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31 Truly Freaky Haunted Houses and Halloween Attractions

The haunted house is a tradition as old as Halloween, but rarely is it done well. For every decent haunted maze there’s a few hundred weak-sauce imitations that suffer from too little imagination, insufficient planning, and a lack of proper funding. Devotees of the true haunted experience are thus forced to burn a calorie and travel far and wide to really get a good scare in a well-designed spook shack.

While there might not be a haunted house, maze, event, or attraction right down the road from you, there’s a few epicenters around that you can reach, whether here in the United States or elsewhere in the world. So you know where to go, here’s the 31 best haunted happenings from every corner of the globe.

Creepy Hollow Haunted House

via youtube.com
via youtube.com

Houston, TX

The real attraction here is the VR Zombie survival game. You don a headset and are subjected to a dark, zombie-filled house with nothing but a pistol and flashlight. It’s high-tech fun.

Asylum 49

via youtube.com
via youtube.com

Tooele, UT

A terrifying hands-on experience where they allow you to be separated from your group for literal hours, shoved in a box, abandoned, and drug around, it’s not for the touch-adverse. Wicked fun that keeps going just when you think it’s over.

Los Angeles Haunted Hayride

via themeparkreview.com
via themeparkreview.com

Griffith Park, Los Angeles, CA

The hayride itself is a long, slow, arduous trip that is full of spooks. Then there’s “on foot” chase areas, a pitch-black maze, and sections that drag you through several secret society rituals that are well executed by the actors.

Jack and Jill’s Haunted Hill

via irememberhalloween.net
via irememberhalloween.net

Phoenix, AZ

A little on the short side, and a bit pricey, this is still a classically terrifying time where they manage to surprise even the well-guarded with some strange and unusual psychological tricks and traps.

Basement of the Dead

by Dana Beverly via danabeverlyphotography.wordpress.com
by Dana Beverly via danabeverlyphotography.wordpress.com

Aurora, IL

A former laundry company that burned down in the 60’s, killing two, the legend says that several workers have disappeared from this spot. While the veracity of that is suspect, we know that the creepy Saw-esque haunted maze is good, gory fun.

Netherworld Haunted House

via 365atlanta.com
via 365atlanta.com

Atlanta, GA

There’s a pair of houses to choose from, each full of dramatically lit spectres and macabre otherworldly creatures. That’s just the teaser material, however, as it gets really rough just when you think you know what you’re dealing with.

13th Floor

via youtube.com
via youtube.com

Denver, CO

As heart-stoppingly terrifying as a tax audit, they kindly prepare you for what’s going to happen by telling you the legends, then letting you see how much worse the reality is than the stories.

Halloween Horror Nights

by Michael Gavin via insidethemagic.net
by Michael Gavin via insidethemagic.net

Universal City, Los Angeles, CA

Major cinephiles tend to enjoy this the most, as it’s put on by Universal Studios and has loads of tie-ins from horror both new and old. It’s less scary and more fun than most, but the broad range of offerings makes it good for the “theme-park” goer not looking to stop their heart.

Trail of Terror

via trailofterror.ticketleap.com
via trailofterror.ticketleap.com

Walingford, CT

The fear here isn’t just in the atmosphere, it’s that you’re constantly off-balance, literally. You have to crawl, duck, and scramble around, which puts you on edge for the effective startles to hit you time and again.

Labyrinth of Fear

via nickhayward.wordpress.com
via nickhayward.wordpress.com

Fujiyoshida, Yamanashi, Japan

Seriously, it’s worth going to Japan just for this. A former hospital where patients had their organs literally stolen, you’ll get dumped through trapdoors, dropped into pits, and tormented every step along the way.

Gates of Misery

via youtube.com
via youtube.com

Rome, GA

Go through the warped schoolhouse, hit the eerie labyrinth, or do both, this is 12,000 square feet of torture that is easy to get lost in and tough to navigate since you constantly feel spun.

The Shallow Grave

by Michael Gavin via kitsuneverse.blogspot.com
by Michael Gavin via kitsuneverse.blogspot.com

Winter Haven, FL

These haunted houses are disturbingly well-maintained to the point that the air has an unsettling aroma that adds to the gruesome atmosphere. Throughout the process, you’re stalked from room to room by frightening characters in tableaus that make your skin crawl.

Knott’s Halloween Haunt

via horrorbuzz.com
via horrorbuzz.com

Buena Park, CA

Another spectacle-laden adventure park for those who want a lot of variety, Knott’s “Scary Farm” is a rich buffet of haunted experiences from the playful Elvira shows to those with a more grim take on Halloween.

Lost Souls Alley

via youtube.com
via youtube.com

Kraków, Poland

An indoor maze lit only by the weak flashlight they issue you, Lost Souls Alley uses the dire history of Poland to maximum effect. You get lost, you stumble, and are harried each moment, even if only by grim silence and darkness.

Fear Factory

via saltlakecityhauntedhouse.com
via saltlakecityhauntedhouse.com

Salt Lake City, UT

Both virtual reality and real life terrors await at the Fear Factory. Don’t let the Mormon influence in Utah keep you away. This is as fun and frightening as any secular town.

Haunted Overload

via youtube.com
via youtube.com

Lee, NH

An outdoor experience that goes big for effect, it’s bad enough to be trapped in the New England woods with Patriots fans. Add in the award-winning terror and handmade costumes, and you’ve got a real haunted hootenanny on your hands.

Thrillvania

via thrillvania.com
via thrillvania.com

Terrell, TX

50 acres and three haunted houses complete with cemetery gives Thrillvania the scope and magnitude to keep the hits coming, and the nasty surprises to make you wish it was a little smaller.

Erebus Haunted House

via travelchannel.com
via travelchannel.com

Pontiac, MI

Michigan is full of old industrial sites that have gone to ruin. Melding the reality with the fantasy, and leaving you breathless with the result, it’s a horror workout.

Fear the Woods

via fearthewoods.com
via fearthewoods.com

Stockbridge, GA

A haunted trail, haunted house, and even a little spooky battling with the Pandemic: Frontline Haunted Combat, there’s a lot to love and plenty to do for all ages.

Scream-A-Geddon

via nhietampabay.com
via nhietampabay.com

Dade City, FL

The Florida woods are frightening all on their own. Add in a backdrop of cabins, and the fear of a Deliverance-style excursion will have you indeed squealing like a pig.

Darkside Haunted House

via ilovehalloween.com
via ilovehalloween.com

Wading River, NY

Quite a show with a cast that refuses to break character, insanity and darkness meld here in a way that makes the “Blackout” experiences seem like Ginger Beer by comparison.

Dark Harbor

via new.hollywoodgothique.com
via new.hollywoodgothique.com

Long Beach, CA

The Queen Mary is cramped and disquieting in the best of circumstances. Add in fog mazes monsters and you’ll need to hit the included bar after a little while.

Ghostly Manor Thrill Center

via hauntedenthusiasts.com
via hauntedenthusiasts.com

Sandusky, OH

Part of the Lake Eerie Fear Fest, you can pick from five haunted houses, but to really get an adrenaline jolt, enjoy “The Haunted Mine Ride” in a gorgeous XD 4D Motion Theater.

Field of Screams

via thestudentvanguard.com
via thestudentvanguard.com

Mountville, PA

You’ll be manhandled left and right, locked away, separated, and really given an uncomfortable sense of being at the mercy of lunatics. Absolutely not for anyone sensitive to touch.

Terror Behind the Walls

via vimeo.com
via vimeo.com

Philadelphia, PA

Set in an honest-to-god derelict prison, the whole experience is a choose-your-own-nightmare where you can be incorporated into the action as you’re forced to escape. Immersive and excellent with varying stories to choose from.

Shocktober

via shocktober.org
via shocktober.org

Leesburg, VA

A triple-threat of experiences, Shocktober has all the best Halloween arrangements to choose from. Begin with the haunted mansion, then move along to the creepy clown funhouse, then finish off with the claustrophobic basement hellhole.

The Mortuary

via themortuary.net
via themortuary.net

New Orleans, LA

Once a N’awlins funeral home, The Mortuary tells a set of tales, each building on the last and designed to give you a true Mardi Gras of southern scares full of Cajun flavor.

Brighton Asylum

via brightonasylum.com
via brightonasylum.com

Passaic, NJ

A defunct hospital for the violently insane, the history of Brighton is nearly as horrifying as the current haunted arrangement that uses a lot of true medical technology to add depths of depravity that are all too real.

Dark Hour Haunted House

via coaster-nation.com
via coaster-nation.com

Plano, TX

Two haunted mansions with two very different, but equally enjoyable experiences, Dark Hour draws you in from the performance that goes on as you wait, and then keeps the hits coming without reprieve.

The Terrorfied Forest and Manor

via michigandaily.com
via michigandaily.com

Pinckney, MI

Rather than playing up the industrial aspect of Michigan, the Forest uses natural splendor to create a sense of isolation. Groups are split up as well, creating a level of focus and intensity that’s welcome and not all at once.

The Dead-End Hayride

via minnesota.cbslocal.com
via minnesota.cbslocal.com

WY and MN

Whenever and wherever you happen to find a Dead-End Hayride, it’s always worth the trouble. A creaky, slow wagon complete with the sense of being packed in among strangers, any one of whom might not be what they seem, set in a dragging forest landscape is a recipe for serious Halloween fright.

Did we miss a great haunted experience? Please, let us know in the comments below!

One comment
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