Thrills and Chills: Ghost Tours and Haunted Houses

October is
prime time for ghouls, zombies and other creatures of the night, and there
are plenty of ghost tours and haunted houses where you can encounter them . .
. if you dare. Here are a few great places to get scared out of your wits
this Halloween season:

Terror Behind the Walls at Eastern State
Penitentiary  | Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

As though prisons weren’t scary enough, Terror
Behind the Walls takes frightful experiences to a whole new level
by turning an entire penitentiary into a haunted attraction. There’s a pitch
black 1800s cell block, a prison break with inmates on the run, a terrifying
prison infirmary offering no escape, and an attraction called Quarantine 4D
that simulates hallucinations and other mind-altering effects. New this year
is “The Hex Challenge,” where guests can enter a secret room to join forces
with the creepy characters inside and ultimately escape this massive haunted
prison.

Haunted
Overload | Lee, New
Hampshire

The mission of Haunted Overload is to be one
of the most creative and unique haunted attractions in New England and it has
twice been voted one of the top 13 haunted attractions in the country. It
offers three levels of fear. The “Day Haunt” is ideal for young kids or others
who scare easily. They can meander through the props and sets during the day
without fear that someone is going to jump out at them. The next level is
“Fright Night Lite” which allows guests to experience the attraction’s
spectacular lighting and sound effects in in a “monster-free” nighttime
setting. Finally, there’s “Haunted Overload,” an award-winning horror show
that pulls out all the stops. It’s billed as “the most frightening forest in
New England” and offers a fully-immersive Halloween experience with twisted
characters awaiting guests at every turn.

The Voodoo Bone Lady Haunted
Tours | New Orleans,
Louisiana

New Orleans has been called “America’s Most Haunted City,” and
this company (you’ve got to love the name) takes five separate haunted tours
and rolls them into one. The tour goes through the “mystical and mysterious”
realms of voodoo, vampires, ghosts, witchcraft and pirates. It also visits
the sites of actual documented hauntings and shares “the most ghastly and
horrific” history that New Orleans can claim.

The Edge of Hell | Kansas
City, Missouri

This attraction is now in its 41^st year,
and includes two haunted
houses.  The first one, The Beast, has been named among
the top 13 haunted houses in the nation for years. Visitors make their way
past dramatic scenes on four floors for a true 4D experience that includes
movie-quality special effects, holograms, props, animatronics and a real
alligator. The second haunted house, the Edge of Hell, has also received
national acclaim. It focuses on phobias and features a five-story “fright
from heaven to hell” plus the world’s largest living snake – a 350 lb.
python.  Visitors are ushered in by Rat Man and other scary cast
members.

The 13^th Floor | Denver,
Colorado 

Billed as the largest haunted
house in Denver, this attraction takes its name from the floor that
doesn’t exist in most high-rise buildings, but it does here. It promises to
be a haunted house created from your darkest fears. The three new attraction
themes for 2016 include Slasher Remix designed to bring your worst slasher
nightmares to life, Undead: Abominations with walking corpses terrorizing
deep dark passageways of the underground, and Cursed: The Ritual with
ravenous, undead werewolves that have been revived by an evil sorcerer. Oh,
and did we mention they have red eyes? It’s apparently a sure sign that
they’ve been possessed.

Spooked in
Seattle | Seattle,
Washington

This 90-minute
tour is led by real paranormal experts and is offered in
association with AGHOST (Advanced Ghost Hunters of Seattle Tacoma), the
oldest paranormal investigation group in the Pacific Northwest. Guests are
invited to join these real ghost hunters for an evening of spirited tales
within Seattle’s unique neighborhoods on a guided tour of some of the cities
most haunted sites, including Seattle’s famous underground. The tour also
includes information about ghosts and the guides offer some of the evidence
collected during investigations.

Fear Farm and Haunted Hayride
| Phoenix, Arizona 

Located on the west side of Phoenix, the Fear Farm Haunted House features the mythical
legend of a ferocious half man/half goat called the Goatman, as well as alien
undead and other alien beasts, two creepy clowns named Tremmors and Flinch,
and the scary roar of chainsaws at the Slidell Family Slaughterhouse. New for
2016 is a haunted hayride through 10 acres of corn populated by evil spirits
who have an “intense craving for human flesh.”

Check the websites of the haunted houses or ghost tours you’re
interested in for schedules and ticket information. And be sure to observe
any warnings they post – many of these attractions are not suitable for young
children or the faint of heart!