Top U.S. Haunted Attractions Announced by Hauntworld Magazine

Well, now that its September, it is officially Haunt Season. So, Hauntworld Magazine, the haunt industry’s leading trade publication, has announced its list of the Top 13 Professional Haunted Attractions in the U.S.

According to the press release, “these attractions are being recognized for their attention to detail, high-quality special effects, and overall scare factor.”

“The haunts we’ve included are as expertly produced as any major motion picture today,” said Larry Kirchner, Editor-in-Chief of Hauntworld Magazine. “They have behind-the-scenes teams of master Hollywood special effects technicians, make-up artists, set designers, and trained actors. We’re an industry that exists to make people scream and laugh at the same time — and these haunts do just that, and more.”

So here’s their list:

  1. NETHERWORLD Haunted House, Atlanta, GA
  2. 13th Gate Haunted House, Baton Rouge, LA
  3. The Bates Motel, Philadelphia, PA
  4. Headless Horseman Hayrides and Haunted Houses, Ulster Park, NY
  5. The Darkness, St. Louis, MO
  6. Eastern State Penitentiary’s Terror Behind the Walls, presented by LUKOIL, Philadelphia, PA
  7. Erebus Four Story Haunted Attraction, Detroit, MI
  8. 7 Floors of Hell, Cleveland, OH
  9. Kersey Valley SpookyWoods and Maize Adventure, Greensboro, NC
  10. Universal Studios House of Horrors, Hollywood CA
  11. Queen Mary’s Shipwreck Annual Halloween Terror Fest, Long Beach, CA
  12. Dreamreapers Haunted House, Chicago, IL
  13. The Haunted Hotel, San Diego, CA

They also threw a bone to some of the amateur haunts with their list of Best Home Haunted Houses:

  1. Castle Blood, Pittsburgh, PA
  2. Haunted Overload, Lee, NH
  3. Terror Syndicate, Pittsburgh, PA
  4. Rot Haunted House, Thousand Oaks, CA

So, did your favorite haunt or haunts make the list? Then share it in a comment to this post.

For more information on this year’s Top Haunted Attractions as well as other top industry lists, visit www.hauntworld.com.

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About the author

As The Genre Traveler, Carma Spence loves to view the world through Genre-Coloured glasses. In other words, she sees the world through a lens of science fiction, fantasy, and horror, where trash cans can be Daleks in disguise and neighborhood forests can harbor faeries and sprites. Magic realism is real! Or at least you can choose to see the world that way to add to the fun and awe of life.