The 16 best haunted houses near Chicago

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 its dark, sinister confines to encounter demented doctors and nurses, creepy dolls and even a cult. Admission also includes entry to Shattered 3D, a circus-themed space lit by blacklights and filled with mesmerizing art and creepy clowns. 

Sept 18-Nov 7

Another haunt from the creator of top-rated 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. 

Sept 12-Nov 13

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 The Slaughterhouse and Dead Clown Alley and is manned by a "killer crew" working hard to provide you with nightmare fuel. Come between November 6 and 7 for the blackout experience, where you’ll navigate the attraction with just a single glowstick.

Sept 26-Dec 12

13th Floor Haunted House operates two haunted attractions in a 40,000-square-foot space in Schiller Park. For its 13th anniversary this year, guests can expect two new terrifying experiences on select nights from September 12 through November 8. The new Black Hollow Institute is a supposedly abandoned facility that's haunted by tortured survivors of years of experiments, and The Woman in White is the manor of a wealthy family where the daughter's darkness has consumed the halls. Guests can also join five-minute mini escape games and purchase a Respawn Pass for a second trip through the main attraction.

Sept 12-Nov 8

Navigate haunted trails and a zombie-infested cemetery to reach HellsGate, a mansion filled with secret passages and a slide that takes you to a mysterious basement. Statesville Haunted Prison may have closed, but its 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—the haunt’s staff will single them out for some special scares during the tour.

Sept 24-Nov 1

This South Side haunted house dishes out old-school scare 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, where the workers and nearby townsfolk were transformed into twisted creatures by illegal experiments. Navigate a nightmare realm and face your phobias to escape the twisted space. 

Sept 25–Nov 1

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

Oct 3-31

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. 

Oct 2-30

Everything at Massacre Haunted House is indoors, including the lines to get in, so don’t let bad weather scare you away. You’ll encounter nearly 100 actors across more than 35,000 square feet decorated to resemble horror movie sets. Attractions include The Asylum, where forgotten psyciatric patients haunt the halls.

Sept 25–Oct 31

For the fifth year, Schaumburg's Wintrust Field is transforming into an immersive haunted house and carnival. What originally started as a backyard haunt has turned into a full-scale attraction, with a bar and lounge to help steel your nerves before entering. If the experience is too much for little ones, there are designated kids hours from 2–5pm on Saturdays and Sundays, when the scares are less intense.

Oct 16-31

Rough House Theater unites Chicago puppet theater artists for an immersive haunt where they unleash their creativity with themed rooms based on a rotating theme. For House of the Exquisite Corpse VI: Lullabies, six teams of Chicago artists orchestrate six unique and terrifying puppet-driven vignettes—all inspired by the theme "lullabies."

Oct 8–Nov 1