America Haunts would like to welcome our newest member: Bennett's Curse in Hanover, MD. Check out their video from the Travel Channel's "America's Scariest Halloween Attractions".

Explore Halloweens connection to Nightmares with AMERICA HAUNTS Halloween Countdown #6!

Halloween is steeped in darkness. A time to celebrate the more nocturnal elements of the season, the holiday gives way to the influence of the imagination and its ability to manifest dread in the human mind. These more sinister notions can lead to wicked nightmares, invading the sleeping mind and taking control. Nowhere is the dark energy of these nightmares more prominent than within the eerie chambers of America's haunted attractions.

"The Darkness Haunted House" is St. Louis' premier haunt, with three distinct themes to jangle the nerves. Tapping into a variety of phobias, The Darkness brings visitors face to face with deadly reptiles, spiders, man-eating fish, scorpions, gators, and much more. Killer clowns and a maniacal Ice SCREAM Truck driver await you in overwhelming 3D, and the horrifying frightmares of Hollywood are brought to life within the Monster Museum. Sleep with one eye open after you experience what Fangoria Magazine, Hauntworld Magazine, USA Today, and AOL have all named one of the best haunted houses in America.

http://www.scarefest.com/haunted_house_in_stlouis_missouri_thedarkness/home.cfm

"Dream Reapers" in Chicago offers an added stimulant for inducing diabolical dreams in its patrons: the power of scents to enhance the themes of its rooms. Assaulting the senses from every angle, Dream Reapers utilizes a combination of dark, misdirecting and actor based scares along with state of the art animatronics and effects to lay siege to the mind's eye and open up a world of nightmares that will last many nights after you've exited the haunt. With more than 20 rooms over 14,000 square feet, there is no shortage of dread to invade your dreams.

http://www.dreamreapers.com/

San Diego's "Scream Zone" offers three distinct attractions, including a haunted hayride that plunges visitors into the grasp of zombies and other unnatural entities and a spinning tunnel certain to leave you reeling. Inducing nightmares at every turn, Scream Zone is located in one of the most haunted cities in the nation, lending an added aspect of fear to an already terrifying experience. Not for the weak-minded or feint of heart, Scream Zone will have you wary of sleeping, afraid of what lies in wait behind the wall of sleep.

http://www.thescreamzone.com/home.html

"The Asylum" brings a whole new breed of nightmare to Denver. Infused with the tortured souls of the insane inmates of this forgotten hospital, the haunt pulsates with the energy of those who came and went before. Rats, spiders, and other shadowy creatures inhabit the dark chambers of Gordon Cottingham's notorious institution, gnawing at the rational mortal mind and leaving visitors shaken to the core. No aspect of the imagination is more vulnerable than that which harbors our fear of losing our sanity, and The Asylum bores into that terror with no mercy. Sweet dreams...

http://www.asylumdenver.com/

"The House of Torment" is exactly what it states. Celebrating ten years of delivering fear to the masses of Austin, Texas, The House of Torment sends guests to the end of days, as Mayan prophecies bring about the fall of mankind and the diabolical aftermath of the apocalypse. Survival in the face of sinister forces is all but unattainable to mortal men, as you confront all manner of unspeakable horror. From the twisted mind of human suffering to undead creatures from beyond, The House of Torment hammers visitors with a vision of life after civilization that will find you screaming in your sleep.

http://www.thehouseoftorment.com/

Explore Halloween's connection to the Number 13 with AMERICA HAUNTS Halloween Countdown #5!

For many, Halloween is an annual reminder of the many superstitions that trouble us. The very iconography of the holiday touches upon these, with black cats seeming to pop up repeatedly in decoration and theme. While there are a number of prominent superstitions that rattle the nerves, perhaps one of the most common is the fear of the number 13. Long believed to be an unlucky numeral, for some it can practically immobilize, unleashing a tremendous wave of dread. The creative masterminds behind America's haunted attractions are fully aware of the overwhelming power of this simple digit, and have utilized it to its darkest extent in producing Halloween destinations committed to delivering top-notch scares.

"13th Gate" in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, lives up to its name with thirteen themed areas designed to tap into the nightmares of visitors. From walking across an unstable bridge above countless snakes to navigating your way through dark underground tunnels, 13th Gate taps into the many phobias and fears that unsettle the psyche. Ranked as "One of America's Scariest Halloween Attractions" by The Travel Channel, and named "America's Scariest Haunted House!" by MTV, 13th Gate stands as an intense reminder of the menacing power of its titular number.

http://midnightproduction.com/13thegatestory.htm

Denver, Phoenix, and San Antonio's "13th Floor" attempts to explain the dark superstition behind the fear of a thirteenth story in many buildings. Believed to be bad luck, this particular floor is often omitted from structures in order to not tempt fate. 13th Floor defies this phobia, sending guests headlong into the mysteries accompanying the dread of the thirteenth floor to explore the possibility that this ominous level harbors much more than superstition. Lost and unfortunate souls now call this level home, having stumbled upon the ugly truth behind these secret and often conspiratorial "missing" floors. Be they truly left out, or simply placed elsewhere for sinister reasons, thirteenth floors pose many unanswered questions for the superstitious mind, and 13th Floor attempts to answer them.

http://www.13thfloorhauntedhouse.com/

http://www.13thflooraz.com/

http://www.13thfloorsanantonio.com/

Located - appropriately enough - at 300 W 1300 S, Salt Lake City's "Nightmare on 13th" delves into the nightmares that plague the mortal mind. Be it the impending zombie apocalypse, a twisted carnival funhouse, or demonic beasts bent on devouring humanity, Nightmare on 13th delivers a horrific dose of terror fueled by the unnatural energies that surely permeate any structure built around the number 13. Consistently voted the city's top haunted attraction, Nightmare on 13th is certain to elicit a bit of superstitious dread from even the most jaded haunt fan.

http://www.nightmareon13th.com/

Explore Halloween's connection to creepy historic buildings with AMERICA HAUNTS Halloween Countdown #4!


Halloween, like most celebrated holidays, is in many ways about tradition, and the history of the spirit of the season. It is as much about memories and past experiences that enhance the present as it is anything else. There is a certain special air about holidays that is enriched by the legacy of years gone by, and in the case of America's haunted attraction, that air breathes new life into the historical buildings in which they reside.

In the heart of Kansas City’s historic West Bottoms district lies "The Beast", the country's largest haunted house. Standing in the shadow of the city's 12th Street Bridge, you instantly feel the influence of bygone days when this part of the city bustled with activity as one of the country's most successful cow towns. Daunting in nature, this "open format" haunt dares visitors to wander through the scenes as shocks and scares await around every corner. Culminating in a four-story plunge down a slide to exit, The Beast certainly lives up to its name.

http://www.kcbeast.com/

"Lemp Brewery Haunted House" takes visitors several levels underground, into dark caverns and caves beneath the city's streets and the famous Lemp Brewery - once the largest brewing company in St. Louis. Built in the 1860s adjacent to the Lemp family mansion, this notorious business was believed to be a source of numerous tragic deaths in the Lemp family from the early 1900s until 1949. Many have related stories of unearthly encounters in this REAL haunted house, newly expanded in 2012. Multiple paranormal investigators have made their way to Lemp, to confront the wandering spirits of yesteryear, making it one of the most unsettling haunted attractions in the United States.

http://scarefest.com/haunted_house_in_stlouis_missouri_lempbrewery/home.cfm

Ohio's "Dent School House" dates back to 1894, when the Dent Public School opened its doors to children of all ages from kindergarten through 12th grade. It had a stellar reputation until 1942, when students began to disappear. Now home to Cincinnati's top haunted attraction, it is believed to be populated by the spirits of these unfortunate lost souls. Not for the feint of heart, Dent School House is sure to elicit more than a few shudders as guests find themselves face-to-face with the dark legacy of this institution.

http://www.frightsite.com/

"Haunted Hotel", located in San Diego's historic Gas lamp District, is the city's longest running haunted attraction. This has long been known as one of the most haunted cities in the nation, and the Haunted Hotel literally breathes with the essence of the supernatural. Descending into the eerie basement, visitors must make their way back up to street level through a labyrinth of terrifying scenes and creatures of the night, as the spirit of haunted San Diego lingers in the air.

http://www.hauntedhotel.com/pages/main

"Macabre Cinema Haunted House" plunges visitors into the very depths of horror film history in this 1930s movie theater-turned unique haunted attraction. Guests find themselves living among scenes from classic and contemporary horror films in the legendary West Bottoms area of Kansas City, once a thriving stockyard that succumbed to devastating floods in the early '50s. Blending Hollywood's rich legacy of dark entertainment and the spirit of the city's punishment my mother nature, Macabre Cinema Haunted House delivers a haunt experience like no other venue.

http://www.macabrecinema.com/