ILLINOIS — Now is the season to get spooked and scared — and there’s no shortage of haunted attractions in Chicagoland.
Here’s a look at some of the spookiest sites to scare up a terrifying good time for Halloween 2021.
Chicagoland haunted houses:
- 401 Woodruff Road, Joliet
- Situated in the Old Joliet Prison, home of “The Blues Brothers” and now a site for historic tours, the haunted prison is in its second year from Thirteenth Floor Entertainment. The attraction is “Chicagoland’s only haunted house inside a real abandoned prison.”
- The Old Joliet Haunted Prison officially opened to the public on September 24, and it will stay open on select nights through November 5.
- According to Thirteenth Floor: the Old Joliet Haunted Prison features two new main attractions this Halloween season:
- The Abominations: Dormant for centuries, The Abominations are tragic beings hungry for the companionship of living flesh. Cursed with an insatiable appetite, they cannot help but feast upon the innocent souls they capture, condemning everyone to eternal suffering.
- Tormented: Rageful after suffering atrocities at the hands of the paranormal scientists, the Condemned seek to lure others to their eternal suffering as revenge. No one can escape their phantom grasp as they dwell in the afterlife, tormented. “Guests can also partake in mini-interactive and immersive escape games, indulge in on-site local food trucks and enjoy spooky libations and concessions at The Commissary before or after experiencing the haunted house,” according to Thirteenth Floor. Tickets are on sale now, beginning at $19.99. However, the haunted house event may be too intense for children under 12, the company advised. For more information, visit hauntedprison.com and follow The Old Joliet Haunted Prison on Instagram at @oldjoliethauntedprison.
13th Floor Haunted House Chicago
- 5050 River Road, Schiller Park
- 708-571-3326
- One of the Top 5 most terrifying haunted houses in the U.S.A.,” according to USA Today, it may be too intense for young children and is not recommended for kids under 12. Attractions include Outcast Carnival: “After a failed carnival went bankrupt, the sideshow performers were shunned by society and took to the sewers for shelter. After years of no interaction with the outside world, the performers have become rabid and feed on anything that wanders into their domain.” The second attraction is All Hallows Eve: “A cursed group of undead trick or treaters rise up from their shallow graves once a year on Halloween in search of blood, guts, and candy! As the fall spirit infects others, their numbers grow. All Hallows Eve is upon us.”
- Last day is Nov. 5.
- Cost: General Admission is $28.99, Fast Pass is $38.99 and Skip the Line is $48.99
- 3101 Canal St., Lockport
- 605-301-4286
- Hauntworld, which releases an annual list of the best haunted houses across the United States, has placed Lockport’s HellsGate Haunted House at third on this year’s list. The award-winning haunted house will be open from 7 to 11 p.m. on Sept. 30, Oct. 1, 7, 8, 14, 15, 21, 21, 28, 29 and Nov. 4 and 5. It will be open from 7 to 10 p.m. on Oct. 2, 6, 9, 13, 16, 20, 22, 26, 27, 30 and 31, according to the business’ website.
Parking is available at 301 W. Second St., in Lockport, and guests will take a 5-minute shuttle from the parking lot to the drop-off at HellsGate.
Cost: Tickets are $35 for general admission if you buy online, and $39 on-site. HellsGate is a haunted mansion in the woods, known for its giant slide, and a chance to win free admission if you find a key during a specific portion of the haunted house.
- 5520 W. 111th St., Oak Lawn
- 708-571-0266
- “Midnight Terror Haunted House is proud to be scaring Oak Lawn and the Greater Chicagoland area for seventh year! We use “Old School” tactics, with a balance of “New School” technology and we put extreme focus on making Midnight Terror an “Actor Driven”, terrifying show!”
- Midnight Terror Haunted House is in Oak Lawn and is five minutes off I-294.
- Enter the once-prosperous Black Oak Gear Factory, whose cruel owner Robert “Sledge” Dubois, has summoned a demon lord known as the “Hammer of Hell” to keep the business running. Now, his daughter seeks revenge for his cruelty. COVID-19 precautions include timed ticketing, limited capacity, contactless entry, socially distanced lines, face coverings required for staff, special cleaning procedures and online ticket sales only. Last date is Nov. 5.
- Cost: Tickets start at $20 and prices vary based on time and date.
Undead Acres: Zombie Paintball
- Santa Fe Landscaping & Nursery, 3450 W. Crete Monee Road, Monee
- 708-534-3600
- Open through Oct. 30
- “Ride throughout our zombie infested nursery in our specially designed paintball trailer with mounted paintball guns. Shoot LIVE zombies! But don’t worry, they don’t shoot back.”
- Test your courage with Zombie Paintball Safari ($28 per person) a shooting gallery ($8 for 80 rounds) and axe throwing ($5 for three throws). Combo rate $45. Tickets sold on site only.
- 299 Montgomery Road, Montgomery
- 708-320-FEAR
- “Work up your nerves and step in to the #1 scariest attractions in the Midwest, The Massacre Haunted House and Fear Freakshow 3D Huanted House. Newly renovated every year and ready to deliver the scares, The Massacre offers over 20,000+ sq. ft. of sheer nightmares for your enjoyment.”
- Open through Nov. 5.
- Prices vary depending on date and times. For ticket prices, visit The Massacre Haunted House website.
- 421 Rollins Road, Round Lake Beach
- 847-973-6053
- “Nothing you will witness at Realm of Terror will you ever see at any other Attraction, from the Parking Lot to the very last moment, you will be inside a winding maze of terror unlike any other. This October season, visit the best haunted house between Chicago and Milwaukee. A Haunted House designed to not only to scare you, but to crawl into your head and mess you up for life.”
- For information about ticket prices and the schedule, visit the Realm of Terror website.
- 900 Grace Street, Elgin
- 630-634-CULT
- Located at the abandoned Elgin Casket Company, “this once proud building has been witness to murder, grisly discoveries, cult activities, and unexplained occurrences, and a dark legacy has emerged from its sordid history.” Evil Intentions promises “a new evil unleashed.” Also offering ghost tours ($50 per person for a 9 p.m. to 2 a.m. tour of the building): “Join us as we spend an evening investigating the old factory and attempt to make contact with the spirits that reside within.” Please arrive no sooner than 15 minutes before your scheduled time slot.
- “Evil Intentions Haunted House is open select nights this fall. Exact times may vary by day. “
- For ticket information, visit the Evil Intentions website.
- 600 29th St, Zion
- 847-262-3666
- “The Legendary Dungeon of Doom Haunted House has been terrifying the midwest for 25 years, and have been making an impact ever since they opened in 1997. From a strip mall, to “The Giant” at Six Flags Great America, to the Lake County Fair Grounds, then the Warwick Building, to their current resting place at 600 29th St.”
- Open through Nov. 5. For ticket information, visit the Dungeon of Doom website.
- 4853 US-52, Minooka
- 815-651-7288
- “One dark foggy night, “The Shredder” came up missing under a full moon. The following day a search party went looking for him but never found the old man. The one thing they did find was, shredded corn stalks from boundary line to boundary line. They also discovered blood soaked tracks leading into one of his fields that disappeared into the rows of corn. He was never seen again.”
- SUNDAYS OCTOBER 10/9-10/30
7:00 PM – 10:00 PM SEPTEMBER 30 & OCTOBER FRIDAYS & SATURDAYS 7:00 PM – 11:00 PM - Cost: Haunted Corn Maze $20, Flashlight Maze $6, Non Haunted, Moonlight Hayride $6 (Non Haunted), Moonlight Combo Special $25.00 : Includes Haunted Corn Maze, Flashlight Maze & Moonlight Hayride
- Fast Pass $32.00 : SKIP THE LINE! Includes Haunted Corn Maze, Flashlight Maze & Moonlight Hayride.
