CANON CITY — Halloween is right around the corner and with it comes a favorite attraction, haunted houses.
The history of haunted houses could not exist without the celebration of Halloween or All Hallows' Eve.
According to Smithsonian Magazine, Haunted houses can be traced back to 19th-century London when a series of entertainers such as illusionists wanted to thrill the public with gruesome acts.
One of the most notable was by Marie Tussaud who captured British audiences with wax sculptures of decapitated French figures like Marie Antoinette and King Louis XVI.
She was noted for creating death masks for the French Revolution's guillotine victims and dubbed her collection "Chamber of Horrors" which it's still titled to this day.
The public desire for horror began to grow throughout the 20th century.
Families would decorate their basements traveling from house to house to experience different scary scenes.
But it wasn't until Disney decided to build a haunted house that it became a cultural icon.
In 1969, they opened the Haunted Mansion which brought in over 82,000 people that year.
Haunted houses began to spread across the United States from California's famous Knott's Berry Farm to multi-week events. Even churches took on their version of an anti-Halloween attraction with "hell houses."
Hollywood also had a part to play in making haunted houses more popular with movies like Halloween, Friday the 13th, and A Nightmare on Elm Street.
Today, many of these iconic monsters can be seen in haunted houses.
One local haunted house is doing a bit more than scaring people these days.
Aftermath Haunted House in Canon City has worked to become one of the top-rated haunts in the state. They ranked number 1 for the most creative and scary haunted house last year by CoHauntedHouses.com.
They are unique in that they combine a haunted house with outdoor wooded area trails giving visitors both inside and outside spooky experiences.
Sales from Aftermath go to benefit Recreation District programs. Thanks to the hard work of the District Staff, five event partners, and numerous volunteers, they've been able to continue to provide a favorite haunted house experience for people throughout Colorado.
You can check out Aftermath Haunted house on Saturdays in October starting on the 8th.
Tickets are $20 per person or you can purchase a fast pass option for $40. More details can be found here.
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