Scare tactics: Suburban haunts deliver Halloween thrills

Posted September 30, 2026 7:45 am

A crazed nurse is among the characters populating Aurora’s Basement of the Dead. (Basement of the Dead Haunted House)

If you’re faint of heart, worry not; some Chicago-area haunted attractions offer lights-on, no-actor performances for those who prefer subdued scares. On average, however, most haunted houses deliver intense, violent experiences that leave older teens and adults shrieking with terror.

For the suburban attractions listed here, it’s best to purchase tickets in advance. Haunted houses are scarily busy this time of year, with weekend performances typically selling out.

Most venues include a midway with attractions and offer food, beverages and merchandise. Worth noting: Most operate rain or shine and do not offer refunds.

13th Floor Haunted House

5050 River Road, Schiller Park, 13thfloorchicago.com. Details: Open select days through Nov. 8. Recommended for 13 and older. Tickets start at $24.99.

“Black Hollow Institute” imagines asylum patients who have been subjected to horrific experiments subsequently breaking free and overrunning the facility. “The Woman in White” centers on heiress Cordelia Blackmore, who took over the family manor following her parents’ mysterious deaths and who has now unleashed demons on the neighboring town.

Basement of the Dead

42 W. New York St., Aurora, 630-896-2466, basementofthedead.com. Details: Open select days through Nov. 7. Recommended for 13 and older. Tickets start at $28.99.

The attraction consists of an abandoned underground laboratory where terrifying creatures lurk and a 3D haunted house described as a surreal world where anything can happen. The Shattered 3D Haunted House incorporates visuals that require 3D glasses.

Disturbia Haunted House

University Plaza, 1213 Butterfield Road, Suite D, Downers Grove, 630-896-2466, hauntedhousedisturbia.com. Details: Open select days through Nov. 13. Recommended for 13 and older. Tickets start at $29.99.

The attraction includes an array of rooms and promises the scare of a lifetime.

Duchess Manor

The Arboretum, 100 W. Higgins Road, South Barrington, shopthearb.com. Details: Open select days through Nov. 1. Tickets start at $27, $7 for the lights-on experience without actors or jump scares.

The story centers on a rarely seen duchess who descended into madness while living in the sprawling estate she constructed within The Arboretum.

Dungeon of Doom

600 29th St., Zion, 847-262-3666, dungeonofdoom.com. Details: Open select days through Nov. 7. Recommended for 13 and older. Tickets start at $34.99 online; $45 at the door.

This year marks the 30th anniversary of the dungeon, whose performers are known as the “killer crew.” Attractions include: a decaying nuclear fallout shelter, a dead clown alley and the slaughterhouse among others.

Hells Gate Haunted House

Park at 301 W. Second St., Lockport, and take a five-minute shuttle to the site. 605-301-4283 or hellsgate.com. Details: Open select days through Nov. 1. Recommended for 13 and older; 16 and younger must be accompanied by an adult. Tickets start at $40 online; $45 on site.

Hell’s Gate Haunted House, which unfolds on a remote, multilevel “mansion,” marks its 10th anniversary this year. The backstory involves a grieving father desperate to connect with his deceased twin daughters who engages masters of the occult and dark science to disastrous effect.

Massacre Haunted House

299 Montgomery Road, Montgomery, 708-320-3327 or fearthemassacre.com/. Details: Open select days through Oct. 31. Recommended for older teens and adults. Tickets start at $36.99.

The 35,000-square-foot space contains more than 75 terror-filled rooms including the haunted house, the underground and new this year, the asylum devoted to clinical terror.

The Realm of Terror Haunted House

421 W. Rollins Road, Round Lake Beach, 847-270-8061 or realmofterror.com. Details: Open select days Oct. 3-31; Family Fright for kids is Oct. 24. Recommended for 13 and older. Tickets start at $19.99.

In addition to the main haunt, Realm of Terror delivers an opening ceremony nightly.

For older revelers, Six Flags Great America offers more intense thrills and chills during its annual Fright Fest. (Six Flags Great America)

Six Flags Fright Fest

1 Great America Parkway, Gurnee, sixflags.com/greatamerica/events/fright-fest. Details: Open select days through Nov. 1. Recommended for 13 and older. Daily tickets start at $45, tickets plus haunted attractions start at $75, Boo Fest tickets start at $39.

A member of the Skeleton Squad entertains a young visitor during Boo Fest at Six Flags Great America in Gurnee. (Six Flags Great America)

Six Flags Fright Fest includes six zones. Among them is a city of the dead, a circus of madness, a haunted forest and more. New this year are haunted mazes “Blair Witch: No Signal” and “Nightmares” and the nighttime shows “MasqueRAVE” and “The Velvet Quarter.” There’s also a scare-free Boo Fest for kids and an Oktoberfest Food Festival.