Mile High Haunts: A Harvest of Frights at Terror in the Corn

Denver newcomer Danielle Look is visiting the city's spookiest sites for this month's Mile High Haunts series.

Ready to get out of the city and enjoy some good, old-fashioned fall fun? Anderson Farms in Erie has just what you need: Terror in the Corn.

Bursting at the seams with adult-friendly daytime activities, including a 25-acre corn maze, private bonfire sites, wagon rides to the pumpkin patch and even a pressurized pumpkin cannon that hurls pumpkins a quarter of a mile — this is one haunted attraction you’ll want to get to before the sun sets. There’s plenty for kids, too: jump pads, combine slides, pedal-kart racing, a petting zoo, and three types of train rides. And all this is free...if you buy a ticket to Terror in the Corn, the haunted nighttime event.

Wisely, Anderson Farms offers timed ticketing for the haunt, so that you can keep exploring the farm without losing your place in line. Show up at your assigned time, and you'll wait fewer than thirty minutes to enter the attraction. That means you might not have time for the zombie paintball hunt — which is fun, but at $27 a ticket, not all that satisfying for thrill-seekers. Instead, I recommend finding the VR tent for a lower ticket price and a really fun ride.

When your time finally arrives, you hop into an enclosed trailer that takes you to the beginning of the haunt; along the way, a talking pumpkin scarecrow sets the mood and even delivers one good warmup scare. Next thing you know, you’re walking through a cornfield. (Pro tip: This is a haunted walking path, not a maze. If you want to experience the challenge of getting lost and finding your way out, come early for the daytime, non-haunted corn maze.)

Studded with tiny shacks and hidden actors along the path, the cornfield portion of the haunt offers sporadic jump scares that leave you feeling vulnerable and exposed. While most of the sheds aren’t intended for visitors, you do get to explore a couple — and one in particular ends with a gruesome, original twist on the classic squeeze wall that had me shrieking all the way through.

You’ll meet a few mischievous clowns before you exit the cornfield and approach the Wells Hotel. Take a few moments to admire the facade and catch your breath before checking in; don’t be afraid to engage with the clerk behind the desk. Now your adventure takes you through the bar, under stairs, behind walls and into a strange, abandoned ghost town that’s maybe not as deserted as it seems. The actors here aren’t particularly intense or terrifying, but they're engaging and will definitely get you to jump.

There are no out-of-the-box props and overdone scare tactics at Anderson Farms, and that helps make the make-believe setting seem more real. Instead of room after room of unrelated, familiar haunted-house tropes, Terror in the Corn has a cohesive theme from beginning to end. Paired with all the daytime fall activities, you'll find a drive to Erie definitely worth the $27 Terror in the Corn ticket, which buys you hours of fun. This is a particularly good option for those who spook easily or are looking for a tamer experience that's good for kids, too.

Terror in the Corn at Anderson Farms
6728 County Rd 3 1/4, Erie
Tickets: $27 GA, $40 Fast Pass (if you don't buy a Terror in the Corn ticket, there are charges for daytime activities)
Open Thursdays, Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays in October.
303-828-5210, terrorinthecorn.com