The Best Haunted Houses of 2026 PT2

Haunted House Segment

Places Burke Has Visited

• Haunted Schoolhouse and Laboratory, Akron, OH — Burke worked there; described as "okay" for Akron but not visited recently.
• Haunted Reformatory (now Blood Prison), Mansfield, OH — the Shawshank Redemption prison; walking through in darkness described as "really eerie and cool" but not as elaborate as top-tier attractions.
• Magador JC's Haunted House — former attraction, now demolished; cost $1 admission.
• Haunted Hayride near Dover, OH — cage-style hayride with chainsaw actors and a papier-mâché train with a real horn; described as "great fun."

Scott's Top 10 List (thescarefactor.com)

• #10 — Nightmare in Budapest, Budapest, Hungary: Interactive horror house, open Wed–Sun 2–9PM, reservations required, includes escape room, indoor attraction, actors may touch guests.
• Traumatica Festival of Fear, Europa-Park, Germany: 18+ only, virtual reality section, carnival midway with food, games, and rides; described as "insanely in-depth."
• London Dungeon, Westminster Bridge Road, London: Year-round, $27/person, all-indoor, no touching, located near Westminster Abbey; set pieces described as "incredible."
• Hal O'Scream, Busch Gardens Williamsburg, VA: Full theme park experience at night — 10 coasters, 5 haunted houses, 5 scare zones, 4 terror shows; tickets from $61 (all-day) to $176 (Ultimate Bundle with food and Fast Pass).
• Nightmare Mansion, Virginia Beach, VA (Scott has been): On the resort strip since 1989, $16 admission, open until no one is left, 8–10 minute average walk-through, touching occurs; also has a separate escape room (up to 7 people, 35–60 minutes, extra charge).
• Hotel of Terror / Face Your Fears, Springfield, OH: Opens ~September 11; $22 general, $32 FastPass, $50 VIP (touching allowed with wristband); multiple "Best of Haunts" awards 2022–2024.
• Blood Prison (formerly Haunted Reformatory), Mansfield, OH: $35 general, $55 Ultra Lightning Pass, $80 Instant Access; includes self-guided reformatory tour and escape rooms (easy/medium/hard); optional touching; Shawshank Redemption and The Green Mile filmed on site.
• Woods of Lost Souls, Columbia Station (Medina area), OH: All-outdoor, old-school low-tech scare trail; $20/person or $75 for group of 4; reservations required, timed events; runs September 25–November 1, Fri–Sat 7PM–midnight, Sun 7–10PM.
• Cutting Edge Haunted House, Fort Worth, TX (Scott has been): Located in a 100-year-old abandoned meatpacking plant in "Hell's Half Acre"; Guinness World Record holder; ~55-minute walk-through; $30–$45 general, $65 Speed Pass; no alcohol served; Scott confirmed the interior is "top notch" from working inside during daytime.
• Dark Hour, Plano, TX (#1 pick, not yet visited): Voted #1 haunted house in 2025; all-indoor, wheelchair accessible, escape rooms, original characters, high-tech animatronics; new for 2026 — Medusa's Lair, Strega Chamber, growing goblin horde; $43 general (often sells out, forcing $100 VIP purchase); beverages available; produced by Still Beast Studios; cryptid museum across the street.

Burke's Top Haunted House List

• Netherworld Haunted House, Stone Mountain, GA: Hollywood-grade animatronics, elaborate monster makeup, massive set design, multi-level walkthroughs, updated original storylines each season.
• 13th Gate, Baton Rouge, LA: 13 themed indoor/outdoor zones including underground tunnels and a rope bridge over a live alligator pit; $35 general, $75 VIP (no outside wait); haunted magic show across the street; previously ranked in national top 10.
• Erebus Haunted Attraction, Pontiac, MI: Former Guinness World Record holder for longest walk-through haunted house; four stories, state-of-the-art visual effects, bottomless pits, moving floors, walls that bite; $38 general + $15 Mythos Museum add-on + $15 VIP option.
• Factory of Terror, Canton, OH: Guinness World Record holder (three times) for longest indoor haunted house — over one mile; 130+ live actors; multiple themed attractions under one roof; on-site themed bars (4 bars, 21+ with VIP ticket); $37 general, $15 FastPass upgrade; also has a kids' day.
• Bates Motel and Haunted Hayride, Delaware County, PA: 30 years running on Arasapha Farm; Victorian-style motel walkthrough, haunted hayride through dark woods with pyrotechnics, Revenge of the Scarecrows trail; ranked top 5 U.S. scariest haunts 2025; Super VIP Pass ~$125; timed ticketing required.
• Headless Horseman Hayride, Ulster Park, NY: 65-acre scream park in Hudson Valley; includes haunted hayride, multiple walkthrough haunted houses, corn maze, escape rooms, and approximately 12+ individual attractions; $68.90–$79 online depending on month.
• Dent Schoolhouse, Cincinnati, OH: Built inside an authentic 1890s schoolhouse; urban legend of a murderous janitor; ghost tours, lights-out experience (glow stick only, November only), escape games, Christmas Nightmare in December; $24–$35 depending on day/month.
• Hell's Gate Haunted House, Lockport, IL: Guests take a shuttle then walk a dark forest trail to reach a multi-level haunted mansion with secret passages, interactive treasure hunts (find a key = free admission), slide exits, and high-flying actors; ranked #2 haunted house in the world by Forbes; $40–$45 general, $60–$65 VIP, $80 instant entry, $160 all-access (includes backstage tour and character photo).
• Haunted House Denver / 13th Floor, Denver, CO: Part of the nationally renowned 13th Floor brand; massive warehouse transformation; $20–$35 depending on date; features Sacred Skull Tiki Tarot Bar (21+), an attic secret bar, a spot shot arcade secret bar — three bars total; axe throwing add-on ($5); 1,000+ five-star Google reviews.

Oddball/Unusual Haunted Attractions

• Lewisburg Haunted Cave, Lewisburg, OH: 80 feet underground in an abandoned limestone mine; recognized as world's longest haunted house; natural rock tunnel navigation; home to a colony of ~30,000 live brown bats flying overhead.
• Raven's Grin Inn, Mount Carroll, IL: Year-round haunted house in a 19th-century residential home; eccentric, artist-created with handmade props, hidden trap doors, slide chutes, and comedic storytelling rather than jump scares; website noted as not secure.
• USS Nightmare Haunted Steamboat, Newport, KY: Aboard a real decommissioned steam-powered dredging ship ("Death Dredge") moored on the Ohio River; narrative tied to actual maritime history and nautical curses; $27–$38 general, $40–$58 FastPass; RIP date night package $160–$206.
• Ruby Falls Haunted Cavern, Chattanooga, TN: Inside the cavern system surrounding Lookout Mountain; visitors descend via glass-topped elevator shaft 26 stories underground; combines claustrophobic cave navigation with theatrical horror; award-winning.
• Haunted Hydro, Fremont, OH: Inside a real decommissioned early-1900s hydroelectric power plant; authentic historic generators, concrete spillways, power grid infrastructure; $25–$30 admission.

Ohio Haunted House Dominance

• Ohio has 144 haunted houses — the most of any US state; followed by Texas (133), California (130), and Illinois (120).
• Scott's conclusion: "Ohio people are fu@!ed up." Burke concurred.