Jump scares: Suburban haunted houses serve up Halloween screams for intrepid fans
For those who prefer Halloween haunts of the terrifying kind, who have a hankering for horror and prefer scares up close and personal, a number of haunted houses open this weekend in the suburbs and beyond.
Note that most of these attractions don't allow visitors younger than 13. Many also require visitors to purchase timed, dated tickets in advance. Lastly, judging from the promotional videos, these haunts are not for the faint of heart.
13th Floor Haunted House Chicago
5050 River Road, Schiller Park, 13thfloorchicago.com.
Details: Open select days through Nov. 5. Recommended for ages 12 and older. Tickets start at $19.99.
Attractions include a post-apocalyptic world known as The Deadlands and Depths of Darkness in which village residents are possessed by a supernatural force. Five-minute mini-escape games are also available.
Basement of the Dead/Shattered 3D Haunted House
42 W. New York St., Aurora, (630) 896-2466, basementofthedead.com.
Details: Open select days through Nov. 4. Recommended for ages 13 and older. Tickets start at $17.49 in advance, prices are higher at the door.
Expect ghouls, chainsaw-wielding maniacs, monsters and more.
Disturbia Haunted House
1213 Butterfield Road, Suite D, Downers Grove, (630) 896-2466, hauntedhousedisturbia.com.
Details: Open select days through Nov. 4. Recommended for ages 13 and older. Tickets start at $17.49 in advance, prices higher at the door.
Dungeon of Doom
600 29th St., Zion, (847) 262-3666, dungeonofdoom.com.
Details: Open select days Friday, Sept. 29, through Nov. 4. Recommended for ages 13 and older. Tickets start at $25.
The owners of the 45,000 square foot Dungeon of Doom have been "scaring souls silly" for 27 years. New this season is Dead Clown Alley and a 5,000-square-foot Sanctuary that serves as the gateway to the haunted house. Members of the "Killer Crew" menace attendees while they experience the Tomb of Doom and Buried Dead or Alive.
Evil Intentions Haunted House
900 Grace St., Elgin, eihaunt.com.
Details: Open Friday, Sept. 29, through Oct. 31. Kids younger than 13 must be accompanied by an adult. $35-$75.
Located in a former casket factory, the haunted house unfolds over three floors.
Hells Gate Haunted House
Visitors park at 301 W. Second St., Lockport, and take a five-minute shuttle ride to the site. (605) 301-4283, hellsgate.com.
Details: Open select days through Nov. 5. Not recommended for kids 12 and younger. Visitors younger than 16 must be accompanied by an adult. Tickets start at $37 online; prices are higher at the door.
Hells Gate unfolds in a multilevel mansion located in the woods that assorted monsters and ghouls call home.
The Old Joliet Haunted Prison
401 Woodruff Road, Joliet, hauntedprison.com.
Details: Open select dates through Nov. 4. Recommended for ages 12 and older. Tickets start at $19.99.
Set inside a former prison, attractions include Cellblock 13 in which visitors find themselves in the middle of a riot and Slaughterhouse: The Rot Shop inhabited by chainsaw-wielding inmates. Group zombie laser tag and five-minute mini-escape games are also available.
Realm of Terror Haunted House
421 W. Rollins Road, Round Lake Beach, realmofterror.com.
Details: Open select days from Friday, Sept. 29, through Oct. 29. Not for children. Tickets start at $19.99.
In addition to scares, Realm of Terror features mini-escape rooms, carnival games and food trucks.
Six Flags Fright Fest
1 Great America Parkway, Gurnee, sixflags.com/greatamerica.
Details: Open select days through Oct. 31. Tickets start at $80.
Six Flags offers family-friendly activities including rides, a not-so-scary story time, a monster bash dance party and trick-or-treating during the day. Evening activities geared toward ages 13 and older include multiple haunted houses (additional fee required), multiple "scare zones," rides and Halloween-themed performances.
Other not-so-scary fun
For folks who want to celebrate Halloween without risking nightmares, Paramount Theatre and the Metropolis Performing Arts Centre deliver seasonal shows that won't keep audiences up at night.
Laughs accompany the mayhem caused by the man-eating plant Audrey II in Paramount Theatre's "Little Shop of Horrors," which runs through Oct. 15 at 23 E. Galena Blvd., Aurora. Metropolis Performing Arts Centre stages a suitably spooky revival of "The Addams Family" through Oct. 8 at 111 W. Campbell St., Arlington Heights. In Chicago, The Annoyance Theatre's annual slasher film sendup, Splatter Theater, runs through Oct. 31 at 851 W. Belmont Ave., Chicago.