10 best haunted houses near Boston

Fright Kingdom in Nashua, NH, features five, huge haunted experiences sure to scare up some amazing Halloween entertainment. Amongst the hair-raising scenarios you’ll encounter here: Hiding from the gruesome family at the Bloodmare Manor; avoiding contamination in Apocalypse Z; finding your way out of the old farmhouse that is The Abandoned; running from crazed clowns in the Psycho Circus; and surviving a walk through a labyrinth of pure darkness within Grim.

Located in Fall River, this spot just went through its largest renovation for the 2023 season. A new entity has taken over the site known to crank out fear with a brand new fictional bone-chilling story. Before entering the now deserted building, you’ll be briefed on the tale that was the impetus for today’s haunted scene. We don’t want to spoil any of the frightening fun, but expect an experience sure to scare.

This massive outdoor haunted spot set deep in the woods in Seekonk consists of a trio of haunted houses that add up to 45 minutes of spookiness, earning Fear Town recognition as one of New England’s longest haunted houses. Expect skeletons, monsters and the feeling of entrapment as you attempt to navigate through heavy forest into and out of run-down buildings that have been hidden for decades. Had enough spook? There’s a midway full of games, experiences, food and entertainment.

Running six weekends beginning September 29, the amusement park in Salem, N.H., gets into the spirit with Screeemfest’s terrifying haunted houses, roaming “creepy characters,” monster parade, music, and Halloween-themed games. Among the returning haunted houses of Pinecrest Sanitarium, The Breach, Facility 235, and Carnivus, 2023 brings Cargo – a missing cargo freighter that turned up in an old fishing town and awaits your exploration.

Short but sweet (or should we say scary), this intense old-school scare attraction is labeled as the “scariest seven minutes in Salem.” Coming from real experts in the field of frights, Salem's Nightmares LLC presents movie-quality nightmare scares of demons, ghouls, psychos and creatures of the dark. There are two ways to scream: the October Halloween Horror show and the daytime Haunted House Terror Tour (don’t trust your live Ghoulish Guide). If you would rather keep your experiences intimate, check out Ed Gannon’s Fireside Ghost Stories, an evening of scary stories told by candlelight for up to 16 daring guests.

This Salem attraction takes you underground, where you'll wander through haunted rooms and past cursed artifacts, ghosts, monsters and more. It's part haunted house and part escape room, so expect it to be interactive. Bring your friends and figure out all of the clues to free yourself—all while battling blood-curdling special effects in one of Massachusetts' most notoriously haunted towns.

This year’s Fright Fest lineup at Six Flags New England in Agawam includes over 20 haunt experiences, live shows, and over 200 roaming monsters, zombies and ghouls. Days bring family-friendly thrills like the Spooktacular Street Party and Trick or Treat Trail, while nights get spooky with fan-favorite haunted houses Midnight Mansion, Slasher Circus 3D, Nightmare, and Aftermath: Zombies Revenge, and the new scare zones of New Orleans-set Necropolis, the toxic disaster Wasterlands, and cornfield Soul Harvest. Live shows stir up all the season’s spooks, with The Awakening, Midnight Uprising, Mort’s Used Coffins, and Creepshow Freakshow.

Head to 13th World’s Fright Park in Palmer (the original 13th World site is still in Rhode Island) to experience three terrifying attractions: Moonlight Mayhem, Hellhouse Fire, and Alone (yes, you’re sent through by yourself). For extreme scares, add on the Touch of Fear, which allows the monsters to touch you. Need to come down from all the intensity? Grab a drink at the newly opened Brimstone Tavern. November 4 puts the entire park into Blackout mode, so you are literally left in the dark with what’s happening around you. 

Enter the woods of the Nashoba Valley Ski Area and hope that you make it out alive. Starting September 29 and through Halloween night, Witch’s Woods is open every Friday through Sunday (and select Thursday nights), for several different attractions such as Haunted Hayride, Castle Morbid, 3D Keeper’s Crypt, Horrorwood Chamber of Chills, Jack O'Lantern Jamboree, and Vampire Passage.

This award-winning horror show in Lee, NH, pulls out all the stops. The fright-filled, immersive trail features stunningly terrifying sets and costumes. Check out the Main Event (sound and lighting intensify the experience), Blackout Night (no lights at all!) and Glow Stick Night (you navigate it with nothing but a glow stick). If an evening of screams sounds too intense, Haunted Overload also offers a Day Haunt and a toned-down version of the show at Friday Night Lite, which allows patrons to experience all the sound and lighting effects without all the monster madness.