The spookiest time of year has arrived. It's time for ghosts and goblins and things that go bump in the night in Cleveland, Akron, Canton and beyond. Here's a list of the best haunted houses in Northeast Ohio.
THE HAUNTED SCHOOLHOUSE AND HAUNTED LABORATORY
This attraction has been a mainstay in Akron for years, comprised of two separate haunts in one convenient location.
The Haunted School House puts visitors inside the narrative of a creepy librarian named Ms. Alvah who has a taste for magic and dark dungeons. She invites you to take a walk among the ancient tomes and dive into some truly horrific stories.
The Haunted Laboratory puts visitors face to face with Dr. Guggenheim — a mad scientist with a penchant for meddling with DNA. Can you escape from his lab and the terrifying creatures within?
Outside of the two haunted houses, visitors can enjoy food, beer and various shops on the midway. But beware, dangerous monsters are known to still be on the loose...
Click here for dates, hours and tickets.
Location: 1300 Triplett Blvd., Akron
ESCAPE FROM BLOOD PRISON
This hellish nightmare is Ohio's only haunted house set in a real prison. Blood Prison isn't your typical haunted house. Visitors can pay a small fee for a "touch pass" that ups the fear factor, but buyer beware, the inmates and clowns hidden inside won't just jump out at you — they will grab, shake and startle you, too.
Click here for dates, hours and tickets.
Location: The Ohio State Reformatory, 100 Reformatory Road, Mansfield
SPOOKY RANCH
Another of Greater Cleveland's premier haunts, Spooky Ranch is actually five separate attractions designed to startle and scare you out of your mind.
The Ranch features the following haunted houses and attractions: Extreme Nightmares, The Famous Haunted Hayride, The Haunted Barn, The Bloodslingers' Saloon and Monster Vision in 3D.
If you're looking for something truly scary and have nerves of steel, make sure not to miss Extreme Nightmares. It features, "extreme gore, blood, guts, frightening scares and in your face acting." The haunt is a living-breathing production that will "linger in your mind and cause you sleepless nights," according to its creators.
Click here for dates, hours and tickets.
Location: 19066 East River Road, Columbia Station
CHIPPEWA LAKE SLAUGHTERHOUSE
This attraction features a Hollywood-quality set and story line with professional actors. Here's the premise, straight from the venue itself:
"The Karver Family opened it’s doors to 'Karver Meats' in 1948 and quickly became the main meat supplier for Medina and Cuyahoga County. The factory closed 40 years later after many cases of employees went missing, it was never proven whether The Karver Family was responsible or not. No one has heard from The Karvers’ since, however, rumors of strange creatures spotted on the property have local residents and law-enforcement too terrified to investigate."
Click here for dates, times and tickets.
Location: 5665 Chippewa Road, Chippewa Lake
BLOODVIEW
This haunted house takes scaring people to the next level. The house is built and staffed by The Legion of Terror — an improvisational horror acting, makeup and special effects production company.
According to the venue, "Bloodview is more than just a Haunted House, it is a Interactive Dark Experience where you become a part of the ever-changing show.
Bloodview is touted as more than a simple haunted house — it's a living, breathing experience. The best part? All proceeds go to various charities.
Click here for dates and hours.
Location: 1010 Towpath Road, Broadview Heights
CARNIVAL OF HORRORS
The Carnival is home to four haunted houses — Fun House, Trail of Terror, Insane Asylum and Freakshow (in 3D Terrorvision).
And if you're afraid of clowns, "get ready for the scariest night of your life."
Click here for dates, hours and tickets.
Location: Stark County Fairgrounds, 305 Wertz Ave. NW, Canton
LAKE "EERIE" FEARFEST
Fearfest is an aptly named collection of six haunted houses grouped together at the Ghostly Manor Thrill Center in Sandusky.
Fearfest has been ranked by Forbes as one of the best haunted attractions in the country. The houses feature a host of "demonic children, living dolls, the possessed and all sorts of creatures," that, according to Forbes, helped land the Sandusky icon squarely on the top 10 list.
Click here for dates, hours and tickets.
Location: 3319 Milan Road, Sandusky
FOREST OF SCREAMS
Haunted houses and mazes not your thing? Then head to Medina for a haunted hayride and a jaunt through a gigantic forest filled with monsters and who-knows-what lurking behind every twist and turn.
If you decide you're brave enough and want another scare, then you can check out the Mortuary House, a former funeral home with an evil caretaker who may never let you leave.
Click here for dates and times. Tickets are available on site only and purchasable with cash or credit.
Location: 1662 Medina Road, Medina
FACTORY OF TERROR
This attraction has been scaring the heck out of Akron/Canton residents for more than 20 years and is well worth the trip for people all across Northeast Ohio. The venue states it's one of the "largest indoor haunted houses in the world" and has even been recognized by Guinness World Records for the feat on three separate occasions.
The haunt is more than a mile long and made up of five different attractions: Industrial Nightmare, 1300 Lost Souls, Lafayette 13, Massacre on Mahoning and The House of Nightmare. More than 130 staff members and 500 monsters and animatronics help bring this haunt to life.
Click here for dates, times and tickets.
Location: 4125 Mahoning Road NE, Canton
HAUNT AT CEDAR POINT'S HALLOWEEKENDS
HalloWeekends has something for everyone, but if you're looking for some real thrills, the scares come after dark with HAUNT.
HAUNT comes alive with terrifying mazes, haunted houses and outdoor scare zones. Don't miss Banished, Blood on the Bayou, CornStalkers II—Revenge of the Pumpkin Heads, Cut Throat Cove, Harvest Fear, Fearground Freakshow and Tombstone Terror-tory.
In addition to Haunt, brave visitors can still ride their favorite roller coasters. Just beware of the lurking "screamsters" that hide in the shadows waiting to scare unwary guests.
"In total, six outdoor fright zones and five indoor haunted houses are ready to welcome fans of frights and are included with park admission," Cedar Point said.
Click here for dates, times and tickets.
Location: 1 Cedar Point Drive, Sandusky.
7 FLOORS OF HELL HAUNTED SCREAM PARK
Billed as "Cleveland's premiere haunted house," the park is one of the top-rated haunts across the nation and features seven different haunted houses at one location.
There's always a reason to return to HELL — the park changes nearly half of its houses each year to give visitors new terrifying experiences.
The park is comprised of the following attractions: The Cemetery, Circus Rejects, Mental Ward, Catacombs and The Butcher Shop
Click here for dates and times. Tickets are only sold on site. Tickets are cash or credit. Concession stands are cash only.
Location: The Cuyahoga County "Scare" grounds, 19191 Bagley Road, Middleburg Heights
HAUNTED HYDRO
This haunted house has been a mainstay of Fremont for 29 years and features attractions such the main "mega" haunt, Monstrous Woods and Panic Alley.
Click here for dates, times and tickets.
Location: 1333 Tiffin St., Fremont
THE HUDSON HAUNTED HOUSE
This place has been scaring visitors for half a century. The haunt is run by the Hudson Jacees, a nonprofit organization that helps to foster leadership skills and fellowship in the area.
Click here for dates and hours. Tickets are sold on site. Cash and credit accepted.
Location: 2250 Barlow Road, Hudson
Did we miss your favorite haunted house?
If you didn't see your favorite spot on our list, send us an email and let us know.
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