Must-See Haunted Houses For 2025

The season of spooky has arrived again, and that means haunted attractions across the country are unleashing their freaky fears on the population. Here at Scary Overload, that means it’s time for our list of MUST-SEE haunted attractions for 2025!

Editor’s Note: We’ve put them in no particular order, as these haunts are all worthy of a number one spot. Enjoy!

ILLINOIS

Realm of Terror – Round Lake Beach

Realm of Terror’s story begins years ago, when a farmer desperate to save his dying farm found an old book underneath the floor of his barn. With that book, he unleashed the forces that promised him great bounty if he threw a harvest festival for the “angels” that spoke to him. That festival was a trick, and the harvest was for blood and souls. This tale is the foundation for Realm of Terror’s 2025 show: Rotten Origins. Going all the way back to the beginning and digging into the fetid roots of the curse, this show promises a whole new level of fear and lore. How many haunted attractions have been the setting of a horror movie? This one! They even have a movie night planned for October 30th with the director and cast! The haunt also offers various lower-scare events for those who aren’t up to the full-tilt terror of the event at full power. Let the RoT begin!

Check out all the details at https://www.realmofterror.com/

CALIFORNIA

Terror Vault – San Francisco

Every year, most haunts update their shows with new and refreshed elements. Some might add a new haunt to their offerings. Terror Vault, located in the old US Mint, creates an entirely new show every single year! This year? Witches are in the house, and you’re going to be Hexed. As a member of a group of witch believers alarmed by the activity, you enter Terror Vault to investigate an all new, all powerful coven bent on warping reality. As always, you can expect a blend of haunt and interactive theater designed solely for the grown up. You have to be 18+ with ID to enter! Legendary bloodsucker bar Fang Bang will return again, open to everyone free of charge during operating hours, with the most luscious and dangerous bartenders and performers this side of the grave!

Check out https://www.terrorvault.com/ to take a quiz and find out if you’re a Believer!

CONNECTICUT

The Forsaken Lands – Goshen

In the woods of Connecticut lies a plot of land that has been abandoned by the living. It was once the town of Ridgeway, but that is no more. Now there are only The Forsaken Lands. Clyde Morton and his cult, The Covenant, rule these lands now. Driven by the Word of Ezra, their gospel of blood and fear, the Morton family and their cult lie in wait for anyone who wanders onto their Lands. You’ll visit Dan’s Diner, the Fieldside Motel, and of course Morton’s Meat and the Morton Farm itself as well as many more locations central to the plans of the Covenant. Beware the Word of Ezra, for it promises only death to those who hear it. In a brand new location for 2025, The Forsaken Lands offers some of the deepest lore of any haunt out there. In an all new location, this is a must-see for 2025!

Look into Clyde’s plans at https://www.forsakenlandshaunt.com/ if you’re brave enough!

ALABAMA

Sweet Dreams Haunted Attraction – Mobile

New to the list this year is an attraction that’s been the reigning king of the Mobile area for some time. Sweet Dreams Haunted Attraction takes a huge warehouse and packs it full of every nightmare you’ve ever imagined. If it’s made you wake up screaming, it waits for you inside. Decrepit manors, bloodsoaked slaughterhouses, and a multitude of other mindbending environs beckon you to join them in their Sweet Dreams. The haunt also offers escape rooms and a midway with games and photo ops to round out the experience. Get some rest before you go, and Sweet Dreams!

Drift into a restful sleep over at https://sweetdreamshaunt.com/ to find out more!

NEW YORK

Frightmare Farms Haunted Scream Park – Fulton

This attraction is located in Central NY over many acres of very, very haunted land. A new addition to this list, Frightmare Farms Haunted Scream Park contains four very different attractions for those ready to explore those acres. To kick things off, we have Infestation. A meteor has crashed into a swamp unleashing cosmic horror in the form of parasites and mutants from beyond the stars. Warping the local wildlife, your task will be walking a trail through this madness and escaping with your life, and DNA, intact. Shifting gears, we have Harvest of Shadows, set in the desolate village of Hemlock Haven. A totem of great evil has been erected there, and sacrifice is demanded to keep it fed. If you escape the village, the Forbidden Forest Haunted Hayride awaits you to climb aboard and take a tour of a primordial forest full of sinister shadows and towering beasts. Finally, to celebrate their 13th year of horror, there’s 13 Ghosts: Unearth The Haunting. The ruins of the Whitaker estate welcomes you to discover all 13 Ghosts residing within its borders. Once you’ve faced everything, a midway with movies, scare zones, and goodies awaits you!

Visit https://frightmarefarmsny.com/ for more!

NEW YORK

Darkness Rising Haunted Attraction Long Island

Long Island gets into the Must See action with Darkness Rising Haunted Attraction, a collection of three very different experiences in one place. We begin with The Wasteland. The bombs dropped, the world ended, but life goes on. So does death, in large quantities. Filled with mutants and warlords, The Wasteland offers no mercy and complete terror. Leaving the devastated earth behind, Dark Matter takes us to the outer reaches of space. A rescue team boards the USS Icarus, which has been broadcasting a distress signal. This team finds only nightmares in the form of an infected ship and crew. Mutating parasites are everywhere, leaving you and the rescuers with only one option: escape or die. Plunging back to earth, enter the tombs of the damned in The Pharaoh’s Curse. Disturbed by treasure hunters, these ancient halls are full of the Pharaoh’s defenders and traps, as well as the spirit of the enraged ruler himself. Can you escape before they take your soul? With this kind of variety, getting to New York to see the Darkness Rise this season is a must.

Dive into the darkness at https://www.darknessrising.org/ to see more!

WISCONSIN

Dark Side Haunted Adventure – Ixonia

A long time source of fear in Wisconsin, Dark Side Haunted Adventure offers multiple environments to the brave soul. Face the agricultural horrors of Foxglove Nursery. Enter the halls of madness and escape the insanity within Schizophrenia. Dive into the very depths of hell itself and face the ultimate evil in Mephistopheles’ Lair. Run for your life to escape the meat-hungry madmen of Backwoods Revenge. Explore the sawmill of the Wilton family in Twilight Nightmare. Enter the bowels of the abandoned mine in The Descent. All different facets of the same amazing scream park. A Must See for 2025!

Go to https://thedarksidehaunt.com/ for more!

TENNESSEE

Fright Nights at Ripley’s Haunted Adventure – Gatlinburg

Gatlinburg is an incredible tourist mecca, offering everything in the region from theme parks to amazing pancake houses. You might not expect it, but this wholesome family destination is also home to Ripley’s Haunted Adventure, a year-round haunted attraction! For the haunt season, they’re cranking up every dial for Fright Nights. New characters, expanded sets, the works. You’ll enter the Grimsby Mortuary and run into the family that operates it, as well as the mysterious Countess that oversees the operation. There’s also a number of characters right out of the bayous of Louisiana, including a storyteller named The Jackal, a vampiric mystery woman named Raven Shadowfang, and a murderous swamp magician named Damien Streaper. All of this expanded terror makes this a Must See for 2025!

Venture inside https://www.ripleys.com/attractions/ripleys-haunted-adventure-gatlinburg if you dare!

NORTH CAROLINA

Hollerin’ Haunts Hayride – Clinton

This legendary hayride outside Clinton offers a massive, detailed hayride as well as several other experiences to make for an entire night of fear for you haunt maniacs. The Hayride itself features 16 scenes of Hollywood-level sets offering screams for the whole family. Hell’s Acres, meanwhile, is an immersive trail through the worst scares Hollerin’ has to offer. The Darkness is unique: a completely black haunt, only cues to your other senses will guide you through to the bright moon back outside. Beware, you aren’t alone in the blackness. New for 2025 is The Madhouse. The add-on, limited attraction is short and extremely intense. Attendance is limited to 20 guests at a time, guaranteeing a carefully crafted nightmare of medical mayhem as the doctor attempts to add you to his list of test subjects. Hollerin’ also offers a Murder Mart of goodies, tons of food options, and even the chance to take your Last Ride in a coffin inside a real hearse!

Take that Last Ride to https://hollerinhauntshayride.com/ to make plans!

VIRGINIA

Haunted Hunt Club Farm – Virginia Beach

This haunted farm offers the complete package for a night of seasonal scares. They have their Haunted Hayride, which is themed to Carnivore Chaos this year. A carnival has come to town and they’ve brought their peculiar carnivorous appetites with them! On a spookier note, Death Alley: Cemetery of Souls takes you into 1760 Death Alley’s graveyard of the damned. The dead are rising, and the Lantern Man seems to be behind it. Can you escape them? Next up, we enter the Forbidden Fields of the farm for Revenge Of The Scarecrows. They’re fed up being hung on poles, twisted and mangled, so now it’s YOUR turn. Fleeing from the fields lands you in the Village of the Dead for a Shotgun Wedding. The damned have gathered in the village settled in a swamp for a union of two less than willing souls and you’re invited whether you like it or not. On top of these attractions, the Haunted Hunt Club has the most complete midway we’ve seen. Food, games, vendors, and even carnival rides! This is a real-deal complete carnival midway! That makes this a Must See for 2025!

Research the Festival at https://www.hauntedhuntclubfarm.com/ for details!

TEXAS

The Haunted Hotel – Beaumont

This haunt is legendary along the Texas coast smack between Houston and Lafayette, LA. For over 40 years, the Hotel has been welcoming guests inside its haunted halls offering luxury accommodations for all guests. They also have a very relaxed check-out time: eternity! The Hotel offers two attractions. First, there’s the Hotel itself, where you’ll meet the staff and other guests up and down the multiple floors of the building. Once you exit the Hotel itself, you’ll enter the Rosehill Asylum, which adjoins the Hotel. Explore the corridors of the facility and encounter examples of madness and the evil staff that want you to check in for treatment and never leave. The Haunted Hotel also offers specialty nights like Haunted Hotel Extreme where (almost) anything goes in a pitch black environment, and Klown Takeover on Nov 1st that explains itself.

Make reservations now at https://hauntedhoteltx.com/ to get a good room!

INDIANA

Hysterium – Fort Wayne

This haunted asylum was founded by Dr Frederic Heigel. His belief was that man could only experience true freedom once the Illusion of Right and Wrong was stripped from his mind. He devised many sick forms of torment in an attempt to achieve this goal in his patients. The remnants of this are what you’ll face within Hysterium. The halls are packed with madmen who failed to meet his criteria and some who did, becoming a terrible threat to all they meet. Will you be able to escape with your sanity intact, or will you join the Hysterium? This attraction has a Blackout night on Nov 7th and 8th, as well as a kid-friendly Trunk or Treat on October 25th!

Book treatment at https://hysterium.com/ to enter the asylum!

CALIFORNIA

Pirates Of Emerson – Alameda County Fairgrounds

Come close, me hearties, and listen to a tale of terror that began on the untamed seas. Pirates of Emerson is BACK and is celebrating 35 years of fear this year! This pirate-themed scare park has never offered more bang for your pieces of eight than it does this year. With four haunted attractions, a VR haunted ride, and games now included in the ticket price, as well as the usual live bands and food, you’ve got six acres of fun that will make it worth being keelhauled. Bring your crew and experience all Pirates has to offer in this Must See for 2025!

Hoist your anchor and sail over to http://www.piratesofemerson.com/ for info!

PENNSYLVANIA

Hotel of Horror – Saylorsburg

Up in the Pocono Mountains in Pennsylvania, you’ll find a very old house. This building has a history that could fill an entire week of History Channel specials. Civil War field hospital. An 18th century stagecoach stop. The Spanish Flu epidemic. 1929 stock market crash suicides. 1940’s sweatshop. Armed robbery in the 80’s. All of that combines to make the once Lake House Hotel, which is now the Hotel of Horror. Hosting two haunted attractions within the historic building, Hotel of Horror is the Poconos’ premier haunted house. First up, we have the original Hotel of Horror, serving up 33 years of terror. Its little sibling, Altered Nightmares, has been forcing bad dreams on guests for 17 years. The combination of dual attractions and a genuinely blood-soaked history make Hotel of Horror a Must-See attraction!

Book your room today at https://hotelofhorror.com/ and prepare for an eventful stay!