Did you know that Americans spend billions of dollars each fall visiting haunted house attractions? The best haunted houses are high-budget, Hollywood-style affairs where the scares are real, not cheesy.
When’s the last time you went to one? If you’re traveling this month, you’ve got a great opportunity to check out some of the coolest haunted houses and other Halloween attractions around the nation. Here are some of the best.
The 13th Floor — Denver, CO
Find out in terrifying fashion why the 13th floor is an unlucky one when you visit The 13th Floor, a Denver haunted house that’s been featured on TV more than once. You’ll find werewolves, zombies and psychopaths with chainsaws at The 13th Floor, which includes Slasher Remix, an attraction modeled after slasher films. You get to star as the victim.
The same folks behind The 13th Floor also operate The Asylum Haunted House in Denver, which has also received a lot of positive fanfare.
Netherworld — Norcross, GA
Located not far from Atlanta, Netherworld is a regular fixture on haunted house best-of lists. Netherworld is notable for its creativity, utilizing set pieces so realistic they’ve actually filmed movies there. 2016 marks Netherworld’s 20th anniversary.
With a collection of disturbing-looking monsters, skilled actors and some help from special effects, Netherworld is sure to bring the scares this Halloween.
Brighton Asylum — Passaic, N.J.
While many haunted houses invent a creepy backstory of the building they inhabit, Brighton Asylum has a very real history. The industrial building once housed the mentally ill and criminally insane in the 1940s. It shut down in 1952, and later reopened as the attraction you can visit today.
So when you encounter actors posing as insane patients, you know that they are modeled after people who once walked the same hallways. New at Brighton Asylum for 2016 are several escape rooms, where you and others have to discover clues to find your way out.
Basement of the Dead — Aurora, IL
Buzzfeed has called Basement of the Dead the #1 haunted house in America, and we don’t have any reason to doubt them. This attraction in suburban Chicago literally sends visitors into a dark, subterranean place where monsters lurk. Basement of the Dead has created its own backstory for its building, dating back to the 1920s and involving people vanishing and body parts being found in the neighboring river.
If you happen to be near Chicago this October, descend into the darkness — if you dare.
House of Torment — Austin, TX
The well-regarded House of Torment has doubled in size for the 2016 season by moving to a new, larger location. This year features three new haunted house attractions. Visitors can be stalked by the undead in Dawn of Evil, enter a haunted mansion called Graveside Manor or brave the dark in Blackout, where each visitor is given only a glowstick to navigate their way through monster-filled darkness in search of the exit.
Of course, there are lots of other haunted houses that aren’t on this list. If you’re traveling but won’t be near one of these spots, be sure to search Google and see what’s near you!
PC Housing offers home rentals for short- and long-term business travelers. Why should you stay in a hotel when you can stay in a home? We have locations across the U.S. and in Canada. Get in touch with us to learn about your options!