10 best haunted houses and attractions in the US

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Halloween is about fun costumes, scary movies, haunted houses and celebrating all things spooky. These 10 haunted houses and attractions – voted as the best by our readers – offer the best actors, set designs, special effects and value for money.

 

Photo courtesy of Netherworld Haunted House

No. 10: Netherworld Haunted House – Stone Mountain, Georgia

Netherworld Haunted House near Atlanta is a self-guided dark attraction known for its incredible sets, animatronics, special effects and makeup created by film and television industry professionals. Each year, thrill-seekers from around the country come to experience this warehouse-sized haunt divided into two different chilling themed areas. Every night that Netherworld is open, 100-plus actors are transformed into monsters, some who perform stunts with bungee jumps and sliding, while other nightmarish creatures stalk the parking lot to frighten visitors from the moment they arrive.

Photo courtesy of Shocktoberfest

No. 9: Shocktoberfest – Sinking Spring, Pennsylvania

Shocktoberfest, located near Reading, Pennsylvania and about 90 minutes from Philadelphia, welcomes you to be afraid. In addition to its Zombie Safari Hayride, where guests can view zombies in a safe and controlled habitat (you believe that, don’t you?), they can explore the Monster Midway with its games, food, brews and live entertainment. Spooktoberfest offers a family-friendly Halloween experience for children 12 and under, and they may wear their costumes!

Photo courtesy of The Dent Schoolhouse

No. 8: The Dent Schoolhouse – Cincinnati, Ohio

Visit Cincinnati’s scariest haunted house in September and October and learn the story of the killer faculty and murderous janitor that live in the Dent Schoolhouse! Visit the public school that opened in 1894 and experience the true story of Charlie the janitor on this tour. Each year brings new details, sets and technology to the Dent Schoolhouse, and over 50 actors will be present to terrorize guests each night.

Photo courtesy of Haunted Heather

No. 7: Fear Fair – Seymour, Indiana

Fear Fair, an hour from Louisville, Kentucky in Seymour, Indiana, is a 50,000-square-foot walk through your darkest nightmares. With incredibly detailed sets, confrontational actors in movie-quality makeup and costumes, and state-of-the-art use of robotics, visitors can expect a heart-pounding experience through their deepest fears. Experience four major attractions packed into a 30-minute attraction – a depraved prison where the inmates are in control, a cursed Egyptian pharoah’s tomb, the darker side of New Orleans and an ancient catacomb home to a dark cult.

Photo courtesy of Artifact Images

No. 6: Haunted Overload – Lee, New Hampshire

Haunted Overload in New Hampshire does an excellent job of providing various levels of scares with their Day Haunt and Friday Night Lite offerings, so everyone can enjoy. They pull out all the stops for Haunted Overload, a fully immersive (and terrifying) haunted trail through the woods of New England.

Photo courtesy of Christopher Brielmaier

No. 5: Bates Motel and Haunted Hayride – Glen Mills, Pennsylvania

Located just outside Philadelphia on Arasapha Farm, the Bates Motel offers an incredible experience of terror and mayhem. Check into the motel to experience a new level of horror, with high-tech special effects and lighting, including levitating spirits and pictures with eyes that follow you. Their Haunted Hayride is a 25-minute ride through the forest, complete with detailed Hollywood-style sets and props, giant monsters and “more pyrotechnics than a KISS concert.” Also on offer is a haunted corn trail.

Photo courtesy of Headless Horseman Haunted Attractions

No. 4: Headless Horseman Haunted Attractions – Ulster Park, New York

Headless Horseman Haunted Attractions is an immersive experience that changes each Halloween season. The attractions continually evolve with unusual monsters, amazing illusions, costumes, makeup, animatronics and frightening detail. 

Photo courtesy of Getty Images / stsmhn

No. 3: Cutting Edge Haunted House – Fort Worth, Texas

More than just a haunted house, Cutting Edge Haunted House begins its entertainment the moment guests enter the parking lot. Located in a historic area of Fort Worth, Texas, known as “Hell’s Half Acre,” this 100-year-old abandoned meatpacking plant takes visitors on a 55-minute haunted experience with its twisting corridors, live actors, special effects and a human maze. Come experience this multi-themed, multi-storied haunted attraction.

Photo courtesy of mantinov // Getty Images

No. 2: Pennhurst Asylum – Spring City, Pennsylvania

Located about an hour from Philadelphia, Pennhurst opened in 1908 as a state school for the physically and mentally disabled and operated until it closed in 1986. Now the haunted hospital complex is open as Pennhurst Asylum, with three haunted attractions to push visitors to the limits of their sanity. The infamous Max Security Wing is home to some of the world’s most dangerous criminally insane. The Morgue performs services from draining blood to incinerating bodies, and the Tunnels take you to a hidden underground facility where patients are guinea pigs for inhumane experiments.

Photo courtesy of Heather Laura

No. 1: Field of Screams Maryland – Olney, Maryland

Enter a horrifically terrifying world beyond imagination at the Fields of Screams in Olney, Maryland. A walk through the woods on The Haunted Trail and Trail of Terror leaves visitors scurrying away. Along their journey, guests are welcomed into 13 haunted houses, where they might find anything from dead bodies to clowns and butchers. Enjoy Body Bean Bag Pumpkin Toss, Zombie Brain Smash and other Carnival Town Games for a thrilling, competitive experience.