Haunted House Ratings

Thrillvania Haunted House Park

Any thrill park that promises us 50 acres dotted with 4 haunted houses is definitely a haunt after our soul. Thrillvania Haunted House Park near Dallas, Texas, lures victims in with a promise of a twisted tale of mutant creatures, disturbing masquerade balls, and a sprawling estate overrun by the evil that built it. Set aside an entire evening and hope you don’t become one of the Baron’s grotesque pieces of art displayed throughout the mansion. This haunt earned a spot on our countdown with movie-quality sets, talented actors, and a unique premise that weaves its way throughout the chilling park.

Legend says the crumbling mansion on the other side of the Voodoo Bayou is haunted by the gruesome ghosts of a lurid past. It is not just the long-forgotten corpses in the graveyard just outside the home that speak of the death found in those sinking walls. The townspeople have heard stories of the twisted, maniacal Baron Verdun who built the home, the cruel experiments he did on vulnerable travelers who came his way, and the fiendish masquerade balls he held in his elaborate home. They also know of the fire that swallowed the Baron, his Lady, and the monsters they created. Brave the graveyard and step inside the remains of this haunted mansion to see the grisly remains of the people who moved in years later and the friends that were unfortunate enough to come over for a visit. When your tour of the home is complete, brace yourself for a maddening run through Lady Cassandra’s 3D psychedelic Labyrinth of Terror. Run, blind with terror, along the Trail of Torment where you must decide what is real and what has been crafted by the deluded Sam Hain to drive you further into madness. If you can claw your way to the top of the hill you will find Thorn Hall, the dilapidated church where the groundskeeper took up residence with a swarm of mutated bats.

The story of Thrillvania grows and develops as you make your way through the overrun estate. If the fear does not steal all of your senses, pay attention to the incredible details that make this haunt such an overwhelming experience. Notice the ways the story arcs continue throughout each attraction and the subtle yet terrifying moments crafted for your ghastly pleasure.

ARE YOU READY FOR A REAL SCREAMFEST? CHECK OUT THE BATES MOTEL IN PENNSYLVANIA

Owner Randy Bates has created one of the top haunted attractions in the country. The Bates Motel and Haunted Hayride in Gradyville, Pennsylvania will not disappoint. From the second you hop on the hayride and ride into the mouth of the dragon beast, you will be treated to some of the most active and scary attractions found.
Big sets, a killer sound system and lots of action are the treats of the day, along with huge, and I mean gigantic monsters not found in many other places in the industry, including a 17 foot tall Pumpkin King.
If you survive the hayride you will be Randy’s guests at the Bates Motel where you will get up close and personal with the actors who seem to be everywhere all at once. Jam packed with tight dressings and special effects, you will explore every horrifying room in the motel.
Pay special attention to the trophy room! It’s filled with real exotic animal heads collected by a big game hunter! Things are moving everywhere- slamming doors, ghosts above you, ghosts around you, there’s no escape. This is definitely one of the best haunted houses and should be on any Halloween fan’s must see list.

Scarehouse…Stay Out of the Basement

The Pittsburgh Zoo and the Aquarium are beloved spots for families to visit. Sunny afternoons are spent enjoying the animals, exploring the underwater world, and savoring quality time together. When the sun sets, however, and the parking lot clears, something dark takes over the area. Mothers, hold your babies close as the lure of Scarehouse fills the lot and the creatures fill the night.

Did you ever feel as though the dolls along the shelves were watching you? That they awoke at night with carnivorous thoughts? Step into The Foresaken and watch your childhood fears come alive as blood-soaked dolls and creeping demons stud the dark. If the dolls have not driven you to the brink of insanity, welcome the holidays early in Creepo’s Christmas. This disturbing tale of 3-D holiday torment brings you up close and personal with the demonic replacement of Santa and his twisted elves. Finish your night by braving the living dead in the famed Pittsburgh Zombies maze. The hordes are coming—and they are recruiting. Had enough? If you are truly ready for the fright of your life, descend the creaky stairs of The Basement. This optional haunt goes so far beyond the average haunted house you may never recover. You have always been safe in your personal space in other haunts. Not anymore. You and only one other person enter The Basement at a time, but it won’t be long before you have plenty of company. There are countless monsters hiding in the darkness, so be ready to be touched, grabbed, held against your will, and terrified beyond your comprehension.

Scarehouse is the most unique and intense haunt experience in Pittsburgh, which is why it earned its place wrapping up our Top 10 haunted houses. Here the actors aren’t just a park of your nightmares, they are a tangible reality. Be warned that if you decide to take part in The Basement experience you will have to sign a waiver.

As Halloween falls around Maryland and DC, the curses appear. One name is spoken in hush tones as a legend so dark it should never be told shows itself. Bennett’s Curse is the area’s premiere haunted house, an experience on the literal cutting edge of the haunted house industry. Don’t come prepared for long waits and time in between attractions to catch your breath, slow your heart, and give your tormented mind a break. Once you step through the entrance point, you are at the mercy of the monsters. Three attractions await you, each leading into the next until you are finally delivered back to the peace of your car.

Your fright-filled adventure begins in the fearsome Bennett Castle. This long-abandoned fortress holds the tortured remainders of a vampire war. Encounter the human captives as they endure endless punishment in preparation for their descent into the underworld. Survive the castle and you are immediately on your way into a 3D horror crawling with flesh-hungry zombies. Find your way through the moving walls and unexpected surprises around every corner to earn your way out of the Zombie Kingdom. Your final descent to madness begins when you step into the pitch darkness of the forgotten halls of the Sanctuary of Insanity. Here the psychopaths roam unrestrained, drawing you into the darkness of the rooms where nightmarish experiments drove the patients beyond their brink. Cope with solitary confinement, endure the trauma of claustrophobia as the walls close in on you. Whatever you do, don’t let them see your terror.

Bennett’s Curse brings incredible live actors and imaginative sets with the newest and most innovative technology in the industry. For extra chills, thrill-seekers receive a discount to Creepywoods Haunted Forest as well as the Blobs Park Bavarian beer garden.

WISCONSIN FEARGROUNDS – WHERE YOU CAN EXPECT THE UNEXPTECTED.

This year’s fearfest at the Wisconsin Feargrounds will not disappoint and you will be in for a terrorific good time.
Enter Morgan Manor where you will find Morgana and her 8 twisted sisters ready to turn you into pawns used for evil purposes. But the terror doesn’t end there.
New for 2013 is Carnevil – A Freak Show of Terror. It seems recently a carnival train derailed in a horrific accident and the once happy clowns, and other carnival people have become slaves to Morgana and her evil sisters. Instead of entertaining, their job now is to terrify. The once happy squeals of laughter they once heard have been turned into squeals of terror. Will you be the next victim?
If you are lucky enough to survive Carnevil, you will then be a guest in Unstable. The name really says it all.
The Wisconsin Feargrounds are located at: The Waukesha Expo Center Grounds, 1000 Northview Road in Waukesha.
So be brave my friends and enter cautiously. Hold onto this little tip: Many of the people who enter Morgana’s realm do come out alive, but perhaps a bit unstable. Happy Hauntings.

The Beast & Edge of Hell – Missouri

When a haunted house promises to bring us to the edge of hell, you can consider us more than intrigued.  Beginning in 1975, Edge of Hell is Kansas City, Missouri’s oldest and most feared haunt. One of our Top Ten haunted houses, this haunt does not find its terror factor in blood and gore—though you should not expect not to encounter some of this as well. Instead, this haunted house delves to your core and plucks at the very essence of what torments your dreams. It reaches deep into you and tortures you by forcing you to face your fears.

Step into The Beast, the largest single haunted house in the nation. This unique haunt does not herd you through in a line that may spoil the scares by letting you see them coming ahead. Instead, when you step into the attraction, you move into a huge space. This open format design is meant to let you roam as you will—and encounter the terror in unexpected, sudden ways. You literally become a part of the terror as you work your way through the scenes, finding yourself deep in the fog and darkness of Werewolf Forest. Encounter the fear of being stranded alone in the dark as you try to find your way to the exit. Don’t worry too much if you can’t find your way out. It won’t be long before the werewolves are sent in to find you. You may be relieved when you discover the exit, until the floor disappears beneath you, sending you spiraling down five stories in complete darkness.

Think you are safe after The Beast? Not so fast. You must still explore the poisoned mind of Edgar Allan Poe to feel yourself buried alive and step into scenes of horror at the Macabre Cinema. Be sure to give a friendly greeting to Medusa, the haunt’s resident python—the largest in captivity in the world. If the incredible actors and mind-blowing sets of these haunted houses are not enough for you, sign up for the Ghosts and Gangsters Tour. A unique element of Edge of Hell, this tour explores authentically haunted spots, including a hotel so beautiful Betsy Ward decided her death in room 505 was not her queue to check out.

Netherworld Haunted House – Georgia

The heart of Georgia pounds with a fear that can only come from the darkness of the Abyss. We invite you to steel your courage and step into the Netherworld. Featuring two truly unique haunted houses, this maddening park tortured its way onto our list and has been tormenting our dreams ever since. The only multi-floor haunted house in the Atlanta area, Netherworld features stunning visual effects, extraordinary live actors, and stories that will follow you home and into your nightmares.

Netherworld offers two haunts, which take about an hour to get through combined—unless you are forced to take one of the emergency exits in an effort to reclaim your sanity. The haunted house changes every year, so don’t think that just because someone tells you he knows what to expect that you are safe. Masochistic victims who have returned to the haunt year after year may notice the twisted tales that play out in the attractions are all intertwined with the same incredibly detailed stories imagined by the creators of this house. In 2013 return to your childhood terror place when you come face to face with the Boogeyman who truly does lurk in your basement, in your closet, and behind your eyelids. Survive the haunting lullaby and venture into the place where the Dead Ones roam. It is said the Abyss does not like a world that taunts its existence. The Dead Ones have come to remind us of what walks beneath.

This awe-inspiring haunt earned the #6 spot on our list with its phenomenal detail and intriguing effects. Victims are lured into the haunt the moment their car door opens, so don’t feel safe stepping into the parking lot. The monsters that creep there are very happy to see you.

Erebus Haunted House – Michigan

Erebus: the darkness beneath the Earth that the dead must pass through to reach Hell. One visit to the Erebus haunted house in Pontiac, Michigan will give you a good idea of what that’s like.
The house’s premise is that in 1965 , a one Dr. Colbert built an actual working time machine. This machine could open portals between different time periods. There was just one problem, every time someone tried to travel, wherever in time they went, that place thought they were a virus and attacked them.
Soon the authorities caught onto Dr. Colbert’s house of horrors and the Doctor had to react quickly. He knew if he had more time he could fix the time machine. In order to continue his experiments, Dr. Colbert disguised his time machine as a haunted house attraction. Dr. Colbert is still alive and well inside the core of Erebus, and all who visit become his next victims.
Be prepared for 4 stories of sheer terror as you explore Erebus created by Jim and Ed Terebus, no strangers to creating Halloween horror. Erebus opens Friday, September 13th and is located at 18 S. Perry Street, Pontiac, Michigan. Will you make it out of Erebus alive?

Headless Horseman – New York

We admit our love for all things related to that ultimate of horror legends, the Headless Horseman. This title alone earns fright points, but it is the terrifying special effects, exceptional quality props, and unbelievably twisted premise that has earned the Headless Horseman haunted house a prime spot on our list of Top Haunted Houses. Located in the storied Haunted Hudson Valley area of New York, Headless Horseman is a sprawling theme park dedicated to the darkest of fascinations.

If you are prepared to brave one of the longest and most tormenting of Halloween haunts available in the country, dare to step onto the Headless Horseman midway. First allow an ancient deck of Tarot cards foretell your doom as you embark on a mile-long hayride dotted with professionally-lit moments of haunting prophecy. If you survive your harrowing journey deep into the park, you will encounter the torturous tales of those who once called the area home. Begin by stepping in to the Lunar Motel. You may have heard of Charlie, the tormented young boy who once called the motel home, and Mr. Manson, the stepfather he loved but slaughtered. Speaking of slaughter, get through the motel and find yourself in Glutton’s Slaughterhouse where the meat looks strangely familiar. Continue through the unique, horrifying attractions, 6 haunted houses, a corn maze, and a slide show in addition to the hayride, to earn your way back to the midway.

Headless Horseman is truly a fright-filled experience that immerses you in the terror. In addition to the haunts, the park features four concession spots and four gift shops. Check here for those who couldn’t cope and fled through the emergency exits in the haunted houses. Be ready, however. You may find your way to escape the Root Cellar or the maddening In the Rabbit Hole Greenhouse, but once on the hayride or past the entrance to the corn, you are on your own—well, not really. There are plenty of…friends…waiting to greet you.

Kersey Valley Spookywoods – North Carolina

We have to admire a haunted house that grew out of the terror and fascination of a teenager. This is how our #3 haunt was created. After a fright-filled exploration of an abandoned farm house in Kersey Valley, North Carolina when he was just 15, the founder decided to start a haunted attraction—and Spookywoods was born. After more than 30 years of twisted imagination and bloody inspiration, the haunt has grown to fill nearly 60 acres of horror.

Victims of Spookywoods can choose the path of their own torment or explore all 5 of the deliciously sinister attractions this haunt has to offer. Venture into the Dark Inn, a decidedly different twist on the classic haunted house where they promise to leave the lights off for you. Talk an evening ride on the Terror Trams to get up close and personal with the road trip buddies of your nightmares. If you feel you need a bit of exercise, stay on your own two feet and step into the forest. Fright Lights lets you walk, jog, or flee in terror with only a flashlight to guide your path through the evil-infested woods. While you’re in the mood for a walk, celebrate the 10 foot high corn in the Haunted Harvest. You won’t be able to see where you are going—or who is going along with you. Feel like you need some strength after all this? You are welcome in the Cathedral of the Dead. The 50,000 square feet of walk-through maze will certainly remind you to say your prayers before bed.

The innovative minds behind this haunted house ensure even the most hard core fans are surprised each time they return to the haunt. Every year the attractions have new elements that keep you on your toes and clutching your heart. For the 21 and over crowd, make a visit to the Dark Circus for a Halloween party you’ll never forget.