The Haystack

The student news site of Wheat Ridge High School

The student news site of Wheat Ridge High School

The Haystack

The student news site of Wheat Ridge High School

The Haystack

Horrifying Haunted Houses

Courtesy of fieldofcorpses.com
Courtesy of fieldofcorpses.com

By Hannah Larson

Courtesy of historicdenver.org
Courtesy of historicdenver.org

Year in and year out, haunted houses have been a huge part of the Halloween experience. The Denver Metro area participates in the tradition with a wide variety of haunted houses that are worthy of mention.

One that I went to was Field of Corpses in Arvada. As a haunted house ran by some students and volunteers, it could seem to anyone that the quality may be cheap and boring compared to those done by “professionals.”  When I  first got there, I was pretty confident that I would go through it with ease but soon found out that it wouldn’t be that cheesey.

The atmosphere of it was creepy and one could clearly hear the screams of terror from the people walking through. Trees around the place were looking like death, fog was ominously spreading through the entrance and the black and white film Night of the Living Dead off to the side of the line set the mood before you entered.

As my group walked through a lot of things surprised me. First off, there were many students in the spooky labyrinth to spread sheer panic that never broke character. The next pleasant surprise was that they didn’t just have simple and cheap scares. The actors were quite terrifying for they did not keep their distance. Some of the things that the “hillbilly” actors were saying could creep anyone out. What got to me the most were the horrifying things they did. My hair was sniffed multiple times and I was pushed through the tightest of areas whose walls seemed to be caving in as we passed.  The last thing that caught me off guard was that they had an area for each fear any person would have. One thing that they could improve on, however, is that the guide was distant and didn’t really say or do much. It would have made the experience much better if the he would have been more enthusiastic and motivated to scare. I loved this haunted house and I was definitely wrong to assume it would be bad.

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The next chilling experience was the 20th annual Victorian Horrors at the Molly Brown House located in Downtown Denver. It wasn’t my first time going and I know for sure it won’t be my last! This tour has an exclusive look into rooms that are not available during regular tours while getting the joy of Halloween stories. My group was the last of the night and the moon was eerie and full. We were greeted by the “ghost” authors of horror literature  from the turn of the century. I was surprised at how creepy the house was decorated; the lights in the house were colored to emphasize the stories being told and there were decorations placed perfectly for a little scare. The first ghost was H.P. Lovecraft reading What the Moon Brings. He was a tall and pale man which worked to his advantage considering he was trying to be ghost like. The way he read his story gave me goosebumps. The next ghost waiting for us was Mary Shelley, the author of the horrific tale of Frankenstein. She read a section from the novel and made sure to create character despite the fact that she only read a few pages.

Each were equally as spine tingling as the next but the one that stood out of the crowd for me was the reading of The Raven by Edgar Allen Poe. The Actor was perfect for the part of Poe and he didn’t just recite. He was very in tune with The Raven and comfortable with his movement. There were a couple of times he startled me because of a quick gesture that went perfectly with the mood. I would recommend those who love victorian literature, or even any terror inducing activity, to check it out.

So as the Halloween season comes to a close remember if you want a scare, the Denver-Metro area has just the thing for you.

 

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