The Asylum

OVERALL RATING :

Scare Factor

Actors

Set Design

Length

RAW SCORE : 9.28

RATING

REVIEW

The Asylum haunt is located in a fairly odd location, in the parking lot of a fun center. Don’t let that fool you; this is for sure a legitimately scary haunt. I’ve been able to make it to the Asylum for three straight years now and I think that it’s been even getting better every time.

Before entering the haunt, everyone waiting in line gets to stare down the creepy façade of a creepy busted down old Asylum. Every year that I have been, the front entrance gets upgraded and now looks better than ever. I really enjoy this portion of the haunt because it helps build anticipation and the mood for the interior of the haunt.

Once completed with the line, the instructions to step up to the door of the Asylum are given. At the door you are greeted with one of the "Patients". He gives you the rules of the haunt to make sure that you don’t disturb any of the residents. I enjoyed the live actor here; he was a great addition to the façade for setting the mood. He reminded me of someone that could have been the new Joker’s long lost brother. His mannerisms were just creepy and he made a convincing loon.

Inside the halls of this loony bin is creepy and somehow a bit off. This place for sure looks like you might imagine a real Asylum might look if it were taken over by some evil inmates. The use of lighting was very great to add to the suspense. Particularly were the strobe lights. They seemed to be on a strange timing. It felt like just as soon as my eyes started to adjust to the dark, BAM, I was hit with another bright flash. It was fantastic. Sections of this particular Asylum attempted to play on phobias. There was a section that was for claustrophobia where the group in front of us had a guy and a kid that said, "That's not right." and I couldn't get them to follow us through. One big thing, make sure to pay attention to what has been written on the walls. There are some fantastic gems there. Make sure to look for the Da Vinci's man type painting, it was spectacular.

The actors did a great job in this haunt as well. They all stayed in their character and every one seemed to have their own personality. There were people that would do things from protecting insects, to talk about absurd things in creepy ways to even others just laughing like a mad man. The make up was effective and appropriate. They looked like inmates that had been hanging around too long without supervision and started to injure each other or themselves.

Overall, this was a very cool attraction that haunt fans should very much consider.

PROS

Great creepy infested Asylum theme. Actors had quite a bit to say and stayed in character. The floor plan changed a bit from last year so that it does not feel stale.

CONS

Going through this haunt felt a tad short. Not a permanent structure so it had a few moments where the illusion may have been suspended.

RATING

REVIEW

The Asylum has always been that haunt that capitalizes on two things, the Dark and the Strobe. This year is no different. Make no mistake, this haunt is not suitable for younger children, as evidenced by the group ahead of mine which included two parents and 3 very young children - who were so terrified that they were literally frozen with fear not 2 rooms into the haunt and had to be escorted out. There are lots of disturbing and gory imagery in this haunt, which of course always makes my day. The actors/actresses are excellent! Each one acts accordingly as an inmate in an insane asylum and they literally are bananas crazy. Their intensity is rival to that of any other haunt in Denver - they are just as creative and intense. I'm not sure if I didn't notice this last year or if this is new, but there seems to be even more drawings and scribbles on the walls throughout the haunt. The best part is that the high intensity strobes they use really distort your vision and make the drawings even sinister - I swear it seems like some of them even move across the walls because you're so disoriented. The Asylum has plenty of scares to offer as well, whether it's the deranged inmates dressed like a clown climbing on the walls, a lonely girl singing a disturbing lullaby or the magnificent electrocuting man - who is getting shocked so hard his head comes within inches of your nose this year as you walk by. As usual, The Asylum delivers once again.

PROS

Intense acting and very disorienting strobes

CONS

3-4 tents just isn't enough for me, I want a dozen ;)

RATING

REVIEW

For those of you looking for the Boo Zoo, it is not at the Asylum. The Asylum has a fantastic atmosphere that sets the tone for what a haunt is all about! A group of teenagers caught up to our critic team during my tour and were hilarious to watch. They almost were their own little morbid attraction because they were glued together like one body with 4 heads moving from room to room. When one of the heads stopped screaming it said, “This is tight!” For some of you, maybe that says it all, but I am going to be a nerd and try to break down what that means.

I am always partial to a haunt in a real location, but you completely forget you are under a tent once you step inside. In fact, you forget by the time you are standing in front this Universal Studios caliber stone looking facade. Inside there is great attention to detail that went into the rooms. Special effects lighting throughout the haunt was very creative and clever. Fog is used well too. There were shafts of light that beamed down into the rooms and thick little pockets of fog built suspense as you moved through and got up close and personal with inmates who clearly were in dire need of their meds!

What I liked the best about this haunt was it was full of real performers and not cheesy props that jump out at you. Someone has to be a little crazy to want to be an actor in a haunted attraction in the first place because it takes a grueling amount of energy and you generally work for free, but if you ever wanted to know what it is like to be inside of an insane asylum run by its inmates, these actors made you believe a worst case scenario is possible. Even though they didn’t get the normal screaming teenager reaction from our group of nerds on the critic team, they never broke character and allowed us to enjoy the show regardless. There is nothing worse in a haunt then seeing one of the characters feel defeated because he or she couldn’t scare you and completely break in front of you. There was none of that in the Asylum. Everything played out like a movie scene, so even you tough guys will enjoy the ride!

I always want to see something scarier and I am still waiting for the one that will make me jump! But then again, the Asylum does already have a reputation for literally instigating multiple fainting spells in the same night, and based on the general reaction I saw of others, like the four headed teenager; this certainly delivered the thrills! This is the perfect haunt to take someone on a date if you really want to them to get up close and personal with you, because like the four-headed teenager said, it is tight!

PROS

Scary haunt, great location and easy to find, can take your date to Boondocks afterwards and have fun.

CONS

This haunt is in a tent.

RATING

REVIEW

Are you feeling insane? After going through The Asylum, I felt as though I needed to be admitted! This haunt is so much more than it appears to be from the outside and needs to be seen to be believed. After hearing instructions from one of the mad doctors at the door, our group went inside and paid a visit to the inmates. Insanity was running rampant within these walls with scenes that will leave you confused, disoriented and quite a bit crazier than you were when you first went in.

If you're claustrophobic, get ready to face your fears in this psychiatric unit, as there are places you'll be wishing didn't exist. Just when you think there is no way out, you find it, only to stumble onto another mind twisting scene.

The writing is on the wall this year, and once you go in you will see what I mean. These walls don't talk, but they do come alive. It's an amazing illusion that still has me wondering how it was done. There were some very good scares in here that came when they were least expected. A couple of new additions were very good choices and look out for granny and her walker! There are stairs that lead to places unknown, which gave me goose bumps. Bugs, freezers, electrocution and a visit for a root canal are all part of the scares here.

This is a very good haunt that will send shivers up your spine!! Costumes and makeup were very well done and the actors had enough energy to keep things electric!

PROS

Writing on walls, new props, lighting

CONS

A couple of dead spots, could use a few more actors, too dark in one area to see detail

RATING

REVIEW

It was great!!!! AWESOME! I thought they did a better job this year than last. They stepped up the scariness. The props that they have are neat! I loved the art on the walls with the strobe lights—one piece of art in particular would change and look like it was moving. I would recommend taking your time to appreciate the art and props— I thought it was a great way to use strobe lights to increase intensity. One room was foggy, which made it super spooky; I didn't know what to expect, so I felt nervous! Really cool! They even had a room that glowed in the dark, which I thought it was wild. I wished they would have put more props along the hallways between the rooms. But overall, I think they stepped up their use of props this year.

Most actors did well playing their characters. One in particular gave me goose bumps - a girl singing a creepy song. She did a great job being both obvious but very creepy. I fell in love with another actor offering to kill me to get my body parts! Now that was great interaction with the guests. The make-up was amazing, too. It looked realistic! I thought they did well keeping up with the theme and making you feel you are in an asylum. But as with many of the haunted houses, some actors could improve by saying more than "Boo" and "Grrr." I was surprised at the length of this haunt because the place looks small from outside, so they did an excellent job maximizing the place and making it enjoyable.

I would definitely go back again. You should check it out. And by the way, BEWARE of clowns and bugs!

PROS

Loved the fog, the art on the wall was amazing.

CONS

Need more props; actor's personal items should be hidden not visible.

RATING

REVIEW

The asylum is "Psycho-Ward" themed haunted house, and as the name implies it is CRAZY. The scares are machine gun steady throughout, and each room expounds upon the total theme. From the one of a kind greeting, and rules delivered by a lab coat adorning zombie, to the layout and props that look as if they were actually found in an Asylum. In my opinion, this is definitely the best total package scare in Denver. The aforementioned theme and visuals aside, the acting in the house was phenomenal. It's hard to capture a sense of being lost in a terrifying and inescapable edifice while in the middle of modern Denver. But that is exactly the exhilaration experienced at The Asylum. Thanks to high quality props, superb acting and rigor mortis inducing frights. The cons are not damning to all readers. The length is good, but the Asylum's blessing is its curse; its quality begs for more, you simply can't get enough. When it does end, and your sweating and breathing heavy…. you immediately want to continue the ride. One caution is that extremely small children should seek a more placid experience. The scare factor here is a little too much for the seven and under crowd.

PROS

I found the Asylum has exceeded every expectation, and set the bar. For those who want to have a viciously fun scare, the Asylum is the place in Colorado.

CONS

This haunt had a lot going on it could have been more spread out.

RATING

REVIEW

The room design was completely unique and the actors seemed like they stepped off a movie screen. Well costumed with excellent makeup, they fit their roles like they lived them. Tapping into classic fears; psych wards, clowns and the like, the Asylum has something for everyone. The authenticity of the Asylum is to be applauded. They had fabulous actors and makeup with I-want-to-reach-out-and-touch-it-realism in room décor. The best part was that I never caught the scare before I was meant to. I was legitimately spooked in every room.

Though not a knock against the actual house; the line stretched all the way to the doors of Boondocks. I was impressed with the entire experience at the Asylum, not just one particular thing that stood out. The Asylum, as a whole, in my opinion, could be the best haunted house in Colorado!

PROS

They used their props and actors very well for high scare factor.

CONS

It can be very cold outside, long lines, and I wish the haunt could be longer.

RATING

REVIEW

This haunt kicks off before you even enter the asylum. There are crazy patients wondering outside of the building and lurking through the line of people, sometimes surprising them. Here, you can really get a good look at their make up, and I'm sure it takes a long time to do because it looks so good. These people are really into their roles, as well as the actors inside the haunt, which makes you feel like you are actually in a real, haunted asylum!

This haunt has the best strobe lights I have ever seen. They timed them so perfect, and they are so bright that I swear the drawings on the wall were changing or moving or something weird was happening to them. It makes you very disorientated, and messes with your mind. It makes you wonder if you're actually seeing what you think you're seeing…a great mind trick!

The part that freaked me out the most was the hanging heads. I think it was right after you walk through the refrigerator, but either way, it was unexpected and really made me scream because at first I thought it was an actor until I saw the head spinning. I must also say that the staircase with the fog rolling down it was a really great idea. I kept expecting someone to come down the steps at me, or something to be thrown over the top at us, but instead there was a crazy girl under the stairs singing. Very well done.

I don't recommend this haunt for children. The group in front of us had 3 kids, all of whom were crying and had to exit the haunt. This haunt is pretty intense, and I could see the potential for nightmares.

The scare factor and length were excellent. I would just say it could stand to be a tad longer with more startling, big scares where the audience is more hands on involved.

Overall, this haunt was awesome!

PROS

Acting, props/sets

CONS

Not much