While some people look forward to fall for the pumpkin spice lattes and watching the leaves turn, others are excited about spooky season. Finding the perfect Halloween costume, decorating the house, watching scary movies, and, of course, finding the nearest frights are the perfect ways to celebrate. From visiting a haunted campground, hotel to checking out a haunted bar, there are plenty of ways to get your ghoul on. Hauntworld Magazine, the world’s largest directory of haunted houses and horror attractions, found the 13 best haunted houses in the United States. These frights are not the haunted houses in your neighborhood. Don’t be surprised if you have to sign a waiver to enter.
Photo: The Dent School House
The 13 Scariest Haunted Houses and Attractions You Can Go This Year
The third best haunted house in the ranking is HellsGate in Lockport, Illinois. This haunted house is located 57 miles outside Chicago, deep in the woods. The set uses 40 rooms and more than 150 actors, but this year, guests can expect a new skit that’s set in a haunted prison with characters that are sure to fright you.
In second place is 13th Gate in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. Guests wind through a maze of 13 haunted scenes with everything from a life-like pirate ship, to hidden passages filled with live snakes, to an old abandoned asylum, to a zombie-infested graveyard. This haunted house is known for getting bigger and better every year.
This year, Hauntworld Magazine has crowned the Pennhurst Asylum in Spring City, Pennsylvania, as the scariest place to be. Going just 45 minutes outside of Philadelphia will transport you to another world where you’re swarmed by monsters and killers, only to find your way into the Morgue. If you escape, you’ll find yourself in The Tunnels, where no one can hear you scream. Actors are allowed to touch you in this haunted fright, making for one of the most realistic horrors you’ll find.
The 13 most terrifying haunted houses and attractions in the US
- Pennhurst Asylum in Spring City, Pennsylvania – opening on September 24
- 13th Gate in Baton Rouge, Louisiana – opening on September 30
- HellsGate in Lockport, Illinois – opening on September 30
- The Darkness in St. Louis, Missouri opening on September 24
- Eloise Asylum in Westland, Michigan – opening on September 17
- The Dent Schoolhouse in Cincinnati, Ohio — opening on September 16
- Bennett’s Curse in Baltimore County, Maryland – opening on September 30
- Kersey Valley Spooky Woods in Archdale, North Carolina – opening on September 24
- Headless Horseman Haunted Attractions in Ulster Park, New York – opening on September 24
- Hundred Acres Manor in Bethel Park, Pennsylvania – opening on September 9
- Georgetown Morgue in Seattle — opening on September 23
- Salt Lake Fear Factory in Salt Lake City – opening on September 9
- Factory of Terror in Canton, Ohio – opening on September 23
Or you could save yourself the nightmares and enjoy Hocus Pocus at home. It’s your decision, though. 