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The scariest haunted houses NYC has to offer
Scream your way through these terrifying haunted houses—NYC is full of things that go bump in the night
It’s the freakiest time of year, and we couldn’t be more excited to scream our guts out at the scariest haunted houses NYC has to offer. Haunted houses may bring plenty of frights, but if you’re looking to get shaken to your core this season, check out these immersive experiences that will bring out your darkest, deepest fears from killer clowns to claustrophobic. To get you in that creepy mood, or if immersing yourself in the world of goblins and ghouls is too much for you, try prepping with one of the best horror movies on Netflix beforehand.
RECOMMENDED: Full guide to Halloween in NYC
Spookiest haunted houses in NYC
1. Bane Haunted House
Ready to live out your nightmares? One of NYC's most terrifying haunted attractions, Bane Haunted House, has announced plans to return this fall.The spooky experience plays on people's biggest fears: claustrophobic, separation anxiety, clowns and more. (According to Bane’s website, last year over 2,000 visitors couldn’t even make it through the whole thing.) Here's everything you need to know. The fear factory is opening in a five-story building in Hell's Kitchen with 40,000-square-feet of space, and a total of 30 spooky rooms. If you’re up for the challenge, tickets for general admission ticket will cost you $35.
2. Blood Manor
Garish zombies, monsters and other ghoulish creatures await in this 5,000-square-foot labyrinth of horrors, deemed too scary for children under 14 to enter without supervision. Pass through themed rooms such as The Crypt (where no one rested in peace) and Hannibal’s Hell (with 1,000 ways to die). It’s popular, so lines are likely to be long—consider shelling out for an “R.I.P.” express-access ticket.
3. Headless horseman haunted drive-thru
Ulster Park's Headless Horseman Haunted Hayrides and Haunted Houses is replacing its hayrides with an experience, "Dare to Ride The Horseman's Trail," that'll give New Yorkers an opportunity to roll down the window and scream this Halloween season. Drivers and their passengers will pass through horrific scenes like "the butcher shop" and see the headless horseman himself all while staying in their cars. The experience is not kid-friendly, to no ones surprised. There's no doubt that new rules about social distancing are behind the new experience—the park says all guests and staff will be wearing face masks and distancing throughout the event. Even vehicles will be at least six feet apart.
4. The Haunting at Berkeley Oceanfront Hotel
The historic oceanside Berkeley Hotel in Asbury Park, NJ is transforming 13 of its rooms into immersive haunted scenes later this month. Guests who check into The Haunting experience will be guided through the rooms on the "haunted" floors of the hotel with their cameras to capture "unexpected frights, spine-tingling thrills, and surprises around every corner."According to organizers, the hotel has been the center of Asbury's paranormal activity for over 100 years and in 1934, the S.S. Morro cruise ship exploded and washed ashore "in a fiery blaze" yards from the hotel entrance. Safety precautions include temperature checks, regular cleanings, mask requirements, sanitizer stations and no physical contact from performers. There's also a 21+ VIP experience with seating at an exclusive Halloween speakeasy that comes with a welcome cocktail, passed appetizers, and spooky drink specials.
5. Bayville Scream Park
Want to be terrifed to your core? Visit Bayville Scream Park, where there's plenty to freak you out. You'll find Bloodworth Haunted Mansion, Uncle Needle's Funhouse of Fear, Temple of Terror and more in the way of haunted house experiences (complete with live actors). For Halloween season 2020, they're also doing an in-vehicle theatrical experience with live performers and special effects to live out a real-life horror movie. Think of it like a horror movie drive-in, haunted house hybird.
Looking for more scares?
Check out the most haunted places in NYC
Learn what’s lurking around town at the most haunted places in NYC—and then decide whether or not you want to go out