WHAT IS A HAUNTED ATTRACTION?
A haunted attraction is a form of live entertainment that simulates the experience of visiting haunted locations or storylines typical of horror fiction. They usually feature fearsome sets and characters, especially demons, ghosts, monsters, possessed people, witches or wizards, serial killers, and slashers. Humorous characters may also be included.
Haunted attractions may be set up at many kinds of locations. Built attractions or existing structures in which attractions may be operated include temporarily constructed simulations of haunted houses; actual abandoned or dilapidated houses; abandoned asylums; defunct prisons; defunct or active amusement parks; defunct or active ships; defunct factories; defunct or active barns; and shopping malls. Outdoor places hosting such attractions include corn mazes or cornfields; hedge mazes; farms (often including "haunted" hayrides); wooded areas or forests; and parks.
Haunted attractions (also known as "haunts" or "mazes" within the industry) use many effects, such as intense lighting (strobe lights, black lights, etc.), animatronics, CGI, scent dispensers, fog machines, spinning tunnels, air blasters, spooky old antiques, gory images, and intense scenes of horror, terror, torment, murder, mischief, or comedy. Visitors often encounter actors in elaborate and often scary costumes, masks, and prosthetics. They may perform skits or lurk and come out unexpectedly to frighten, shock, disturb, or amuse the customer.
Haunted attractions typically operate from the last week of late September or early October to the last week in October or first week of November.
There is also a subculture of permanent haunted attractions that are open year-round, and a few that are open for special occasions, such as haunt conventions or Spring Break (also called Scream Break).
Some attractions are run by charities as fundraisers.
In Japan, there is a tradition of making obakeyashiki (ghost houses) in the summertime, as fear is believed to ward off the heat by "giving you the chills". They typically feature frightening creatures from Japanese folklore, ghosts, demons, sinister crucifixes and other things that are brought to life thanks to decorations, sound effects and animatronics.
A story is often told to visitors before they receive a mission that they must accomplish in the house.
These are the country's ten best haunted attractions (2021) according to USA Today.
A panel of experts partnered with 10 best editors to pick the initial 20 nominees, and the top 10 winners were determined by popular vote.
Congratulations to all these winning haunted attractions!
Halloween is all about wild and wacky costumes, scary movies, haunted houses and celebrating all things spooky but most people think that Halloween is the only time that you can go to a haunted house or attraction and get the pants scared off of you.
NOT TRUE!!!
Au contraire mon frère ...
This is a common misconception. Halloween and haunted house attractions are big business all year round.
Why just stop at Halloween when you can have all the fear you can stand after Halloween? Why not visit a house of horrors for Christmas, Valentines Day, Saint Patrick's Day or on Friday The 13TH as well? I mean, if you got the house, why not haunt it?
There are MANY haunted house attractions that are ready to oblige and take your money and your breath away!
Even though Covid-19 has given us something very real to fear, it has also posed some challenges and obstacles for many haunters.
Sadly, many haunts and die-hard haunters like Don Presutti and his home haunt Cryptic Souls Haunted Attraction in Warwick, NY is forced to shut down forever.
Due to some personal and unforeseen circumstances beyond his control, Don has been forced to close his doors permanently, after eight years of terrifying his neighbors.
Sadly, Don's story is not rare in the haunt community but many haunt-lifers are bouncing back bigger, better and scarier than ever!
However, everyone is entitled to one good scare right?
That being said, the good folks at USA Today took a poll and went on the hunt for the 10 Best Haunted Attractions across the United States. These haunted houses offer the best actors, set designs, special effects and value for money.
Did your haunt make the cut?
Check out these spooktacular haunts and find out why they were voted the most blood-chilling, spine-tingling, hair-raising Haunted Attractions of 2021.
Let's kick off this countdown to terror!
NUMBER 10. BEST HAUNTED ATTRACTION IN THE USA.
Coming in at last place is not necessarily a bad thing as it is after all among the 10 best in the whole country!
Wisconsin Feargrounds - Waukesha, WI
Address: 1000 Northview Rd, Waukesha, WI 53188
About thirty minutes west of Milwaukee, visit the Wisconsin Feargrounds and meet the leader of the tortured souls that reside there – Sketchy the Clown.
Being a good host, Sketchy wants to make sure all the clowns that visit every October are comfortable in his Chambers. He doesn’t care for intruders and guarantees that some who show up…will never leave.
NUMBER 9. BEST HAUNTED ATTRACTION IN THE USA.
Headless Horseman Hayrides & Haunted Houses - Ulster Park, NY
Address: 778 Broadway, Rte 9W, Ulster Park, NY 12487
New York's Headless Horseman Hayrides and Haunted Houses is an immersive experience that changes each Halloween season. The attractions continually evolve with unusual monsters, amazing illusions, costumes, makeup, animatronics and frightening detail.
THERE IS NOTHING TO FEAR..IS THERE?
CAN YOU HANDLE IT???
NUMBER 8. BEST HAUNTED ATTRACTION IN THE USA.
Kersey Valley Spookywoods - Archdale, NC
Address: 1615 Kersey Valley Rd, Archdale, NC 27263
Started by a dare in 1985, after over three decades of growth and a year-round team of artists and builders, Kersey Valley Spookywoods now covers nearly eighty acres on an abandoned farm outside Greensboro, North Carolina. Its eerie sets and creepy costumed characters set the scene for terror when you arrive on their property. Special effects – light, sound, smell, and others – add to the haunted farmhouse and other spooky attractions.
NUMBER 7. BEST HAUNTED ATTRACTION IN THE USA.
Fear Fair - Seymour, IN
Address: 800 A Ave E, Seymour, IN 47274
Fear Fair, a short drive from Louisville in Seymour, Indiana, is a 50,000+ square foot walk through your darkest nightmares. With incredibly detailed sets, confrontational actors in movie-quality makeup and costumes, and state-of-the-art use of robotics, visitors can expect a heart-pounding experience through their deepest fears.
Experience four major attractions packed into a 30-minute attraction – a depraved prison where the inmates are in control, a cursed Egyptian Pharaohs' tomb, the darker side of New Orleans, and an ancient catacomb home to a dark cult.
Click the images to get direct links below to see the products.
NUMBER 6. BEST HAUNTED ATTRACTION IN THE USA.
The Dent Schoolhouse - Cincinnati, OH
Address: 5963 Harrison Ave, Cincinnati, OH 45248
Visit Cincinnati's scariest haunted house in September and October and learn the story of the killer faculty and murderous janitor that live in the Dent Schoolhouse! Celebrating its 26th anniversary in 2022, visit the public school that opened in 1894 and experience the true story of Charlie the janitor in this 25-minute tour. Each year brings new details, sets, and technology to the Dent Schoolhouse, and over fifty actors will be present to terrorize guests each night.
DO YOU GO IN A GROUP OR DO YOU DARE TO BRAVE THE HORRORS ALONE?
NUMBER 5. BEST HAUNTED ATTRACTION IN THE USA.
Haunted Overload - Lee, NH
Address: 20 Orchard Way, Lee, NH 03861
Haunted Overload in New Hampshire does an excellent job of providing various levels of scares, so everyone can enjoy. They pull out all the stops for Haunted Overload, a fully immersive (and terrifying) haunted trail through the New England woods.
NUMBER 4. BEST HAUNTED ATTRACTION IN THE USA.
Field of Screams - Mountville, PA
Address: 191 College Ave, Mountville, PA 17554
Field of Screams is an American attraction, located in Mountville, Pennsylvania. They estimate that around 75 000 people visit the attraction per annum
At Field of Screams, four scare zones provide the thrills: Haunted Hayride, Den of Darkness, FrightMare Asylum and Nocturnal Wasteland, while an entertainment area offers live music, games and giveaways between thrills. The haunt hosts a one-night-only blackout event for even more intense scares.
CELEBRATE FRIDAY 13 TH & HALFWAY TO HALLOWEEN AT FIELD OF SCREAMS
NUMBER 3. BEST HAUNTED ATTRACTION IN THE USA.
Shocktoberfest - Sinking Spring, PA
Address: 94 Park Ave, Sinking Spring, PA 19608
Shocktoberfest is an annual haunted event located near Reading, Pennsylvania and about an hour from Philadelphia.
The attractions include dark attractions, haunted houses, and a haunted hayride. It is referred to by the management of Shocktoberfest as a "haunted theme park" even though it is not a theme park in the true sense of the term.
Shocktoberfest, celebrated its “30 Years of Tears” anniversary celebration in 2021.
In addition to its famous Zombie World Theme Park, where guests can view zombies in a safe and controlled habitat (you believe that, don’t you?), they can explore the Monster Midway with its games, food, brews, and live entertainment. Spooktoberfest offers a family-friendly Halloween experience for children 12 and under, and they may wear their costumes!
HAUNTED HISTORY.. DID YOU KNOW?
THE FIRST HAUNTED HOUSE ATTRACTION EVER!
Before we get to the Number 2 Best Haunted Attraction in the USA, let's visit the first recorded purpose-built haunted attraction the Orton and Spooner Ghost House.
It opened in 1915 in Liphook, England.
Closely resembling a carnival fun house, it was powered by steam.
It still exists, in the Hollycombe Steam Collection.
The background for the creation of the Orton and Spooner Ghost House might be seen in 18th- and 19th-century London and Paris, when literature, performances by magicians, spiritualists and psychics, as well as theatrical shows and attractions introduced the public to gruesome entertainment.
In 1802, Marie Tussaud scandalized British audiences with an exhibition of wax sculptures of decapitated victims of the French Revolution, including King Louis XVI, Marie Antoinette, Robespierre and Jean-Paul Marat.
Her exhibits exist today as the Chamber of Horrors in Madam Tussauds in London. In France, from 1897, the Grand Guignol theatre was scaring audiences with graphically staged horror entertainment.
From ancient times, people have seen spirits at play in the flickering of light and shadow. With the advancement of technology during the European Renaissance, scholars leaned to harness these dancing apparitions through the power of projection. By the late 1700’s, enterprising entertainers were creating magic lantern spectacles, fantastic phantasmagorias that thrilled audiences with the illusion of gatherings of ghosts.
The Phantasmagoria show existed even earlier, but a well-known version in 1797 Paris was the Fantasmagorie, which made use of magic lantern projections and crude special effects.
NUMBER 2. BEST HAUNTED ATTRACTION IN THE USA.
Erebus Haunted Attraction - Pontiac, MI
Address: 18 S Perry St, Pontiac, MI 48342
Erebus is a four-story haunted attraction located in Pontiac, Michigan, open seasonally for Halloween.
It held the Guinness World Record for largest walk-through haunted attraction from 2005 until 2009, when it lost the record to Cutting Edge Haunted House. It is not recommended for children under the age of 13.
Erebus is four floors of thrills and chills featuring Hollywood-quality special effects. Measuring more than half a mile, it’s one of the world’s largest haunted attractions.
Are you totally terrified or are you foaming at the mouth making plans to visit all of these haunts this year?
Keep in mind that although these are 10 of the hottest Haunted House Attractions in the USA, that there are MANY other ones that you should check out and patron.
Due to the Covid pandemic, many of these haunts might be closed or have different hours than you might be used to so be sure to check out their days and hours of operation online before you make the trek.
And now... without further ado, we proudly present you with the Number 1 Best Haunted Attraction in the USA!
NUMBER 1. BEST HAUNTED ATTRACTION IN THE USA!
Well it is no big surprise that the #1 Haunt in America is located in the great state of Texas.
You know what they say about how big they do things over there, so why should their haunted attractions be any exception.
Coming in at a horrifying #1 on the terror scale
Cutting Edge Haunted House - Fort Worth, TX
Address: 1701 E Lancaster Ave, Fort Worth, TX 76102
More than just a haunted house, Cutting Edge Haunted House begins its entertainment the moment guests enter the parking lot. Located in a historic area of Fort Worth, Texas, known as “Hell’s Half Acre,” this 100-year-old abandoned meat packing plant takes visitors on a 55-minute haunted experience with its twisting corridors, live actors, special effects, and a human maze. Come experience this multi-themed, multi-storied haunted attraction.
Check them out on Friday May 13th for their haunted attraction.
Well there you go, that is your tour de force of 10 of the most horror-iffic haunted house attractions in America today.
I don't know about you? but I am on the edge of my seat to see which attraction will either scale the charts or rise like a Phoenix out of the ashes and take it's rightful place on the throne of fear!
Please remember that as much as these haunted attractions might be something directly out of your most frightening imaginations but I can assure you that some very REAL people are behind the scenes working hard to make all of your nightmares come true!
Please be kind and respectful to them as you visit THEIR haunted abodes.
Be sure to support the causes they might be participating in like local food drives and try to buy their merch and visit their concession stands (if they have one) because these proceeds go to paying their actors and aid in being able to make your fright experience even more grandiose each year.
Just a quick recap.
The top 10 winners in the Best Haunted Attraction category are as follows:
Cutting Edge Haunted House - Fort Worth, TX
Erebus Haunted Attraction - Pontiac, Mich.
Shocktoberfest - Sinking Spring, Pa
Field of Screams - Mountville, Penn.
Haunted Overload - Lee, N.H.
The Dent Schoolhouse - Cincinnati, OH
Fear Fair - Seymour, Ind.
Kersey Valley Spookywoods - Archdale, NC
Headless Horseman Hayrides & Haunted Houses - Ulster Park, N.Y.
Wisconsin Feargrounds - Waukesha, Wis.
HAPPY HAUNTINGS!
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