“Over the past 20 years, haunted houses have grown from small ‘mom and pop’ events on Halloween weekend to massive, full-fledged destination scream parks that open in mid-September and run through early November. Today, haunts are comparable to Hollywood productions, as they have become elaborate and immersive to create an authentic experience for visitors,” said Patrick Konopelski, board member of industry group the Haunted Attraction Association (HAA) via a release.
I know just what he means: last fall I did a roundup of “10 Great Halloween Haunted House Attractions Across The U.S.” here at Forbes.com, and one memorable visit was the House of Shock in New Orleans. Far more than a mere “haunted house,” House of Shock was started by Phil Anselmo, front man for heavy metal rock group Pantera, and two friends, in one of their backyards. After initial success, it moved to one of their grandmother’s backyards for more room, then a rented warehouse, and now 22 years later it has been rated the Number One haunted attraction in the country by an industry publication, gets thousands of loyal visitors each weekend, and resembles a county fair devoted to gore, a small village with retail area, games, bar, restaurant, and the main event, which includes a live pyrotechnic stage show, followed by a walk through the House and more than a dozen elaborate Hollywood-style sets, ranging from a zombie infest graveyard to Satanic Church, complete with live actors and automated creeps. Despite its impressive run and long success, House of Shock is coming to an end after more than two decades - this is the final season and curtain call for the soon to close attraction.
Not quite Bugs Bunny: This Halloween, characters like this will welcome visitors to ScareHouse,a... [+]
But across the globe, the scare business is doing so well it’s scary: according to HAA, it’s a $6 billion worldwide industry with some 2,500 creepy attractions. In the U.S., a poll by the National Retail Federation says that just over 20% of Americans - more than one in five - plans to visit a spooky attraction this year. These run the gamut from family friendly “haunted” corn mazes to elaborate temporary haunted houses or warehouses like House of Shock to after-hour scare nights at major theme parks, like Halloween Horror Nights at Universal Studios in Florida, California and Singapore. With most haunted houses opening the last week of September or first week of October and running just through Halloween, that’s a short, sweet and scary window for thrill seekers.
I haven’t been able to run around the country checking out scary haunts this year, so I asked the experts at the Haunted Attraction Association for a list of their best picks by region, plus top alternatives, augmented with a few of my own thoughts. Make sure to check out last year’s Top 10 Haunted slideshow as well, since most of those are still valid:
Terror Behind the Walls, in an actual defunct Philadelphia prison, is one of the largest and most... [+]
New England: Nightmare New England, Litchfield, NH. Five different themed haunted attractions, plus food, drink, go-carts, mini-golf and zombie paintball.
Alternatives: Barrett's Haunted Mansion, Abington, MA; Trail of Terror, Wallingford, CT; Witch's Woods, Westford, MA; Fright Kingdom, Nashua, NH; Dead North/Great Corn Maze, Danville, VT
Middle Atlantic: Terror Behind the Walls at Eastern State Penitentiary, Philadelphia, PA.
A massive and elaborate haunted house featuring six distinct attractions inside a real abandoned prison.
Alternatives: Field of Screams, Lancaster, PA (fully upgraded for the 2014); Shocktoberfest, Reading, PA; The ScareHouse, Pittsburgh, PA (New for 2014, The Summoning, a period haunted attraction set in October, 1932); Hundred Acres Manor, Pittsburgh, PA; Frightland in Middletown, DE.
For years, Erebus in Pontiac, MI, was in the Guinness World Records as the largest haunted house.... [+]
Midwest: Erebus Haunted Attraction, Pontiac, MI. This 4-story, plot driven attraction previously held the Guinness World Record for largest haunted house and is one of the nation’s best.
Alternatives: Wisconsin FearGrounds, Milwaukee, WI (three large haunted houses in one spot);
Dent Schoolhouse Cincinnati, OH (in a believed to be haunted former school); Fear Fest, Flint MI; Ghostly Manor, Sandusky, OH
South: The House of Shock, New Orleans. Not only is New Orleans already creepy and said to be the nation’s most haunted city, but this is the final year for this elaborate attraction, consistently one of the nation’s best.
Alternatives: Halloween Horror Nights at Universal Studios, Orlando. FL; Howl-O-Scream Theme Park at Busch Gardens, Tampa, FL (theme park is divided into four main “terror-tories,” plus transformed family friendly rides like The Loch Ness Monster roller coaster); Houston Terror Dome, Houston, TX; 13th Gate/Midnight Productions, Baton Rouge, LA; Graystone Haunted Manor, Longview, TX; Mystery Hauntings, Lake Worth, FL
Cincinnati's Dent Schoolhouse is set in an actual former schoolhouse believed by many to be haunted.... [+]
West: Fear Overload’s Scream Park, San Francisco Bay Area, CA. Two large and elaborate themed haunted houses side by side.
Alternatives: Dead Times Dreams, San Jose, CA; Hotel Fear & Asylum, Las Vegas, NV; 13th Door Haunted House, Portland, OR; 13th Floor Haunted House, Denver, CO; Halloween Horror Nights at Universal Studios, Hollywood, CA
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