Want to know where the screams are this Halloween? Just ask the experts with the Haunted House Association (hauntedhouseassociation.org). They’ve named the 13 most frightening attractions in the U.S.

Netherworld

Atlanta
Over the past 12 years, this multilevel scare factory has grown to become one of the Southeast’s biggest and best Halloween destinations. Last year Hauntworld Magazine and AOL ranked it the No. 2 haunted house in the country. Open October 3–November 2.
fearworld.com

The 13th Gate

Baton Rouge
With 13 themed indoor and outdoor scenes, you may find yourself on a rickety bridge overlooking hundreds of live snakes or lost in a dark underground tunnel…or worse. Open October 2–4, 9–11, 16–18, 23–31, and November 1, 7, and 8.
midnightproduction.com/the13thgate.htm

Dream Reapers

Chicago
Consistently ranked the No. 1 haunted house in Illinois by local media, Dream Reapers features more than 20 rooms with a combination of animatronics and live actors. It’s also one of the few attractions nationwide to use scent generators to heighten the sense of terror. Open October 3–5, 10–12, 16–19, 23–26, 29–31, and November 1.
dreamreapers.com

7 Floors of Hell

Cleveland
With seven different haunted houses spread across the Cuyahoga County Fairgrounds and over a million dollars worth of special effects, this is the state’s biggest Halloween attraction. Open October 3–5, 9–12, 16–19, 23–31, and November 1–2.
7floorsofhell.com

Cutting Edge

Fort Worth
If everything’s bigger in Texas, this attraction is no exception. Located inside a 235,000-square-foot warehouse that dates to the 1920s, Cutting Edge features Texas Chainsaw Massacre ghosts, dead pirates, and even a Santa Claus ghost. Open October 3–4, 10–12, 16–19, 22–31, and November 1.
cuttingedgehauntedhouse.com

Netherworld, Atlanta; The 13th Gate, Baton Rouge; Dream Reapers, Chicago.

Spookywoods

High Point, NC
Covering most of a 55-acre farm about 20 minutes from Piedmont Triad International Airport in central North Carolina, this attraction features a 1930s haunted house, a tram ride through a ghost town, a haunted cornfield, and a walk through the woods that takes you to more than 20 scenes of terror. Open October 2–4, 9–11, 16–18, 23–26, 29–31, and November 1.
spookywoods.com

Nightmare on the Bayou

Houston
This huge haunted house is located next door to the city’s oldest cemetery — which some say really is haunted. Several actors claim to have seen real ghosts on site. Open October 3–5, 10–12, 17–19, 24–31, and November 1.
nightmareonthebayou.com

7 Floors of Hell, Cleveland; Cutting Edge, Fort Worth; Spookywoods, High Point, NC.

Bates Motel and Haunted Hayride

Philadelphia
The 25-minute hayride through a dark forest filled with tortured souls has been ranked as one of the top five haunted attractions by USA Today. If you can handle more chills, explore the haunted motel and corn maze. Open October 3–5, 10–31, and November 1-2.
thebatesmotel.com

Erebus

Pontiac, MI
Just over a half hour’s drive from Detroit you’ll find the “World’s Largest Walk-Through Haunted Attraction” — a designation given to Erebus by the Guinness Book of World Records in 2005. There are four floors of nightmarish scenes inside, with special effects and actors sporting Hollywood-quality makeup. Open October 1–5, 8–12, 15–19, 22–31, and November 1–2.
hauntedpontiac.com

Nightmare on the Bayou, Houston; Bates Motel & Haunted Hayride, Philadelphia; Erebus, Pontiac, MI.

The Darkness

St. Louis
There are multiple scenes to explore in this massive haunted house, each with eerily realistic special effects. The Darkness is part of a larger Halloween promotion called Scarefest that includes several venues around the city. Open October 3–November 2.
scarefest.com

Nightmare on 13th

Salt Lake City
The Travel Channel named Nightmare on 13th one of America’s scariest Halloween attractions. Inside you’ll find blood-curdling scenes including the Electrocution Maze, Terror Tunnel, Phantom Hall, and the Body Bag Maze. Open October 1–November 1. Closed Sundays.
nightmareon13th.com

The Darkness, St. Louis; Nightmare on 13th, Salt Lake City; The Haunted Hotel, San Diego.

The Haunted Hotel

San Diego
Featuring amazing sets designed by artists from Southern California’s film industry, The Haunted Hotel is located in a historic 1889 building in the downtown Gaslamp Quarter. It’s been called the area’s best Halloween attraction since it opened in 1993. Open through November 1. Closed Mondays and Tuesdays except October 27 and 28.
hauntedhotel.com

Headless Horseman Hayrides & Haunted Houses

Ulster Park, NY
Located in New York’s scenic Hudson Valley about an hour south of Albany, this attraction covers more than 45 acres. In addition to a one-mile hayride, there’s a corn maze and three different haunted houses. Open October 3–5, 10–12, 17–19, 23–26, 29–31, and November 1–2.
headlesshorseman.com