Even the YouTube clips are terrifying.
1
The Bates Motel and Haunted Hayride
Location: Glen Mills, PA
Dates: September 25 to October 31
General admission price: $40-75, with $30 group rates
The Bates Motel and Bates Psycho Path (GET IT?) have been dazzling visitors for 30 years with a particularly slick experience featuring animatronic props actors, and digital FX. The third attraction, the monster-filled Revenge of the Scarecrows Haunted Corn Trail, features walk-through sets and over 30 actors in creepy costume. In 2021, though, those actors won’t be touching anyone—masks are also required, and there’s a temperature check at the door.
2
Headless Horseman Hayrides and Haunted Houses
Location: Ulster Park, NY
Dates: September 25 to October 31 (Friday through Sunday only)
General admission price: $39.95 to $47.95 + fees
Fans flock to Ulster Park, NY, every year for the theatrical Headless Horseman Hayride, corn maze, and several haunted house experiences on the grounds of a gorgeous, historic 18th-century manor. In 2020, the hayride was be replaced by a drive-through experience titled “The Horseman’s Trail,” but details regarding the 2021 season have yet to be released. Keep in mind, though: The website promises it’s “returning bigger and better” this year.
3
Field of Screams
Location: Mountville, PA
Dates: September 10 to November 6 (Friday through Sunday, mostly)
General admission price: $16 per attraction, $35 for all 4
Lancaster County’s Field of Screams offers four themed attractions: The Frightmare Asylum, Den of Darkness, Nocturnal Wasteland, and the Haunted Hayride—which sounds less scary, but looks absolutely TERRIFYING in this video trailer.
4
The Dent Schoolhouse
Location: Cincinnati, OH
Dates: TBD
General admission price: $20-25
Taken with a grain of salt, the allegedly-true Dent Schoolhouse storyline is a fun one: The attraction’s website claims it was once an actual public school, but it closed in the 1950s after a janitor known as Charlie was suspected of foul play after kids started going missing. These days, brave visitors roam the schoolhouse halls and the outdoor Queen City Slaughter Yard to find horrors around every corner.
The attraction—which has been frightening guests for 25 years—opens September 17, and true thrill-seekers can experience the Dent Schoolhouse *in complete darkness* on November 5 and 6.
5
The 13th Floor
Location: Denver, CO
Dates: September 11 to November 13 (select nights)
General admission price: $19.99-32.99, date depending
What terrors await on the cursed 13th Floor? Actors in exquisitely ghoulish costume, for one, plus high-tech animations, and rooms that may move to shake your sense of reality. While details about the 2021 attractions will be released in the coming weeks, there were three in 2020: Dead End District, an abandoned “town” with lingering residents you don’t want to run into, a Creature Feature starring silver screen vampires, mummies, and werewolves, and Deadly Reflections (LOVE a good haunted mirror).
Haunted house aficionados should also check out the 13th Floor’s YouTube channel, which offers “Behind the Screams” videos highlighting the artistry that goes into creating these annual experiences.
6
Cutting Edge Haunted House
Location: Fort Worth, TX
Dates: TBD
General admission price: Not listed
So named for its location in a former meatpacking plant, Cutting Edge has made the Guinness Book of World Records as the world’s largest walk-through haunted attraction (everything really IS bigger in Texas). It’ll take you about an hour to get through, and expect hanging butchered bodies, maniacs with chainsaws, and—well, we’ll let their site say it: “Beware: You’ll receive ELECTRICAL SHOCKS. The floors are uneven; the slides are fast and dark; you WILL be enveloped by creeping fog and vapors.” Did we mention there’s a ghostly drum corps?
7
Kersey Valley Spookywoods
Location: Archdale, NC
Dates: October 1 to November 6 (Friday through Sunday only)
General admission price: $30-35, $60 for VIP
Look, it’s right there in the name: This is haunted ground. “From the moment you arrive on Kersey Valley property, you are fair game to each and every haunted creature residing here,” the site warns. The tour offers a veritable small town of hair-raising sets, and actors in admirably-detailed costumes.
8
The 13th Gate
Location: Baton Rouge, LA
Dates: October 1 to November 13 (Friday through Sunday, mostly)
General admission price: $30, $60 for VIP
Louisiana’s known for its bayous, and 13th Gate is known for its swampy pools full of actual snakes. The 40,000 square feet of ultra-realistic sets and scenarios include an outdoor graveyard full of zombies, and an abandoned asylum. Looking for something even scarier? You can also purchase tickets for one of the two Flashlight Fright Nights (November 5 and 6), in which visitors can explore the completely dark passages of the 13th Gate…with just a few dimly-lit LED finger lights. Oh, and don’t miss Carnevil across the street, a festive celebration full of costumed characters, fire artists, and more revelry.
9
Haunted Overload
Location: Lee, NH
Dates: October 8 to 31 (Friday through Sunday, mostly)
General admission price: $28, $8 in the daytime
New England is famous for its eldritch history, with its real-life witch trials and 19th century “vampire hunters.” New Hampshire’s Haunted Overload channels that mood at the DeMerritt Hill Farm each year, transforming it into an immersive experience that’s more spooky than gory—but always chillingly done. For those seeking a more family-friendly experience, bring kids before dark for the Day Haunt where there won’t be any monsters.
