Your Ultimate Guide to Philly Haunted Houses & Attractions

(feature image courtesy of Terror Behind the Walls)

Believe it or not Halloween is right around the corner and many haunted attractions have already kicked-off.  In an effort to bring you all the latest and greatest for the season, here is Your Ultimate Guide to Philly Haunted Houses & Attractions.  We’ve listed the top haunted houses and attractions in the city and several just outside the city for those looking for the regions best haunted houses.  Enjoy!

PHILADELPHIA

Terror Behind the Walls

2027 Fairmount Ave. | 215.236-3300

Terror Behind the Walls is located inside the massive castle-like walls of Eastern State Penitentiary in Philadelphia, PA. Now in its 22nd year, Terror Behind the Walls is consistently ranked among the top haunted attractions in the country. This is one of the most popular haunted attractions in the region.  Eastern State being is already a creepy tourist destination, add ghost and goblins and it’s an experience you won’t soon forget.

Fright Factory

38 Jackson St | [email protected]

Located inside a 25,000-square-foot building located in South Philadelphia, The Fright Factory is haunted house in every sense of the word.  You and your friends must make your way through corridors running, crawling, stumbling as ghost and goblins pop out from every direction.  Don’t be surprised if members of your party start disappearing into the darkness.

Grim Philly Twilight Tour

6th & Market | (856) 829-3100

Voted Best City Tour each year since inception and the only tour out of over a hundred featured on Anthony Bourdain’s “The Layover” on Travel Chanel- Grim Philly has amassed a cult following with educational but gritty adults only tours on serial killers; vampires, sex, aphrodisiacs, ghost hunting, grave robbing, gangsters, 1920’s speakeasies, pirates, the Jersey Devil, and other darker subjects. Though Grim guides have each their own style and areas of expertise- tours are raw, uncensored and unabridged- and not suitable for children, or those of prudish disposition. Grim Philly has 9 tours in all- including walking, tavern, and boat tours.

Spirit of 76 Ghost Tour

4th & Chestnut | 215.525.1776

One Part History, Two Parts Haunt!™ Visit more than 20 scary sites to hear Philadelphia’s haunted facts and folklore. Experience Philadelphia’s monuments by moonlight. Travel the cobblestone streets of Old City to hear chilling stories about the Spirits of ’76, featuring Haunted Facts – Hear stories about the Master of the Macabre, Edgar Allan Poe, who used to reside in Philadelphia and learn about Leo Callahan, the only prisoner to escape from Eastern State Penitentiary and never be captured. Haunted Folklore – Learn about the legendary ghosts that inhabit Independence Hall, the spirits of Carpenters’ Hall from a first person encounter, the dancing statue of Benjamin Franklin at Library Hall and paranormal Pine Street happenings. Haunted Movie Sets – See famous film locations from big screen thrillers such as The Sixth Sense, Shooter, National Treasure and more!

Ghost Tour of Philadelphia

5th & Chestnut | 215.413.1997

Discover the secrests hidden in the shadows of America’s most historic and most haunted city! Join the Ghost Tour of Philadelphia for a candlelight stroll along the back streets and secret gardens of Independence Park, Society Hill, and Old City, where mysterious tales of ghostly spirits, haunted houses and eerie graveyards lurk in the night!

Halloween at Franklin Square

200 North 6th St. | 215.629-4026

Enjoy mini-golf and being spooked? Be sure to check out Franklin Square as the Philly mini golf is transformed into spooky fun for the season with fog, lights, music, and surprises.

Laurel Hill Cemetery

3822 Ridge Ave | 215.228.8200

Behold the return of Laurel Hill Cemetery’s annual Halloween flashlight tours of yore. No longer featuring the actors, the program will return to its roots as extended nighttime walking tours of the cemetery, focusing on its rich history, and covering its enchanting art and landscape. Tours will last approximately two hours, and will be followed by complimentary cookies and cider aside blazing fire pits. Bring your own flashlights.

PHILADELPHIA REGION

Pennhurst Asylum

Church St. & Bridge Rd., Spring City, PA 19475 | 855-HAUNT-00

The Pennhurst Haunted attraction includes the Pennhurst Asylum, a hospital themed walk thru attraction featuring many items and artifacts that were part of the original State School. Located on the upper floors of the old Administration building, which dates to 1908, this attraction features a combination of high tech animatronics, digital sound and motivated actors, as well as fine detail and realism. We have added lots of new props, and made many changes for the upcoming season.

Bates Motel

1835 Middletown Rd., Glen Mills, PA | 610-459-0647

For over 20 years, the Haunted Hayride at Arasapha Farm has been scaring its visitors with amazing props, digital FX, great actors and extraordinary professional makeup. The Hayride has been featured several times on the Travel Channel and has now been rated as the Number 1 Haunted Attraction in America by Haunteworld Magazine, USA Today and many other national publications. The Haunted Hayride is a 25 minute, action packed, heart pounding ride through the dark forest of Arasapha Farm, located just outside of Philadelphia PA, and is filled with huge, detailed sets, giant monsters and more pyrotechnics than a Kiss concert.

HorrorFest

931 Stony Hill Rd., Yardley, PA | 215.968.1670

In a dark corner of Eastern Pennsylvania, awaits Bucks County’s most haunted farmland, Shady Brook Farms has spent decades sowing fear, now reap the terror lying in its fields at HorrorFest.  HorrorFest features four thrilling attractions: the Hayride or Horror, Barn of Horror. 3-D Alien Encounter, and Carnage Corn Maze. Can you handle the harvest?

LuLu’s House of Horrors

5140 Butler Pk., Plymouth Meeting, PA |  610-941-5985

One of the regions scariest haunted houses, this attraction also features a wagon ride through the haunted woods and across the deadly graveyard. You will travel through the dead of night to the door of the House of Horrors, and back again….if you survive. A haunted corn maze is also available to wonder through for brave souls.

Haunted House in the Hollow

881 Highland Rd. Newtown, PA | 215.860.6855

Malfate Manor built in 1888 near Newtown is considered by some to be the most haunted house in Bucks County.  Commonly referred to by neighborhood children as “the house in the hollow” it has long thought to be haunted by the spirits of some of the members of the Malfate family and their staff who met untimely deaths within its walls.  After the Malfate’s demise, the mansion was used as a hotel for some time.  Later it serves as a funeral parlor and finally an asylum.  IN each case unexplained problems caused the enterprises to fail with the house becoming abandoned in the early 1906’s.

Night of Terror

448 Lincoln Mill Rd., Mullica Hill, NJ | 856.223.1669

This spot offers 6 scary attractions in 1 awesome location.

Slaughter Cave-Step into the dark, sinister cave and explore, but beware, this cave is anything but abandoned. The tunnels echo with deafening screams, the walls wet and warm with blood. This cave is home to one of the most twisted families in New Jersey- a family you won’t soon forget.

3D Fun House-This bizarre house is packed with sinister, bloodthirsty clowns, who have lots of tricks up their blood-drenched sleeves.

Zombie Mayem-With more ghouls than ever inhabiting this pitch black haven, you will have to push yourself if you plan to make it out alive. You must use all of your senses to try and escape the evil zombies, who are just waiting to rip you apart limb from limb and devour you.

Ride of Terror-The Ride of Terror haunted hayride navigates through the terrifying 25 acres of mayhem and torture. Creatures of all sorts are waiting to attack at every twist and turn throughout this 25 minute ride of terror.

Cornfield Maze-The trails through the corn field make absolutely no sense and seem to wonder aimlessly branching off in different directions. As you continue to make your way an uneasy feeling starts to overwhelm your senses and the sensation that someone is stalking you.

Frozen Tundra– Can you make it through the narrow passages of this frozen wasteland in the ice heart of the Yeti’s domain. Pass through the foggy unknown and cross the longest vortex tunnel in the land.

The Valley of Fear

301 W. Bristol Rd. Feasterville, PA | 215.942.9787

This haunted attractions has 4 spooky adventures.

Haunted Hayride-Ride through America’s most horrifying woods, called “one of the best we have ever been on” including a graveyard they called “absolutely amazing.” you’ll see why  we were recently named Hayride Of The Year, Original Haunted Hayride will top all others!

Scary Tales- Travel back in time were all your  childhood failytales come to life in a feindishly freaky way!Scarytales haunted forest trail If you are brave enough, you can finish up your night at ScaryTales.

Zombie Escape Maze-Zombies continue to infiltrate the Valley of Fear in the continuing aftermath of the devastating fire that destroyed the Zombie Research and Control Center. Military and Medical Personnel have been virtually powerless in controlling the outbreak and panic has risen to new heights.

Operation Z- Your mission is to march ON FOOT to remote forest outposts with multiple firing positions to destroy the Zombie hoards. Helping you navigate your way through the wastelands will be soldiers from Unit Z.E.R.O (Zombie Eradication and Removal Organization).

Shocktoberfest

94 Park Ave. Sinking Spring, PA | 610.777.6388

This nationally recognized Halloween attractions features 6 awesome adventures.

Zombie Revenge Hayride- Take a tour with the Zombie Safari Company. It’s the Zombie version of Jurassic Park. Now you can join the security team to insure the safety of the passengers. Be warned, there is an area of the tour where the Zombies are particularly restless and if you choose this option, you’ll be given a gun to protect fellow passengers.

Zombie Night Run-You will be given a flag football belt that represents your Brain, Heart, and Entrails. Run for your life through the hayride trails that are filled with Zombies that will try to eat your vital organs (capture your flags).

The Unknown-Created by Professor Strangeways and his dedicated assistant Malinda Montague, your journey into the Unknown will overwhelm your senses! Themed in Steampunk, you’ll encounter various fears and phobias augmented through the use of advance audio and 3D video technology. This haunted house is like no other in the world! But be warned, it is said the creators will stop at nothing to better understand what scares you!

Prison of the Dead Escape-Take a tour through the now condemned Willow Glen State Penitentiary a.k.a Prison of the Dead. This massive 50,000 square foot mega haunted house is one of the largest in the East Coast! The facility was closed when they discovered the inhumane torture of the prisoners.

The Zombie Experience-You will be transformed into a Zombie, taken to the Prison then stationed throughout the Prison where your instincts will take over infecting Visitors with the living dead virus.

The Monster Midway-More than just a haunted house, Shocktoberfest is a 27 acre Screampark loaded with activities for the whole night. Play games, enjoy some delicious food such as fresh cut French Fries, Funnel Cakes, Burgers, Pizza and Steak Sandwiches. And did we mention we have REAL restrooms!! No porta-potties here. But beware of the Scare Zones as there is no safe place at Shocktoberfest!!!

BONUS The Zombie Mudrun-The Zombie Mud Run is the most amazing, heart pounding, adrenaline producing mud run you’ve ever experienced! The race course is complete with natural and man-made obstacles. To add an extra degree of challenge (and fun), we have added Zombies! You may sign up as a Human or a Zombie. The Humans run the race with a flag football belt. These three flags represent your vital organs. Zombies are stationed along the race course trying to eat your vital organs (capture your flags). If you finish the race with one or more of your flags, you survive. If Zombies capture all of your flags, you are infected with the living dead virus (or at least don’t win the race). Whether you survive or get infected, you are guaranteed to have a great time at the all-day Human Salvation Party!

Field of Screams

191 College Ave. Mountville, PA | 717.285.7748

This highly rated haunted attraction has 6 scary and creepy adventures.

Haunted Hayride-The Haunted Hayride is one of the first, and best, in the World. And every year, the new scares and new scenes constantly improve the terror of the wagon ride deep into the cornfield. The chilling characters and hideous scenes will make your heart pound and your hair stand on end. The sounds of the cold cornfield will surround you and once you board this tractor-pulled wagon, there’s no turning back!

Den of Darkness- The Den of Darkness is one of America’s original Haunted Houses and it just keeps getting more hauntingly horrifying which each passing year.The Den of Darkness is a 3 story building that was built in the early 1800’s and then converted into a farmhouse. The dark and mysterious past of the Den began when the Murter family moved in.

Frightmare Asylum-Home to some of the most criminally insane and disturbed patients, the Frightmare Asylum is one of the most terrifying and frightening haunted houses in the world. The Applegate Mental Asylum was shut down and abandoned in the 1900’s after more than a hundred years of operation, but the deranged doctors, nightmarish nurses, and disturbed inmates have remained to haunt the only place they’ve known. They show no mercy to visitors and enjoy the chance to mutilate new bodies.

Nocturnal Wasteland-The demented masterminds that have brought you the Haunted Hayride, the Den of Darkness, and The Frightmare Asylum have unleashed their fury to create the most intense and extreme attraction of all. Unlike anything that you have ever experienced, your tour through the Nocturnal Wasteland will be one that will leave you gripping on to your friends and gasping for air.

Field of Screams Entertainment Area-At Field of Screams, we offer unique entertainment every night we are open. The entertainment schedule and entertainment area are always full of fun and exciting additional activities, including bands, competitions, games, and prizes. Best of all, this extra entertainment is FREE with the purchase of a ticket to any of our 4 haunted attractions.

The Zombie Run-Experience the thrills of being chased by bloodthirsty zombies under the stars on this 5K course through Field of Screams!!! You will be immersed in professionally illuminated movie-quality scenes while running through mud, crawling over obstacles, jumping through fire, and so much more! This takes The Zombie Fun Run to a whole new level. Will you survive the Zombie Apocalypse?