Got a little time to "kill" this October? Love being frightened out of your mind in a "spooktacular" fashion?
Not only do we know a thing or two about scary puns, we also have the low-down on where to find some of America's best haunted houses.
Step right up and prepare to scream at these places. (Don't worry, the actors are not allowed to grab you.)
Netherworld Haunted House(Norcross, Georgia)
Netherworld is an award-winning haunted house boasting convincing live actors and mind-blowing special effects. It's a walk-through attraction whose themes change yearly. This year, their Primal Scream theme sees wild beasts from the netherworld congregate while trying to reclaim the earth from us mere mortals-as they are prone to do.
Mr. Grendel's FunHouse of Horror shares the complex with Netherworld and is a slightly tamer, clown-filled attraction that the whole family can enjoy.
Lake Hickory Haunts(Hickory, North Carolina)
With an eerily-lit lake as its backdrop, this multi-faceted attraction features only the best high-tech animatronics, special effects and pyrotechnics. Move between a slaughterhouse, junkyard, big-top circus and more as you encounter undead pirates, mutated armies, evil clowns, cannibals and garden-variety undead souls.
Afterwards, you have plenty of time to gather yourself together at the concession stands, gift shop, photo stops and warming fire pits.
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Schmitt's Farm Haunted House(Melville, New York)
Visit Schmitt's Farm during the rest of the year and you're welcomed by the sight of fields, farm animals, inflatable toys and wholesome hay rides. Come fall, the farm's Haunted Mansion and Haunted Corn Trail set the stage for horrible happenings.
The Haunted Mansion is the domain of "artist" Dr. Edward Valner, whose masterpieces have a funny way of including the mutilated bodies of his "patients." The Corn Trail is watched over by his deranged daughter, Sophia, and her weed whacker, who is intent on not letting anyone escape without a trim.
Younger children (or the fainter of heart) can visit earlier in the evening for a lights-on walkthrough of the mansion with no live actors.
Amarillo Scaregrounds(Amarillo, Texas)
Five different attractions are spread out over 50,000 square feet at the Scaregrounds, the largest haunted house in Amarillo.
Dodge your way through the Insanitarium, a mental hospital overrun with zombies (aren't they all) while trying to avoid the frights that await you down in the Basement. After all that, you can try and escape from the Blackout Maze, which, although unhaunted, leaves you in complete darkness with no clear way out.
Atrox Factory(Leeds, Alabama)
This is the largest indoor haunted attraction in the southeastern U.S.
You'll walk through an abandoned, industrial-themed factory, where the only thing that seems to be getting made nowadays are nightmares. Watch out for the zombies who will stop at nothing to pick your brain.
Atrox Factory features regular celebrity guest actors, so you can even see some of your favorite horror stars in the flesh (no pun intended).
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Terror Behind the Walls at Eastern State Penitentiary(Philadelphia, Pennsylvania)
This is the only haunted house on our list located within an actual abandoned historic building. And it's not just any building; This is an old state prison.
Six blood-curdling attractions include an infirmary, where you get a glimpse into the gruesome world of prison "medicine"; a long-forgotten machine shop where bodies lay strewn among the cellblocks; and a 4D experience where neon-tinged creatures will manage to convince you you're hallucinating.
As if all of this isn't enough, the crumbling penitentiary building itself is thought to be haunted, so who knows if the things you are seeing are staged or real… (Cue evil laugh.)
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