Primitive Fear & 13th St. Manor - Festival of Fear Tour 2011

The Festival of Fear 2011 is well under way and we had the opportunity to visit two great haunts tonight.  Primitive Fear and 13th St. Manor are two haunts in Commerce City, CO created by 303haunts.com.  Both haunts are housed inside a large building located at 5155 East 64th Ave.  We were greeted by a couple of intense actors who stayed in character throughout our visit to the haunts, including a terrific farmer character, as well as some very friendly staff folks who quickly helped us get into the houses.  Overall, the first 5 minute impression was very positive. 

Once we worked our way into the main part of the building, we were blown away.  The facade of these haunts rivals anything Rex and I have seen during all our travels all over the country.  It is beautiful.  In a scary way.  It reminded us of the sound stage houses found at Halloween Horror Nights at Universal Studios in Orlando, FL.  If you appreciate set design, then the price of the ticket is worth it just to walk around the queue areas.  Although both houses work just fine independently of one another, the two are actually linked by a somewhat subtle script.  13th St. Manor takes you through a tour of a demented family's domicile - while Primitive Fear lures you beneath the manor into the catacombs of the house.  What you can expect to find in both houses is unparalleled quality in set design.  Each room is simple, but beautiful and effective.  There isn't unnecessary props or details, and yet each room forces the audience to take in the full essence of the room and theme.  The lighting is just breathtaking, creating a spooky atmosphere throughout the experience.  Although the actors in both these haunts will touch you, it is usually offered more as a warm welcome to their story than as a shock value.  For example, the gentleman in the library welcoming you to their family actually puts his hand on your shoulders as if to escort you to a nice cup of coffee. 

303Haunts.com has provided some neat little scares.  Ceilings will fall down on you.  Walls will close in on your sides.  And there are even classic "fun house" scares, such as a tilted room.  Lou LaFond is the special effects guru behind both these haunted houses and he is to be commended for a memorable experience. 

Rex and I found the only aspect of the houses to be a bit lacking was the intensity of the actors.  Most did a fine job and some who had prolonged speaking parts were very good.  And yet we couldn't help but feel like there could have a been a bit more "punch" throughout the haunts.  It seemed that some times the actors only served the purpose of the letting the next room know we were on our way.  And to our surprise, the final room of Primitive Fear actually found us looking up at an actor texting on her cell phone!!  Just oversight on their part, but not exactly the way you want to finish a haunted house. 

But we are nitpicking to a degree.  RexandtheBeast.com unreservedly recommends Primitive Fear and 13th St. Manor.  They should be on your short list of haunts to visit this year in the Denver area.