It's time to SCREAM. It's the season of scares and things that go bump in the night; here's your list of the best haunted houses Northeast Ohio has to offer.
Don't just take our word for it; five of the attractions in our guide have been selected as part of the scariest places across the country to visit this Halloween by the Haunted Attraction Association (HAA), which, yes, is an organization that exists.
In no particular order, here's our list (and a handy map to find them all):
FACTORY OF TERROR
Location: 4125 Mahoning Road NE, Canton.
This attraction has been scaring the heck out of Akron/Canton residents for more than two decades and is well worth the trip for people all across Northeast Ohio.
* This is one of the top haunted houses in the country, according to the HAA. *
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 is made up of five different attractions: Industrial Nightmare, 1300 Lost Souls, Lafayette 13, Massacre on Mahoning and The Abyss. More than 130 staff members and 500 monsters and animatronics help bring this haunt to life.
There are also several themed bars, such as Poison Ivy's Greenhouse Bar, Carnevil Bar and more, for refreshments.
CLICK HERE for dates, times and tickets.
THE HAUNTED SCHOOLHOUSE AND HAUNTED LABORATORY
Location: 1300 Triplett Blvd., Akron.
This attraction has been a mainstay in Akron for years, comprised of two separate haunts in one convenient location.
* This is one of the top haunted houses in the country, according to the HAA. *
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.
NIGHTMARE CLEVELAND
Location: 7460 Brookpark Road, Cleveland.
This year marks this haunted house's second season. It's brought to you by the creators of the Chippewa Lake Slaughterhouse.
Instead of the typical creepy farmhouse or another commonly used theme, Nightmare Cleveland's haunt has a sci-fi slant "with Hollywood quality set design and creatures from your worst nightmares." Plus, it underwent a "massive expansion" to bring you even more scares this year.
It's already open for the season.
CLICK HERE for dates, hours and tickets.
SPOOKY RANCH
Location: 19066 East River Road, Columbia Station.
Another of Greater Cleveland's premier haunts, Spooky Ranch, is actually five separate attractions designed to startle and scare you out of your mind.
* This is one of the top haunted houses in the country, according to the HAA. *
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.
ESCAPE FROM BLOOD PRISON
Location: The Ohio State Reformatory, 100 Reformatory Road, Mansfield
This hellish nightmare is Ohio's only haunted house set in a real prison. Blood Prison isn't your typical haunted house. According to its creators, "Escape From Blood Prison offers the only haunted hellscape in a real prison at The Ohio State Reformatory. Don’t wait to test the authenticity. Violent men were kept here, and some never left — even after death."
CLICK HERE for dates, hours and tickets.
CHIPPEWA LAKE SLAUGHTERHOUSE
Location: 5665 Chippewa Road, Chippewa Lake
This attraction features over "70,000 square feet of horror," a Hollywood-quality set and a storyline with professional actors.
"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.
BLOODVIEW
Location: 1010 Towpath Road, Broadview Heights.
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 an '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.
You can get a free fast pass upgrade if you bring a wristband or ticket from any other haunted house you visited this season.
It's already open for the season.
CLICK HERE for dates and hours.
LAKE "EERIE" FEARFEST GHOSTLY MANOR
Location: 3319 Milan Road, Sandusky.
Fearfest is an aptly named collection of six haunted houses grouped together at the Ghostly Manor Thrill Center in Sandusky.
* This is one of the top haunted houses in the country, according to the HAA. *
Fearfest has also 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 the publication, helped land the Sandusky icon squarely on the top 10 list.
CLICK HERE for dates, hours and tickets.
CARNIVAL OF HORRORS
Location: Stark County Fairgrounds, 305 Wertz Ave. NW, Canton.
The Carnival is home to four haunted houses — The 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.
FOREST OF SCREAMS
Location: 1662 Medina Road, Medina.
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.
It's already open for the season.
CLICK HERE for dates, hours and tickets.
CEDAR POINT'S HALLOWEEKENDS
Location: 1 Cedar Point Drive, Sandusky.
HalloWeekends has something for everyone, but if you're looking for some real thrills, the scares come after dark with terrifying haunted mazes and outdoor scare zones.
Don't miss the following indoor frights: Midnight, Blood Bath, Fearground Freak Show, Slaughter House, and The Haunting of Eerie Estate. Outdoor scare zones this year include Clownz Death Metal Tour, Cornstalkers 2.0, Tombstone Terror-tory, Cut Throat Cove, and Blood on the Bayou.
In addition to the haunted houses, 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.
It's already open for the season.
CLICK HERE for dates, times and tickets. Also, you can CLICK HERE for a downloadable map showcasing all of the activities available this year.
7 FLOORS OF HELL AT EVIL UNLEASHED
Location: The Cuyahoga County "Scare" grounds, 19191 Bagley Road, Middleburg Heights
This year marks an update to one of the area's most frightening haunted house destinations. The creators of this attraction promise an "adrenaline-pumping experience like no other." There are seven haunts to visit, each with a unique theme and handcrafted sets, special effects and actors that, combined, create an "atmosphere of dread that will haunt your nightmares for years to come. Prepare to confront your deepest fears and embark on a nightmarish adventure that tests your courage to the core at Evil Unleashed."
The park is comprised of the following attractions: Circus Rejects, House of the Dead, Asylum, Field of Screams, Wormhole, Haunted Mansion and Anubis' Revenge.
It's already open for the season.
CLICK HERE for dates, times and tickets.
HAUNTED HYDRO
Location: 1333 Tiffin St., Fremont.
This haunted house has been a mainstay of Fremont for three decades and has been updated for 2023 to feature three haunts. It's also one of the most unique haunts around, as the facility was built in 1911 as a hydroelectric power plant.
* This is one of the top haunted houses in the country, according to the HAA. *
- Fog Harbor: "Something strange is happening in the woods and along the river. A thick fog fills the trees, and the smell of death lingers. Every step could be your last!"
- The Void: "Inside the 44ft tall walls of a once working Hydroelectric Plant, your entire journey is like a nightmare you can't awake from. The is no rhyme or reason for what you see, only a fractured look into the mind of the former Hydro Curator, Edison Bates."
- Wasteland: "This corner of the Hydro that has been abandoned for years has become nothing more than a toxic playground. Unsafe to even visit as trash and waste litter the grounds. Barrels are leaking some type of substance that is turning the ground black. Keep Out and Do Not Enter!!"
CLICK HERE for dates, times and tickets.
THE HUDSON HAUNTED HOUSE
Location: 2250 Barlow Road, Hudson.
This place has been scaring visitors for half a century. The haunt is run by the Hudson Jaycees, a nonprofit organization that helps foster leadership skills and fellowship in the area.
"Step into the darkness and prepare for the fright of your life at Hudson Haunted House. Our black-out maze is unlike anything you've ever experienced, featuring an array of terrifying rooms that will test your courage at every twist and turn."
CLICK HERE for dates, times and tickets.
GHOUL BROS
Location: 3235 Manchester Road, Unit X, Akron. It's located in the Portage Lakes Acme Plaza.
This haunted house is highly ranked on The Scare Factor, a website that reviews and rates haunted houses. A review in 2019 said this haunt delivers a "superb experience with fantastically detailed sets, awesome effects, superb makeup and masks, and a large cast that is positively rabid and relentless in their job of frightening guests."
CLICK HERE for dates, times and tickets.
MOHICAN HAUNTED SCHOOL HOUSE
Location: 155 W. 3rd St., Perrysville.
This haunt is aptly named and is located inside an old school building that was built in 1924. The Scare Factor calls this haunt one of the top attractions around.
"This haunted schoolhouse is filled with fright! With each turn, the suspense will continue to rise. After years and years of vacancy, this haunted schoolhouse was resurrected to bring you fear," the Scare Factor said in a review.
CLICK HERE for dates, times and tickets.
FORTRESS OF FEAR SCREAMPARK
Location: 12175 State St. NE, Alliance.
The attraction has quite an unsettling theme designed to make your skin crawl.
According to its creators, "In the backwoods of Alliance, Ohio, lies the ruins of a terrifying and unsettling fortress that has haunted excavators for centuries. As excavation efforts continue, the unearthing of this paranormal empire grows, leaving onlookers questioning the true evil that exists on the property deep within the dark and narrow corridors into the unknown."
The site also features other Halloween-themed activities such as "Glo-kart" rides, a Tilt-A-Hurl ride, novelty games and some spooky concession stands.
CLICK HERE for dates, times and tickets.
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.
