5 terrifyingly good haunted houses
Marnie Hunter and Katia Hetter, CNN • Updated 26th October 2015
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(CNN) — Fans of sensory overload are in for a treat because these five Halloween attractions are creating for fall thrill-seekers.
Erebus Haunted Attraction, Pontiac, Michigan
The disclaimer for the four-story Erebus haunted attraction hints at the horrors that lie in wait: "You will experience intense audio, lighting, extreme low visibility, strobe lights, fog, damp or wet conditions, moving floors, special effects, sudden actions and an overall physically demanding environment."
And yes, it will be scary. There are emergency exits throughout the horror emporium in Pontiac, Michigan, but be warned that there are no refunds or re-entry.
General weekend admission is $28. Prices fall by a few dollars from Sunday through Thursday. hauntedpontiac.com
Bates Motel and Haunted Hayride, Glen Mills, Pennsylvania
A drive-through insane asylum, "more pyrotechnics than a KISS concert" and more than 75 actors dressed to thrill are just part of the 25-minute Haunted Hayride at Arasapha Farm, outside Philadelphia in Glen Mills, Pennsylvania.
The same ghoulish property is also home to the Bates Motel haunted house, with animatronic props and "floor boards that come alive," as well as a Haunted Corn Trail.
Combo tickets are $40 for adults, $35 for kids and include admission to the hayride, the Bates Motel and the haunted trail. Tickets to individual attractions are also available. thebatesmotel.com
The 13th Gate, Baton Rouge, Louisiana
Baton Rouge, Louisiana's, 13th Gate includes a snake-infested Louisiana Swamp, hidden subterranean passages and a prehistoric ice cave. Your goal is "to be a survivor, not a victim, of the house," which features 13 terrifying realms.
Across the street at Necropolis 13, you'll have to dodge the living dead on a walk across a New Orleans-style cemetery. There's a voodoo fire show at the cemetery on Friday and Saturday nights.
General admission tickets to 13th Gate are $30. Necropolis 13 general admission is $20. A combo ticket for both is $35. midnightproduction.com
Haunted Overload, Lee, New Hampshire
During much of the year, DeMeritt Hill Farm masquerades as a family farm where visitors can pick fruit and vegetables. In mid-October, Haunted Overload is unmasked.
Enormous monsters are among elements that make the attraction's nighttime haunts terrifying. For those with little stomach for the full horror, the "Day Haunt" or "Fright Night Lite" experiences offer the same elaborate sets, but the actors won't try to scare you.
Main event night tickets are $25. Lite night tickets are $13. Day visits are $5. (Prices quoted are for online purchases. Add $5 to price for walk-in purchases. Warning: People with certain health conditions, which are listed before online purchases can be made, are prohibited from entering. hauntedoverload.com
Netherworld, Atlanta
"Primal Scream" is Netherworld's main event in Norcross, Georgia, about 20 miles from Atlanta. In its final year at this location, this haunt tells the story of the Primordial Guardians who have awakened "to rip the evil from this earth with tooth, claw, thorn, stone and bone!" There will be parasitic fungi, colossal tree monsters and savage beast clans infecting humans with "rabid form altering mutagens, as elementals of stone and bone smash anything in their way!"
A second haunted attraction, "Mr. Grendel's 3D Funhouse of Horrors, features crazy clowns, scary monsters and weird aliens -- and Mr. Grendel butchering and eating his victims!
Prices vary from $23 for one weeknight show to $55 for a SpeedPass that gets passholders to the front of the line for both attractions on certain nights. fearworld.com
