Sunday, October 31, 2010

2010 Haunt Reviews: Spider Mansion

Spider Mansion
18301 West Colfax Avenue
Golden, CO

Spider Mansion has been completely revamped from the mid-grade haunt I a few years back into one of Denver's best. The key to their success is the line spacing - they space the groups out almost too much, to the point where you are pretty well guaranteed a lengthy wait in line. Once you get inside, though, it's completely worth it, as the sense of isolation is much greater than in most haunts. The other thing they do very, very well here is misdirection. I can't even count the number of times I warily eyed one part of the room, waiting for someone to jump out, only to be assaulted from another direction. They have retained one gag from the old Spider Mansion, which features a character (Samara from The Ring a few years ago, Michael Myers this year) repeatedly and silently disappearing down a series of hallways It was the best thing about Spider Mansion before, and. . . well, it may still be the best part - but there's a lot more competition. If you don't mind waiting in line, or you want to spring for the VIP tickets, which also get you a brief ride in the back of a hearse, I very highly recommend this haunt.

9/10

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