Halloween Haunts: The 7 Scariest Haunted Houses in California

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Though many of us may avoid scary experiences throughout the year, Halloween is a bit different. This is a fun and spooky time when we start to welcome ghosts, goblins, and ghouls into our lives and embrace a good, old-fashioned fright—and there’s no better way to get a thrill than by visiting a haunted house. Luckily, the Golden State is home to numerous haunted attractions where you can get into the Halloween spirit and see how your friends and family react to the haunts. From mysterious homes and haunted hotels to mind-bending haunted house attractions so you can fully indulge in the dark and uncomfortable - these are the seven best haunted houses in California you must see for yourself this fall.

1. ULTIMATE TERROR SCREAM PARK

Location: 4909 Auburn Boulevard, Sacramento
Dates: Through November 2
Tickets: $27.99 – $51.99

Ultimate Terror Scream Park is one the most famous Sacramento haunted houses and is known to be among the best in all of Northern California — and for good reason. The scream-inducing attraction features three mesmerizing haunted settings, each of which is inhabited by sinister characters who will strike fear in the hearts of even the most jaded visitors. There are three new attractions this year, too: The Louisiana Catacombs, where you’ll encounter the curse of a witch wandering through creepy swamplands; the Blind Asylum, where the halls are teeming with tormented ghosts and souls; and the Skull Ripper Haunted Mansion, where traps, phobias, and nightmares await you in a killer’s old Victorian manor. If you are ever looking for haunted houses in Sacramento, you now know where to look.

2. Urban Death: Tour of Terror

Location: 14850 Lankershim Blvd, Los Angeles
Dates: Select dates between October 21st - 31st
Tickets: $20

This is one of the haunted houses in Los Angeles you should definitely keep an eye out for. Specifically for those who are true horror fans out there, Zombie Joe’s Underground Theater group genuinely brings the art and craft of fear into their Urban Death: Tour of Terror haunted house attraction. Left to navigate the dark, narrow hallways all by yourselves with nothing but a weak flashlight, you never know what lurks in the dark. The terrifying journey ends with a series of truly artistic and disturbing scenes that will leave even the most horror-adoring people shocked. Then, follow the dark trail back to the entrance with completely new frights awaiting you before you finally see the exit and thank the Halloween gods for your freedom.

3. WINCHESTER MYSTERY HOUSE: UNHINGED

Location: 525 South Winchester Boulevard, San Jose
Dates: September 30 - October 31
Tickets: $49 – $54

The famed Winchester Mystery House in San Jose has long attracted visitors with its peculiar architectural features, such as a door that leads to nowhere and a staircase that dead ends into the ceiling. It is said that widow Sarah Winchester designed the home this way to confuse the ghosts of men killed by her late husband’s creation - the Winchester rifle. But now there’s another reason to visit this bizarre abode. Just in time for the spooky season, the Winchester Mystery House is offering a new, fully immersive Halloween experience. During the show ‘Unhinged’, step into a psychological and paranormal thriller as you explore the dark hallways of the cursed estate, where you’ll trespass into forbidden rooms of the house—never before seen by the public—confront malicious ghouls, and encounter terrifying scenes that reveal the home’s twisted tales and secrets.

4. NIGHTMARE ON MAIN STREET

Location: 99 South Main Street, Templeton
Dates: Select dates through October
Tickets: $10 – $17

As the name implies, Nightmare on Main Street is not for the faint of heart. Walk inside the abandoned, 120-year-old Victorian house and watch out for Halloween villain Michael Myers, frightening clowns, and a horde of demons waiting inside the Vortex of Doom. Situated in the Central Coast town of Templeton, this house of horrors will not disappoint.

5. REIGN OF TERROR HAUNTED HOUSE

Location: 197 North Moorpark Road, Thousand Oaks
Dates: Select dates through September 24 and October
Tickets: $17 – $40

Get ready for 115 bone-chilling rooms and nine interconnected attractions spread across 25,000-plus square feet at this award-winning haunted house in Thousand Oaks. Long known as one of the best spooky destinations in Southern California, Reign of Terror Haunted House features numerous spaces swarming with wicked spirits. Escape the wrath of angry miners in Miner’s Revenge, witness the scenes of carnage in Casa Blood, beware of the sinister characters residing in The Haunted House, and evade the evil prisoners trapped in the brand-new Containment.

6. LOS ANGELES HAUNTED HAYRIDE

Location: 4730 Crystal Springs Drive, Los Angeles
Dates: Select dates in October
Tickets: $29.99 – $109.99

Despite not being a traditional “haunted house” this is one of the most talked-about haunted attractions in the L.A. area that you cannot miss. The LA Haunted Hayride isn’t like any hayride you’d find at a pumpkin patch. Sure, you’ll sit atop a hay wagon pulled by a tractor, but instead of weaving through quaint farm fields and passing by cute farm animals, you’ll go for a ride through the Old Zoo in Griffith Park and be confronted by vicious clowns, demons, and a scary cast of characters. Then, you’ll hop off to weave through an ominous corn maze on foot. Continue the hair-raising fun by visiting other on-site attractions such as the creepy neighborhoods of Trick or Treat, the dreadful chaos of the new Roadkill Ranch, and the haunted funeral parlor of Midnight Mortuary.

7. THE HAUNTED HOTEL

Location: 1288 Camino Del Rio N, San Diego
Dates: September 30 - October 31
Tickets: $24.99 – $39.99

Highlighted on the Travel Channel’s ‘America’s Scariest Haunts’, The Haunted Hotel in San Diego’s Gaslamp District is bound to get your adrenaline going. Descend into the bowels of the basement on the hellevator, make your way through the bloody bathroom, and try not to lose your head in the chainsaw bridal suite — all while fighting off the zombies. You can also immerse yourself in the dark, damp caverns of the Ozarks at Kill-Billy Chaos and experience the pulse-pounding, clown-infested 3-D blacklight attraction at 3-D Freak-Fest. For even more thrills, check out The Haunted Trail Balboa Park and embark on a mile-long stroll you’ll never be able to forget. The eerie Balboa Park haunted trails are also open on the same days as the Hotel, so your Haunted House San Diego experience is sure to be one you will never forget.