Whether you’re looking for family-friendly Chicago Halloween activities to do with children, or more fear-inducing ‘fun’ with friends, Chicagoland has an array of things to do this Halloween.
When it comes to the latter there is everything from ghost tours to a haunted house set inside an abandoned prison.
It’s these haunted houses and purportedly paranormal places where some of the most spine-chilling thrills can be found and if you’re prepared to travel a little outside of Chicago you’ll find a haunted house deemed one of the most terrifying in the entire country this Halloween.
Hauntworld — an “online haunt directory” and website dedicated to helping people rate and review haunted attractions across America and Canada — looked at hundreds of different haunted houses across North America to compile a list of America’s Top Rated Scariest Haunted Houses.
While it was Pennhurst Asylum in Spring City, Pennsylvania that was ranked 1st, and 13th Gate in Baton Rouge, Louisiana that came in second, it was Hellsgate in Lockport, Illinois that was named the third scariest haunted house in the United States and Canada.
Located around a 45-minute drive from central Chicago off 101 Canal St in Lockport, HellsGate is a multi-level mansion hidden deep in the woods featuring 40 rooms and more than 150 live actors according to the HellsGate website.
Inside guests will find “secret passages, giant slides, ghastly secrets, undead abominations, really nervous groundskeepers, and a darkness that the gate can no longer contain!”
In addition to being one of the most terrifying haunted houses around, HellsGate comes with an added twist, if you’re brave enough to ride the slide into the basement and cunning enough to find a hidden key your ticket to the haunted house is completely free.
“Zombie Army Productions has not only expanded HellsGate in every direction with new rooms, experiences, and scares, but we have also welcomed the Escaped Prisoners of Statesville Haunted Prison into our dark world,” writes Hauntworld. “Fluffy, Sharky, and the Statesville Crew have joined forces with HellsGate and are now roaming the halls and hiding in the woods.”
Afterward, guests can hang out by the bonfires and grab a bite to eat at the Moster Midway where outdoor seasonal ambiance, games, a movie screen, and food and drinks offer the perfect area to relax after the scares.
General admission is $37 + fees when purchased online at hellsgate.com and $42 + fees when bought on-site.
It is worth noting that the Hellsgate site currently reads “Based on last year’s success, and the highly anticipated 2023 show that will feature the escaped prisoners of Statesville Haunted Prison, we will be capping ticket sales each night.”
VIP access, Instant Entry, and All Access Passes can also be obtained at higher prices to ensure less wait time and added bonuses.
HellsGate is open from 7 p.m. until 11 p.m. Thursdays through Sundays of October as well as Wednesday, October 26, Tuesday, October 31, and its closing days on Friday, November 3rd, and Saturday, November 4th.
Read Hauntworld’s list full list and head to Hellsgate.com for more information.
[Featured image courtesy of Hellsgate]