Americas Best Haunted Houses Scariest Attractions Halloween 2011

 

Every year Hauntworld.com releases the premier list of haunted houses, haunted hayrides, scream parks, Halloween attractions, corn mazes, real haunted houses and even home haunted houses.  By doing so, Hauntworld.com has helped even the smallest home haunts become nationally recognized, allowing some to even progress into major, professional attractions.  Hauntworld.com has also helped many local haunted houses receive national recognition as one of America’s best haunted houses in the nation.  Many of the best haunted houses in the World were discovered and promoted on this very list, our annual list of the best haunted houses in America.

The haunted house industry started back in the early 1970's predominantly as charity attractions.  Then later into the 1980's, they transformed into huge local screams!   With the invention of the internet and more specifically high speed internet access, haunted houses could cost-effectively showcase videos, photos, logos and more towards the worldwide promotion of their events as high end attractions, gaining the kind of national awareness that only places like Disney World or Universal Studios were able to garner prior.

Haunted houses flourished, finding new audiences and creating worldwide identities as tourist hotspots.  Today, there are people from all over the WORLD planning Fall vacations in search of attending the best haunted house attractions in the world.  Many load up their vehicles, take off work for a week, and travel from city to city finding haunted houses throughout the nation that make their heart pound and the hair on the back of their neck rise.  They’re in search of finding that ultimate high and extreme sensation that ONLY a haunted house can create.  Hollywood can NO LONGER compete with the live experience of fear.  The debut of horror movies have moved out of October, because haunted houses get all the press and hype.  Today, haunted houses are better attracting their attention, and haunted houses are getting millions of people from around the WORLD lined up for miles to enter their favorite haunted houses.

Today’s horror fans flock to haunted houses to experience live, in-your-face thrills, suspense, screams and terror.  They seek that fear, REAL FEAR, only found in live experiences.  Haunted houses today are sophisticated with high tech special effects.  These are the same high end effects you'd find in major motion movies and multimillion dollar theme parks.   The haunted house industry is much like the movie industry, in that it creates very emotional experiences, but the difference is motion pictures are creating movie experiences; haunted houses are creating unforgettable memories that last a lifetime.  Many times the movie industry over hypes or over sells a film.  Well, haunted houses do the same.  Like the movies, haunted houses have very little time to make the public aware of the product and sell the tickets.

Today, you can find the best deals on hotels from a single website.  You can find the best prices on airfare.  From vacations to cars to shoes, you can read and write reviews about places and products you’ve experienced.  Thanks to www.Hauntworld.com, people who love to SCREAM now have a place to call HOME, a place to share their haunting experiences, their passions, and their love of haunted houses and all things haunted.

John Carpenter's Halloween might have started the whole craze of fearing “the boogie man” on film, but haunted houses have taken the love of fear to the next level.  This Halloween, remember what you love about Halloween and about horror movies.  Indulge in that overwhelming desire to feel real fear, and visit YOUR favorite haunted house(s) in your community, in your state, across America and around the World.

Hauntworld.com will help you find the best haunted houses in America.  With your help, we will share through social media, blogs, message boards and word-of-mouth our favorite haunted houses and pronounce them as THE BEST haunted houses in America and around the World.  This year we present our 2011 list of the best haunted houses in America, best scream parks, best hayrides and best real haunted houses too.


Something new this year…You can VOTE for which haunted house YOU feel is the best in each state.  Watch their videos, view their photos, and ultimately visit the haunts.  Then, come back HERE to Hauntworld.com to VOTE for the best haunted houses in the World.  Share this page on your Facebook page or Twitter account and ask America to come to Hauntworld.com to VOTE for their favorite haunted house too.  We want to know which haunted house YOU believe to be the best haunted house in America 2011.  Visit this page all October, and come November return to Hauntworld.com to view the results.  We want YOU, our fans of FEAR, to tell America who has the best haunted house, the scariest haunted house in America!


 


1. Bates Motel & Haunted Hayride and Pennhurst Asylum Haunted Attraction in Philadelphia, PA Pennsylvania: The Bates Motel Haunted House & Hayride is a unique haunted attraction for several reasons:  The Haunted Hayride is located deep in a 200-year-old forest full of overgrown trees creating the ultimate dark trail even during a full moon. This puts customers on edge even before ever entering the first hayride scene. Combined with a digital custom soundtrack, pyrotechnics and continuous scares throughout the ride, this hayride attraction is sure to create the ultimate haunting experience of your life! To read a more detailed article about this attraction, CLICK HERE or visit their website at www.TheBatesMotel.com. Additionally, The Pennhurst Asylum is one of the scariest haunted attraction sites in the world, mostly due to the setting of this haunt. It’s located in a 100-year-old, abandoned mental institute. The building itself will instill real fear and true horror in anyone. The Asylum has been investigated by professional ghost hunters and featured on Ghost Adventures and Ghost Hunters several times. This attraction is truly haunted. To read a more detailed article about this real haunted house CLICK HERE or visit their website at www.PennhurstAsylum.com. Bates Motel and Pennhurst Asylum are owned and operated by the same company and are within a short drive of each other. These have to be number one on our list for locations to get scared this Halloween.

2. The Darkness Haunted House in St. Louis, MO Missouri:
The Darkness Haunted House is beyond belief with haunting atmosphere and terror. The Darkness is very much like a high end, Hollywood movie set. From room to room, the fear intensifies with never ending detail, special effects, animations, live actors, and more. It's simply the best. The Darkness rests inside a 100-year-old, two story warehouse and includes three attractions in one location for one price.  If you can survive both stories of The Darkness, you will then enter the World’s best 3D haunted house, Terror Visions 3D. As you exit Terror Visions, you’ll find yourself inside The Monster Museum filled with real horror movie collectibles, full-sized horror images, and life-like monsters. The Darkness is a multimillion dollar attraction filled with terrifying experiences. With the ultimate creative team behind it, The Darkness truly stands out from year to year as one of America’s best haunted houses. Each year, they look for new ways to create the ultimate haunting experience for producing the best haunted house in America. To read a more detailed review, CLICK HERE or visit their website at www.Scarefest.com

3. 13th Gate Haunted House in Baton Rouge, LA Louisiana: 13th Gate Haunted House has it all. Their level of detail, set design, and effects combined with their impressive actors and incredible makeup effects can only be compared to the likes of Hollywood. As soon as you enter The 13th Gate Haunted House, you immediately realize you are inside no ordinary haunted house. Over 13 different indoor & outdoor fright zones make this huge scream factory a top haunt on our list. Haunted asylums, claustrophobic cellars, a real snake-infested Louisiana swamp, nightly voodoo shows, hidden subterranean passages and even a prehistoric ice cave all seamlessly woven together is nothing short of masterful. You never know what to expect around the next terrifying corner at 13th Gate. Plus, the company behind 13th Gate Haunted House, Midnight Production, will unveil their latest addition, Necropolis 13, new for 2011! Necropolis 13 is a 40,000 sq. ft. New Orleans style cemetery complete with over 400 zombie-infested crypts and mausoleums. Upon entering the attraction, visitors are sent 13 steps down an open grave into dark underground catacombs where they must find an alternate escape up and out into the cemetery where the terror continues! 13th Gate Haunted House is one of the best, most detailed haunted houses in the WORLD. To read a more detailed review CLICK HERE or visit their website www.13thgate.com

4. Headless Horseman Hayrides & Haunted Houses in Ulster Park, NY: Located in the Historic New York Haunted Hudson Valley, Headless Horseman offers a second-to-none haunted scream park featuring a massive corn maze, 6 haunted houses, a haunted hayride, side shows, 5 gift shops, 4 places to eat, and to top it off, you’ll even find professional actors riding around as THE Headless Horseman himself…Or are they actors? The property offers over forty-five acres of natural landscape that as night falls provides the perfect setting for the ultimate haunting.  It’s one of the only haunted houses in America where they presell every ticket before ever opening… a true testament to how incredible this attraction has become! To read a more detailed review of this attraction CLICK HERE or visit their website www.headlesshorseman.com

5. Netherworld Haunted House in Atlanta, GA Georgia: The legendary NETHERWORLD Haunted House is a walk-through dark attraction filled with THE MOST terrifying live actors, special effects and monsters. They too always seek to produce an even scarier, over-the-top haunt for each coming year. Netherworld’s creators spare no expense in constantly improving and expanding. They play to every nightmare imaginable inside Netherworld Haunted House. Known for their originality of unique monsters and innovative scares, Netherworld Haunted House offers an over-the-top production that many in the industry consider to be the top horror attraction in the country. Created by film and television professionals, NETHERWORLD is also noted for its unique themes, stunts, costumes and sets.  Netherworld has been featured on everything from Travel Channel to The Today Show and was even used as a filming location for the movie Zombieland. To read a full review of this attraction CLICK HERE or visit their website www.fearworld.com

6. Cutting Edge Haunted House in Dallas Fort Worth, TX Texas:
  Cutting Edge Haunted House was recognized by Guinness Book of World Records as the longest haunted house in the WORLD!  Cutting Edge is located inside an old meat packing plant, the perfect setting for a gruesome haunting.  Cutting Edge Haunted House features live sets, animations, and hundreds of live actors inside and outside the building.  One of the best features of the attraction is all the real meat packing plant equipment left behind from when the planet closed years ago.  Much of the meat packing theme has been incorporated into the setting of this attraction making this haunted house in Dallas Fort Worth Texas one of the most authentic haunted houses ever created.  Cutting Edge Haunted House is waiting for you…Will you make it out alive?  CLICK HERE to read a complete review of this attraction or visit them online at www.cuttingedgehauntedhouse.com

7. 13th Floor Haunted House in Phoenix, AZ Arizona:  13th Floor Phoenix isn’t just a 60,000 square foot onslaught of terror and insanity. It’s a mega haunted house offering one of the most detailed and terrifying haunted houses in America.  Featuring 2 attractions that thematically span classical horror to modern day zombie apocalyptic carnage, this haunted house is a must see.  You’ll first experience the essence of Halloween in a highly detailed series of haunted mansions, gothic graveyards, and tormented asylums that play out in fantastic wonder in what many have referred to as “one of the most impressive haunted houses in the country.”  Inside the second attraction, Zombieland, patrons experience a one of a kind trip through the apocalypse as they navigate their way through a city infected with undead turmoil.  The 13th Floor Phoenix features over 100 performers, amazing costumes, and horrifying thematic experiences that rival television and film in the scope and scale of its production.  To read a detailed article about this attraction, CLICK HERE or visit their website www.13thflooraz.com

8. House of Torment Haunted Houses in Austin, TX Texas:  House of Torment is widely considered to be one of the most innovative haunted houses in the country.  Take a journey through its dynamic and ultra-creative attraction, The Reckoning, and when you think you’ve seen it all, you’ll find yourself in more terrifying danger as you enter their next attraction, Cursed. The Reckoning is an apocalyptic saga that takes customers through a devastated city that has suffered through virulent out breaks, alien invasions and ample amounts of destruction. The Reckoning features aerial stunts, giant animatronic monsters, massive movie quality sets, a crashed space ship, thrilling special effects, and nonstop action as war unfolds between hoards of the undead and the intergalactic Soul Reaper army. Cursed is an immersive experience taking customers on a journey through a haunted island where blood thirst savages attack and zombie pirates stalk the living.  Dark terrors lurk in the shadows of ancient temples along with murky caves, thick jungles, and a massive shipwreck. The Reckoning and Cursed are both new for 2011!  The highly revered House of Torment production team prides itself on creating new and vivid experiences each year for its avid fan base.  To read a detailed review of this haunt, CLICK HERE or visit their website www.thehouseoftorment.com

9. Erebus 4 Story Haunted Attraction in Pontiac, MI Michigan:  Erebus Haunted House is surrounded by tons of competing haunts, but that’s what keeps them on their toes, always staying ahead of the pack by making and developing their own unique scares that you can't see anywhere else but Erebus Haunted House.  With over 30 years in the haunted house business, they are masters at creating things that will grab you, bite you, and even land on top of you.  Imagine being placed in a room, doors slam, and 10,000 balls fall on your head to bury you alive!  How long can YOU hold YOUR breath?  New for the 2011 season, is Erubus’ WAR OF THE WORLDS section where the war between humans and aliens is raging. Watch in terror as you see an alien explode right before your eyes.  To read a detailed review of Erebus, CLICK HERE or visit their website www.hauntedpontiac.com

10. Asylum Haunted House / 13th Floor in Denver, CO Colorado:
  If there is less oxygen, can you scream as loud?  Visit The Asylum Haunted House, 13th Floor Haunted House, and Blood Shed Haunted House in Denver, Colorado and you’ll find out!  There’s terror in the heart of the Mile High City.  These haunted houses offer intense graphic experiences, where attention is paid to every detail ensuring those who visit have a frightening good time.  It all begins with The Asylum, set in Gordon Cottingham’s Hospital for the criminally insane.  It’s a damp and musty place infested with unimaginable nightmares and coupled with the endless screams of tortured souls. This year guests will be scared out of their minds with an insanely redesigned layout featuring new sets and effects that create a truly mind blowing experience.  Then it’s onward to the 13th Floor, where the age-old question is answered…Where is the 13th Floor, and why is it absent in so many buildings? Find out as you board a haunted elevator for a heart-pounding ride to a thrilling adventure on the legendary 13th Floor.  Superstition? Conspiracy? Supernatural? Or something far, far worse?  Either way, be prepared, because there’s a plethora of updates added for 2011, including a mirror maze never before seen in Denver.  It appears to provide you an endless supply of horrifying reflections.  Visit the 13th Floor Haunted House and you are guaranteed an amazing journey through the most sought after haunted experience in Colorado. To read a detailed article about this attraction, CLICK HERE or visit their website www.getscared.com

11. The Dent Haunted Schoolhouse in Cincinnati, OH Ohio:
  Evil lurks within the walls of the school, and the basement is truly hell on earth at The Dent Schoolhouse haunted attraction in Cincinnati, Ohio.  It’s one of the most detailed haunted houses you will find in the nation. The schoolhouse uses Hollywood style animatronics, sets, actors and make-up making it one of America’s best haunted attractions.  Classified as haunted, The Dent Schoolhouse was actually a school that opened in 1894 and has a grizzly past.  Guests of The Dent Schoolhouse learn the true story of its murderous janitor, Charlie, and why locals have coined the term “hell’s basement” for the school’s basement.  Charlie was never caught and brought to justice.  Is it he who haunts the halls of the school to this day?  For 2011, haunt seekers get to enter never before seen rooms of the school’s basement.  Among the new rooms are Charlie’s workshop, bedroom, boiler room and even the janitor’s student holding cell.  Plus, The Dent Haunted Schoolhouse will feature a brand new attraction for 2011, Detention Hall, a militarized zone with a zombie outbreak theme, included with every Dent ticket!  Read a detailed review of Dent Schoolhouse by CLICKING HERE or visit their website www.frightsite.com

12. The 13th Floor Haunted House in San Antonio, TX Texas:  The 13th Floor Haunted House is the flagship haunted attraction of America’s most haunted city, San Antonio, Texas.  This is truly a testament to its high action, in-your-face premium production value among Texas haunted houses.  Spanning 40,000 square feet across 3 stories in a 105 year old historic building, the 13th Floor San Antonio takes patrons through several levels of horror from the depths of its decrepit, underground basement.  Through the wickedness of its massive gothic cemetery and into its horrifically fantastic haunted hotel, 13th Floor San Antonio customers get to experience a barrage of special effects, animatronic monsters and impeccably detailed sets.  Add to that some of the most talented group of performers in the industry, and you’ve got a top notch, first rate haunted house that’s 2nd to none.  Taking nothing for granted the 13th Floor San Antonio delivers 2 haunted experiences that continually raise the bar and push the limits of what a haunted house is and what a haunted house can become. To read a detailed review of this attraction, CLICK HERE or visit their website www.13thfloorsanantonio.com

13. Nightmare on the Bayou Haunted House in Houston, TX Texas:  Located in the shadow of downtown Houston, TX next to Houston’s oldest graveyard, Nightmare on the Bayou is the name people think of when searching “HAUNTED TEXAS”.  Nightmare on the Bayou is entering its 12th year in operation and has grown bigger and better with every year featuring newly designed scenes, Hollywood quality props, professional animatronics and dozens upon dozens of the most well-trained and highly supervised actors…CRAZED actors whose sole purpose is to scare you TO DEATH.  Nightmare on the Bayou boasts, “The only haunted house in Houston with REAL ghosts,” and with being right next to the graveyard…I believe them!  Ghost sightings are frequent from both customers and employees alike.  Additionally, Nightmare On The Bayou is one of the only haunted house in America with a WORLD CLASS Halloween retail store for your ease and convenience.  Learn more about Nightmare On The Bayou Haunted House in Houston, TX by visiting their website www.nightmareonthebayou.com

  

The list doesn't end there.


 

Who is brave enough to take on our list of 31 HAUNTS IN 31 NIGHTS, traveling across the country to visit the 31 best haunted houses in America? If you take on this journey, you need to contact us! If you don't find your favorite, scary haunted houses on this list, check our haunted house directory, CLICK HERE, to find the scariest haunted house in YOUR area. You can search the Hauntworld database for haunted houses, hayrides and more by city, by state, or by zip code. Now, the list continues with rankings 14-31 of the BEST haunted houses in America:
 
14. Haunted Hoochie & Dead Acres in Columbus, OH Ohio www.DeadAcres.com
15. Atrox Factory Haunted House in Birmingham, AL Alabama www.AtroxFactory.com
16. Bayville Scream Park in Long Island, NY New York www.BayvilleScreamPark.com
17. Blood Manor Haunted House in New York City, NY New York www.BloodManor.com
18. Haunted Overload, A New England Haunt in Lee, NH New Hampshire www.HauntedOverload.com
19. Disturbia Haunted Attraction in Huntsville, AL Alabama www.DisturbiaHauntedHouse.com
20. Field of Screams Haunted Houses in Lancaster, PA Pennsylvania www.FieldOfScreams.com
21. Terror Town Haunted Houses in Toledo, OH Ohio www.Terrortown.net
22. Terror Behind The Walls at Eastern State Penitentiary in Philadelphia, PA
Pennsylvania www.EasternState.org/halloween
23. Bennett’s Curse Haunted Houses in Baltimore, MD Maryland www.BennettsCurse.com
24. Creepyworld Haunted Scream Park in St. Louis, MO Missouri www.Scarefest.com
25. The Mortuary Haunted House in New Orleans, LA Louisiana www.TheMortuary.net
26. Jason’s Woods Haunted Attractions in Lancaster, PA
Pennsylvania www.JasonsWoods.com
27. Pure Terror Scream Park in Orange County, NY New York www.PureTerror.com
28. Haunted Schoolhouse and Lab in Akron, OH Ohio www.hshlab.com
29. The Beast and Edge of Hell in Kansas City, MO Missouri www.EdgeOfHell.com
30. ScreamPark Haunted Houses in Lexington, KY Kentucky www.ScaryLexington.com
31. Haunted Hills Estate in Pittsburgh, PA
Pennsylvania www.HauntedHillsEstate.com
 

 

THE SCREAMING DOESN'T END THERE…

 

What is a haunted hayride? For a haunted hayride, you board a wagon filled with people pulled by a tractor through haunted scenes where special FX are triggered causing folks to scream in horror. Additionally, live skits and well-timed scares are played out to give the ultimate haunted hayride experience. Generally, haunted hayrides are found on farms, at scream parks, in woods or other outside venue.
 
Haunted woods and haunted trails are paths thru forest, trees and/or brush designed to scare. These schematic trails through deep woods provide the best backdrop for a heart pounding thrill. Sets are installed with scary themes while live actors try to make you scream TO DEATH! Here is our list of the best outdoor haunted hayrides, haunted woods and haunted trails. Or for more haunted hayrides, visit www.HauntedHayrides.com
 
1. Headless Horseman Haunted Hayride in Ulster Park, New York www.HeadlessHorseman.com
2. Bates Motel & Hayride in Philadelphia, PA Pennsylvania www.TheBatesMotel.com
3. Field of Screams in Lancaster, PA Pennsylvania www.FieldOfScreams.com
4. Spookywoods in High Point, NC North Carolina - www.SpookyWoods.com
5. Creepyworld: Tombstone Haunted Hayride in St. Louis, MO Missouri www.Scarefest.com
6. Jason's Woods in Lancaster, PA Pennsylvania www.JasonsWoods.com
7. Haunted Overload in Lee, NH New Hampshire www.HauntedOverload.com
8. Creepywoods in Baltimore, MD Maryland www.Creepywoods.com
9. Fear Fest in Columbia, MO Missouri www.FearFestHauntedHouse.com
10. The Haunted Trail in San Diego, CA California www.HauntedHotel.com
 
To find a haunted hayride near you, visit www.HauntedHayrides.com

 

What do we mean by the top MOST OUTRAGEOUS haunted houses in America?  Let us explain…  The haunted houses on this list might be a full contact haunted house where the actors could grab you, or the animations might ram into you, or perhaps they just have very gruesome or disgusting themes and scenes.  Some of these haunts are simply over the top including ones with devil worship style themes…Yikes!  Do you have the stomach or the courage to step foot into one of these places?  We dare you!  And if so, be sure to comment your experience on our Facebook page.
 
1. Haunted Hoochie / Dead Acres in Columbus, OH Ohio:  Dead Acres is a self-proclaimed “bad ass” haunted house attraction, set out to stand out. When you enter Dead Acres, you begin a full sensory assault through a heart pounding, in-your-face horror show. Dead Acres has the craziest actors doing the most outrageous things of any haunt in America. This attraction is NOT for the faint of heart and especially NOT for kids. www.DeadAcres.com
 
2. House of Shock Haunted House in New Orleans, LA Louisiana: This haunted house has a devil worship theme, and with a cast of over a hundred volunteer actors, you’re guaranteed an outrageous show with possible grabbing, mangling, preaching or worse. Proclaimed as “the most infamous haunted attraction in the world”, you never know what to expect as you enter House of Shock Haunted House in New Orleans. This event also features major pyrotechnics, too. www.HouseofShock.com
 
3. Erebus Haunted House in Pontiac, MI Michigan: This is one of the craziest haunted houses in America. Erebus is a full contact haunted house where every gag or animation is designed to get you, touch you, hit you or simply swallow you whole! This haunt is a no holds barred attraction and easily makes our list of most outrageous haunts! www.HauntedPontiac.com
 
4. Netherworld Haunted House in Atlanta, GA Georgia: This haunted house attraction makes the list for most outrageous haunted houses, and all the credit goes to their crazed, over-the-top parking lot actors and queue line actors. At most haunted houses, you wait in line simply standing around, but not at Netherworld Haunted House. They’ve trained the craziest people they know to literally torment the crowds of people waiting in line. Imagine 30 monsters sparking concrete, sliding, jumping off hearses and more! www.fearworld.com
 
5. House of Torment Haunted Houses in Austin, TX Texas:  This haunt makes the list because the attraction allows their actors to torment and literally haunt you all the way through the attraction. They have the green light to do whatever it takes.  They WILL touch you, and they WILL get into your mind! If you make it out alive, your sanity will never be the same at House of Torment Haunted House in Austin. www.HouseofTorment.com

 

3D haunted houses are unlike any other haunted house you've ever seen, and typically they are a secondary haunted house attraction, usually inside a larger haunted event or scream park. What is a 3D Haunted House? The build out to these attractions are similar to regular haunted houses, but they’re painted and themed using blacklight paint. When blacklight paint is properly layered, the creation is a 3D environment unlike any other. Of course, a special pair of chromodepth 3D glasses are necessary for the entire environment to become three dimensional. Inside these haunted attractions, you’ll find floating floors, death defying holes, walls that are coming out at you and more. 3D haunted houses are very popular especially at amusement parks. Here is our list to find the best 3D haunted houses in America, so put on your favorite 3D glasses and take a wild psychedelic adventure into horror as we list America's best 3D haunted houses:
 
1. Terror Visions 3D in St Louis, MO Missouri: The entire haunted house industry agrees, this is hands down the best 3D haunted house attraction in America. The 3D effects are simply amazing. The theme centers around a wild, crazed clown infested circus where the clowns are horrifically dangerous. The attraction is filled with animations, extreme actors and a spinning tunnel sure to leave you mental unstable. If you weren’t afraid of clowns before, you will be after visiting Terror Visions 3D Haunted House in St. Louis, MO.  www.Scarefest.com
 
2. Uncle Needles Funhouse of Fear 3D Haunted House in Long Island, NY: The name says it all! One visit and you’ll agree this 3D haunt is a BEST 3D haunted house in America, featuring hundreds of thousands of dollars in incredible artwork, fully built-out sets, animations, spinning tunnels, moving floors, and a pre show where you are tormented by a multi-motion clown. Plus, the facade on this attraction is second to none! www.BayvilleScreampark.com
 
3. Circus Bezerkus at Six Flags Dallas, TX Texas: This clown themed 3D haunted house is filled with some of the most amazing 3D special effects in the industry, and the black hole spinning tunnel will leave you completely unstable. Do you dare enter Circus Bezerkus? www.SixFlags.com
 
4. The Ice Scream Factory at Talon Falls in Paducah, KY Kentucky: The ice cream man might lure you with promise of sugary treats, but don’t be fooled. This evil ice cream man is no childs play. He might take you back to his factory and make a flavor out of YOU! The Ice Scream Factory 3D Haunted Attraction at Talon Falls Haunted House features some of the best eye popping 3D sets and scenes found anywhere, and with all the crazed actors around every corner, this 3d attraction is a MUST SEE!  www.TalonFalls.com
 
5. Saw 3D Haunted House at Creepyworld Haunted Screampark in St. Louis, MO Missouri: From the same creators who made Terror Visions 3D Haunted House, comes another BEST 3D haunted house…Saw 3D! Saw 3D Haunted House is based on the SAW movie franchise and features the most disturbing animations ever found in a 3D haunt. The video FX in this attraction create the ultimate, heart-pounding environment where you will truly fear for your life! There’s no other attraction in America quite like Saw 3D. It’s darker, more twisted and scarier than ever. http://www.scarefest.com/haunted_house_in_stlouis_missouri_creepyworld/index.cfm?id=cms/saw_3d
 
As a side note, the number one designer of 3D Haunted Houses and Blacklight Attractions in America and around the World can be found at www.HalloweenProductions.com or www.BlacklightAttractions.com.

 

Often people ask: What is a SCREAMPARK, and what is the difference between a SCREAMPARK and a haunted house? Aren't they one in the same? No, there are many differences between a SCREAMPARK and a haunted house. A typical haunted house is usually located inside an old warehouse, a closed-down box store, or some other indoor structure, and they usually offer one attraction or one major attraction with one or two possible side attractions. A SCREAMPARK is usually built on a large, open property such as a farm, a field or an amusement park, and they consist of multiple haunted houses all at that one location. Many SCREAMPARKS offer a Haunted Hayride as their main attraction, where guests (or victims) board a tractor pulled hayride through scenes where actors scare and torment causing heart pounding meters to rise.  But additionally, they’ll include other attractions like different style haunted houses, corn mazes, stage shows, haunted games, haunted trails or walks through the woods, or even a carnival. SCREAMPARKS typically have 5 or more different haunted attractions. When visiting one of America's best SCREAMPARKS you should keep in mind these events take a long time to complete and guests may NEVER make it out alive! 
 
Are SCREAMPARKS better than a typical haunted house? No, it’s really just a personal preference. Because they’re outdoors, SCREAMPARKS offer that authentically genuine, scary feel. But since SCREAMPARKS are mostly outdoors, they sometimes have less access to electric and are more susceptible to weather elements. However, amazing pyrotechnics are sometimes found at outside SCREAMPARKS, more so than typical haunted houses. Because of the outdoor element of SCREAMPARKS, most of the attractions are taken down in the off season and stored. Whereas a permanent haunted house building might actually stays up year round for the owners to work on and improve on year round. The level of detail, design, and special FX inside a typical haunted house is difficult to achieve at an outdoor SCREAMPARK event. Of course, there are some SCREAMPARK exceptions such as those on our list of the 13 best, biggest, and scariest HAUNTED SCREAMPARKS in America. Do you want to be scared UNDER THE STARS, under the LIGHT OF THE MOON? Then you need to visit one of America's BEST Haunted SCREAMPARKS.
 
1. Headless Horseman Hayride & Haunted Houses in Ulster Park, New York: Headless Horseman is known for having one of the best, most theatrical haunted hayrides in the World! Headless Horseman features EIGHT different attractions including their infamous haunted hayride, a haunted corn maze, a haunted slaughterhouse, a haunted motel, a haunted cellar, a haunted nursery & greenhouse, plus 2 more haunted houses. WOW! Visit their website at www.headlesshorseman.com or CLICK HERE to read a full review.
 
2. Creepyworld Haunted Screampark in St Louis, MO Missouri: Creepyworld is one of America's best and biggest haunted screamparks with SEVEN haunted attractions in one location for one price. The extreme Saw 3D Haunted House is based on the popular SAW movie franchise. Tombstone Haunted Hayride takes you on a journey through Tombstone Haunted Ghost Town where zombie outlaws endlessly haunt and terrify. Ravens Haunted Mansion is a highly detailed haunted house that will keep you guessing what’s real and what’s not. Hornbuckle’s Pig Farm & Corn Maze offers the ultimate in a good old fashioned backwoods haunting. Drive Inn 666 is an outdoor movie theater where the horror characters come to life looking for their next kill. Choppers Gore & Grill is a chainsaw scream zone looking for fresh meat. And, a secret government experiment has gone awry inside Creepyworld’s longest haunted attraction, Silo-X! To read a detailed review, CLICK HERE or visit their website: http://scarefest.com/haunted_house_in_stlouis_missouri_creepyworld/home.cfm
 
3. The Bates Motel and Haunted Hayride in Philadelphia, PA Pennsylvania: The Bates Motel offers three MASSIVE haunted attractions at Arasapha Farm in Philadelphia, PA including Haunted Corn Maze, The Bates Motel Haunted House, and their main attraction The Haunted Hayride. The Haunted Hayride at Bates Motel is by far one of the best in the country with more creatively designed pyrotechnics than any other haunted hayride ever. They even have high end special FX created by real Hollywood artists designed to provide you with the ultimate haunting experience. Read more CLICK HERE, or visit their website www.thebatesmotel.com.
 
4. Field of Screams in Lancaster, PA Pennsylvania: The Field of Screams Haunted Hayride is a MASSIVE hayride attraction offering heart-stopping thrills around every turn. Field of Screams Haunted Hayride has been featured on the Travel Channel as one of the best in America. But the excitement doesn’t stop there.  Field of Screams also offers 2 more MASSIVE haunted house attractions, Den of Darkness and Frightmare Asylum. Visit their website at www.fieldofscreams.com or to read a full review, CLICK HERE.
 
5. Bayville Scream Park in Long Island, NY: Before you ever even enter Bayville Haunted Scream Park, fear will overcome you as you look upon one of the coolest haunted facades in America. Inside, you’ll find FIVE haunted houses including Evil Woods, Zombie Pirates, Temple of Terror, Bloodworth Haunted Mansion, and Funhouse of Fear in 3D. Bayville Haunted Scream Park also offers a live Parade of the Dead. Bayville Scream Park is the biggest haunted adventure in New York. To learn more, visit their website www.bayvillescreampark.com

6. Corner of Chaos Scream Acres in East Windsor, NJ New Jersey: Corner of Chaos sits on 75 acres of farmland in Central New Jersey. Their attractions include Trail of Treachery, Wooded Wasteland, Barbaric Barnyard, The Wicked Wagon Ride and Halloween Town. Other features include food, refreshments, bonfires, live music, undead dance shows, carnival acts and more. This is no ordinary haunted house; it’s an entire Halloween event NOT to be missed! Learn more by visiting their website at www.cornerofchaos.com
 
7. HorrorFest at Shady Brook Farm in Yardley, PA Pennsylvania: There’s nothing ordinary about this haunted SCREAMPARK. Guests are introduced to a haunting history dating the farm back to the late 1800’s and setting the stage for one horrific night of terror as they tour Barn of Horror, Deadtime Stories Haunted Corn Maze, Hayride of Horror and Alien Encounter 3D Haunted House. Additionally, HorrorFest offers live entertainment with scheduled DJ's, bands, celebrity appearances and even Scareeoke. To learn more, visit their website at www.shadybrookfarm.com/hrrfst
 
8. Burial Chamber Haunted Complex in Appleton, WI Wisconsin: Burial Chamber Haunted Complex features Adrenaline Haunted House, Insanity Haunted House, Phobia Haunted Woods, plus The Last Ride Burial Simulators. This haunted house SCREAMPARK is only for the BRAVEST of heart, because at Burial Chamber you can and will be buried alive!  Have you ever been closed inside a real coffin before? Are you prepared? This haunt season, you MUST visit Wisconsin's best haunted house and biggest Screampark…BURIAL CHAMBER! For details visit www.burialchamber.com.
 
9. Jason’s Woods in Lancaster, PA Pennsylvania: The Legendary Jason’s Woods #1 Attraction offers NINE haunted house attractions: Horrifying Hayride, Barn of Terror, Pirates Revenge 3D, Mystery Maze, Macabre Museum, Pitch Black, Psycho Circus, Escape From Oz, and Lost In Jasons Woods. Additionally, Jasons Woods offers nightly special events and activities like movies, live bands, inflatables fun, food specials, fireworks and more! To learn all about Jasons Woods Haunted Attractions, visit their website www.jasonswoods.com.
 
10. The Field of Terror at K & S Farms in East Windsor, NJ New Jersey: With over 120 acres of preserved farmland, The Field of Terror is New Jersey's LARGEST Haunted Attraction Farm. They offer Haunted Hayride, Field of Terror Corn Maze, Flashlight Maze, plus 2 walk-through haunted houses: The Unknown and Dementia 3D Haunted House. In their 8th season of bringing chills and thrills to guests, Field of Terror KNOWS how to haunt! Learn more at www.fieldofterror.com.
 
11. Haunted Mill Screampark in Spring Grove, PA Pennsylvania: What awaits you in the dark and damp basement of Haunted Mill? At Haunted Mill ScreamPark, FIVE terrifying attractions test your bravery and fortitude: The Haunted Mill, The House of Eyes. Maw’s Crazy Maze, Terror Trail and Creepy Cornwalk. To learn all the details about Haunted Mill ScreamPark, visit their website www.hauntedmillscreampark.com.
 
12. Talon Falls Haunted Screamfest in Paducah, KY Kentucky: Talon Falls features Blood Creek Haunted Hayride, Dead End Haunted House, and The Talon Falls Cell Block D, plus an incredible 3D haunted house, Ice Scream Factory 3D.  To read a more detailed review CLICK HERE or visit their website at www.talonfalls.com.
 
13. Pirates of Emerson in San Jose, CA California: Pirates of Emerson Haunted Theme Park features SIX different haunted houses, plus Dead Entertainment nightly. One low price and you’ll tour Habitat of Hags, Lockdown Haunted House, Doll Hostel, Mental Maze, Wicked Wild West and of course Pirates of Emerson. Pirates of Emerson has been offering amazing haunted houses along with an incredible cast of costumed characters for 20 years of fear! Visit www.piratesofemerson.com.

 

What is a corn maze?  Generally located on a farm or in a field, a corn maze is trail built into a mass of corn stalks.  How are they made?  As the corn starts to grow in, farmers use GPS tracking to create patterns in the corn, and from there the farmers remove the corn stalks where the customers will walk thereby creating a unique and creative design in the corn.  A corn maze is usually confusing making it hard for guests to find their way out.  Corn mazes can be daytime events for family-friendly Halloween or Fall Festival fun.  Or in our case, they can be HAUNTED CORN MAZES, providing nightly hauntings where actors might stalk and torment those who dare enter.  Many corn maze operators will even offer both, a fun Fall event by day and then turn the corn maze into a night time scream fest at nightfall.  Some might use special effects, animatronics, lighting, props, actors, chainsaws and more.  Which are the best, scariest corn mazes in America?  The best website to find corn mazes is www.HalloweenAttractions.com, but keep reading as Hauntworld.com reveals the best CORN MAZES in America:
 
1. Spookywoods Corn Maze in High Point, NC North Carolina: Spookywoods runs the most MASSIVE corn maze attraction in America. Learn more at www.Spookywoods.com
 
2. Evil Reaping, Dark Harvest Corn Maze at Headless Horseman in Ulster Park, NY New York: Headless Horseman features a labyrinth style haunted corn maze. One visit here and you’ll quickly remember why you NEVER walk thru the cornfield alone. www.HeadlessHorseman.com

3. Field of Terror Haunted Corn Maze at K & S Farms in East Windsor, NJ New Jersey: This haunted corn maze is the ultimate haunted trail experience. It will have you running for your life and screaming bloody murder.  Stay close, because lost in the corn is NOT recommended.  You SHOULD fear for your soul in Field of Terror Haunted Corn Maze.  Learn more at www.FieldofTerror.com
 
4. Seward Farms Corn Maze in Lucedale, MS Mississippi: This corn maze is designed for family fun with an amazing design from the sky and fun for kids young and old. Learn more at www.SewardsFarm.com
 
5. South Texas Maize in Hondo, TX Texas: Another Amazing corn maze with a massive corn maze design, hayrides, pumpkin patches and more. www.SouthTexasMaize.com

 

Are you searching to find the creepiest, scariest, REAL haunted houses in America? Look no further than our list of the Top 10 Scariest REAL Haunted Houses in America 2011. Hauntworld.com is your home for all things haunted houses: finding best haunted houses, real haunted houses, paranormal ghost hunting, ghost tours and much more. Each year Hauntworld.com creates a list of the best haunted houses in America. However, this year we are focused on the best REAL haunted houses in America. Have you ever explored a haunted place and wondered if you’ll make it out alive? Hauntworld.com has come up with the ultimate list of the best REAL haunted houses in America which reside in REAL haunted locations whereby the owners of these properties have turned them into commercial haunted houses.
 
The Haunted House industry is now a ONE BILLION dollar industry and everyone is getting in on the act: major amusement parks, companies who own relevant tourist attractions (such as Winchester Mystery House), and of course haunted house owners.  Other notable tourist attractions such as the haunted Queen Mary and The Eastern State Penitentiary with all of its haunted history become elaborate haunted house attractions in October. Do you want to “ghost hunt” while at the same time having the scariest actors in America jump out and make you SCREAM? Inside a haunt like that, who knows if the stalking presence behind you is REAL or something from the OTHER SIDE! When visiting America's best REAL haunted houses, you’ll never know who is real, what is real, and whether your life is in true danger of being pulled into the underworld …with no hope of return.

Hauntworld.com has compiled a list of the TOP 13 haunted attractions which reside in documented REAL haunted buildings, ships, mansions, prisons, asylums, and even real mortuaries. Grab your courage if you dare and take a road trip to visit America's best REAL haunted houses. A trip like this guarantees yourself the ultimate case of the willies, goosebumps and possibly a real life ghost encounter.  So now Hauntworld.com presents the top, best, scariest, ultimate, REAL haunted houses in America for 2011…No, make that…in the WORLD.
 
1. Pennhurst Asylum Haunted Attraction: Prior to opening as a haunted attraction, the old Pennhurst Asylum building sat vacant, falling on decay, for decades. Parts were even vandalized until haunted house owner, Randy Bates (famous for The Bates Motel Haunted House & Hayride in Philadelphia), took over the property and turned this real haunted site into the most controversial haunted house project ever produced. Now, you can walk the grounds and the haunted halls in probably the most terrifying REAL haunted house in America. Located in the Philadelphia, Pennsylvania area in Spring City, PA, this haunted experience offers multiple haunted house attractions, each more impressive than the next. Prepare for one of the most shocking haunt trips of your life. Read the Featured Article, we did on this amazing attraction CLICK HERE or simply visit their website at www.PennhurstAsylum.com
 
2. Lemp Brewery Haunted House: The Lemp Dynasty once owned one of the biggest brewery companies in the World until prohibition. It was believed, the Lemp family went a little mad. With mysterious deaths and multiple Lemp family suicides, the Lemp family and their legacy slowly faded away. The Lemp's built one of the biggest breweries in the World over a natural cave system known as the 'Cherokee Caves' found underneath St. Louis city, and believed to be cursed. Was it the loss of their empire or the ghosts in the caves that drove them to their edge? The brewery complex spans over 17 acres of old turn-of-the-century buildings, and the haunted house is located under the complex, five stories down, inside a real gothic style cave and cavern system where light is scant and no one can hear you scream. Learn more at www.Scarefest.com or CLICK HERE to read a complete review of this attraction.
 
3. The Mortuary: The Mortuary Haunted House sits inside a REAL turn-of-the-century funeral home mortuary, right next door to one of the biggest, oldest and creepiest cemeteries in Louisiana. Can you image the backdrop for a haunted house inside one of the biggest and oldest cemeteries in America? So YES, The Mortuary Haunted House in New Orleans, LA readily makes our list as one of America's BEST locations to get a fright in 2011. Learn more by visiting their website www.TheMortuary.net or CLICK HERE to read our complete featured article online.
 
4. Terror Behind The Walls: The Eastern State Penitentiary in Philadelphia, PA is one of the oldest prisons left standing in America. It once housed notorious gangster Al Capone and many other hardened criminals. Documented as a truly haunted building, the old Eastern State Penn allows touring of the facility year around, but when Halloween season arrives, it becomes even darker than ever as one of America's best haunted houses, Terror Behind The Walls. Eastern State is located in Philadelphia, PA, and is now also home to Terror Behind the Walls. Terror Behind the Walls isn't your average haunted house it's a real haunted prison. To learn more visit their website www.easternstate.org/halloween or CLICK HERE to read a full article on Terror Behind the Walls.
 
5. The Haunted Prison Experience at the Ohio State Reformatory: Staying with the entire haunted prison theme, you should prepare to walk the halls of another historic prison and home to real ghosts and spirits. This location is additionally the site of several famous movies such as Shawshank Redemption. This old haunted prison located in Mansfield, Ohio will certainly put the chills into anyone who enters its gates. Visit their website www.hauntedx.com for more haunting information about this amazing haunted house attraction. It truly is a haunting “experience” you won’t want to miss.
 
6. USS Nightmare Haunted House: Come aboard if you dare! The USS Nightmare, America’s Premier Haunted Steamboat, is located on the Ohio River in Newport, KY in the Greater Cincinnati, OH area. We’ve all heard of ships being haunted, but this one takes the cake, as you step foot on a real historic steamboat. This is not your ordinary haunted house experience. The USS Nightmare haunted house is floating on the Ohio River bank and filled with ghosts, ghouls, and long lost passengers still trying to find passage to the other side. To learn more visit their website www.ussnightmare.com or CLICK HERE to read our full article on The USS Nightmare in Newport, Kentucky. 
 
7. The Haunted Cave at Lewisburg: Who knows what terror awaits you in a real cave system, deep underground where no one can find you, dead or alive. Near Dayton, Ohio beneath the peaceful village of Lewisburg, OH, The Haunted Cave is the longest running, most highly-rated underground Halloween attraction in and around Ohio. Located 80 feet below ground in an abandoned mine, the Haunted Cave is home to over 30,000 bats, and possibly just as many ghosts and spirits. If you were to get lost, you might NEVER return! To learn more about The Haunted Cave at Lewisburg, visit their website here: www.hauntedcaveatlewisburg.com.
 
8. Cutting Edge Haunted House: This haunted attraction is located in Fort Worth, TX inside a building built over 100 years ago. It’s one of the only haunted houses in America built inside a REAL meat packing plant, the perfect place to properly dispose of a body. When you go through this haunted house, you’ll see all the meat packing plant equipment still there and still intact, and this Halloween season, it’ll be put to good use making YOU America's next meal! Cutting Edge Haunted House won the Guinness Book of World Records as the longest haunt in America. To learn more, visit their website www.CuttingEdgeHauntedHouse.com or CLICK HERE to read our full article all about Cutting Edge Haunted House in Fort Worth, Texas.
 
9. House of Torment Haunted Houses: This is the only haunted house we’ve known to be located inside an old movie theater. Once running classic movies of horror like The Shinning & The Exorcist, this location now makes American scream with real life horror where the characters are REAL. The theater is supposedly haunted and now that the owners have been running House of Torment Haunted House, we must to agree! Your trip to the movies will never be the same again. Visit their website here: www.TheHouseofTorment.com or CLICK HERE to read our full article on House of Torment in Austin, Texas.
 
10. The Dent Schoolhouse:  Who wants to go back to school? Most everyone would love to relive their younger years, but what if that meant entering a 100-year-old school that was closed and condemned, filled with ghosts who want to teach you the meaning of HELL. The Dent Schoolhouse is one of the only haunted houses in America built inside a real, condemned turn-of-the-century schoolhouse. The entire attraction is themed around going back to school, to a haunted school, utilizing everything that was left behind, and we mean EVERYTHING! There are reports from real ghost investigations that the place is filled with the supernatural. Learn more by visiting their website www.frightsite.com or CLICK HERE to read our full article all about this haunted attraction.
 
11. Winchester Mystery House: This is one of the most famous houses in America located in San Jose, California. In 1884, Mrs. Sarah Winchester, Winchester Rifle heiress, left New Haven, Connecticut, leaving behind the graves of her husband and child.  She landed in the Santa Clara Valley and began building a new house that became an obsession that was to last her lifetime. Why did Sarah Winchester build the world’s oddest home? We don’t know, but inside that home today is a haunted house attraction not soon to be forgotten. If you dare, you can learn more at www.WinchesterMysteryHouse.com.
 
12. Ruby Falls Haunted Cavern: Ruby Falls is one of America's natural wonders featuring an unreal natural cave system in Chattanooga, TN Tennessee. A major haunted house has been created inside this cave system taking you down 26 stories underground. No other haunted house has such an amazing natural environment quite like the Ruby Falls Haunted Cavern. To learn more, visit their website www.hauntedcavern.com.
 
13. Necropolis 13 Haunted House: The owners of one of America's best haunted houses (13th Gate Haunted House) have created one of the WORLD’s biggest catacomb haunted houses.  Walk through the city of the dead experiencing real catacombs and tombs, amongst the spirits of the undead. These top notch hauntings are sure to give you the true creeps. To learn more about this attraction visit their website here: www.necropolis13.com



So there you have it, Hauntworld.com offers you a list of the best and scariest REAL haunted adventures for 2011.
Please visit us on FACEBOOK, CLICK HERE, and share your stories of the best haunted houses you've visited this year.
 
Happy Hauntings