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13th Floor haunted house
Photograph: Will Byington

The 14 best haunted houses near Chicago

Looking for frights this season? Head to the scariest haunted houses in Chicago.

Samantha Nelson
Written by
Samantha Nelson
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Spooky season has arrived, and the best way to get in some proper frights is to visit one of Chicagoland's best haunted houses. Halloween in Chicago brings more than a dozen immersive attractions to surrounding towns around Illinois, where actors and set designers work hard to make you scream by forcing you to face your fear of clowns, hospitals, snakes and other creatures that go bump in the night. Running throughout the season along with plenty of other Halloween events and parties, some of these haunted houses offer a full night of fun with bars, food trucks and escape rooms. Stick to the pumpkin patches if you’re squeamish, but if you’re up for a good scare, buy a ticket to one of the best haunted houses near Chicago.

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Best haunted houses in Chicago

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Regularly ranked as one of the top haunted houses in Illinois by Halloween connoisseurs, Basement of the Dead has been providing seasonal scares since 2000. Explore the dark, sinister confines to encounter demented doctors and nurses, creepy dolls and a cult. Admission also includes entry to Shattered 3D, a circus-themed space lit by blacklights and filled with mesmerizing art and creepy clowns. If you want to avoid jump scares, visit during the Night of Isolation Wednesdays October 11-25, when you can explore the scenes without the actors, using only the illumination from a glowstick. For an extra spooky experience, go November 3-4 when the lights are all out but the performers are still there. Sept 22–Nov 4

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Dungeon of Doom immerses visitors with special effects and light shows starting in the waiting area. The 45,000-square-foot space features sets like Slaughter House Mania and new Sanctuary and Dead Clown Alley areas added this year. The haunt is manned by a “killer crew” working hard to provide you with nightmare fuel. For an extra $5, you can also add on the claustrophobic “Buried Alive” experience. Come between November 3-4 for the blackout experience, where you’ll navigate the attraction with just a single glowstick. Sept 29–Nov 4

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The latest haunt from the creator of Basement of the Dead, Disturbia Haunted House is packed with scary scenes including a haunted pumpkin patch, medieval crypt and ancient graveyard populated by terrifying characters including demons, pig monsters and an extremely creepy Raggedy Ann doll. It’s a grotesquely gorgeous attraction. Like Basement of the Dead, Disturbia also offers blackout dates and visits without the actors, so choose the level of scare that’s right for you. Sept 22–Nov 4

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Featured in The Blues Brothers, the Old Joliet Prison closed in 2002. Now it’s become the Old Joliet Haunted Prison, and visitors will find themselves in a prison riot and navigate a labyrinth where chainsaw wielding-inmates prowl. You can also step into a video game by playing zombie laser tag. Extend your visit with mini escape games, food trucks and drinks at the Commissary or Neon Cowboy Secret Bar. Sept 23–Nov 4

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Navigate haunted trails and a zombie-infested cemetery to reach HellsGate, a mansion filled with secret passages and a slide that takes you to the basement. Statesville Haunted Prison may have closed, but their prisoners have escaped to HellsGate where they’re lurking in the woods and the mansion’s halls. Want to surprise your horror-loving friend? Get them a special Hell Pass and the haunt’s staff will single them out for some special scares during their tour. Sept 29–Nov 4

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This South Side haunted house combines old-school startle tactics provided by a cast of costumed actors with animatronics, special effects and spooky sets. Creepy characters—from demonic workers to ghost cult leaders to cannibalistic butchers—hide around nearly every corner, waiting to terrify anyone who steps inside the 26,000-square-foot experience. Travel through the Black Oak Gear Factory, whose brutal owner summoned a demon lord that transformed his workers and nearby townsfolk into twisted creatures. Navigate a nightmare realm and face your phobias to escape the twisted space. Clowns take over the attraction during its last two days. Sept 29–Nov 4

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Filmmakers, set designers, sound designers, engineers and makeup artists collaborated to build an immersive haunted house meant to scare you even if you close your eyes. Before you step into the monster-infested, maze-like structure, where a Halloween party turns into a horrifying ritual, you’ll be greeted by skeletons in the parking lot and can compete for prizes in a carnival. If you need a drink to work up the courage to go in or to steady your nerves after, Realm of Terror also has a bar serving themed cocktails. You can also find booze-free seasonal treats like apple cider. Sept 29-Oct 29

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13th Floor Haunted House operates two haunted attractions in a 40,000-square-foot space. Face dangerous mutants in the post-apocalyptic world of The Deadlands and resist the call of an ancient nightmare in Depths of Darkness. For an extra fee, you can test your wits with a five-minute mini-escape game where players have to solve riddles and find hidden clues. Enjoy some treats from food trucks and cocktails from Hala Kahiki. Sept 15–Nov 11

Test your luck at this new interactive haunt at the Arboretum of South Barrington, where The Dealer will determine your fate. In each room of the 15,000-square-foot space, you’ll have different encounters with characters including a terrifying former circus clown, a back-alley butcher who serves only the freshest cuts, and a snake handler pushing you to face your fears. You’ll need to actively participate to survive and you might find yourself set on a different path or even held back from your group. Sept 29-Oct 31

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Ride through Dellwood Park encountering forgotten spirits and mysterious forces, then journey underground to explore the Curse of the Bayou attraction. Navigate a maze with uneven trails and low ceilings as you explore a swamp that a voodoo priestess has filled with monsters from the realm of the dead. Watch creepy movies playing on a 20-foot screen while waiting in line and banish your chills by warming up around a bonfire. Kids are welcome for a Not So Scary Hayride on October 9 and 15 featuring games, face painting and s’mores. Sept 29–Oct 28

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Located inside the abandoned Elgin Casket Company, the Evil Intentions Haunted House plays up the "unexplained occurrences" that have been reported within the building throughout the years. The multi-level, 55,000-square-foot attraction offers a 30-minute experience, during which you'll encounter some of the decayed residents and frightening spirits that haunt the space. Sept 29–Oct 31

Rough House Theater unites Chicago puppet theater artists for an immersive haunt where they get to unleash their creativity with themed rooms, including “The Difficulty of Proof in Cases of Arsenic Poisoning” and “Advantages of the Removal of the Sick.” Small groups walk through the dark halls of Steppenwolf's Merle Reskin Garage Theatre looking through keyholes, cracks and hidden doors to see horrors like sea lamprey and an intestine man chandelier brought to life with physical performances and soundscapes. Oct 12–31

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