21 Scariest Haunted Houses in the US (2026 Rankings)

Do not index

Looking for the scariest haunted houses in the US this Halloween? The list below ranks 21 haunted attractions that are running in 2026, led by The 13th Gate in Baton Rouge and 13th Hour in Wharton, New Jersey.

Most "best haunted houses" lists are built from awards and press quotes. Ours starts with ratings: Morty users rate the haunted attractions they visit, and every attraction page shows a community rating label, like Very Positive.

Every haunt in our ranking is rated Very Positive on Morty. We ranked them by Morty ratings for each haunt's best-rated 2026 attraction, as of October 8, 2026. Famous haunts that are still new on Morty get their own unranked section. Then we checked every haunt's official site to confirm it is open for 2026, and pulled this year's dates, prices and age rules.

One honest caveat: a community rating measures how much people loved the night, not a fear meter. So for each haunt we also note the things that change how scary it feels: touching rules, length, darkness and age guidance.

Want options closer to home? Browse every haunt on Morty's haunted houses map.

The top-rated haunted houses in the US

These are standalone haunts, built by crews who spend all year on one season. Each rating is for the haunt's best-rated attraction on Morty, as of October 2026.

1. The 13th Gate (Baton Rouge, Louisiana)

Rated Very Positive on Morty. The 13th Gate tops our ranking, with the highest community score of any haunted house in the US on Morty right now.

It fills a 40,000-square-foot building in downtown Baton Rouge with a life-size pirate ship, underground passages with live snakes, and an outdoor zombie graveyard, according to the official site.

The 2026 calendar runs September 25 to November 7, on Friday to Sunday nights plus late-October Thursdays, from 6:30 pm. November 6 and 7 are Flashlight Fright Nights, where your group goes through in the dark with only a flashlight.

General admission is $35, the walk takes about 30 minutes, and actors follow a no-touch policy. The haunt posts a warning for anyone with asthma, heart conditions, seizures or back injuries, so take it seriously. See the 13th Gate on Morty and more Louisiana haunted houses.

2. 13th Hour Haunted Houses (Wharton, New Jersey)

Rated Very Positive on Morty. Formerly The Haunted Scarehouse, 13th Hour runs three haunts at one address: House of Nightmares, The Attic and The Darkside.

Scare actor raising two machetes inside a jungle set at 13th Hour Haunted House in Wharton, NJ

The Darkside is billed as its "newest and darkest experience." General admission is $45 to $50 depending on the night, per the 13th Hour FAQ.

The fall 2026 schedule runs on October weekends from October 2 through November 1, starting at 7 pm. There is no official age limit, so it is on you to judge whether your youngest can handle it.

Read ratings on the 13th Hour Morty page or find more New Jersey haunted houses.

3. HellsGate (Lockport, Illinois)

Rated Very Positive on Morty. HellsGate is a long walk through a mansion and grounds outside Chicago, and the haunt says the average trip takes 45 minutes to an hour.

Lantern-carrying scare actor leading a crowd of ghouls outside HellsGate Haunted House in Lockport, Illinois

Online general admission is $40 to $45, and walk-up tickets cost at least $5 more.

The HellsGate schedule runs September 24 to November 1. You park at 301 W. 2nd Street in Lockport and ride a shuttle to the house, so build in extra time.

Actors do not touch you, and it is not recommended for kids under 12. Check the HellsGate Morty page and other Illinois haunted houses.

4. Reign of Terror (Thousand Oaks, California)

Rated Very Positive on Morty. Reign of Terror packs 145 rooms and 12 connected haunts into 35,000 square feet of a shopping center in Thousand Oaks.

Neon Reign of Terror sign over a brick archway leading into a dark haunted street set

New sections for 2026 include Backwoods and The Blue Bayou Hotel, plus a reworked Funhouse. It runs 18 nights this season.

General admission is $39.99 to $49.99 by night, per the Reign of Terror site, and it is recommended for ages 13 and up. Scared of the dark? A "Lights ON" walkthrough costs $15 at the door.

See the Reign of Terror Morty page.

5. Lake Hickory Haunts (Hickory, North Carolina)

Rated Very Positive on Morty. Lake Hickory Haunts calls itself the first lakeside haunted theme park in the Carolinas, with 13 attractions on site.

One attraction, Descent, is a cave system set 12 feet underground. The 2026 season runs September 12 to November 7.

Online general admission is $32 to $39 depending on the night, per the Lake Hickory Haunts ticket page. Parking costs $5 to $10.

With 13 attractions, a Fast Pass is worth it on Saturdays in late October. See the Morty page and more North Carolina haunted houses.

6. Pennhurst Asylum (Spring City, Pennsylvania)

Rated Very Positive on Morty for the main Pennhurst Asylum haunt. One ticket night covers four haunts: Pennhurst Asylum, Pennhurst Tunnels, The Morgue and The Catacombs.

The setting does a lot of the work here. The haunt runs on the grounds of the former Pennhurst State School, and actors here may touch you.

The 2026 dates on the Pennhurst site run September 25 to November 1, plus Black Out nights on November 6 and 7. A four-attraction pass is $65 plus fees, and box office hours on Fridays and Saturdays are 6:30 to 10:30 pm.

Compare all four attractions on the Pennhurst Asylum Morty page.

7. The 17th Door (Buena Park, California)

Rated Very Positive on Morty. This is the most extreme haunt in our top ten, and Morty users still rate it highly.

The 17th Door is recommended for ages 16 and up. Everyone signs a waiver, and the 17th Door FAQ says actors may grab you and things may fall on you.

The walkthrough takes about 35 minutes. The 2026 calendar runs from mid-September to November 1, with tickets from $39 to $47 depending on the night, fees included.

Tip: weeknights are the cheapest dates on the calendar. Read the reviews on the 17th Door Morty page and see more California haunted houses.

8. Field of Screams (Mountville, Pennsylvania)

Rated Very Positive on Morty for the Haunted Hayride. Field of Screams, near Lancaster, is in its 34th season with four attractions, including a 20-minute hayride.

Its Den of Darkness is also rated Very Positive. It fills three stories of a 200-year-old barn.

The Field of Screams 2026 season runs from September 11 into early November. November 13 is an Extreme Blackout night only, which is the one to pick if the regular show is too tame for you. It is not recommended for kids under 10.

A Scream Pass costs $40 to $60 depending on the night, and the ticket booth takes cash only.

See the Haunted Hayride on Morty and more Pennsylvania haunted houses.

More top-rated haunts worth the drive

These haunts are also rated Very Positive on Morty, a notch behind the eight above on community score.

9. Massacre Haunted House (Montgomery, Illinois)

Rated Very Positive on Morty. Massacre fills more than 35,000 square feet with 75+ rooms, including a new Asylum for 2026.

One ticket covers Massacre, The Asylum and The Underground. The haunt says a visit takes 35 to 50 minutes.

Group of visitors screaming in a dark haunted corridor

General admission is $36.99, per the Massacre dates page, and the season runs through November 1. It is not recommended for kids under 12.

See the Massacre Morty page.

10. Georgetown Morgue (Seattle, Washington)

Rated Very Positive on Morty. Seattle's best-known haunt is built around a fictional morgue story, and it is designed for people over 12.

It is a fast one: the haunt says the walk takes about 15 minutes. General admission is $38, with VIP lines from $75.

The 2026 calendar on Seattle Haunts runs from September 25 to November 7. On some October nights, giving blood at their blood drive gets you a skip-the-line pass.

See the Georgetown Morgue on Morty and other Washington haunted houses.

11. The Darkness (St. Louis, Missouri)

Rated Very Positive on Morty. The Darkness in St. Louis is celebrating its 33rd season in 2026.

The site counts eight haunted attractions at one location, and its FAQ says the main haunt takes 30 to 60 minutes. General admission is $34.95, per The Darkness site.

The season runs on select nights from late September into November. Its calendar has a few typos, so confirm your night on the ticket page before you drive in.

See The Darkness on Morty and more Missouri haunted houses.

12. Fright Kingdom (Nashua, New Hampshire)

Rated Very Positive on Morty. Fright Kingdom runs five attractions under one roof, including Apocalypse Z and a 3D Psycho Circus.

Online tickets are $41 with fees included, and tickets at the booth are $45, cash only. The 2026 season started September 25 and runs through Halloween, with "In the Dark" nights on November 6 and 7.

Taking younger kids? A daytime "Hardly Haunted" session on October 18 costs $12. Details are on Fright Kingdom's site and the Morty page.

13. Haunted Overload (Lee, New Hampshire)

Rated Very Positive on Morty. Haunted Overload is an outdoor trail through the woods of a New Hampshire farm, with monster sculptures as tall as 34 feet.

Fog, jack-o-lanterns and a giant scarecrow figure on the Haunted Overload trail in Lee, New Hampshire

The Main Event runs Friday to Sunday nights in October, for $40. Thursday "Fright Night Lite" tickets cost $28, and a $16 daytime walk lets you see the sets in daylight.

The Haunted Overload site recommends that kids under 12 skip regular show nights. See the Morty page and more New Hampshire haunted houses.

14. The Bates Motel (Glen Mills, Pennsylvania)

Rated Very Positive on Morty for the Haunted Hayride. The Bates Motel has scared the Philadelphia suburbs for more than 30 years with three attractions: the hayride, the motel and a scarecrow corn trail.

The hayride lasts about 25 minutes and drives through a 100-foot-long asylum set. A combo pass is $55 plus fees on the Bates Motel ticket site.

The season runs September 25 to November 1, and the attractions close in heavy rain. The haunt rates itself not recommended for kids under 8. See the Bates Motel hayride on Morty.

The scariest theme park Halloween events

Theme park events trade the one-crew craftsmanship of a standalone haunt for scale: a dozen mazes, scare zones and huge crowds.

15. Knott's Scary Farm (Buena Park, California)

Rated Very Positive on Morty for Cinema Slasher, the best-rated maze in this year's lineup. Morty users rate Knott's mazes and scare zones every season, so there is plenty to compare.

Chilling Chambers is also rated Very Positive. The 2026 lineup has 10 mazes, including the new Inked and Unearthed, plus five scare zones such as Ghost Town Streets.

Knott's Scary Farm runs select nights from September 17 to October 31, 2026, with tickets from $75 online, per Knott's. It is not recommended for kids under 13.

Tip: October Saturdays draw the biggest crowds, so a September or early-October weeknight gets you through more mazes. A Fast Lane add-on for shorter maze lines is sold separately. Compare every maze on the Knott's Morty page.

16. Halloween Horror Nights (Orlando, Florida)

Rated Very Positive on Morty for Jack & Oddfellow: Chaos & Control, the best-rated 2026 house on Morty so far. Halloween Horror Nights is in its 35th year at Universal Studios Florida.

This season has 10 haunted houses, including Hellraiser, Evil Dead Burn and Ozzy Osbourne: Prince of Darkness. It runs select nights from August 28 to November 1, 2026.

Prices vary by date, per Universal Orlando, and the event is not recommended for kids under 13. Costumes and masks are not allowed.

Compare this year's houses on the Halloween Horror Nights Orlando Morty page and more Florida haunted houses.

17. Universal Horror Unleashed (Las Vegas, Nevada)

Rated Very Positive on Morty for Scarecrow: The Reaping. This is Universal's year-round horror attraction, inside AREA15 just off the Las Vegas Strip.

It has four haunted houses: Universal Monsters, The Texas Chainsaw Massacre, The Exorcist: Believer and Scarecrow: The Reaping. Your group enters in small pulses, so there is no crowd ahead of you to hide behind.

Prices vary by date and by whether you want one pass through each house or unlimited access, so check Universal Horror Unleashed for your night. It opens in the late afternoon on select days each week, and it is not recommended for kids under 13.

See Scarecrow: The Reaping on Morty and more Nevada haunted houses.

Famous haunts that are new on Morty

These haunts show up on many national lists, but their 2026 attractions are still new on Morty. We list them apart from the ranking instead of guessing a score.

18. Netherworld (Stone Mountain, Georgia)

Netherworld near Atlanta has been running since 1997 and is in its 30th season. Morty users have rated its past haunts many times, but this year's two haunts are still new to the app.

The 2026 haunts are Curse of the Collector and Beyond Oblivion: Legacy of Evil, and the season runs September 18 to November 7. Tickets for Curse of the Collector cost $25 to $41 plus fees, per the Netherworld site.

The minimum age is 7. Parking is tight this year because of nearby construction, so arrive early. See the Netherworld Morty page and more Georgia haunted houses.

19. Cutting Edge Haunted House (Fort Worth, Texas)

Cutting Edge fills a 100-year-old abandoned meatpacking plant, and the haunt says the average walk takes 55 minutes. It also calls itself a Guinness World Record holder for the world's largest walk-through haunted house.

The 2026 season runs from September 25 into mid-November, with tickets from $29.99 to $44.99 by night, per the Cutting Edge schedule.

Bring cash: parking is $20, cash only. Pacemakers are not allowed. See the Cutting Edge Morty page and more Texas haunted houses.

20. Erebus (Pontiac, Michigan)

Erebus is a half-mile indoor walk across four stories in downtown Pontiac. It held the Guinness record for the world's longest walk-through haunted attraction from 2005 to 2009, according to the Erebus history page.

Group of visitors screaming as scare actors close in at Erebus Haunted Attraction in Pontiac, Michigan

The 2026 season runs September 18 to November 7, with tickets from $25 on early weeknights to $42 on late October Saturdays. It is not recommended for kids under 13.

See the Erebus Morty page and more Michigan haunted houses.

21. House of Torment (Austin, Texas)

The Travel Channel called House of Torment "the scariest haunted house in America," and the haunt still leads with that quote. The 2026 haunts are Jason Universe: Survive the Night, Return of the Abominations and Beyond the Veil.

It runs select nights from September 12 to November 8, with tickets from $19.99, per House of Torment. The haunt says it may be too intense for kids 12 and under.

All three 2026 haunts are listed on the House of Torment Morty page, so you can rate them after your visit.

Compare the ranked haunts at a glance

Ratings are for each haunt's best-rated 2026 attraction on Morty, and every one is Very Positive. Prices are the general admission range each haunt lists for 2026, before parking.

Haunt	State	Morty ratings	Contact and age rules	2026 general admission
The 13th Gate	LA	Very Positive	No touching; under 12 with an adult	$35
13th Hour	NJ	Very Positive	No age limit	$45 to $50
HellsGate	IL	Very Positive	No touching; not recommended under 12	$40 to $45 online
Reign of Terror	CA	Very Positive	Recommended 13+	$39.99 to $49.99
Lake Hickory Haunts	NC	Very Positive	May not suit young children	$32 to $39 online
Pennhurst Asylum	PA	Very Positive	Actors may touch; 10+ allowed	$65 for all four haunts
The 17th Door	CA	Very Positive	Actors grab; waiver; recommended 16+	$39 to $47
Field of Screams	PA	Very Positive	Not recommended under 10	$40 to $60 by night
Massacre	IL	Very Positive	Not recommended under 12	$36.99
Georgetown Morgue	WA	Very Positive	Built for ages 12+	$38
The Darkness	MO	Very Positive	Kids with an adult	$34.95
Fright Kingdom	NH	Very Positive	Parental discretion under 12	$41 online
Haunted Overload	NH	Very Positive	Under 12 not advised on show nights	$40
The Bates Motel	PA	Very Positive	Not recommended under 8	$55 combo
Knott's Scary Farm	CA	Very Positive	Not recommended under 13	From $75
Halloween Horror Nights	FL	Very Positive	Not recommended under 13	Varies by date
Universal Horror Unleashed	NV	Very Positive	Not recommended under 13	Varies by date

A few patterns stand out once you line them up:

Contact: The 17th Door is the one to pick if you want to be grabbed, and Pennhurst actors may touch you too. The 13th Gate and HellsGate are strictly no-touch.

Length: HellsGate (45 to 60 minutes) and Cutting Edge (about 55) are long. Georgetown Morgue is about 15 minutes.

Outdoor scares: Haunted Overload and the Field of Screams and Bates Motel hayrides put you in the dark woods and fields.

Volume: Knott's Scary Farm and Halloween Horror Nights have the most mazes per night, but also the longest lines.

Age rules vary a lot, from Netherworld's minimum age of 7 to The 17th Door's recommendation of 16 and up. If someone in your group is nervous, our guide to whether escape rooms are scary covers how to judge intensity before you go.

Find haunted houses near you on Morty

Morty lists more than 5,800 haunted attractions across the US, from backyard displays to theme park mazes. Each one shows its community rating, so you can tell a crowd favorite from a one-season wonder.

Start with the haunted houses map, or get the Morty app to rate the haunts you visit this October and help next year's list.

FAQs

What is the scariest haunted house in the US?

By Morty community ratings, The 13th Gate in Baton Rouge is the top-rated haunted house in the US for 2026. It is rated Very Positive. For pure intensity, The 17th Door in Buena Park is the most extreme haunt on this list, with physical contact and a required waiver.

What are the best haunted houses in the US for first-timers?

Start with a big theme park event like Knott's Scary Farm or Halloween Horror Nights, where you can see many mazes and nobody touches you. Pick a weeknight early in the season for shorter lines.

How much do haunted houses cost in 2026?

Most standalone haunts on this list charge about $25 to $50 for general admission. Theme park events cost more, with Knott's Scary Farm starting at $75 a night.

How long does a haunted house take to walk through?

Anywhere from 15 minutes to about an hour. Georgetown Morgue takes about 15 minutes, while HellsGate, Erebus and Cutting Edge are among the longest walks on this list.

When do haunted houses close for the season?

Most of these haunts run through Halloween, and many add nights in the first two weeks of November. The 13th Gate, Netherworld and Erebus all run to November 7, and Field of Screams adds an Extreme Blackout night on November 13.

Final thoughts

The scariest haunted houses in the US are not always the famous ones. Two of the top three on Morty are a Baton Rouge downtown haunt and a New Jersey haunt that used to be called The Haunted Scarehouse.

Pick one within driving distance, buy tickets online for a weeknight, and rate it on Morty when you get home.

21 Scariest Haunted Houses in the US for 2026, Ranked by Morty Users