The popularity of haunted attractions continues to soar as a means to escape everyday routines, thwart real-life anxiety, and find selfie-worthy, action-filled experiences. Visitors don’t take this entertainment sitting down, the best haunted attractions keep things moving throughout their adrenaline-infused frights. These mega-haunts go well beyond the main haunt attraction. Business has expanded to include escape rooms, mazes, hayrides, festivals, ghost tours, concessions, gift stores, and much more for the Halloween season and beyond.

America Haunts, the association of nation’s premier haunted attractions, announces the top five haunted houses for 2019 that take fright to a whole new level.

  1. Beast — Kansas City, Missouri
    The producers of the Beast created their first haunt in 1975, Edge of Hell, now the oldest commercial haunt attraction still operating in the country. The Beast opened in 1991 and took theater of the mind to a new level with its innovative, dark, open-format layout where poor souls get lost finding their way out of their four massive floors. These expert “fear generators” have a lifelong gift of scaring and dare-devil ingenuity to inflict fright. They also have Macabre Cinema Haunted House, a ghost tour and much more.
  2. 13thGate — Baton Rouge, Louisiana
    While most people are guarded when it comes to the number 13, their “fear radar” goes on high alert visiting 13thGate and experiencing its 13 nightmarish realms in order to escape. Visitors go from a snake-infested Louisiana Swamp, to a voodoo show, then squeeze through tight spaces, to finding mind-blowing subterranean passages in this massive attraction. The terror leaves the brave breathless with this ghostly mix of fear and fun.
  3. Nightmare on 13thHaunted House — Salt Lake City, Utah
    Enter this legendary haunt through new bigger, darker castle doors to a full feast of fright. There are six attractions to create an evening of chills and thrills. Scary performers start at the castle, with the brave conquering i-Screams’ creepy clowns, and the dark, underworld at Helheim, to the darker side of the nightmare at X-Scream. The Nightmare Courtyard, Nightmare Theater, and Escape on 13th rounds out the frightening fun.
  4. 13thFloor Haunted House — Phoenix, Arizona
    This haunted attraction leverages its 60,000 square feet of space with so many twists and turns that the reaper couldn’t find his way out. Zombies and the unexpected lurching figures create an eerily enchanted place that is beyond hair-raising. This remarkably realistic haunted house also has the Rise of the Dead and Creature Featureattractions in addition to axe throwing.
  5. Spooky World  — Boston/Manchester metro – Litchfield, New Hampshire
    This horror scream park is a must for thrill seekers with over 80 acres swarming with unnatural, tortured beings, and carnival misfits looking to leave a nightmare impression. Spooky World has 5 distinct haunted attractions including a hayride of horror. Play Zombie paintball, gather round fire pits and enjoy beer, wine, and other concessions – plus much more at this wickedly fun destination.

 

 

 

Selfie Certified Scary Places

These five haunted houses, considered mega haunts that each draw more than 40,000 visitors in a few weeks, have been recognized as the scariest selfie places to capture a memorable night of fright. While you can’t take selfies inside the haunted houses, these masterminds of terror have designated camera-ready places to help tell the story of the night outside the attractions.

  1. 13thFloor Haunted House — Chicago, Illinois 
    The 13th Floor is skipped in most buildings, but for Chicago’s scariest haunt people experience the legend of the 13th Once outside, survivors gather their wits, catch their breath, and in the thrill of the moment have the photos to prove they made it out and are joined by some of the scariest cast members with elaborate make-up and costumes. If that weren’t enough, this top haunt for selfies tripled the places to snap a shot with the characters from its new attractions: Other Side and Creature Feature.
  2. NETHERWORLD — Atlanta – Stone Mountain, Georgia 
    Beyond the fact this place is a metropolis of scary experiences perfectly timed to thrill, they have figured out how to capture frightful fun in photos as well. This legendary haunted attraction immerses visitors in horror, fantasy, aliens, and downright creepy. No doubt making it through this chilling behemoth is a story to tell and they’ve made it easy with a whole avenue of picture-perfect scary sets available to take impressive photos.
  3. 13th Floor Haunted House — San Antonio, Texas 
    The psychological horror pulsing through this haunted attraction will leave those that make it through with an adrenaline blast wanting to share it with a “mission-accomplished” selfie. The ingenuity it took to create these towers of fright has also mastered photo hubs to show the fun of fear. Hair-raising photos with cast from La Llorona – the Weeping Woman will help those relive the nightmare from this new attraction too.
  4. Thrillvania — Dallas, Texas 
    Thrillvania’s 50 acres of horror is internationally recognized for its elaborate sets, amazing actors, and over the top special effects in the Big D. The mix of three attractions: The World-Famous Verdun Manor, Cassandra’s House of Clowns, and Sam Hain’s Trail of Torment give the courageous lots of bone-chilling experiences that scream “get a selfie” in their designated spaces to provide a haunting reminder.
  5. The Darkness — Louis, Missouri
    The King of St. Louis Haunts, The Darkness has been going strong for 26 years and features two elaborate Haunted Attractions The Darkness and Terror Visions, 4 Escape Games, Zombie Laser Tag and more! As guests line up to enter the depths of the Darkness, they are swarmed by actors outside the haunt who despite being manifestations of living breathing nightmares are more than happy to pose for a few “selfies” with the terrified customers! This and multiple photo ops in the attached Monster Museum land them on our top Selfie list.