Fear and fun are on hand as the Halloween season brings haunted houses, fall festivals, corn mazes and other events to the area.
“We costume close to 70 actors each night,” said Wayne Wells, who runs the “Terror in the Corn” outdoor haunted house at Anderson Farms near Erie.
“I use three chain saws in my show,” Wells said. “In the haunt business, that’s the easiest scare you can do, to have a chain saw coming at somebody.”
Visitors to Wells’ elaborate setup go through four stages, including an area called Pumpkin Creek Ghost Town.
“They don’t take kindly to visitors at Pumpkin Creek Ghost Town,” he said.
Screamworks Entertainment operates four haunted houses in the area, and co-owner Chris Stafford tries to work at least one night each year as an actor.
“I’ve been working in haunted houses since I was 15 years old. That’s 24 years,” Stafford said. “I was in banking for 12 years. This is a lot more fun than that.”
“Most of the people are scared” after a trip through a Screamworks haunted house, Stafford said, and early exits are available for visitors who get too rattled at what he called his “PG-13” venues.
Here are some attractions in or near Adams County. Call or go online for dates, times, prices, age restrictions, weather-related closures and other details.
• Terror in the Corn and Fall Festival, Anderson Farms, 6728 County Road 3-1/4, Erie; 303-828-5210; andersonfarms.com.
• Blood Shed, 4120 Brighton Blvd., Unit C2, Denver; 303-355-3327; bloodshedhauntedhouse.com
• 13th Floor, 4120 Brighton Blvd., Unit C2, Denver; 303-355-3327; 13thfloorhauntedhouse.com.
• The Asylum and Zombieland, 6100 E. 39th Ave., Denver; 303-355-3327; asylumdenver.com.
• Circus of Fear 3D Haunted Fun House, next to Fat Cats Family Fun Center, 10685 Westminster Blvd., Westminster; circusoffear3d.com.
• Westminster Halloween Carnival, City Park Recreation Center, 10455 Sheridan Blvd., Westminster; 4-7 p.m. Oct. 29; 303-658-2223; cityofwestminster.us.
• Bug A Boo, Butterfly Pavilion, 6252 W. 104th Ave., Westminster; enter 10 a.m.-4:15 p.m. Oct. 22-23; 303-469-5441; butterflies.org.
• Pumpkin Patch, Hill’s Harvest, 3225 E. 124th Ave., Thornton; 303-451-5637; hillsharvest.com.
• The Haunted House, 10 E. 120th Ave., Northglenn; thehauntedhousedenver.com.
• Primitive Fear and 13th St. Manor, 5155 E. 64th Ave., Commerce City; 303-814-0411; 303haunts.com.
• Frightmare and The House of Darkness, 108th Avenue and Olde Wadsworth Boulevard, Westminster; 303-467-2273; frightmare.biz.
• Country Harvest Festival, Berry Patch Farms, 13785 Potomac St., Brighton; 303-659-5050; berrypatchfarms.com.
• Corn Maze and Pumpkin Patch, May Farms, 64001 E. Hwy. 36, Byers; 303-822-5800; mayfarms.com.
• City of the Dead, Interstate 76 and 88th Avenue at Mile High Marketplace Event Center; cityofthedeadhaunt.com.
• Haunted Field of Screams, southeast corner of 104th Avenue and Riverdale Road, Thornton; 303-913-5947; hauntedfieldofscreams.com.
• Crazed Cornfield Maze and Colorado Pumpkin Patch, southeast corner of 104th Avenue and Riverdale Road, Thornton; 303-913-5947; crazedcornfieldmaze.com.