How is it that Halloween is this weekend? It seems that the Haunt Season just barely kicked off and now we are here, October 31st! Not to worry. We still have some time to go out and celebrate the most wonderful time of year at some of the nation’s best haunts. Below are 10 of our favorite haunts.
13th Gate – Baton Rouge, Louisiana
Hands down the longest and most elaborately themed haunt that we have ever been to, 13th gate welcomes guests to their lair. Traverse their endless house of horrors that includes an ever-evolving collection of scenes and scenarios fixed on your worst nightmares. In addition to the world-class haunted house, there are escape rooms and CARNEVIL. This year they have included the special Séance immersive experience that promises to raise Hell and then some. It has been a minute since we have wandered the epic halls of 13th Gate, but we cannot wait to return.
Buy 13th Gate tickets here.
Dark Harbor
A Halloween Haunt event at a Haunted landmark. Yes Dark Harbor: Summoned by the Seas is one remarkable and unique haunt event. Steeped in history and creepy vibes, Dark Harbor features 6 mazes this year along with a host of other experiences including a seance in one of the more haunted places on the ship, hidden bars, seemingly endless entertainment, carnival rides, and relentless monsters that frighten guests with a healthy dose of fun. That’s not to mention the hidden bars in each maze, the huge amount of food offerings, and the ability to wander the dark corridors of this maritime monster. There really isn’t anything quite like Dark Harbor.
Buy Dark Harbor Tickets here
Knott’s Scary Farm
The one, the only, Knott’s Scary Farm returns for its 53rd year of Halloween Haunt mayhem. This is the birthplace of the theme park haunt and it shows with it’s vast collection of shows, scare zones, and a total of 10 original mazes. Throw in the classics like the Calico Mine Ride and the Timber Mountain Log Ride Halloween Hootanany along with thrill rides like Silver Bullet, Hangtime, and Ghostrider, and it’s an endless nightmare of fun. New this year are two brand new mazes, The Zoo and Mary – The Haunting of Worth Home, both of which are great.
Buy Knott’s Scary Farm Tickets Here.
Los Angeles Haunted Hayride 2025
The Los Angeles Haunted Hayride surprised us this year with a polished, consistently entertaining, well produced event for 2025. An affordable, sort of ala carte haunt, Hayride offers a place to hang and enjoy the festive vibe free of charge, with the to option to upgrade to more. If you are brave enough, you can buy a ticket to the Haunted Hayride, or really go nuts and buy a ticket to the Hayride and three mazes including Hellbilly Halloween, Monáe Manor, and Elvira’s Trick or Treat Mayhem. This event has struggled in the past to to really shine. There is plenty against it, including the odd layout of Griffith Park and the Golden State Freeway that makes nearly impossible to feel like you are in the middle of nowhere. Yet this year everything worked. The hayride was spooky, country fun that did plenty to entertain while the mazes and exceptional talent kept us in the world of Midnight Falls.
Buy LA Haunted Hayride Tickets Here
Reign of Terror
Reign of Terror is southern California’s haunt equivalent of the 800 pound gorilla in the room. Massive in scale, epic in scope, this classic, long form haunted house returns for 2025 with 12 different haunted sections the two new sections The Bayou and The Possession. Other highlights include Miner’s Revenge, a fully themed top-to-bottom mine shaft complete with explosions and collapsing bridges. Afraid of clowns? Great. You will love The Funhouse section. The entire experience covers 32,000 Square Feet of Haunt with 142+ Rooms, fiendishly talented scare actors, and some of the best production design you are likely to see anywhere.
Buy Reign of Terror Tickets Here.
Rotten Apple 907
The quintessential home haunt, Rotten Apple 907 does it again this year with the new theme, Nightmares in Secret. Why is this particular home haunt so remarkable? They are a passionate, inventive group of haunters that create something brand new, every year, from the ground up. What’s more, they are not in it for the money. This haunt is free with donations accepted to benefit the Volunteers of the Burbank Animal Shelter. They are also a case study on creative use of space, packing an elaborate, floor to ceiling walkthrough attraction in the front yard of their Burbank home. If you go, just be patient. Get there early, parking will be insane, the line will be long, and it’s worth it.
Visit Rotten Apple 907 here
Terror Vault – HEXED
Terror Vault does it again with their new show for 2025, HEXED. Situated in the heart of San Francisco is this large scale, hour-long immersive haunt experience that must be experienced. The evening begins on the steps of the historic San Francisco Mint building where guests check in and are guided into the depths of this foreboding structure. Below is a sprawling hive of sin including the ever popular Fang-Bang bar and the VIP Triple HeXXXed lounge hosted by Minerva Moan.
Then comes the haunt. HEXED tells the story of three rogue witches who plan on uniting in power to take over the world. We are recruited for our latent supernatural powers, taught to reconnect with our witchy heritage, and are thrown into the battle between good and evil in hopes of saving the world from darkness. This is not just a haunt, it’s immersive theatre with a story that actively engages the audience. This award winning haunt is not to be missed.
Buy Terror Vault Tickets here.
Universal Studios Hollywood Halloween Horror Nights
You are hearing it from us, 2025 will go down as one of Universal Hollywood Halloween Horror Nights best years ever. With a total of 4 scare zones, two shows, the Terror Tram, eight haunted houses, and thrill rides including Harry Potter and the Forbidden Journey, Transformers 3D: The Ride, Super Mario Cart: Bowser’s Challenge, there is plenty to do. But what makes this year at Hollywood’s Halloween Horror Nights so good is the consistency. Every haunted house here is a banger with the slight exception of Poltergeist just being good. Terrifier is the standout, with houses like Five Nights and Freddy’s, Monstruous 3, and Jason Universe, Wyatt Six, Fallout, and Scarecrows all raising the bar. The one bit of advice here is that the Express Pass is a must, but there are other ways of minimizing wait times for the houses. Universal Hollywood HHN KILLED it this year.
Buy Universal Hollywood Halloween Horror Nights tickets here.
Urban Death Tour of Terror
If you are looking for something particularly twisted, something that will both exhilarate and scar you, look no further than Zombie Joe’s Urban Death Tour of Terror in North Hollywood. Part haunted house, part theatre, this experience seems tame enough. Then you are handed a dim flashlight and pushed through the door into a pitch black maze where terrors await around every corner. The maze ends and you enter a small theatre and experience the show Urban Death. This is a series of wordless vignettes filled with shocking, frightening and surreal moments that will echo in your mind for days. The show and and, good news, you have to go back out through the maze again. But this time, new creatures are awaiting your arrival.
Zombie Joe’s Urban Death: Tour of Terror is not only one of the most disturbing haunts this year, it’s also one of the most affordable at just $28 at the door. Once you go you will be hooked.
Buy Urban Death Tour of Terror tickets here.
Urban Death VEGAS
Vegas has seen an influx of horror lately. But, really, Urban Death Vegas is the one thing you can’t afford to miss. Finally bringing their brand of Grand Guignol theatre to Sin City, Zombie Joe’s presents a classic version of their shocking show Urban Death. This hour-long show confronts the shocking, most disturbing subjects with fearlessness. You will squirm, you will laugh, you will be left speechless. You will also be left with enough money to grab some dinner afterward as the show is one third of the price of other haunts in the area.
Buy Urban Death Vegas tickets here.
Honorable Mention – Six Flags Magic Mountain Fright Fest
We would be remiss if we didn’t note the huge improvements made to Fright Fest at Magic Mountain. The entire event seems to have been refurbished from the effects, lighting and sound in the mazes down to the improved scare zones. Additionally, the talent went even harder, making this a noteworthy experience.
Grab Fright Fest Tickets here.
Yes, the 2025 Haunt Season was a surprisingly strong year for the mainstream haunts. Universal Hollywood was absolutely phenomenal with its consistent mix of houses. Knott’s brought the classic scares with some new surprises. But the independent and home haunts leveled up as well with creativity and impressive design.
