The 50 Best Haunted Houses in America

Halloween is about eating as much candy as possible, of course, but more than that, it's about getting scared silly. And the best way to get a real fright is to visit a haunted house. They're designed to scare people stiff, and you can bring your friends and family with you to make a fun fright night out of it. Curious which haunted house to visit this Halloween? Our friends over at Yelp crunched the numbers and reviews to bring you the best haunted houses in every state. (Note: For a few states—Alaska, Maine, Nebraska, North Dakota, South Dakota, and Wyoming—we used our own research to find the spookiest digs). Enter if you dare!

What makes the Insantiarum Haunted Attraction the best haunted house experience in Alabama? The fact that it's actually a haunted house. "Almost every Insantarium worker has experienced something unexplained [in the house]," the official website points out. On Yelp, one satisfied customer notes that the Pinson-based attraction is so realistic that "the group of adults [they] were with chickened out and asked for an exit." Enter at your own risk!

As far as Alaskan residents are concerned, Fright Nite Haunted House, located in Anchorage's Northway Mall, is the best spooky attraction in the state. According to reviews on The Scare Factor, it has everything from It to a Nightmare on Elm Street-themed chamber. People who have experienced the haunted house in the past say that "there were times [they] felt like [they] should run for [their] life."

If you live in Arizona, then you need to make a trip to The Bisbee Seance Room. This haunted experience is truly unlike any other: It's a theatrical seance run by Magic Kenny Bang Bang in the historic town of Bisbee, Arizona.

If your Halloween horror of choice is ghosts and paranormal activity, then this is a must-see this season. One Yelp user named Kevin C. raves that "Kenny mixes some Bisbee history with a variety of parlor tricks and seemingly mind-reading kind of stuff." Prepare to be amazed (and horrified)!

Behold The Torture Chamber, the creepiest (and best) haunted house in all of Arkansas. According to its website, it's "a twisted maze of medical mayhem and radical torture of those that have never made it through."

What adds to its creepy factor is the fact that the haunted house is located just a few blocks from the Saline County Jailhouse. Following a visit to The Torture Chamber, one Yelper named Amber L. said that "it was full of thrills, chills, and terror." Ah—just the way we like it!

Whether you're from sunny Santa Monica or the northern city of San Francisco, try to make an effort to head to San Diego to visit Savage House. Since it opened in 2010, it's been California's go-to haunted attraction with "a storyline fit for [a] horror film," as the website puts it. People who have experienced Savage House in the past note on Yelp that it's interactive, unique, and super spooky.

Unfortunately, Savage House is taking the 2019 season off, but while you wait for it to reopen in 2020, you can check out other great haunted houses in California like The Haunted Hotel in San Diego or Raisin Hell Ranch in Madera.

If clowns and haunted circuses are the stuff of your nightmares, then you need to add Hellscream Haunted House to your list of places to visit. Located in Colorado Springs, this horrifying horror experience centers around Jack Slaughter, the sole surviving owner of the Slaughter Brothers Circus who "was last seen evading capture with his band of murderous clowns by fleeing into the festering sewers and torturous catacombs beneath the now-infamous Von Helton Manor," as the attraction's website explains.

The best part? This haunted house also has three escape room adventures, so you can gather some friends and turn your eerie experience into a thrilling and chilling time if you so desire.

Named one of the best haunted Halloween attractions by Connecticut Magazine, the Trail of Terror is an absolute must-see. The award-winning outdoor attraction in Wallingford, Connecticut, is a 50- to 60-minute traverse through, well, a whole lot of terror—and as far as Yelpers are concerned, it's "the best haunted trail around."

Frightland, located in Middletown, Delaware, is more than just a haunted house—it's four. And not only that, but there's also a two-mile haunted hayride, an amusement park, and a creepy cemetery! Yes, Frightland has it all, so it's not hard to see why Yelpers go crazy every year for this scream park.

Zombie paintball. A clown-infested beer garden. An interactive prison with prisoners on the loose. These are just some of the things you can experience at Scream-A-Geddon, Florida's No. 1 site for fear-inducing fun.

"If you wanna get spooked, this is the place to do it," Yelper Alyssa B. writes. "I've gone three years in a row and it never disappoints."

Voted one of the best Halloween attractions by the Travel Channel in 2014 and 2015, Stone Mountain's Netherworld Haunted House is full of spooky surprises. When you visit, you can choose whether you want to do the Night of the Gorgon experience, the Cold Blooded experience, or one of the four escape rooms.

Even a sunny, tropical state like Hawaii has its fair share of horrific attractions for Halloween. And if you're looking to experience the best one in the state, then look no further than Nightmares Live in Honolulu.

"The quality of their scenes is top notch, and their actors [do] a great job [throughout] the attraction," notes Yelper Jacob N. "You can tell that the layout of the whole attraction is well thought out, and the scare plan [is] executed perfectly."

Spooky, thrilling, and bone-chillingly scary, Haunted Mansions of Albion is "the largest indoor/outdoor haunted production in the Northwest," as the official website boasts. In addition to several haunted houses, the attraction also includes palm readings, fire throwers, and delicious seasonal treats—and it's all located on an old, abandoned college campus. Freaky!

"Out of all other haunts I've been to in Illinois, this remains my fave," writes Yelp user Nancy L. about Dungeon of Doom Haunted House in Zion, Illinois. This 60-minute horror experience is "the place where nightmares loom," so only go "if you're looking for an experience that will leave a dark stain upon your soul," its website warns.

"I pride myself on my extensive knowledge and experience with haunted houses in the area, but The Thirteen Hour is just different in the best way possible," writes Yelp user Rachel W. "The intricate sets, detailed and committed storyline, everything about it is perfect!" With such a rave review, it's no wonder this Indianapolis haunted attraction, which houses three distinct experiences, is the best spooky spot in the state.

The Slaughterhouse is the best haunted house in all of Iowa and there's a simple reason for that: It's based on a true story. The Des Moines attraction revolves around the Biggs Family, a real family of cannibals who wreaked havoc throughout North America in the 1850s. Get ready to run!ae0fcc31ae342fd3a1346ebb1f342fcb

Located in Bonner Springs, Kansas, Exiled—Trail of Terror is a mile-long haunted hike "infested by … deranged freaks," as the eerie attraction's website puts it. If creatures creeping up behind you in the middle of the woods at night freaks you out—and why wouldn't it?—then you'll definitely enjoy this excursion that Yelp user Allison W. called "the best haunt I have ever experienced."

The Waverly Hills Sanatorium is an abandoned, historic medical building once used to treat tuberculosis patients. Known as one of the most haunted places on Earth, the Louisville site now hosts a haunted house experience every year that's easily one of the spookiest and most surreal in the state. Even if you aren't able to head to the sanatorium during Halloween, Yelpers note that the night tours that take place year-round are equally spooky and full of paranormal activity.

The 13th Gate is an ultra-realistic, 40,000-square-foot haunted house known for its chillingly precise details in Baton Rouge. However, it's also an escape room, a carnival, a concert venue, and more. Let's just say that when you partake in this experience, you certainly get your money's worth.

Voted the top haunted house in Maine in 2018 by FrightFind, Destination Haunt is your one-stop-shop for all things scary. The outdoor attraction takes you through several spooky experiences ranging from The Execution Center to Clown Town. As one happy customer notes in a review on the attraction's official site, "There's really no haunted trail, ride, or house that beats it!"

Unfortunately, the top-rated haunted house on Yelp in Maryland—Ocean City Screams Haunted House—shuttered its doors in spring 2019. However, the company behind the attraction has another haunted experience in the state that's still open for business: Field of Screams Maryland. The 40-acre compound in Olney—which features a Slaughter Factory haunted house, catacombs, a carnival, and two haunted trails—was ranked the No. 1 scream park by both The Washington Post and The Baltimore Sun.

Have you ever dreamed of experiencing 20,000 square feet of hair-raising horror? Well, if you live in Massachusetts then you can at DementedFX, a Holyoke-based haunted house experience that features monsters and ghouls inside an "immoral medical laboratory." The top tier sound effects, interactive videos, and Hollywood-level sets and props make this haunted house a Halloween must-visit.

"This isn't your typical strip mall haunt in the middle of the city," reads one five-star review for Rotten Manor, Yelp's top-rated haunted house in Michigan. "This building was made for the SOLE purpose for haunting. Worth the drive from anywhere." Between the "eerie, quaint setting" and the "classic haunted look" of the building it's housed in, it's no wonder this haunted house  in Holly is so heavily frequented by Michigan residents!

What could possibly be scary about a place called Pinehaven Farm? Well, blanket the farm in the darkness of night and throw in some "cryogenic blasts, explosions, and over-the-top pyrotechnics" and what you have is a haunted hayride that's as scary as it is impressive. Over on Yelp, one user named Katy T. described the ordeal as "a terrifying, detailed haunted house—no, village—no, a world of horrors."

If you live in Mississippi and are looking for a fright this season, then check out The Tupelo Haunted Castle. In addition to the spooky castle attraction it's named for, it also features two other attractions, one of which forces you to "navigate an ever-changing labyrinth full of scares and surprises" and the other of which "is an interactive haunt experience … that puts you in control of the horror."

Macabre Cinema Haunted House, a 1930s movie theatre located in Kansas City, Missouri, features four floors of clowns, zombies, and more. The attraction is filled with movie sets from classic horror flicks like The Mummy, Hellraiser, and Killer Clowns from Outer Space, so if you're a cinephile, you'll especially love this experience from Full Moon Productions.

You know those scenes in horror movies where the main character is running through a field of cornstalks and you have to brace yourself for someone or something horrifying that's definitely about to pop up? Well, at Field of Screams in Victor, Montana, this nightmare of a scenario comes to life. The attraction features a creepy walk through cornstalks, swamps, graveyards, and clown-infested playgrounds—and at any point, you might just run into the chainsaw-wielding man who haunts the fields during Halloween.

Voted one of the best haunted experiences in Omaha by both Omaha Magazine and The Dodge Voice, Scary Acres is three terrifying attractions packaged into one. Between the Master's Castle, the House on the Hill, and the Haunted Woods, you are guaranteed to leave this 20-acre park feeling twice as terrified as when you arrived.

Las Vegas Haunts is home to both the Asylum Haunted House and the Hotel Fear Haunted House. If you want to do both, you can get a combo ticket for just $27. Just be warned: Yelp user Christine G. notes that the haunted houses "made [her] scream, jump, and almost pee [her] pants at every turn."

Do you fear an unexplainable apocalypse? Is a circus full of crazed clowns the stuff of nightmares for you? Do you live in fear of encountering an abandoned, haunted farmhouse? Whatever your deepest, darkest fears may be, you can be sure that they will be brought to life at Fright Kingdom, by far New Hampshire's best haunted experience. People travel from all over New England just to experience its superb special effects and above-average actors.

The Brighton Asylum is a walk-through haunted attraction housed in an actual former insane asylum. Whether you want to do an eerie escape room or go on a terrifying ghost tour, you'll find plenty to do at this abandoned asylum in Passaic, New Jersey.

Every year, Quarantine ABQ tackles a new theme in their participatory, immersive, and totally freaky live show experience in Albuquerque. In 2019, the show is titled Fantasmagoria, and it takes audience members through the Victorian-era Caligari house, where secrets are hidden inside every wall.

Yelp user Howie K., who has attended other Quarantine productions in the past, notes that this year, "the set is impressive, the storyline more involved than ever, [and the] acting is sharp and intense—you're going to see a play that literally moves."

Though there are plenty of haunted houses in New York City, the top-rated haunted house in New York is located on Long Island in Wading River. It's called Darkside Haunted House, and Yelpers note that "everything else is a waste of money" compared to it.

When you visit Haunted Forest at Panic Point, North Carolina's haven for horror fiends, expect to be overwhelmed by its six haunted attractions and 30 unique scenes. Between the signature Haunted Forest, the Menacing Maze, and the cornfield experience known as Killers in the Corn, rest assured that you'll leave this Youngsville-based experience feeling adequately frightened.

History meets horror at Haunted Fort, the haunted house experience that takes place annually at the supposedly ghost-infested Fort Lincoln. Voted the "top haunt" in North Dakota by FrightFind, this historic site is well worth the visit if you're looking for a surreal scare.

What could possibly be scary about a schoolhouse? Well, this one in Akron, Ohio, is haunted by Ms. Alvah, a librarian who "learned spells that forced her students to literally enter, and become a part of each and every terrifying tale." If you're a bibliophile with a penchant for being petrified, then make sure to head to Akron before the end of the Halloween season.

In Tulsa, Oklahoma, you'll find the state's spookiest seasonal activity: the Psycho Path Haunted Attraction. On your 20-minute journey, you'll walk through heavily haunted woods and a 4,160-square-foot haunted house. As Yelp user Shane G. aptly put it, "come see for yourself—if you dare."

At Fearlandia, you have two options: You can either venture into Asgard and fight gods and monsters on a quest for Oden's Eye, or you can enter into the pitch blackness that is Into the Dark and hope that you don't run into the "creepy crawly 'things'" lurking around. Whichever experience you choose, you're sure to have a terrifyingly great time.

You know a haunted house is good when people are traveling hours from out of state just to visit it. And that's precisely the case with Hotel of Horror, a terrifying paranormal walkthrough experience located in a 200-year-old "abandoned" Pocono Mountain resort. At the haunted hotel, you can also experience Altered Nightmares, an attraction that shows you "what really happens when it's time for your journey through the gates."

Given that it's the longest-running haunted house in New England, it's no wonder that Haunted Labyrinth is the best-rated haunted house on Yelp. As user Stephanie G. noted, "the actors, set design, darkness, strobe lights, and dark rooms with unclear entries and exits made for lots of surprises." The theme changes annually, so you're always in for a new trick (or treat, depending on how you look at it) when you visit this haunted house.

Myrtle Beach is more than just a seaside town where you can swim, surf, and tan. During the Halloween season, it's also home to Nightmare Haunted House, South Carolina's premier destination for petrifying fun. If you're a fan of zombie horror films, then this haunted house is a must-visit.

If you're looking for a spooky South Dakota-based experience this Halloween, then you can't do better than Rapid City's Terror in the Dark Haunted House. Voted the state's No. 1 haunted attraction by Best Things South Dakota, this haunted house maze features ghosts, vampires, zombies, and ghouls sneakily creeping around a fog-filled building.

The Mysterious Mansion in Gaitlinburg, Tennessee, is a haunted mansion filled with secret passageways, undead creatures, and other spooky surprises. As Yelper Logan M. explains, "secret doorways, scary scenes, and the actors who work here … make you scream [and] jump."

Whether you opt to partake in the Lost Pines Asylum experience or the paranormal Wicked Darkness maze, Scream Hollow Wicked Halloween Park is sure to give you a fright. Even one Yelper who hasn't been frightened by a horror movie since childhood says that "Scream Hollow did get screams out of [her]."

Whether your innermost fear is crazed clowns or haunted castles, there's something for everyone at Salt Lake City's Nightmare on 13th. As Yelper Mylan D.describes it, "you have zombies coming to life, machined animals popping out of closets, scary masks with chainsaws, and people holding butcher knives."

When you visit Dead North Vermont, you get to trek through a haunted cornfield full of undead residents until you're scared silly. This haunted experience is so popular that most years, it sells out when tickets first go on sale in the summer. Mark your calendar for July 2020 if you want to try it out next year!

Shocktober, located in Leesburg, Virginia, takes place on Carlheim Manor. As legend has it, the former owner of the estate, Dale Carlheim, once stumbled upon (and accidentally disturbed) some unmarked graves on the property, and ever since, there have been strange and unexplainable occurrences on the grounds. Welcome to Camp Carlheim!

"I've gone to this haunted house at least five times and this year [2019] was hands down the BEST!" writes Yelp user Samantha V. about Fright Factory Haunted House, located in Buckley. So run, don't zombie walk, if you want to experience all this Washington haunted house has in store!

Unsurprisingly, West Virginia's top haunted attraction is located on a farm. But it's far from typical! Fear on the Farm has a Blood Mary-themed haunted house, two motion simulator rides, a creepy coffin ride, an escape room experience, zombie laser tag, and more. It's no surprise Yelp user J E Smokey C. calls the transformed farm "a must stop on anyone's list [who] likes this kind of stuff."

If you're a Wisconsin resident, then you need to visit the Wisconsin Feargrounds while you still can. Sadly, this top-rated haunted attraction is closing its doors after this season, so 2019 is your last chance to fight off the witch sisters of Anarchy and escape the haunted Labyrinth.

For three decades now, the Nightmare on 17th Street Haunted House has brought thousands of visitors to Cheyenne, Wyoming. Voted the top haunted house in Wyoming by FrightFind, this haunted house is located in an actual haunted location: the Knights of Pythias building, where paranormal activity has been reported ever since a coffin was unearthed behind a trap door! And for more on this spooky season, here are 25 Eye-Opening Ways Halloween Has Changed in Just 25 Years.