Scream-o-meter: The scariest haunted houses in central Pa.
Ready to scream?
Good, because all kinds of zombies, clowns and monsters are waiting for you at area haunted houses this Halloween season.
This year's attractions include plenty of scares from haunted hayrides and spooky outdoor trails to pitch-black mazes and terrifying phobia simulators.
So, how do you choose which one's best for you?
We went to several of the most popular haunted houses in the region and ranked them based on scare-level, so you don't have to.
Take a look at our scream-o-meter below to see the results.
Field of Screams
191 College Ave., Mountville
There are several reasons Field of Screams was named the best extreme haunted attraction in America by the readers of USA Today last year.
And the Frightmare Asylum is one of them. It’s a dark, multi-floor house that features numerous characters in straightjackets, scrubs, masks and Hollywood-quality makeup that can make the hair stand up on even the most I-don’t-get-scared people.
Other attractions include the Den of Darkness, where you’ll see blood, people chained up and monsters popping out of nowhere; the Haunted Hayride, which takes you through a cornfield with new, scary characters and scenes; and a Nocturnal Wasteland, which is “no ordinary walk in the woods” as FieldOfScreams.com puts it.
Beware. Grabbing, touching and getting in your face aren’t off limits.
Scare rating: 5/5
Jason’s Woods
99 Stehman Road, Lancaster
The Horrifying Hayride at Jason’s Woods is nothing like the hayride you take through the pumpkin patch at your favorite fall festival.
It’s true to its name – legitimately horrifying – with creepy masked figures jumping onto the wagon, grunting and getting right up next to you. You’ll encounter monsters and vampires armed with chainsaws, knives, ancient curses – you name it. So, be prepared.
The remaining four attractions are slightly less terrifying, but still scary enough to send chills down your spine.
In the Chamber of Horrors, you’ll make your way through a nearly pitch-black building with creepy coos of “where are you going?” whispered in your ear. And during the Lost in Jason’s Woods walking tour, you’ll meet many of the same characters from the hayride, who will follow you around, block your path or barrel into you out of nowhere as you stumble through the dark twists and turns.
Other attractions include the Carnival of Fear (expect lots of creepy clowns) and the Zombie Apocalypse.
Scare rating: 4/5
Kim’s Krypt Haunted Mill
5932 Colonial Valley Road, Spring Grove
You won’t have to worry about creepy clowns or zombies in Kim’s Krypt Haunted Mill’s newest attraction, the Dark Despair.
But you will encounter a demonic baby…in the dark…by yourself. Yep, that means no holding onto your friends for comfort or hiding behind your boyfriend. In this attraction, you’re entirely on your own.
You’ll be stuck in this hellish, pitch-black maze for as long as it takes you to find your way out. So, if you’re afraid of the dark or evil babies with bone-chilling laughs, do not go into the Dark Despair.
Try some of Kim’s Krypt’s other attractions, like the Haunted Mill, Terror Trail, Kim’s Krazy Maze, House of Eyes and Horror of Menges Mill, instead.
Scare rating: 3/5
Halloween Park
100 Hykes Mill Road, York Haven
Clowns, spiders, rats, zombies, ghosts, the dark, blood, needles, extremely tight spaces, getting lost and even being buried alive – you’ll experience all of your darkest fears at Halloween Park.
The park is home to five attractions, but many of them aren’t your typical haunted houses. Sure, they’re dark and eerie, and there are plenty of scares jumping out at you along the way. But rather than just witnessing your fears, you’ll experience them.
You’ll find out what it feels like to be buried alive and electrocuted in an electric chair simulator, you’ll get lost in a terrifying maze where everything looks the same and it seems there’s no way out and you’ll play a Ouija board game with a creepy child or Jack-in-the-Box with a creepy clown.
The park’s attractions include a haunted house, a haunted maze and underground caves as well as two outdoor haunted trails.
Scare rating: 3/5
Panic at the Ballpark
5 Brooks Robinson Way, York
It might not be the scariest haunted attraction in the region, but it is the most unique.
Set inside PeoplesBank Park – home to the York Revolution baseball team – Panic at the Ballpark is the first haunted house set inside a sports facility within at least 100 miles.
That means that you not only get a fun baseball-themed scare, but you also get the unique opportunity to walk on the field and see parts of the stadium fans normally don’t get to see during the attraction’s two haunted walking tours: Head Basher’s Hideout and the Dismemberment Shop.
The tours are short – only about five minutes each – but they’re fun, if you don’t mind blood, severed limbs and screaming.
Not a fan of blood and gore? Stick with the more mild attractions, like the dance party or Dead Man’s Playland freak show, featuring fire breathing, contortionism and sword swallowing.
Scare rating: 2/5
DreamFrights
100 Carlisle Ave., York
Haunted houses don’t have to be bone-chillingly terrifying. Sometimes, they can just be fun. And if fun is what you’re looking for, you’ll find it at DreamFrights, the new theatrical haunted house at DreamWrights Center for Community Arts.
The 350-foot haunted walk-through maze will offer three different scare levels. For kids under 7, the attraction will be more entertaining and humorous than scary. For kids age 7-12, DreamFrights will crank up the scares a bit. And for teens and adults, the scarers will go all out with the frights (and blood).
Scare rating: 1/5
Geena Goozdich, Michael Waterloo and Skye Leppo contributed to this report.