Award-winning scares are returning to Cañon City, where Scout and Venture Crew 121 is staging its Dark Side of the Abbey haunted house at the deconsecrated Abbey Monastery off Highway 50. The crew is pursuing a third consecutive win as Colorado Haunted House of the Year.
The attraction opens every weekend through Halloween, giving local residents and visitors a seasonal event with a community fundraising purpose. Admission is $25 for each individual attraction, while fast passes and combo passes are also available.
What visitors will find at the Abbey
The main haunted house and four escape rooms occupy the monastery’s former dormitories. A sensory deprivation maze is located inside the monastery itself, adding a separate challenge for visitors who want more than the traditional haunted-house experience.
Dark Side of the Abbey has been built and operated by crew members ages 14 to 21. They handle the construction, makeup and acting themselves, giving the attraction a hands-on role in the group’s youth program.
Crew member Adysen Pakenham described how visitors sometimes underestimate the performers because of their age and size. “I've actually had a couple of people come through my rooms in the last couple of years, and they go, 'Oh my gosh! they're so little!'” she said. She also recalled a visitor telling her that her height was one of the most frightening parts of her performance.
Fundraising beyond Halloween
Crew 121 has hosted and expanded the haunted house for 15 years. Revenue helps pay for the crew’s trips, with money remaining afterward donated to local nonprofit organizations in Fremont County.
Adult crew leader Jason Messer said the project also changes how participants work together. “By the end they're just this super close, tight-knit family,” Messer said. He added that performers become deeply involved in their roles: “They totally switch. They come in as one person and they leave as another one, so they really get into their character.”
The haunted house runs from 6 to 11:10 p.m. each operating day. With the event scheduled every weekend until Halloween, Cañon City-area families and thrill-seekers can choose among the main attraction, escape rooms and sensory deprivation maze while supporting a youth crew and nonprofit causes in Fremont County.
