Spooky season is back and we are here for it! If you’re ready to get in the spirit of the season before trick-or-treaters come knocking, there’s nothing more quintessentially Halloween than a terrifying haunted house. Whether you’re looking for intense scares or something more gentle for your little ones, these Utah haunted houses have something for you this October.
If You Can Survive Repeated Nightmares: Nightmare on 13th
Nightmare on 13th offers a variety of ways to get seriously spooked. With not one but two haunted attractions, there is a scare for everyone. The main attraction, Nightmare Haunted House, features 14 themed nightmares from hoodoo queens and clowns to witches and beasts. If you can survive this, the VIP exclusive attraction, Institute of Terror, offers even more intense and interactive scares as you roam the abandoned hallways of an asylum.
General Admission: $24.95-$39.95
320 W. 1300 South, SLC
801-467-8100
If You’re Not Scared of Cannibals: Haunted Forest
Legend has it a Louisianan man named Cletus Snodgrass and his family made the trek out west with the pioneers in 1848 in search of a place to sell his famous bootlegger moonshine. His secret ingredient? Human blood. Settling near the Utah Lake in area called Nutty Putty Creek, Cletus would often butch drunk customers and harvest their blood—perhaps ingraining a sanguine vampiric thirst in his son Otis. Although the Snodgrass family died long ago, rumor has it that Otis still haunts the surrounding forest of his childhood home, trying to satisfy his thirst via unsuspecting visitors to the Haunted Forest.
General Admission: $30-$50
6000 W. 6400 North, American Fork
801-903-3039
Where to Go If You Saw “It” Five Times in Theaters: Strangling Brothers Haunted Circus
According to legend, there was once a sinister ringmaster that traveled around with his mysterious circus. He was an evil boss—torturing and even killing disobedient performers. One day, two especially ruthless workers decided they had had enough, and banded together to strangle the ringmaster, earning their name of the “Strangling Brothers.” The two brothers surpassed the ringmaster in their cruelty and continued to run a twisted, wicked circus. You can go visit them today, but no promises you’ll make it out.
If you can’t stomach the big top in the dark, the circus is offering an all-new option to tour their haunt on Tuesdays in October. The family-friendly option is a great Halloween activity, as no psycho clown actors haunting the grounds.
General Admission: $18-$35
632 E. 1500 South, American Fork
801-850-8060
If You Want to Go Insane: Asylum 49
Set in an old hospital built in 1949, this haunted attraction will give you a scare that will last long after you leave. The Asylum allows full contact, so expect to be strapped to a gurney or locked in a closet. But don’t get too comfortable, ‘The Doctor’ is always looking for new patients. There are different levels of contact ranging from none to D.O.A (Dead or Alive) in which guests receive their very own evaluation from the head doctor himself.
General Admission: $40
140 E. 200 South, Tooele
435-882-8856
If You Love Murder Mysteries: Castle of Chaos
The Castle of Chaos offers five intense escape rooms featuring intense and interactive storylines, puzzles, clues, riddles and scares. For those seeking a more extreme haunt, their Krusebel attraction is a Level 5 immersive horror experience, do you dare enter their house of haunts?
General Admission: $27.99-$37.99
Location: 7980 S. State St., Midvale
385-216-8915
Where to Take Your Kids: Haunted Halloween Haven
If you are looking for a spooky Halloween outing for the entire family, the Haunted Halloween Haven is the place to go. Run by a local neighborhood family, Haunted Halloween Haven avoids anything gory or inappropriate for kids. Plus, it’s free! This year the walk-through will be open every month of October from 7:30 p.m. to 10 p.m.
General Admission: Free
1641 S. Oak View Lane, Spanish Fork
If You Like Paranormal Activity: Fear Factory
Formerly owned by Portland Cement Works, this factory was the site of at least 11 documented deaths, with its workers dying from tragic falls into boiling vats, dismemberment and mutilation by machinery. After Portland Cement Works finally had to close its doors, many other businesses tried to set up shop in the factory, but none could ever last. Finally, the Fear Factory acquired the haunted property and it has been a fan favorite ever since. Explore their haunted attractions in all six buildings, or join a public paranormal investigation of the Factory on Monday nights.
General Admission: $29.99-$81.99
666 W. 800 South, SLC
801-692-3327
If You Want to Experience a Real-life Urban Legend: Haunted Kay’s Cross
In the 1940s, a 20-foot stone cross mysteriously appeared in the woods of Kaysville. Origins of the cross were spread and misconstrued over the years. Some believed it was the burial site of a seven polygamist wives killed by their husband who then hung himself in a nearby tree. Other versions of the story claim the wives’ hearts were entombed inside the statue. To the bewilderment of the locals the cross inexplicably exploded in 1992, although the urban legend’s allure lives on. Those who dare venture to the site still claim to experience supernatural oddities, like the apparition of a hooded man standing in the distance, axe in hand…
General Admission: $15
388 Boynton Road, Kaysville
385-288-9544
Where to Get Shot at By a Zombie: Nightmare Acres at Black Island Farms
Black Island Farms has upped the ante with the new addition of zombie apocalypse laser tag. Finally, all you have learned from watching The Walking Dead can be put to the test. If you survive, test your way-finding skills by trying to navigate their haunted corn maze. With four acres of terror, be wary as you never know what will be lurking around the next corner. As they say, “pay to get in and pray to get out.”
General Admission: $25
2075 S. 4000 West, Syracuse
801-825-6236
If You’re a History Nerd: Haunted Tours from Grimm Ghost Tours
Grimm Ghost Tours offers weekly walking and bus tours of haunted locations throughout the city. Get up close and personal with ghost hunting equipment as you learn about our city’s dark past, or participate in an exclusive paranormal investigation and try to capture your own ghostly footage.
General Admission: $20-$30
Various Locations
801-508-4746
Are you interested in learning more macabre Utah lore? Read about the murder of Dorothy Moormeister—Utah’s ‘Black Dahlia’
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