Haunted House Ratings

The Darkness & Creepyworld – Missouri

In The Darkness someone is watching you –from everywhere. Someone will always be close by, and it won’t be the other guests. Consistently rated one of the best Haunted House attractions in America, The Darkness in St. Louis, Missouri will not disappoint even the fussiest of Halloween specialists!
As you stand before the Raven Mansion, your pulse will quicken, you palms will begin to sweat, and your heart will beat a little faster as you gaze upon the 25 foot tall entrance. As you walk inside be prepared to scream! This is one of the most finely detailed haunted houses on the planet all designed with you in mind.
If you survive the haunted mansion, new terrors await you in the Dominion of the Vampire, and then the Tombstone Hayride.
For more hair-raising fun head over to Creepyworld, designed by the same people who designed the Darkness, Halloween Productions, Inc. Not one to rest on their laurels, with the success of Darkness and Creepyworld, they have added four new attractions which brings the total attractions at Creepyworld to ten,. All of which are guaranteed to keep you up at night.
Starting Friday, September 13th, you can enjoy The Dark Zone where bodies, heads, and other assorted body parts will hang in your way as you desperately try to find your way out.
The Tool Shed which is a maze where a serial killer dwells. He just loves tormenting the living when darkness falls.
Carnivorous- This is an awesome 3d blacklight attraction where the floors, walls, and everything else if floating. There’s even a spinning tunnel as you fight your way to freedom.
Evil Dread – Visit the nice cabin in the woods filled with demons, flying ravens, and giant hillbillies.

Cutting Edge Haunted House – Texas

Cutting Edge Haunted House is the Victim’s Choice for America’s Best Haunted House! This #1 haunted house uses movie quality sets and award-winning makeup effects for a truly harrowing experience.

In the aging town of Fort Worth, Texas, there is an area known as “Hell’s Half Acre”.  Here, hunkering among the mysteries and lingering memories of the past is an aging meat processing plant still filled with the creaking equipment of the Old West. Now, however, the floors are soaked not with the blood of cattle brought up from the killing grounds near the river, but human beings sacrificed to the two floors of brutal blades, hooks, and conveyors. Amongst these tools creep angry ghouls, haunting effects, and sleep-stealing monsters ready to taunt guests through their terrifying explorations of the historic plant.

The fear steeped into the atmosphere around the Cutting Edge Haunted House does not come just from the unrestrained live actors. Disturbing tales of murder, torment, and earthly temptations surround Hell’s Half Acre in a veil of darkness unlikely to lift. One blood chilling legend tells of a young woman slaughtered and nailed to a door. Many say she still roams the halls, chained and bloodied, searching for her love—who may also be the man who stole her life.

The incredible special effects, unique storytelling, and immersive experience have earned this hour-long haunt a variety of accolades including Best Haunted House in America. Be sure to arrive a bit early to let the Undead Marching Band get you pumped up for your #1 Haunt experience.

Top 31 “Must See” Haunted Houses in 2013 have been posted!

1 Cutting Edge Haunted House, Fort Worth, Texas
2 The Darkness & Creepy World, St. Louis, Missouri
3 Spookywoods, High Point, North Carolina
4 Headless Horseman, Ulster Park, New York
5 Erebus Haunted House, Pontiac, Michigan

See More: http://www.hauntedhouseratings.com/top31hauntedhouses.cfm

Your Netherworld experience begins in the parking lot, as dark, mysterious creatures begin to stalk you the moment you leave your car.  Likewise, the experience isn’t over until you physically leave the premises, so be sure you don’t let your guard down just because you somehow made it out of the haunts alive!

Combining talented actors with movie quality special effects, extremely detailed sets and elaborate storylines, Netherworld features completely original content, and creates a whole new set of themes each year.  This Halloween season, Netherworld’s central theme is The Dead Ones, an unstoppable evil brought forth to punish all of mankind.  Featuring ancient temples, dark, savage rituals and sacred burial grounds, this is a dark and sinister theme, accompanied by over-the-top special effects, intense makeup and incredible stunt actors.

Not to be outdone, the downstairs theme for 2013 is Boogeyman, a storyline wherein six innocent people are trapped in comas and unable to escape terrifying, waking nightmares, which you’ll share with them as you make your way through the Boogeyman’s terrible lair.  All your childhood nightmares come to life when you discover the Boogeyman really does exist.  Run as far and as fast as you can, there is no escaping the Boogeyman!

Consistently rated one of the top haunted houses in the nation, Netherworld is in its 17th year of hair-raising, spine-tingling scares and terrors, and continues to improve and expand with every season.  Tickets to the main haunt, called Banshee, run $22, $25 on Friday and Saturday.  Add the second haunt, The Hive, for just $6 more, rounding to $30 for both on Friday and Saturday.

Congratulations to Netherworld Haunted House… The Victim’s Choice for one of the “Top 31 Haunted Houses in America” at HauntedHouseRatings.com.

Billed as the Victim’s Choice for America’s Best Haunted Houses, the list is compiled each year by HauntedHouseRatings.com, an online directory of haunted attractions where patrons vote each year for their all-time favorite scare fests.

Out of some 1200 haunted houses throughout the nation, Thrillvania Haunted House Park’s world famous Verdun Manor makes the “Must See” list for 2013. A true haunted house in every sense of the word, Verdun Manor is the central attraction of Thrillvania’s massive Haunted House park, an 8000 square foot decaying mansion with a “dying room” in place of a living room, where rotting décor meets animated skeletal remains and werewolves, vampires and human experiments gone awry lurk around every corner.

No statuettes come with this award, no goody bag and no tangible prize to speak of besides bragging rights, but in the ghoul-eat-ghoul world of haunted attraction cut-throat competition there’s no better broomstick against which to measure success. To find out what America’s buzzing about, gather your courage and head out to Thrillvania in Terrell, Texas!

Congratulations to Thrillvania Haunted House Park…The Victim’s Choice for one of the “Top 31 Haunted Houses in America” at HauntedHouseRatings.com.

The House of Shock Horror Show, Haunted House and Halloween Festival

It’s Halloween and Mardi Gras all rolled up in one attraction at the legendary House of Shock, conceivably the edgiest haunted house in the New Orleans area. In celebration of their 21st anniversary, the area in front of the house has been given over to a free Halloween festival with concessions, a bar, nightly music, side show acts and pre-tour theatrics.

Like the House of Rock, the House of Shock was conceived by head banging rock ‘n roll musicians, an in-your-face kind of irreverent, theatrical pyrotechnics show – think Kiss, Alice Cooper and Grateful Dead, with plenty of gruesome visuals and pseudo-satanic imagery. A 1990’s era attempt by religious zealots to close it down only made it more popular, and now almost 400 volunteers dress up as ghouls and zombies to frighten and amuse some 20,000 visitors.

Originating as a backyard party for around 200 guests, the annual event grew with each iteration to larger and larger warehouse spaces until finally becoming the House of Shock, with much more building and health codes, controls and safety requirements than ever dreamed of by the four original co-founders.

Despite a beating from Hurricane Irene which severely damaged the graveyard and the stage, the House of Shock opened on schedule this year with a spectacular festival and fundraiser for Toys for Tots and a live auction for Zulu’s Thanksgiving Basket program. New last season was a mechanical bull-like giant spider ride, a zip line to allow costumed banshees to fly over the crowd, remote-control air cannons to jolt unsuspecting visitors and a meat processing plant/torture chamber theme room.

General admission is $25; go to the front of the line with a VIP fast pass for $50 – $40 if purchased online, which includes unlimited trips through the attraction on night of purchase and a House of Shock souvenir backpack. Or if you’re too scared to go through the haunted house, come for the free festival, enjoy the music, sip a brewky and nibble on some gruesome appetizers from Hell’s Kitchen!

Congratulations to House of Shock…The Victim’s Choice for one of the “Top 31 Haunted Houses in America” at HauntedHouseRatings.com.

The brainchild of a small group of friends with a handful of props and some pirate costumes, the Pirates of Emerson started out in the backyard of a family home on Emerson Street in Fremont, California in 1991. The haunted attraction was an immediate hit, and over the years has grown into a major commercial enterprise covering nearly three acres and featuring a cast and crew of 75 to build and operate the wildly popular seasonal show.

In fact, it grew so large that in 2010 it was moved to the Alameda County Fairgrounds, where a carnival-like pirate-themed midway greets visitors with games and features like Bumpkin Patch, Carnevil, Bone Ball, misfortune teller, and the mystifying Fields Family Corn Maze, an which is open during the day on weekends in October for those who need a little daylight to help find their way out.

The haunted attraction actually consists of six different buildings, the Pirates of Emerson, Mental Maze, Wicked Wild West, Habit of Hags, Lockdown and Doll Hostel. The extensive use of special effects, robotics, animation and ghoulish interaction provides an intense experience that is geared toward older children and adults, and not recommended for those under 13.

To save time, it’s a good idea to purchase tickets in advance so you can skip the ticket line and go direct to Will Call. Also, credit cards, checks and debit cards are not accepted at the ticket window, although there is an ATM on site. With weekday passes starting at just $20, Pirates of Emerson hasn’t increased their base price in seven years!

For those who really don’t like to wait in line, the Speed Pass is a good value for just an extra $10, allowing you priority entrance at the six different haunted attractions.

Since it is being held at the Alameda Fairgrounds, visitors must pay the standard fairgrounds parking fee. And because of the dirt lot, high heels and open-toed shoes are not recommended.

This year’s Pirates of Emerson is bound to be another spookiliciously spectacular adventure not to be missed if you’re anywhere in Northern California this fall!

Congratulations to Pirates of Emerson…The Victim’s Choice for one of the “Top 31 Haunted Houses in America” at HauntedHouseRatings.com.

Originally the Middletown Haunted Trail, the Land of Illusion operated as a backyard attraction for six seasons before moving to its current location and expanding into the colossal haunted theme park it is today. Guests walking through the gates are greeted by a giant, roaring bonfire that has become a signature tradition at the park.

Although they have added a number of exciting attractions with names like 3D Killer Klowns, Dr. Psycho’s Haunted Estate, Temple of Terror and Voodoo Bayou Shanty, the Middletown Haunted Trail is still a hands down favorite with loyal fans, consisting of a trek through a shadowy woods where cackling chainsaw sickos crunch through the undergrowth, soft-footed murderers bare bloody little blades, and blowtorch-wielding madmen rip across the trail in hot pursuit.

Land of Illusion has added another twist to the mix – live entertainment at Club Zombie, which has a DJ spinning tunes and music videos on a huge stage/dance floor, along with local bands and contests of all sorts. They’ll be kicking off the season with a Friday night concert August 31st featuring four local bands who will be competing in Dr. Psycho’s Psych-O-Logical Showdown. Two of the bands will advance to Saturday night’s playoff to determine the winner.

For those wishing to spend the night,Land Of Illusion provides free primitive camping in their south parking lot directly across the street from the theme park. You must make a reservation to secure your campsite and everyone staying over must buy a ticket for admission to the park for the night that you plan to camp.

General admission gets you into the all of the attractions, including the live concerts at Club Zombie, and is just $29.99 if you grab the Website coupon – otherwise it’s $5 more. Fast pass upgrades are available, and parking at the venue costs $3, which goes to local nonprofit organizations.

Every admission ticket comes with a complimentary BlastPass coupon for Blast Zone Paintball, which is not open during Land Of Illusion operating hours, but is always an option for entertainment prior to the park’s opening, or the next morning for those choosing to camp out.

Make sure you wear good walking shoes for the Haunted Trail as it’s fairly long and winds through woods and rough terrain. Most events and waiting areas are under cover, so the park does not close for inclement weather.

There’s no age limit, and children under 5 years old are admitted free, but parents are reminded that there are plenty of loud noises, strobe lights and chain saws at the attraction.

Now in its 15th year of operation, the Land of Illusion Haunted Scream Park is going strong as not just a chillingly frightful haunted attraction in its own right, but also a rip-roaring spooktactularly fun place to hang out for an evening of musical entertainment.

Congratulations to Land of Illusion…The Victim’s Choice for one of the “Top 31 Haunted Houses in America” at HauntedHouseRatings.com.

Customer reviews are mixed as to just how scary the experience is at Nightmare on the Bayou, with some patrons simply labeling it as “a lot of fun.” Apparently they’re not the only ones interested in having a good time; since it first went into operation 13 years ago ghostly apparitions from the neighboring cemetery have been spotted drifting in to the attraction by customers and employees alike!

Olivewood Cemetery is Houston’s oldest graveyard, opened in 1877 as a cemetery for black Methodists. Its history goes back much further, however, as it had been previously used for slave burials. And as we all know, when something’s really old and there’s dead people involved, there’s sure to be ghosts.

In fact, both Nightmare on the Bayou and the Olivewood Cemetery are listed as Paranormal Hot Spots on NovusLuna.com, a popular website started by Arizona ghost hunters.

Maybe the ghosts like to sit in on the mind-boggling head-shrinking show, or go through the utterly disorienting 3-D haunted house, just two of the features on the property consisting of 15,000 square feet of evil clowns, scary monsters, animatronics, special effects, relentless fog, and spinning, claustrophobic hallways.

You’ll find Nightmare on the Bayou on Studemont, right next to the Olivewood Cemetery and across the street from Party Boy, where Owner/Operator Bob Wright and his employees spend the off season dreaming up new sets, costumes and scary themes for the haunt, which has continued to evolve since first opening back in 2000.

As to how scary it is, the jury is still out. I mean, what could be more terrifying than real ghosts?

Congratulations to Nightmare on the Bayou…The Victim’s Choice for one of the “Top 31 Haunted Houses in America” at HauntedHouseRatings.com.