Top Must-See Halloween Haunted Houses in Illinois for 2024
As Halloween 2024 approaches, TheScareFactor.com has curated a list of the top must-see haunted houses in Illinois, ensuring thrill-seekers experience the biggest, best, and scariest haunts this season. Our selections are based on our comprehensive reviews (where available), popularity metrics, and social media presence, featuring only the most terrifying and immersive attractions. Whether you’re searching for a local haunt or planning a spooky road trip, our state-by-state guides provide detailed summaries of each top attraction, along with links to in-depth reviews, our in-depth listings. Dive in, explore the best haunts, and prepare for an unforgettable Halloween adventure!
#13: Blood Moon Manor (Forest City, IL)
Blood Moon Manor is an outdoor haunted attraction known for its intense, “in-your-face” scares and themed areas. For 2024, Blood Moon Manor is featuring three main trails: Paranoia, where visitors navigate a series of twists and turns designed to disorient them; BioLab, a new area where guests must escape without becoming “infected”; and the Forest of the Damned, where they must fight to save their souls. This attraction prides itself on its old-school haunting style, meaning it’s low-tech but highly interactive and frightening. Suitable for those aged 12 and up, be prepared for some physical interaction (the actors may* touch you!). Blood Moon Manor is also known for its charity focus, contributing to local causes with the proceeds.
#12: Factory of Fear (Moline, IL)
Factory of Fear is the Quad Cities’ largest and longest-running haunted attraction, celebrating over 30 years of scaring guests! They offer a mix of classic and modern haunted house experiences across its expansive 14,000-square-foot space, which includes over 40 rooms. For the 2024 season, Factory of Fear continues to feature “Fear Underground,” a dark, disorienting maze designed to evoke the classic haunted attractions of the late ’90s and early 2000s. The haunt is known for its intense, interactive performances and detailed sets, creating a fully immersive experience intended to linger with visitors long after they’ve left.
#11: Aura Haunted House (Bartonville, IL)
Aura Haunted House is located at the historic Pollak Hospital, part of the old Peoria State Hospital Historic District. This haunted house operates in a building known for its real hauntings, where many claim to have felt the presence of spirits from its time as a psychiatric hospital from 1902 to 1973. For the 2024 season, Aura will feature a range of terrifying experiences, including “Blackout Nights,” where visitors navigate the haunted attraction in total darkness with only a glowstick for guidance. The attraction operates on select nights from late September through early November, with tickets priced at $35 for general admission (fast pass and instant access available). They are also open rain or shine, offering amenities like free parking, snacks, refreshments, and wheelchair accessibility.
#10: Necrosis Haunted House (Rantoul, IL)
Necrosis Haunted House offers a chilling experience set in a “nightmare realm” where visitors navigate through sets designed to blur the line between the living and the dead. This haunted house is known for its intense atmosphere, featuring live actors, professional sound, lighting, and special effects. It has been recognized as a top haunted attraction in Illinois, receiving accolades from HauntedIllinois.com and IllinoisHauntedHouses.com. The attraction includes several themed events, such as “Lights Out Night,” where visitors are given glow sticks to find their way through the darkened maze, adding an extra layer of fear and excitement.
#9: Killdare Haunted City (Bridgeview, IL)
Killdare Haunted City is an old-school, partly outdoor haunted attraction behind the Park District building. The attraction features multiple themed experiences and over 50 actors providing scares throughout the event. The haunt is known for its low-tech, immersive approach, with most sets and electronics built in-house.
#8: Midnight Terror Haunted House (Oak Lawn, IL)
Midnight Terror Haunted House is one of Chicagoland’s top-rated haunted attractions, covering 26,000 square feet with numerous rooms and over 100 actors! The attraction features two main themes: ‘Factory of Malum’ and ‘Town of Black Oak Grove.’ The story revolves around the characters Willow and Sledge, with a background involving deals with demonic forces and a cursed town plagued by supernatural occurrences. This makes for a rich, narrative-driven experience where visitors can expect a blend of ‘old school’ haunt tactics and modern special effects.
#7: Twisted Crypt Productions (Rockford, IL)
Twisted Crypt Haunted House, featuring 10,000 square feet of indoor chaos, is entering its 11th season! With various rooms filled with sights, sounds, and creepy actors to keep visitors on edge, this haunted attraction has received multiple accolades, including being named a ‘Top Ten Haunted House’ in Illinois by HauntedIllinois.com in several years, most recently in 2023.
#6: Old Joliet Haunted Prison (Joliet, IL)
The Old Joliet Haunted Prison is a unique haunted attraction set in a real, abandoned prison! Operated by the Thirteenth Floor Entertainment Group, this haunt offers a genuinely chilling experience by combining the eerie atmosphere of the historic prison with immersive horror elements. The haunted house features various attractions, including ‘Cellblock 13,’ where you encounter the vengeful spirit of a wrongly imprisoned inmate, and the ‘Ghost Chamber,’ a terrifying maze filled with deranged prisoners. Additionally, the venue hosts a zombie laser tag experience, where visitors can team up to battle hordes of zombies in a simulated apocalypse setting. The Haunted Prison also includes mini escape games, such as the ‘Asylum’ and the ‘Prison Break.
#5: Realm of Terror Haunted House (Round Lake Beach, IL)
Realm of Terror Haunted House is one of Illinois’ most intense and highly rated haunted attractions. Known for its extreme scares and elaborate setups, Realm of Terror offers a fully immersive experience consistently ranked as a top haunted house in northern Illinois. Located in Round Lake Beach, they are easily accessible for haunt-goers from both Chicago and Milwaukee. In addition to the regular haunted house experience, Realm of Terror hosts special events such as ‘No Actor Night,’ where visitors can explore the haunted house without live actors, and ‘Family Frights,’ a toned-down version suitable for younger audiences or those with sensory sensitivities.
#4: Basement of the Dead (Aurora, IL)
Basement of the Dead Haunted House is another of the most acclaimed haunted attractions in the Chicagoland area, making it one of the must-see haunted houses in Illinois for 2024. Known for its terrifying atmosphere and unique horror experiences, various rating agencies have consistently rated it as the #1 haunted house near Chicago. For the 2024 season, Basement of the Dead will open on September 13th. It features two main attractions: Basement of the Dead, which explores a haunted underworld filled with gruesome surprises, and Shattered 3D, a unique 3D experience where visitors navigate a darkened environment with only a flashlight. Special events are also part of the lineup, including themed nights and special scares, like ‘Nights of Isolation’ and ‘LIGHTS OUT,’ where guests must navigate the haunt with minimal lighting and without actors for an extra eerie experience.
#3: Disturbia Haunted Attraction (Downers Grove, IL)
Disturbia Haunted Attraction is a highly-rated haunted house that offers a mix of immersive scenes, detailed special effects, and various scares. The haunt is known for its intense and creative approach to horror, featuring oversized props, intricate set designs, and high-quality animatronics that contribute to a truly terrifying atmosphere. For the 2024 season, Disturbia opens on September 13 and runs through November 3. The attraction is praised for its excellent customer service, friendly staff, and efficient operations. Further, the queue line is a lively area with actors providing entertainment and photo opportunities, enhancing the overall experience before entering the haunt. Inside, the haunt offers a series of rooms and themes, including a hospital scene with a disturbing red color scheme and a sewer area filled with dense fog and unexpected scares. The actors are known for their DEADication and ability to blend into their surroundings. The use of sound effects, lighting, and innovative special effects further adds to the haunting ambiance, making it a standout attraction in the Chicago area.
#2: Massacre Haunted House (Montgomery, IL)
Massacre Haunted House is recognized as one of the scariest haunted attractions in the Midwest. This haunt spans over 30,000 square feet and features two main attractions: The Massacre Haunted House and Fear Freakshow 3D. Each year, the haunt is newly renovated to ensure fresh scares and new experiences, with over 60 rooms filled with mazes, eerie animatronics, and more than 100 actors! For the 2024 season, Massacre continues to impress with high ratings across multiple categories. Known for its intense scare factor, highlights include the ‘torture chamber’ experience, a new addition that simulates experimental situations with a variety of chilling effects. The haunt also features themed rooms, such as an underworld scene with a giant demonic figure and a vampire cemetery with fog, mausoleums, and tombs. The customer service at The Massacre is also highly rated, with a well-organized setup, including visible staff, security checks, and multiple amenities like free parking, indoor waiting areas, a gift shop, and additional attractions like axe throwing and an optional escape room.
#1: Hellsgate Haunted House (Lockport, IL)
HellsGate Haunted House is a unique haunted attraction set in a multi-level mansion hidden deep in the woods. Visitors must first traverse a zombie-infested forest and cross the Lost Souls Cemetery to reach the haunt. Known for its elaborate storytelling, highly detailed set designs, and interactive elements, a standout feature of HellsGate is the chance to find a hidden key during the experience, which allows the finder to get their ticket for free! The haunt offers various features, including a giant slide for fast access to the basement, intricate animatronics, and high-quality special effects that enhance the horror experience. For 2024, HellsGate has introduced several new scenes and props, including a 1927 Dodge Brothers sedan and a new cabin with a lit fireplace, adding depth and realism to their respective scenes. The attraction also includes an outdoor beer garden, food trucks, and a gift shop, making it a full entertainment experience after the scares! The customer service at HellsGate is highly rated, with clear signage and shuttle services from a designated parking area to the haunt entrance. The attraction maintains a strong focus on safety and visitor satisfaction, with the haunt’s atmosphere further enhanced by roaming actors and various entertainment options, including photo ops and carnival games. A consistent chart-topper, HellsGate remains one of the must-see haunted houses in Illinois for 2024!
As you plan your trips to haunts this season, be sure to check our Reviews Page for updated reviews and ratings, as well as our YouTube Channel for possible videos of some of the top must-see haunted houses in Illinois for 2024!
