The Most Horrifying Haunted Houses Near Philadelphia
Beware of these spooky spaces.
It’s officially spooky season. Those who love a good jump scare will be delighted to know Philadelphia has an embarrassment of riches when it comes to the haunted house department. From an actual former functioning penitentiary to dark and dank cornfields, the Philly area is home to some of the most terrifying haunts around. Whether you’re up for a road trip or prefer to stay within city limits, here are nearly a dozen horror-filled Halloween attractions in Philadelphia to get your scream on.
Whitman
Housed in the basement of a century-old factory in South Philly, Fright Factory is consistently touted as one of the scariest haunted houses in the country. Split into three sections, you’ll be greeted with fog, strobe lights, creepy clowns, sinister butchers, and plenty of other monsters waiting for you around every corner. The factory is open Fridays through Sundays in October, plus Thursday, October 20 and 27, and Halloween.
Cost: $30-35, extra $15 VIP upgrade
Fairmount
Perhaps the best-known (and with good reason) spook in the city, Halloween Nights takes place within the walls of the world’s first penitentiary. Make your way through the cell blocks to the five attractions which include a 3D haunted house, an evil machine shop, an ancient vampire crypt, a brand new horror circus, and an also-new perpetual nightmare-themed theme. Chill out afterward with a drink at the vampire-themed cocktail lounge or the Fair Chance Beer Garden. For 2022, visit on Fridays and Saturdays through November 12 and during the week starting Thursday, October 6.
Cost: $34-49 general admission, $64 VIP pass
Manayunk
This brand-new haunted house is located in the former Mad River Bar & Grille in Manayunk, and, as legend has it, the flooding from Hurricane Ida revealed a chamber of bodies in the basement of the building. Haunted scenes include dismembered limbs, a freaky nursery, and the ghost of the mill’s former owner. Don’t miss the inaugural season, which runs Thursdays through Saturdays until November 5.
Cost: $29 general admission, $55 VIP, 99 Platinum VIP
Mullica Hill, New Jersey
With five different attractions all in one place, there are plenty of potential frights at Night of Terror. The centerpiece is a 25-minute hayride through the cornfields where chainsaw-brandishing killers and a massive haunted house await. Take to the farm’s grounds on foot for more frights. Plus, a 3D haunted house and another attraction dedicated to common phobias like creepy dolls, dentist drills, and rats. Check it out Fridays and Saturdays through October 29 (plus on Thursdays, October 13, 20, and 27).
Distance from Philly: 35 minutes
Cost: $40-50 general admission, $70 VIP pass
Newtown, Pennsylvania
The mile-long haunted hayride will take you through burning mines, a gothic graveyard, lawless backlands, and a sideshow of the bizarre. If that wasn’t enough, try to escape the 17-room haunted manor, full of secret passageways, a crypt, and a graveyard. If that wasn’t enough, tread lightly through the field where you’ll meet witches, creepy marionette dolls, and more. The 2022 season operates Friday through Sunday until October 30.
Distance from Philly: 40 minutes
Cost: $36-41 general admission, $52-57 VIP pass
Feasterville, Pennsylvania
Three attractions make up the Valley of Fear: a pirate-themed shipwreck, a haunted house with a terrifying schoolhouse and church scenes, and, of course, a hayride with new scenes including a Halloween-themed vignette and a freaky doll show. Valley of Fear is open Thursday through Sunday until October 30.
Distance from Philly: 40 minutes
Cost: $24-47 general admission, $49-72 VIP pass
Glen Mills, Pennsylvania
Bates Motel features an intricately designed motel featuring rattling floorboards, ax-wielding actors, and tons of creepy animatronics. Other attractions worth the fright include a 25-minute haunted hayride and Revenge of the Scarecrows Haunted Trail, a terrifying walk through a cornfield to a number of spooky sets. The season runs until October 31 with daily admission beginning on October 7 (it’s open weekends only before that).
Distance from Philly: 45 minutes
Cost: $40 weeknights, $45 Friday nights, $50 Saturday nights, $85-125 VIP passes
Spring City, Pennsylvania
The site of real life paranormal investigations, Pennhurst Asylum has a sordid history of violence and patient abuse. The former patients now get their revenge on visitors as they make their way through the asylum, the morgue, and the tunnels that lay beneath the buildings. The asylum is open Friday through Sunday until November 5.
Distance from Philly: 50 minutes
Cost: $50 general admission, $85 VIP pass
Spring Mount, Pennsylvania
By day, Spring Mountain is a ski resort. By night, the slopes provide plenty of hiding places for the ghosts of murdered quarrymen. Hop on nighttime ride up the ski lift to a path filled with spooks. Then travel the rest of the way down the mountain on a haunted hayride. The mountain is open on Fridays and Saturdays until October 29.
Distance from Philly: 50 minutes
Cost: $22-30 general admission
Mountville, Pennsylvania
Out in Lancaster County, get the fright of your life on a hayride through a slaughterhouse/murderous hillbilly property/toxic wasteland/cemetery/gore shop. Then, venture through a three-story, 19th-century barn where tortuous murders occurred, a terrifying asylum, and haunted woods. Field of Screams is open weekends until November 5, plus Thursdays, October 13, 20, and 27 and Halloween.
Distance from Philly: 1 hour and 30 minutes
Cost: $35-50 general admission, extra $15-30 VIP upgrade
Lancaster, Pennsylvania
Get chased by zombies, crazed clowns, and demonic animals at the five attractions at Jason’s Woods. This year, the haunted hayride features upgrades like fiery explosions, gory bone-grinding scenes, and technology that allows the wagon to rock side to side. Check it out Fridays through Sundays until November 5.
Distance from Philly: 1 hour and 45 minutes
Cost: $25-40 general admission, extra $15 VIP upgrade