The Best Haunted House in Denver Is a Cornfield in Erie. Here's Why.

I've done every haunted house on this list. Terror in the Corn at Anderson Farms in Erie is the best one in metro Denver, and this year it isn't especially close.

Here's the full ranking, then my case for each one, then the practical stuff, like which nights to skip and whether Colorado Springs is worth the drive. For everything else happening this month, see things to do in Denver in October.

The ranking

• 1. Terror in the Corn (Erie). Scare 9/10. $43 to $50. About 45 minutes.
• 2. Hellscream (Colorado Springs). Scare 9/10. From $26. About 20 minutes.
• 3. 13th Floor (Denver). Scare 7/10. $19.99 to $34.99. About 25 minutes.
• 4. The Frightmare Compound (Westminster). Scare 8/10. From $39.99.
• 5. Haunted Field of Screams (Thornton). Scare 8/10. From $29.99.
• 6. Reinke Brothers Haunted Mansion (Littleton). Scare 6/10. $22 to $30.
• 7. The Ritual (Englewood). Scare 7/10. $29. About 12 minutes.
• 8. Fright Fest at Elitch Gardens (Denver). Scare 6/10. About $98 once you add park admission.

1. Terror in the Corn, Erie

Three reasons it wins.

It's long. The trail runs about a mile and takes around 45 minutes. That's close to double the 13th Floor and almost four times The Ritual, for a similar ticket price.

The cast never lets up. More than 100 actors work the trail, and there's very little dead air between scares. The Scare Factor gave it 9.26 out of 10 this season, the highest score they've given any metro haunt this year.

Your ticket covers the whole farm. Every Terror in the Corn ticket includes same-day entry to the Anderson Farms Fall Festival, so you get the 25-acre corn maze, the pumpkin patch and dinner before it gets dark.

The catch: on Friday and Saturday nights the access road and parking lot back up, and the scares come so fast that a packed night can feel like a conveyor belt. Fix that by picking your night (more on that below).

Tickets: general admission is $43 on Thursdays, $48 on Sundays and $50 on Fridays and Saturdays. The Quick Pass adds $20 and gets you a separate entrance. Hours: Thursday and Sunday 7 to 10 p.m., Friday and Saturday 7 to 11 p.m., through October 31. Where: 6728 County Road 3 1/4, Erie.

2. Hellscream, Colorado Springs

The most intense indoor haunt in the state. It's a multi-level house built around a mad doctor's estate, and the cast is ferocious. The Scare Factor's 2024 review called it the scariest haunt they'd visited that season.

Two knocks. It runs so dark that you'll miss a lot of the costume work, and a few of the animatronics are showing their age. It's also about 20 minutes inside, which matters when you're driving over an hour each way.

Tickets start at $26, with a VIP line on select nights. Ages 13 and up. Where: 3021 N Hancock Ave, Colorado Springs.

3. 13th Floor, Denver

The best value in the metro and the best full night out. Tickets run $19.99 on slow nights up to $34.99, you get about 25 minutes across three houses, and there are two hidden 21+ bars on the property (The Attic and the Spot Shot Arcade). Axe throwing is $5 for five throws.

This year's houses are The Stitchworks, Cathedral of the Crimson Queen and the new Jason Universe: Survive the Night, plus a redesigned clown maze. The Stitchworks and the Cathedral are the two to talk about. They have the strongest casts and the best effects.

The new Jason house is the one on every billboard, and it's the weakest of the three. The cast is thin between Jason encounters, and if you're at the back of your group you mostly see the aftermath. Skip the new Jason "Director's Cut" VIP upgrade.

It runs through November 14, the longest season on this list. Street parking fills up fast, so take a rideshare. Where: 3400 E 52nd Ave, Denver. Too intense for most kids 12 and under.

4. The Frightmare Compound, Westminster

The original. It's been running since 1983, and the sets and costumes still look great. New this year is Frightmare Town, a 1950s area with an Airstream campground, plus three new escape rooms. The coffin simulator ride and the monster museum are still there.

It ranks below the 13th Floor on value. General admission is $39.99 (VIP $54.99, Immediate Access $69.99, Elite $99.99) for a shorter walk-through, and the line is outdoors and uncovered, so dress for the weather. Where: 10798 Yukon St, Westminster.

5. Haunted Field of Screams, Thornton

Strong scares in an outdoor cornfield haunt built on the legend of Riverdale Road, which locals call the most haunted road in Colorado.

The problem is the line. The general manager has said one to two hours is normal on a Saturday, and on its busiest nights people have been turned away before closing. It also turns to mud after rain and closes when the field is too wet.

If you want a haunted cornfield, Erie does it better. If you go to Thornton anyway, go on a weeknight or pay for VIP on a Saturday. General admission starts at $29.99. Where: 10451 McKay Rd, Thornton. Not for kids.

6. Reinke Brothers Haunted Mansion, Littleton

Family-run for more than 50 years, and the best pick for anyone who doesn't love being scared. The effects and atmosphere are excellent, and it skips the blood and gore.

The Lights On tour is $12 on Saturday and Sunday mornings, 10 a.m. to 1 p.m., with the lights up and most effects off. It's the right way to bring kids or a first-timer. The full haunt is $22 Sunday through Thursday and $30 on Fridays and Saturdays ($40 VIP). It's short, and it runs through November 1. Where: 5663 S Prince St, Littleton.

7. The Ritual, Englewood

The Ritual moved this year to 895 W Hampden Ave. The swamp-and-cannibal theme is well acted, and the sound, sets and smells work together well.

It's #7 because of the math: about 12 minutes for $29. That's well below the minutes-per-dollar The Scare Factor usually sees in Colorado, and the ending fizzles. The upside is that it's open seven nights a week with no time slots, so it's the easy call for a spontaneous Tuesday.

8. Fright Fest at Elitch Gardens, Denver

The most overrated night on the list. The $40 Haunt Pass gets you three houses (Port of the Damned, Redcliff Ridge and CARN-EVIL), but you also need park admission at $57.99. That's about $98 before tax and fees, and before the $20 Express add-on you'll want because the regular lines are long.

The houses are more fun than scary. CARN-EVIL's clowns are genuinely funny. Last season a reviewer's visit saw one house closed for technical issues and another shut down twice mid-show.

It's worth it if you already have a season pass, which drops your cost to the $40 Haunt Pass, or if you're bringing teenagers who want rides too. For the friend who hates being scared, Elitch sells a $5 "No Boo" necklace that tells the actors to leave them alone. Fright Fest runs on select dates through November 1.

Overrated this year

• Elitch Fright Fest. Theme park prices for theme park scares.
• The new Jason house at the 13th Floor. The biggest marketing push and the weakest house on the property.
• The Ritual at its new spot. Great atmosphere, but 12 minutes for $29 is a tough sell.

Who should go where

• A group that wants to actually get scared: Terror in the Corn.
• Horror people who've done everything: Hellscream.
• Date night: the 13th Floor. It's in the city, it's cheap on weeknights and there are bars inside. For more, see our date ideas that aren't dinner.
• Someone in your group hates being scared: Reinke Brothers, or Elitch with the No Boo necklace.
• Kids: the Reinke Brothers Lights On tour on a weekend morning.
• A last-minute weeknight: The Ritual. No time slots.

Is a fast pass worth it?

• Terror in the Corn: usually no. Pick a lighter night off the farm's calendar and keep the $20. If October 23, 24 or 25 is your only option, buy the Quick Pass.
• Haunted Field of Screams: on a Saturday, yes.
• Elitch: yes. Reviewers called the $20 Express add-on well worth it because the regular lines run much longer.
• 13th Floor: not on a weeknight.

Everywhere else, Thursdays and Sundays are lighter, and getting there right at open beats any upgrade.

Is Colorado Springs worth the drive?

Someone on r/Denver asked this a couple of weeks ago. My answer: Hellscream is worth it if you've already done Erie and want the most intense indoor haunt in the state. It's about 20 minutes inside and roughly an hour and 15 minutes from downtown each way, so make a night of it in the Springs. If you're only doing one haunt this year, Erie is closer and you get more than twice the haunt.

Things nobody tells you

• Go to Erie on Halloween. Anderson Farms publishes a crowd forecast for every night, and October 31 is marked as one of the lightest of the season. October 23 through 25 are the heaviest.
• Get to Anderson Farms in the afternoon. Your haunt ticket gets you into the Fall Festival that day, so do the corn maze and pumpkin patch in daylight and walk into the haunt after dark.
• The 13th Floor's hidden bars are your pregame and your post-game in one place.
• Wear shoes you don't care about to either corn haunt. Rain turns both into mud.
• Missed Halloween? The 13th Floor runs through November 14, and Hellscream does Lights Off nights on November 6 and 7, when your group gets a single LED candle and nothing else.

Looking for Halloween parties instead of haunts? They're on the First In Denver events calendar, and our guide to things to do in Denver at night has the rest.

Scare ratings are mine. Prices, dates and hours are for 2026 and come from each haunt's own site. I checked my takes against this season's reviews from The Scare Factor.

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Frequently Asked Questions

What is the best haunted house in Denver?

Terror in the Corn at Anderson Farms in Erie. It's about a mile long, takes around 45 minutes, has more than 100 actors and scored 9.26 out of 10 from The Scare Factor in 2026, the highest of any metro haunt this year.

Is Colorado Springs worth the drive for haunted houses?

Hellscream is worth it if you've already done Erie and want the most intense indoor haunt in the state. It's about 20 minutes inside and roughly an hour and 15 minutes each way, so if you only do one haunt, Terror in the Corn is closer and longer.

What is the least crowded night at Terror in the Corn?

Anderson Farms marks Halloween night, October 31, as one of its lightest nights of the 2026 season. October 23 through 25 are the busiest.

Which Denver haunted house is best for kids?

The Reinke Brothers Haunted Mansion in Littleton runs a $12 Lights On tour on Saturday and Sunday mornings with the lights up and most effects off.

How much do Denver haunted houses cost?

General admission runs from about $20 at the 13th Floor on slow nights to $50 at Terror in the Corn on Fridays and Saturdays. Elitch Fright Fest costs about $98 once you add park admission.