Summary

  • Some haunted house attractions around the US take terror to a whole new level, catering to serious thrillseekers who crave intense scares.
  • Attractions like Bates Motel, Netherworld Haunted House, and McKamey Manor offer unique and immersive experiences that push visitors to their limits.
  • From haunted mansions to sanatoriums, there are plenty of haunted attractions across the country that will leave you scared and wanting more.

Some people just love to be scared. Whether it's watching a horror movie, visiting somewhere that allegedly has some heavy paranormal activity, or reading about some terrifying local urban legends, there are a lot of ways to be scared. For some people, that can be a ton of fun. But for people who are serious thrillseekers, truly being scared can be difficult.

So many haunted house attractions, scary movies, and creepy stories just aren't scary enough. Once you've experienced the scariest things life has to offer, everything else can start to feel a little tame. But there are some haunted house attractions around the US that take the terror to a whole new level. To see some of the most intense haunted house attractions that are not for the faint of heart, keep reading!

UPDATE: 2023/09/28 13:33 EST BY NOAH STAATS

There Are Two More Extra-Scary Haunted Houses To Check Out This Fall!

This article has been refreshed with two new haunted houses to check out THIS FALL, as well as information on tickets, the best times to go, and other valuable insights. Remember to stay with friends, avoid ghosts and monsters, and have tons of fun. Happy Halloween!

Related: Is San Diego's Whaley House Really The Most Haunted House In The USA?

14 Bates Motel, Pennsylvania

Sunset over mountains in Pennsylvania
Photo by Valeriia Kogan on Unsplash
Sunset over mountains in Pennsylvania
  • This attraction includes a wagon ride and a haunted Bates Motel walk-through.

A fun and horrifying haunted house experience to see in the US is Bates Motel, located in Delaware County, Pennsylvania. Here lies the annual event, boasting a 20-minute wagon ride through the haunted forest, which is filled with ALL NEW scary scenes, and a visit to the iconic recreation of Bates Motel. For those who have watched the countless shows and documentaries of Bates Motel, this is the perfect Halloween activity to try. There will be something for everybody here, all for $40 a person on weeknights. Tickets do sell fast as we near fall, so this is a popular attraction in the area.

Hold onto your hats, bags, and glasses: the wagon ride can get a little wild!

13 Netherworld Haunted House, Atlanta

Dorothy Chapman Fuqua Conservatory, Atlanta Botanical Garden, Atlanta, Georgia, USA.
Daderot, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0
Dorothy Chapman Fuqua Conservatory, Atlanta Botanical Garden, Atlanta, Georgia, USA.
  • This is an annual haunted house event held in the Atlanta Metro area.

Another haunted house worth checking out is the Netherworld Haunted House near Atlanta, Georgia. The backstory for this property is that Netherworld Haunted House is a self-guided, walk-through haunted attraction located near Atlanta, Georgia, in unincorporated Gwinnett County. It is a seasonal Halloween-based event that opened in 1997. What makes this property spooky is that the venue is known to defy the laws of gravity, scaring guests to their core each Halloween season. This haunted house regularly makes the scariest in the nation list, with many patrons being unable to ever return.

Yes, it's THAT scary.

12 13th Gate - Baton Rouge, Louisiana

View of Cypress trees with red leaves at University Lake, Baton Rouge LA
Depositphotos
View of Cypress trees with red leaves at University Lake, Baton Rouge Louisiana

13th Gate is a haunted house attraction located in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. The company that puts 13th Gate on has been scaring people with various different attractions since the mid-1990s. 13th Gate is one of their most recent attractions and opened its doors for the first time in 2015.

  • General Admission: $35.00

This attraction changes every year, so visitors can head through the attraction over and over again but never know what to expect. 13th Gate takes visitors through a huge dark attraction that involves 13 different areas full of people's most serious fears. From snakes to small spaces, no one is safe from being spooked.

Related: 10 Creepy Urban Legends From Around The World

11 McKamey Manor - Huntsville, Alabama

Huntsville, Alabama, USA park and downtown cityscape at twilight
Shutterstock
Huntsville, Alabama, USA park and downtown cityscape at twilight
  • Visitors will spend anywhere from 4 to 8 hours inside this haunted house.

McKamey Manor isn't your average haunted house attraction. Instead of being a short walkthrough where the visitor has jumpscares and sees creepy scenes, the visitor actually becomes part of the house. Visiting this attraction can last anywhere from four to eight hours and is considered the most intense haunted house attraction in the country.

Related: 10 Scary Locations That Inspired Movies

Visitors have to be over 21 years of age and have a letter from their doctor that states they're in "excellent" physical and mental condition. In this attraction, visitors have to sign a waiver before they spend hours living out their own survival horror movie and are part of the highly interactive attraction.

10 Erebus Haunted Attraction - Pontiac, Michigan

Erebus Haunted Attraction - Pontiac, MI
Shutterstock
The Erebus Haunted House in Pontiac, Michigan, USA.

Erebus opened for the first time in 2000. The owners have decades of experience in the horror industry and know what it takes to really scare people. From 2005 to 2009, this attraction held the record for being the longest walk-through horror attraction, and every minute of the experience was terrifying!

  • First Opened: 2000

Erebus' storyline follows a mad scientist who learned how to make time travel happen! Unfortunately, it went horribly wrong. He chose to disguise his time machine as a haunted house attraction in order to get new test subjects to come through until he could work out the bugs. Do you dare walk through Dr. Colber's laboratory?

9 The Dent School House - Cincinnati, Ohio

Maze in Cincinnati Park
Photo by Jake Blucker on Unsplash
Maze in Cincinnati Park with view of bridge.

What's creepier than an abandoned schoolhouse with a truly terrifying history? It's hard to think of anything. The Dent School House is a haunted house attraction set in a super spooky haunted house that changes every year, meaning visitors never know what to expect.

  • First Opened: 1894

According to the story of this haunted house attraction, Dent Public School opened in Cincinnati, Ohio, in 1894. The school was known for being an excellent place for parents to send their children until everything changed in 1942. Between 1942 and 1955, several students mysteriously vanished. Parents became convinced the janitor, Charlie, was somehow involved. The remains of the missing students were found in the basement, but Charlie was never found.

RELATED: The 10 Scariest Ghost Tours In America

8 ScareHouse: The Basement - Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania

The Rachel Carson Bridge across the Allegheny River, viewed from the North Shore Trail to the north of Pittsburgh.
Photo By:Sage RossCC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons
The Rachel Carson Bridge across the Allegheny River, viewed from the North Shore Trail to the north of Pittsburgh.

ScareHouse is a group of different spooky haunted houses located in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. One of the most terrifying and iconic is called The Basement. Visitors who want to experience this haunted house need to be over 18 and sign a waiver in order to enter.

  • General Admission: From $19.00

People who have been through this half-hour-long haunted house call it unnerving. It walks the visitors through several different areas where the actors push them to their limits with their scares. Visitors are encouraged to walk through the attraction solo, but groups of two are allowed.

7 Fear Overload Scream Park - San Leandro, California

FEAR OVERLOAD SCREAM PARK - SAN LEANDRO, CALIFORNIA
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Fear Overload Scream Park located in San Leandro, California, USA
  • This is a multi-faceted attraction where guests can go through multiple walkthroughs.

Fear Overload Scream Park has two different attractions that visitors can walk through. Visitors can choose between Night Terrors and The Teeth Collector, both of which are just as terrifying as they sound.

Night Terrors is set in The Hale House, a house where a family is found mangled by the things that they fear at night. In The Hale House, you're never fully awake, and you're never totally safe. The Teeth Collector is based on a dentist named Dr. Pearly. While most dentists try to fix teeth, Dr. Pearly designed a chemical that instantly rots the teeth after it's applied. In The Teeth Collector, visitors are chased by Dr. Pearly's patients - or should we say victims? - as they search for new teeth.

Want to see something spooky in the Rockies? Check out these 10 historic haunts!

6 Terror Behind The Walls - Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

The famous historical landmark, Liberty Bell, in Market Street, Center City East, Philadelphia, PA, USA
Photo by Dan Mall on Unsplash
The famous historical landmark, Liberty Bell, in Market Street, Center City East, Philadelphia, PA, USA

While most haunted house attractions are totally fake with their backstory, Terror Behind the Walls is a little different. While there are trained actors who work here in order to make sure that visitors truly feel terrified, the story that makes this location scary is anything but fictional.

  • General Admission: $34.00

Terror Behind the Walls is located within the walls of Eastern State Penitentiary, one of the most haunted places in the country. When it was still open as a prison, prisoners reported seeing and hearing unexplained things within the walls. Pair that history with the actors that bring this attraction to life, and you're in for a serious scare.

These are the most haunted places on the East Coast.

5 New Orleans Nightmare - New Orleans, Louisiana

The French Quarter in downtown New Orleans lit up at night, New Orleans, Louisiana, USA
Shutterstock / f11photo
The French Quarter in downtown New Orleans lit up at night, New Orleans, Louisiana, USA

House of Shock was a haunted house attraction that was known for being a truly terrifying experience in New Orleans for over two decades. It was founded by Pantera frontman Phil Anselmo in the 1990s, so you know it was intense. After they closed down for good in 2017, their website directed interested visitors to New Orleans Nightmare, the new attraction that opened in House of Shock's former location.

  • General Admission: From $24.99

New Orleans Nightmare features three different haunted house attractions and a series of mini escape room games for visitors to experience. The attractions are changed every year, so even repeat visitors won't know what to expect.

Related: 10 Haunted Airbnb In America You Can Actually Book

4 Blood Manor - New York, New York

pexels-tatiana-castrillon-kayaking-nyc
Photo by Tatiana Castrillon vis Pexels 
It's possible to go kayaking in New York City during warmer months.

Blood Manor is a haunted house attraction located in New York City, New York. This attraction gained extra attention after Jimmy Kimmel and Kevin Heart visited it on the show and were totally terrified.

  • General Admission: $40.00

The attraction lasts about 20 minutes and claims to be the scariest haunted house attraction in New York. The attraction is super dark, and each of the different rooms in this attraction has a different theme. From terrifying neon clowns to zombies, the different rooms and sections are designed to scare everyone who walks through.

The Catskills Mountains are also a spooky New York location to see this fall.

3 Blackout - New York, New York and Los Angeles, California

Echo Park Lake in Los Angeles, California, USA
Photo by Gerson Repreza on Unsplash
Echo Park Lake in Los Angeles, California, USA
  • This haunted house attraction opens in major cities, including NYC and Los Angeles.

Blackout is a haunted house attraction that opened its doors in New York, New York, for the first time in 2009. Since then, they've expanded to also have a location in Los Angeles, California, and a 2016 documentary examining the inner workings of the location was released.

Visitors have to sign a waiver before they're allowed into Blackout. They're also asked about the things that scare them most and are sent through the attraction completely alone. Because of this, the actors are able to tailor the experience to each individual visitor, making the experience completely personal and immersive.

2 The Winchester Mystery House - San Jose, California

Winchester Mystery House in San Jose California
Image by Egor Shitikov from Pixabay 
Winchester Mystery House in San Jose California

One of the most haunted places in the nation is the famous Winchester Mystery House. It is a mansion in San Jose that was built by the widow of the firearms magnate William Wirt Winchester Sarah Winchester. After the death of her husband, she built the incredibly odd Victorian and Gothic-style mansion for the ghosts of those killed with their Winchester rifles.

  • Mansion Tour: $41.99 (Adult)

The house became a tourist destination just nine months after her death in 1922. Today is it one of the top haunted attractions on the West Coast. It is open to the public and offers a range of guided tours and other activities.

1 St. Albans Sanatorium - Virginia

St. Albans Sanatorium and Haunted House
Jason Lincoln Lester / Shutterstock
St. Albans Sanatorium and Haunted House

One of the most haunted attractions on the East Coast is St. Albans Sanatorium. There are many reports of the paranormal and ghosts in this spooky building. It was first a Lutheran School that was infamous for bullying that drove students to suicide. It went on to become a cruel psychiatric infirmary.

  • Opening Hours: 7.00 pm to 12.00 am
  • General Admission: $20.00

The infirmary shut down in the 1990s, and today it is a haunted attraction not for the faint-hearted. Private investigations are also available, and families should note that there is an age restriction for those 10 and over.

The Hawthorne Hotel in Salem is another super-creepy place to see this autumn.

Next: 10 Haunted Highways That Will Make You Want To Drive Faster