Halloween costumes in Denver take center stage

Grizzly Rose Halloween Ball gets wild

It's hard to say which ensemble was scarier Saturday night at the Grizzly Rose's annual Halloween Ball: the 12-foot-tall Grim Reaper or the historically (and anatomically) accurate revival of the Village People. In what was perhaps the most wide-ranging Halloween event of the night, fright fans aged from barely legal to senior citizens packed the dance hall for a costume contest and hours of mish-mashed partying.

Revelers' attire included costumes of every description, as well as some serious Western wear. Watching Marilyn Monroe line dance between Mrs. Incredible, a bloody axe murderer, the cast of "Reno 911" and a few genuine cowboys proved to be a fun, if slightly insane way to spend the night.

In the end, a Gene Simmons lookalike won the costume contest and $1,000, while the Village People (who had been working the crowd in character all evening) took second. One of the most impressive showpieces, though, was the giant Grim Reaper. Clearly there was someone (or someTHING) inside the robe, but none of the other partiers could summon the courage to go check.