local high school drama clubs. The success of The Asylum stems from well-planned rooms and cast participation that is unlike any other haunted house. The Asylum may have a lengthy wait time and is located outdoors, but the thrill is worth the wait. Don't miss this haunt! More information can be found at www.getscared.com. Sara Brito - sbrito@mscd.edu Fright Fest Six Flags Elitch Gardens 2000 Elitch Cir Denver (303) 595-4386 General Use (Guests 48" and taller) $37.99 Six Flags Elitch Gardens has made another stab at scare-inspired profit with this year's incarnation of "Fright Fest," the park's collection of haunted attractions. This year features "Screams from the Past," a haunted house aimed at a younger crowd and "Terror Trust," a simulated s‚ance that features strobe lights and shaking seats. "Fright Night," a musical that is performed hourly in the park's theater, rounds out the holiday celebration. Akin to a poor high school musical, this may be the scariest part of the park. Unfortunately, the fear it inspires has nothing to do with ghosts and goblins, rather it stems from shrill and untrained voices singing Michael Jackson covers. "Brutal Planet," the most genuinely frightening and unsettling part of the park, costs an extra $5 or $15 for VIP passes. "Planet" lasts about 15 minutes and every nook and cranny of the darkened structure is packed with scares. The detail and care of "Brutal Planet" almost make the park worth the price of admission. Still, it is a costly 15 minutes. Field of Corpses (303) 423-FEAR (3327) 13251 W. 64th Ave. Arvada Admission: $13, $25 for VIP passes With thousands of square feet and a host of enthusiastic actors devoted to scaring their victims, the crew of "Field of Corpses" has created a truly original and frightening attraction. The park is notable not only for its detail and its depth, but also for its scale. Tour guides lead visitors through a maze of scary sets and rooms, each with its own quirky and creepy theme. The presence of the tour guide makes the voyage even more believable, as the constant presence of a stranger makes one's screams more pointed and shocks more memorable. The key to a quick entrance to "Field" is early arrival. Although the doors creak open at 7 p.m., it is wise to show up at least a half hour early to avoid the mob. This attraction is nationally recognized as one of the scariest, so there are plenty of curious thrill seekers that line up to enjoy what it has to offer. Still, the thrills and chills the "Field" has to offer are well worth the wait in line. This is one of the best, haunted houses that Denver has to offer. With its gory details and tongue-in-cheek humor, "Field of Corpses" deserves its national reputation. For more information, visit http://www.fieldofcorpses.com. Adam Goldstein - goldstea@mscd.edu
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