OVERALL RATING :

Scare Factor

Actors

Set Design

Length

RANK #10 out of 21

RAW SCORE : 7.656

RATING

REVIEW

This haunt is always good at stepping things up, but this year I was disappointed. A lot of the set stayed the same. The monsters were predictable. My favorite was the guy that growls above the bridge. His growl is creepy and always forces me to run past. He was there last year, but I still like him. I liked the clown room. They had really creepy masks and you couldn't tell which one was real. One moved and I kept going. There were a lot of opportunities for actors to scare but there wasn't any one there. They need to have more actors and place them in better spots.

Overall, Spider Mansion was pretty average. I was let down and wasn't scared at all. I kept hoping that someone would get me and no one did. In the beginning I was excited as it got dark and was full of fog. It went downhill from there. Hopefully, next year they step it up and bring back to life the Spider Mansion reputation. I will wait to return until next season.

PROS

Good beginning, creepy noises, good set

CONS

Lack of scares, actors and suspense

RATING

REVIEW

Spider Mansion is consistently one of my favorite haunts and the guys up at Heritage Square didn't disappoint this year. A lot of the scare factor (or fear factor maybe) comes from this haunt being in an old house and the tight hallways that add to the claustrophobic feeling. The sets were pretty good and well-detailed. One of my favorite sets was the bridge. My only complaint is that it was too bright in spots and not enough effort was made to camouflage the ceiling...several fluorescent lights were visible, which was a little distracting.

The acting was good, with panels opening in the walls and strange growls and hisses coming from them. There is always the creepy Ring girl in the strobing hallway, though I miss the effect they did a while back with "twins." The clown room was also the only clown scene that truly frightened me...it was just plain creepy!

The length seemed a little bit longer to me than in years past, but maybe that's because I didn't black out this year! Overall, I really enjoy this haunt for the overall sense of dread I get as I approach each room. This place genuinely creeps me out.

PROS

Variety of scenes, old house smell, clown room, Ring girl

CONS

More actors wouldn't hurt

RATING

REVIEW

I don't know if we hit them on an off night, but I was slightly disappointed with this haunt this year. There didn't seem to be nearly enough actors and their timing seemed to be off as well. Set design did not change much from last year, although I do like their use of dark spaces. The few actors that were inside did give a reasonably good performance. The girl from The Ring is back, although when we went through only the person in the front got the effect, everyone else didn't get it. The room with the full figure clowns was creepy - which one would come to life? They make good use of the claustrophobic feeling too with their tight walls and crawlspaces.

The best is the body bag room with the animatronic (or is it a real person?) in one of the bags that seemed to grab our legs. There was some creepy imagery with the neon faces stretching out of the walls and the trailer room with the movie theater (broadcasting our image up on the screen). Like I said, not much different set from last year, but at least the theme is consistent. The length is slightly longer than average compared to most other haunts.

On the right night (not a Sunday, obviously), this haunt can be pretty scary with enough actors and enthusiasm - I think we just reviewed them on a night when they were understaffed. The setting of this haunt - Heritage Square in Golden - is creepy enough at night to warrant a visit.

PROS

Dark, close walls, length

CONS

Same set design as last year, few actors

RATING

REVIEW

Spider Mansion is a consistent haunt that has scary scenes year after year. The Spider Mansion is never a letdown, but as many haunts have ramped up their efforts and scares this year, this one has seemingly scaled back. I won't say that it was as bad as many that have scored much lower this year, but it is not as good as it has been in comparison to years past. I did get freaked out at a few places, like the movie theater and the window that isn't there. The trail winds through the building and provides some good scares along the way. It is not as long as it could have been but it wasn't noticeably short either. The meat locker provided a good scare as we were trapped in a room with hanging bagged bodies and there was someone in there who had a very easy job to freak everyone out. All in all, Spider Mansion is a great haunt if you have never been there before, but if you expect anything new it is a bit of a let down.

PROS

Always a top-rated haunt, scary scenes, good props and sets

CONS

Same-old same-old

RATING

REVIEW

This one has always been one of my favorites, and this year was no exception. I felt like they did a good job with keeping with the theme, and they keep the scares coming with very little lag time.

It was lit up more than I remember, and that allowed us to see the ceiling in places, but that was a small blemish in my book. I was way too busy looking at the details this haunt provides.

Scares came at us from every direction here, the ceiling, floors and walls all have something going on. Don't walk too fast in here or you may miss some cool stuff. I liked the length of this one, it felt like we were in there for a while without being boring. There was an area that had a bit too much fog going, but again, a small blemish.

I loved the room with the shower, and thought that was a great effect, and the clown room was awesome and well done. And there's the girl in the hall that STILL freaks me out. I don't know how that one's pulled off, but it's great. The creativity shows in this one, from the bridges to the theater, and for me it is worth the drive to Golden.

PROS

Creative scares, great scenes/rooms

CONS

Some dead spaces, too well lit in places

RATING

REVIEW

I didn't find Spider Mansion scary enough, but I know the other group of critics had a different experience. It was strange, but I'm pretty sure a couple actors missed their timing on our group. I paid a lot of attention to the sets and didn't experience a lot of actor scares. The best haunts, in my mind, are ones where I feel like the actors really interact with me and that was lacking in my experience of Spider Mansion.

The initial entry into the mansion is disorienting and, in our experience, unpleasantly foggy. After our initial coughing fit, the haunt was pretty dark throughout, but some good aspects stood out. I particularly enjoyed the Swamp set, with a bridge, creepy sound effects and lighting, authentic looking plant life and a famous monster, too. Spider Mansion sticks to creating a solid atmosphere of an old home. The hallways are adorned with creepy photos, sconces, and mirrors. Stairs and paths make you feel as if you're in a haunted version of the game clue. This is another good family haunt with a decent amount of surprise-style scares, cool sets, and actors who keep their distance.

PROS

Heritage Square has cool ambience this time of year, the swamp was unique

CONS

Too foggy, not scary enough

RATING

REVIEW

Spider Mansion is fun and creepy, and it lives up to its name. If you're afraid of spiders, you'll find them here in all shapes and sizes.

The atmosphere surrounding the haunt is perfect, as Heritage Square at night has a spooky ambience all its own, and at the end of the main street sits Spider Mansion. Inside awaits a great balance of scares, making good use of both live and artificial tactics to invoke some great screams.

I was at the front of our group for the majority of the haunt, which is a benefit here as many of the props are sensor-activated. I'm not sure if there was more lighting than in years past, but this is the first time I've ever noticed the pressure-sensor doormats before, and that distracted a bit from some of the scares.

The actor-driven scares were much better. While there aren't a ton of monsters inside this haunt, the ones we encountered were excellent.

I didn't notice substantial changes to the format or layout from years past, but there were some subtle additions that I thought added a good touch. My favorite room this year was the kitchen.

Spider Mansion is always a great show, and one that's definitely worth seeing, especially if you have never been before.

PROS

Creepy atmosphere, good actors

CONS

Some scares a little too predictable

RATING

REVIEW

I really liked this haunt! I felt that the scares were pretty intense along with the acting. The part with the girl from the Ring freaks me out at this haunt more than any other haunt. The actor that plays this part is awesome, and she makes me poop my pants a little every year. When we got up to this part, I was leading. The moment I saw her, I made Rob go first because this girl creeps me out more than anything. One prop that I really liked was the bridge. I think there was a mattress under it or something, but that was good.

There was also lots of darkness in this haunt. I'm afraid of the dark, so that always gets to me. The clown scene was pretty sweet too. I couldn't tell which ones were fake and who was real. And the movie theatre is always a classic. I really like the fact that the hauntgoer sees themselves on the screen as they're walking up the aisle.

SPOILER ALERT

The chainsaws at the end were also pretty good. I definitely wasn't expecting there to be two of them. The set and length were really good, it was just a tad short.

Overall, an excellent haunt!

PROS

Scares, acting, Ring girl!

CONS

A tad short