Halloween Thrills Beyond the Imagination
Looking for real screams this fall? Skip the fake fog machines. Ohio has three haunted houses that use real history to scare you, not just jump scares in a warehouse.
One sits inside a record-breaking factory. One is built inside a real old prison. One has been scaring people for over 50 years. Here’s why each one is worth the drive.
Factory of Terror: The World’s Longest Haunted House
Start in Canton, Ohio, home to the Factory of Terror. It has won the Guinness World Record three times for being one of the largest indoor haunted houses in the world, and once you’re inside, you’ll see why.
The haunt fills a 160,000-square-foot former aluminum foundry, and the walk stretches over a mile long. That’s a lot of dark hallway between you and the exit.
It takes a small army to run a haunt this size. More than 130 actors work inside, backed by over 500 animatronics and special effects. When you need a breather, grab a drink at one of the themed bars or blow off some steam with ax throwing.g.
Blood Prison: Scares Inside a Real Prison
If Canton scares you with scale, Mansfield scares you with truth. Blood Prison is not built in some warehouse. It sits inside a real prison, the Ohio State Reformatory, and that changes everything about how it feels to walk through.
This prison opened in 1896 and closed in 1990, after conditions got so bad that inmates sued the state and won. That’s not a haunted house backstory somebody made up. That’s just history.
You might already know this building without knowing it. Hollywood filmed The Shawshank Redemption here. Walk through the East Cell Block, the largest freestanding steel cell block in the world, and you’ll feel the weight of what this place used to be.
Some visitors say the place stays a little haunted, even after the actors clock out.
The Haunted Schoolhouse: Decades of Screams
Not every scary building has to be huge. In Akron, the Haunted Schoolhouse has been scaring guests for over four decades, which makes it one of the longest-running haunts around.
This year marks its season, alongside its sister haunt, the Laboratory, now in its 52nd season. A haunt doesn’t stick around that long by accident. It sticks around because it keeps people coming back, year after year.
Quick Tips Before You Go
However you pick, a little planning goes a long way. Buy your tickets online first, since lines get long fast on October weekends.
Wear real shoes with grip, especially for Blood Prison, where old stairs and uneven floors catch people off guard. And check age guidelines before bringing kids, since many of these are not suitable for children.
Ready to Get Scared?
Ohio has some of the best haunted houses in the country: a record-breaking factory, a real working prison, and a schoolhouse with decades of screams behind it.
Pick one, or hit all three. Just don’t go alone.
Ready to Get Scared?
Ohio has some of the best haunted houses in the country: a record-breaking factory, a real working prison, and a schoolhouse with decades of screams behind it.
Pick one, or hit all three. Just don’t go alone.
