7 ‘Killer’ Haunted Houses Guaranteed To Scare The Piss Out Of You This Halloween

The Halloween season comes to us with promises of screams, suspense and scares and nothing delivers them in quite the way that a great haunted house does. Year after year, innovations in the industry have brought scare-lovers more elaborate, psychological and inventive experiences – and 2014 is no different.

Brighton Asylum in Passaic, NJ

The Brighton Asylum was used for housing mental patients in the 1940s. Today, it’s an attraction that uses dedicated actors, clever lighting, and frightening sets, all completely housed within the old haunted asylum. Commit yourself to an experience of pure terror.

Haunted Hoochie at Dead Acres in Pataskala, OH

Dead Acres’ Haunted Hoochie is billed as an “extreme” haunted house experience. What does that mean? It means bring a change of underwear. You will be touched, you will get shoved, you will be threatened with a chainsaw, you will see gruesome scenes acted out and you will be hunted down by manic clowns in a 3-D maze.

The 13th Gate in Baton Rouge, LA

At The 13th Gate you’ll find yourself trying to escape from a crematory oven, walking over a rickety bridge that hangs precariously over hundreds of real live snakes, and much more. During the off-season, a year-round crew of movie construction professionals is busy building terrifying sets. During the season, 100 professional actors, and a team of makeup artists and costume specialists work to create the perfect scares.

The Blackout Experience in New York, NY and Los Angeles, CA

This isn’t so much a haunted house as it is a viscerally immersive horror theater. It’s for 18+ only and you must sign a waiver. Safe words are necessary because physical contact, nudity, edibles and submersion in water are a part of the experience. One guy who has been to numerous events has reported to have been rolled naked in a sheet of plastic, abducted in a van, and forced to walk barefoot down a hallway covered with used condoms. Only for the hardcore haunted house and horror veteran.

ScareHouse in Pittsburgh, PA

This haunted house joined forces with Legendary Entertainment (the Dark Knight trilogy, Pacific Rim, etc.) to create a horror experience unlike any other. Guillermo del Toro visited it last season and said, “I could live here!” But enough name-dropping, watch this insane video trailer and see for yourself.

The Walking Dead: End of the Line in Orlando, FL

The words, “Walking Dead-inspired haunted house” may be enough to convince most people to shamble over to the attraction, but this isn’t your average haunted house experience – even by Walking Dead standards. You’re a survivor, trying to get to Terminus, and you’ll have to traverse a correctional facility that’s been overrun by walkers. The lights-on experience features huge sets, scores of actors, and plenty of references to season 4 of the AMC show, both subtle and not-so-subtle.

Bennett’s Curse in Jessup, MD

The three incredible haunted houses make up Bennett’s Curse: The Medieval Underworld has a variety of grotesque monsters and elaborate sets; the production, “The Inferno in 3D”, leads guests through the Gates of Hell, where they descend into the inferno, enter a hellish circle for every sin and face judgment and damnation; and an experience called “The Sanctuary of Insanity” is an asylum haunted by an evil entity where you are “committed” and need to find your way out.

Of course, this isn’t a complete list, so tell us, what’s the best haunted house around where you live?

Haunted House image by Shutterstock