Spooky Season is Here: The 21 Best Haunted Houses in the US

We’ll start with the place considered to be the scariest haunted house in America. Ladies and gentlemen, the Headless Horseman. Located in Ulster Park, New York, the Headless Horseman is apparently the place where “horror lives.” Shadows that may or may not be your own follow you along with other surprises, and you are not allowed to stop, run, or hide. The theme of the house is a cemetery too, so then there’s that scary element as well.

Other attractions in the Headless Horseman include: The Lunar Motel where you’ll have to deal with more shadows and unpleasant children looking for revenge, The Nightshade Greenhouse where the most grotesque things happen, Gluttons Dinner and Slaughterhouse which the name itself pretty much tells you everything you need to know, and plenty more.

There’s also tons of local attractions and eateries in the area as well to check out.

Up next is the Creepy Hollow Haunted House in Houston,Texas. First of all, it should be of note that some people actually consider Creepy Hollow to be the scariest haunted house in America, which means it's pretty darn scary.

There’s three haunted attractions which are: the 288 Scare Factory which is “ground zero” of the Zombie Apocalypse, the Dark Woods where you are essentially fighting off a caretaker with burned flesh, and Pitch Black, where most people don’t make it through. If you’re in Houston and up for the challenge, maybe you can be one of the few that do (Vincent Price “Thriller” laugh).

Now we’re going to take it to the abyss of Stone Mountain, Georgia, an almost maniacal haunted house that features live actors, monsters, and special effects. As far as attractions go, there’s something called The Undying Horror, the life that brings you death, and The Parasitic, which is a plant-based life form that has gone bonkers. Netherworld Haunted House also has a Monster Museum, and a couple of escape rooms to check out as well. 

Most of you are already familiar with Bates Motel, so it should come as no surprise that there is an actual Bates Motel Haunted House. Located Glen Mills, Pennsylvania, the Bates Haunted House also has a strong case for being the best in the USA. Let’s take a look at what they have to offer shall we? For starters, there’s going to be some major updates for 2022.

At the moment their official website isn’t revealing a ton of information on those new updates (probably because they want some element of it to be a surprise), but we do know that the haunted house has previously featured the Haunted Hayride, a 25-minute horror ride through Arasapha Farm, a show called Revenge of the Scarecrows, and plenty more. Let us know if you visit this Halloween season to see the new updates.

Now let’s take it all the way to Canton, Ohio where the Factory of Terror is located. Deemed as Ohio’s best haunted house, the Factory of Terror has also been working hard over the summer to add new updates to their attractions. The final attraction in the house has gotten a complete makeover, and is now known as the “Abyss.”

And since it’s brand new, we’ll have to tap in with you guys later on to see how much it’s changed. The Factory of Terror is also offering three new bars this year, which is a genius idea because something tell us you’ll probably need a couple of drinks after being scared to death.

Have mercy. This is a state-of-the-art haunted house in Westland, Michigan modeled like an asylum with out of this world production and horror to match. You can choose to be a part of a Paranormal investigation where you investigate the odd activities going on in the asylum.

You could also opt to participate in the Escape Room Asylum where you have to find out who exactly is in the haunted house with you, or you could take a Haunted Tour if you wish. There’s no details listed under the Haunted Tour section of the Eloise Asylum website. Make of that what you will.

For eleven out of twelve months of the year, Knott’s Berry Farm is a nice, friendly, and peaceful place in Buena Park, California, but legend has it that in October, Knott’s Berry turns scary. While we tend to think of Haunted Houses has being outside, Knott’s bring the terror and horror to the outdoors where you are greeted with haunted mazes and grotesque creatures at every twist and turn.

Now let’s head down to Baton Rouge, Louisiana where you can find 13th Gate Haunted House, where you have to make your way through thirteen horrifying realms little by little, drop by drop. And you have to do it in 60 minutes or else…we seriously don’t know what happens once time expires.

What we do know, however, is that you have to play the role of an independent archaeologist (think Lara Croft and Indiana Jones), and crack codes, solve puzzles, and uncover mysteries in order to escape. Sounds scary to us.

A haunted house, but make it 3D. Located right in the heart of St. Louis, Missouri, The Darkness has been scaring the living daylights out of people for almost thirty years, and has their 2022 festivities listed as their “scariest so far.” There’s a total of twelve attractions, which include the Lemp Haunted House which is designed to make you SCREAM, the 5 Minute Coffin Escape which we have to assume involves some sort of activity with a coffin, and the Creepyworld Haunted House which is just…creepy.

If you thought the Eloise Asylum was crazy, then you’ll probably find Terror Behind the Walls even crazier. This is actually a haunted prison (yes a real prison). Located in Philadelphia, you can make your way through the various different haunted houses which include the Delirium, a 3D trippy haunted experience through a sketchy neon jungle, and the Machine Shop, which is filled with evil.

There’s even an option to add a VIP experience in, which grants you admission to the Speakeasy at Al Capone’s cell. This has been described by visitors as an experience, and it definitely seems to be just that.

Voted as being one of the spookiest haunted houses on the planet, the Salt Lake City Fear Factory is full of fear, with six buildings and two underground passageways (both look equally terrifying). There’s also an opportunity to get on the Zombie bus, which personally escorts you to the house adding to the fun, plus a hundred plus live actors that are part of the plan to scare you. On top of that, the SLC Factory has been featured on television and in movies. 

Located in Angola, NY, Everhaunt offers a wide range of haunted attractions including the Delaware Creek Estate where terror lurks around every creepy corner, and the Rosewood County Asylum where the patients have taken over completely. Adding to the creep factor is the multiple elevators where you'll never truly know what's awaiting you on each tour. Everhaunt also offers other attractions such as their Escape from Frankenstein VR experience, and their five minute escape game called "Escape from Holland." Whatever you choose, you'll be sure to have a good ole time at Everhaunt.

If you're in the Uptown Charlotte area this October, you'll get a thrill out of Morehead's Haunted Tavern, which a pop-up bar and haunted house exhibit. Multiple scare zones accompany the exhibit,  Live Ghost, Goblins, Masked Murders, Gravestones, Bats, Spiderwebs, Shaking coffin, Ghoulish Grandma, and more. When you're done checking out the scare zones you can grab a drink to calm your nerves, making it a fun night for you and your friends/family. Beginning Oct. 5, Morehead’s Haunted Tavern will offer multiple scare zones for taking timeless social media photos, spooky cocktails, appetizers and live DJs every weekend through Halloween with proceeds benefitting Big Brothers Big Sisters of Central Carolinas.

Located in Salt Lake City, the objective of Nightmare on 13th, is to make your way through thirteen different nightmares from the Black Water attraction which takes you back to the origins of Swamp Blood, all the way to I-Scream where killer clowns have taken over an ice cream factory. In addition to the 13 terrors, there's also a separate attraction called the Institute of Terror, where you'll have to deal with unhinged patients running around an asylum. Fun stuff!

A Petrified Forest is considered to be one of the best haunted houses in the US. The house has three different eery themes to mix and mingle your way through, plus other fun activities such as a guided backstage tour of how they put everything together, and a laser tag if you want to have some additional fun and making your way through the haunted house. If you're in or nearby the Alamonte Springs area this Halloween, make sure to stop by A Petrified Forest.

If you're looking to get your socks knocked off by life actors determined to scare the bejezus out of you, the Midnight Terror Haunted House does the job quite nicely with attractions such as the Factory of Malum, which is a former prosperous factory turned into a literal nightmare, and the Black Oak Grove The Mark of Willow, which is about a small midwestern town now being haunted by a demonic lady named Willow. You'll definitely get the full creepy experience at the Midnight Terror Haunted House for sure.

Featuring six haunted houses, three secret bars, and more, Bayville Scream Park is full of adventures as you maneuver your way through the Bloodworth Haunted Mansion where you'll have to deal with a twisted scientist named Dr. Bascombe, all the way to The Temple of Terror where it's all on you retrieve stolen jewels if you want to live to see another day. Described as being an "amazing haunting experience," the park also features places to eat so that way you can fully recover after the madness.

Located in Cincinnati, OH is The Dent School House, where you'll have to deal with an old school being haunted by a janitor who's already killed several students. In addition to the haunted house, you can also checkout their Christmas Nightmare attraction where you'll "find out what it means to celebrate Christmas and Halloween on the same day," along with other events such as ghost tours and behind the scenes tours. The Dent School House is consistently ranked as one of the best haunted house in the United States, so you'll certainly have a spooked out time.

If the name Reaper's Revenge sounds creepy, that's because it is creepy. You'll start with the Haunted Hayride Attraction, which features 66 acres of dark trails and darker creatures as you climb aboard a tractor-pulled hay wagon. Then you'll make your way through other attractions such as the Lost Carnival, a sideshow full of freaks, clowns, and other characters, along with the Deilrium, where you have to enter an altered reality. Reaper's Revenge definitely delivers on the creep richter scale.

The monsters await you over at Frightmare Manor, where you'll be greeted by ghost, ghouls, skeletons, and more. Voted one of the scariest haunted houses in the US, the main attraction of the Manor, set in the original plantation house of American Serial Killer Jeremiah Lexer and his family. It's not a joke, you are actually stepping into the home of one of the first known serial killers in the United States. There's also other attractions such as the Backwoods, which is a kill structure that walks you through how Lexer used to torment his victims. Understandably, this one might be too much for some, but if you can handle the disturbing nature then go for it.

As somebody who recently attended Fright Fest I can tell you that once again the attraction delivered. In addition to the multiple creepy creatures that pop up out of nowhere as you're walking through the park and chase you, there's also multiple haunted houses scattered throughout the theme park, with each giving you a different experience. My favorite was the Saw haunted house, which is based on the latest film that just got released. You'll be walking through hospitals, abandoned bathrooms with people crying out for help, and more. Very cool and very creepy.