With Halloween on the horizon, these 11 films about haunted attractions should get you in the spooky spirit and inspire you to explore real life haunts.
In my last Zombie Girl Guide, I shared my Destination Horror travel recommendations: 13 horrifically unusual places across the globe that should be be visited by horror fans. This month, I embrace the magic of the Halloween season and proudly bring you my 11 of my favorite horror films featuring haunted attractions.
Face it; we all like to be scared. But why do we enjoy going to haunted attractions? Having worked at numerous scary places as a monster and makeup artist, haunts have a special place in my black heart. For me, it’s the joy of seeing what cool stuff people will come up with, the awesome special effects makeup, and of course, the adrenalin rush!
Every year at Halloween (and joyfully, all year round now) there are places to go where the name of the game is to scare people so much, they pee their pants (trust me when I say that is a real thing!).
Even though I didn’t put this film on the list, this quote from Tom Hanks in his first film, 1980’s He Knows You’re Alone, sums up why we love to be scared:
“Horror movies, roller coasters, and the house of horror ride – you can face death without any real fear of dying. You can leave the movie or get off the ride with a vicarious thrill and the feeling that you just conquered death; one hell of a first-class rush!”
Connoisseurs of the bizarre, the gruesome, and the grotesque (yes, that’s from The Funhouse), step right up to 11 of my ghoulishly favorite films that are set in scream parks, escape rooms, extreme haunted houses, and scary attractions of all kinds. These are not in any special order.
I hope they help get you in the mood for the real thing!
1. The Houses October Built (2014)
Beneath the fake blood and cheap masks of countless haunted house attractions across the country, there are whispers of truly terrifying alternatives. Looking to find an authentic, bloodcurdling good fright for Halloween, five friends set off on a road trip in an RV to track down these underground haunts. Just when their search seems to reach a dead end, strange and disturbing things start happening, and it becomes clear that the haunt has come to them.
This found footage type of documentary is cool because I loved seeing the real-life haunted attractions they featured. Have fun on this crazy road trip! You will find it hard to figure out what is real.
FYI, "The Houses October Built 2" came out in 2017 if you want more extreme haunting from the Blue Skeleton group.
2. Blood Fest (2018)
Fans flock to a festival celebrating the most iconic horror movies, only to discover that the charismatic showman behind the event has a diabolical agenda. As festival attendees start dying off, three teenagers – more schooled in horror film clichés than practical knowledge about how to neutralize psycho killers — must band together and battle through various madmen and monstrosities to survive.
We need a cool event like this for real! Except for the real deaths, Blood Fest sounds like a lot of fun.
3. Hell House LLC (2015)
Five years after an unexplained malfunction causes the death of 15 tour goers and staff on the opening night of a Halloween haunted house tour, a documentary crew travels back to the scene of the tragedy to find out what really happened. Found footage fans will love this one!
Having worked building haunts like this, Hell House LLC really hit home for me. I’m glad the attractions I worked on didn’t have problems like this one!
And if you like this film, 2018 brought us the sequel, "Hellhouse LLC ll: The Abaddon Hotel" and the recent Shudder exclusive "Hell House LLC III: Lake of Fire".
4. Haunt (2019)
Haunt explores the deepest fears people have about going into haunted mazes and makes them a reality. Though a familiar-sounding premise, this frightening film invites us to peek behind the scenes at the many reasons haunts are so terrifying. This horror attraction is no mere entertainment – almost every minute of it is a brutal fight for life.
I loved hearing that they built an actual working haunt at an old dairy factory to film in! How cool is that? This is the most recent film on the list, and it is absolutely terrific.
5. Talon Falls (2017)
Four teenagers on a road trip decide to take a detour and find themselves at a Halloween scream park deep in the woods of southern Kentucky. After witnessing an assortment of torture and gore, they start wondering if what they are experiencing is maybe a little too realistic. Before they know it, each one of them is captured and made part of the horrific attraction that they originally thought was all fun and games. Will anyone get out alive?
Now, I don’t know how you could get away with this for very long, but this is one brutal place. I think some of the club members from Hostel may work here. The film is based on the real Talon Falls Scream Park in Kentucky. Honest! But I think they have better business practices.
6. House of a Thousand Corpses (2003)
Captain Spaulding and the rest of the demented Firefly clan take you on a ride you will never get out of alive. This Rob Zombie classic follows two couples on a road trip to research a book on weird roadside attractions. Boy, do they find what they are looking for, and unfortunately, so much more. As they investigate this crazy horror attraction, they run into the hillbilly Firefly clan and the supernatural Dr. Satan, who terrorize and torture them.
This is a brutal film; not for the squeamish! This gruesome film is heavily inspired by 1970’s exploitation films like Texas Chain Saw Massacre and The Hills Have Eyes. It was followed up in 2005 by The Devil’s Rejects.
With 3 From Hell recently released to complete the trilogy, I felt compelled to put this crazy Rob Zombie horror fest on the list. A bit of trivia; did you know that the villains are all named after Groucho Marx characters? Yup!
7. Ruin Me (2017)
In Ruin Me, Alexandra reluctantly tags along for Slasher Sleepout, an extreme event that is part camping trip, part haunted house, and part escape room. But when the fun turns deadly, Alex must play the game if she wants to make it out alive.
I have never done one (surprise!), but participating in a scary sleepover campout is on my bucket list. I find it hard to believe that I could really be scared. There, I have dropped a hint. Who is inviting me to their next slumber party?
8. Escape Room (2019)
Six strangers visit a mysterious building to experience an escape room that they received an invitation to — a game where players compete to solve a series of puzzles. Terror strikes when they soon learn each room is an elaborate trap that's part of a sadistic game of life or death.
A little bit like the Saw series in that the people are there for very specific reasons, but I had to love the rooms themselves; they were unique and creative. This escape room would have to be rated a 10 out of 10 for difficulty. Are you up for the challenge?
9. The Funhouse (1981)
In this Tobe Hooper classic, four teenage friends spend the night in a carnival funhouse and are stalked by a deformed man in a Frankenstein mask. Did I mention they witness a murder and then rob the place? Well, I guess they get what they deserve.
I love Tobe Hooper! His films were raw, gory, and unforgiving. Gunther, the monster under the mask, is incredibly terrifying. Maybe don’t watch this one right before you go to sleep.
10. Killer Klowns from Outer Space (1988)
This low-budget cult classic horror spoof has one of the greatest movie titles of all time. Two sweeties are smooching on lover's lane when they see what appears to be a meteorite crashing over the horizon. They loosen their lip lock long enough to investigate and find a curious circus tent. There they discover malevolent clowns who stop their victims with popcorn-shooting guns and acid-drenched pies in order to feast on human blood. The unfortunates are then entombed into inescapable cotton candy cocoons.
This isn’t technically an attraction, but with so many killer clowns in one movie, I couldn’t resist. Campy and low-budget yes, but what a fun film. Get out your popcorn guns and enjoy!
11. Carnival of Souls (1962)
After a traumatic accident, a woman becomes drawn to a mysterious, abandoned carnival. This is an odd, obscure horror film that has become a cult classic mostly shown in artsy theaters around Halloween. Made with a very low budget in 1962, it reminds me of a Twilight Zone episode. It places supernatural right in the middle of everyday life with characters who are just ordinary people.
This is not really a horror film, but the aesthetic is amazing. I love that it’s in black and white. George Romero and David Lynch may have gotten a few ideas from this bizarre and campy yet serious thriller.
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Nik wrote:
BLOOD FEST! What a great mention because that movie was horribly over shadowed by “Hell Fest” which was a let down & not very fun. More people need to hear about it.