If terrifying tarantulas tickle your fancy and vanishing vampires impress you, you’re probably counting down the days to one of America’s most popular holidays, Halloween. You’re not alone.
The National Retail Federation projects 2013 Halloween consumer spending will surpass last year’s whopping $7 billion. While the haunted attraction industry accounts for only a small fraction of that number, ticket sales from haunted amusements still manage to generate an estimated $500 million annually. Jeeper’s creepers!
With thousands of horror-themed attractions scattered across the country, we’ve narrowed down our favorite haunted spots. From spine-chilling walks in isolation to haunted houses intended for the younger goblins in your family, our DTN team has selected six haunted Halloween attractions that will be sure to make your skin crawl:
1. Eli Roth’s Goretorium – Las Vegas, NV
Dubbed “Slaughter on the Strip”, Eli Roth’s Goretorium haunts guests 365 days a year at the Delmont Hotel and Casino. As legend has it, the hotel had once been witness to more than a thousand murders. Today, guests enter the ghostly lobby and are then guided through blood-soaked staircases to torture chambers below.
2. Fear City – Morton Grove, IL
Why explore a haunted house when you can explore an entire city? The design concept for Fear City’s haunted experience includes a 40,000 square foot environment that features bloody meat hanging from the ceilings and clowns so terrifying that you’re reminded why people fear clowns in the first place.
3. Nightmares Fear Factory – Niagara Falls, Canada
Unlike other haunted houses that utilize props and actors, it’s the deafening darkness that makes this petrifying maze an exceptionally eerie experience. Patrons navigate the pitch-black hallways by following tiny red lights for direction.
4. Halloween Horror Nights – Orlando, FL
Hundreds of thousands of horror enthusiasts will visit Universal Studios to navigate eight hair-raising haunted houses and escape from chainsaw-wielding zombies on foot. Now in its 23rd year, Halloween Horror Nights claims to be “the nation’s premier annual Halloween event.”
5. Ghostly Manor Thrill Center – Sandusky, OH
Featured on The Travel Channel’s “Best Places I’ve Ever Been,” Ghostly Manor Thrill Center offers spectacularly spooky activities for the entire family. For $25, guests have full access to five haunted houses, miniature golf, arcade, rolling rink and XD Motion Theater.
6. House Of Torment – Austin, TX
Rated one of the most frightening haunted houses in the country, House of Torment attendees are anguished by blood-curling screams as they traverse 20,000 square feet of terror. Located at the Highland Mall, the annual event features music, monsters and multiple haunted houses.
If you’re planning to visit one of these haunted attractions or have one of your own you’d like to see added to this list, we would love to hear from you! Tweet us or comment below.
