11 Terrifying Haunted Mazes to Visit This Halloween

This maze is often referred to as the “calm after the storm”–the “storm” being the sensory and physical assault unleashed at one of the country’s most extreme haunts. This quick trip through what looks like a circus from hell is a mind-bending experience. Basically, you are given 3-D glasses to wear as you meander through a psychedelic maze, mesmerized as the walls, rafters, and painted clowns come to life.

Related: 15 Scariest Haunted Houses in America

This one’s more of a mainstream attraction, as it belongs to juggernaut Universal, but prepare to be a-mazed (sorry). The maze designers turned to William Friedkin’s movie trailer for inspiration. Regan, Father Merrin, Pazuzu: the gang’s all there. But this maze goes beyond jump scares: it’s main goal is to make those who enter feel as though they are getting possessed as they move through the attraction. And in case you were wondering, yes, there is a spider walk involved.

Related: Possessed: The Real-Life Exorcism of Roland Doe

The Beast itself has four attractions under one sinister roof, but it’s the outdoor Werewolf Forest we’re interested in here. Your goal is to find the exit. Simple as that, though the thunder, lightning, fog, raging werewolves, swamp alligators, pirate, and lion on the loose will slow you down. No worries: every half hour, they send in reinforcements for the lost ones. But be warned: they’re werewolves. We also hear they use real snakes.

One of the first-rate “waiver mazes,” Alone is a haunt you go at–alone. Touted on its site as an “immersive and artistic exploration of fear,” Alone doesn’t play around. Once you arrive at your undisclosed location, you’re dragged into a bizarre maze and left to your own devices. There are no chainsaws, no creepy clowns, no idiots in rubbery masks–just you, the dark, and your darkest thoughts. Some things to know: It gets touchy-feely, it’s one night only (Oct. 30), and the safe word is “together.”

The Haunted Corn Maze at the Witches of Salem attraction promises to test your wits as you crawl, run, and hurl yourself through a series of dead ends, twists and turns, and narrow escapes from crazed corn stalkers. There’s also a family-friendly romp, which is thankfully void of terrorizers and full of daylight.

Detritus is one of six attractions that keep the Eastern State Penitentiary–once an actual, real-life prison–overrun with spooks and ghouls. Prior to the actual maze, brave souls are led through an 1800s cellblock and past the prison’s greenhouse. They’re then cast into an overgrown labyrinth and abandoned cemetery that would make Tim Burton drool. Look out for zombies and especially the pointy ends of their rusty tools.

Related: 7 Most Haunted Prisons in America

The Queen Mary is a 12-deck ship docked along the Southern California coast, in what they call the Dark Harbor, a body of water that plays host to more than 200 ghastly creatures. The massive attraction offers several mazes in which to lose your marbles. New this year is the Intrepid, a maze led by the Iron Master, who is the protector of the ship. Lots of ghosts, blood, and blood-curdling screams lay ahead.

Related: Are You Brave Enough to Spend the Night Aboard the Haunted Queen Mary?  

This year, the Bates Farm crew says they are focusing the majority of their morbid attention on the haunted corn maze, which means new sets, new monsters, and new ways to induce the inevitable panic attack. The theme is “the Revenge of the Scarecrow,” but you can bet there’s no heel-clicking to transport you home. The only way out is to play chicken with about 30 hay-stuffed psychopaths lurking around every cornstalk-filled corner.

What was once the vampire Lady Cassandra’s Labyrinth of Terror is now her House of Clowns, a labyrinth infested with crazed clowns lurking around every Day-Glo twist and pitch-black turn. This one’s full of what critics might call cliché jump scares, but what we just call fun. That said, given the state of the killer clown emergency in our country right now, Cassandra’s may haunt you long after your exit.

Related: 5 Real Stories That Will Validate Your Fear of Clowns

Before you enter “The Trail,” you must make it past incarcerated lost souls in what the attraction calls only “The Experiment.” Once through, you’re left to “run the gauntlet” through the wooded unknown as horror icons–Freddy, Jason, Annabelle–nip at your heels. It’s the only all-outdoor haunt in San Diego, so pack a scarf for fending off chills–and horror movie monsters.

The Silver State’s only full-contact, R-rated maze has people talking. One-third of The Trilogy of Terror, Gates of Hell, is a not your typical BOO! haunt. Rather it’s an interactive test of mental willpower. Those who meander through this claustrophobic maze are bombarded with images of what it’s like to die a violent death and then meet Satan himself. Safe word here? “Purgatory.” Scream it, and you may be safe, but your price of admission? That goes straight to hell.

Featured photo: m01229/ Flickr (CC)

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