These haunted attractions in North Jersey are sure to scare
It's that time of the year: All things scary, creepy and downright unsettling are making their comeback for spooky season.
For some, conquering the haunted houses, fright-filled mazes and ghoulish hayrides is what October is all about. In North Jersey, there is no shortage of Halloween attractions to visit, from large warehouse productions to homemade backyard mazes. Here are seven haunts across North Jersey for this season's adrenaline junkies.
Brighton Asylum, Passaic
A year-round haunt, Brighton Asylum has been staged inside a 13,000-square-foot warehouse in Passaic for over a decade. As the legend goes, the institution − which was known for its insufferable living conditions − shut down in 1952 after several staff members and patients disappeared. Now, the haunted asylum has reopened, and visitors are admitted into the attraction as the institution's newest patients.
Inside, visitors get an experience filled with ghosts, deranged patients and crazed nurses through Hollywood-quality sets and special effects. Visitors can even opt for the "contact" option, accepting a free red glow necklace to indicate that they're okay experiencing physical contact during their time at the asylum, which could include forced separation from your group, simulated abduction, crawling and physically being picked up.
Brighton Asylum also offers other attractions like timed escape rooms and the horror museum, which features movie props from infamous horror movies.
Go: In the rear of 2 Brighton Ave, Passaic; 201-848-2517, brightonasylum.com
Hours: Varies depending on event and time of year
Tickets: $37.99 for general admission to three haunted houses, with additional rates for different attractions
13th Hour, Wharton
At 13th Hour, visitors navigate their way through a two-floor haunted experience at the Hayden Farmhouse. The haunt is modeled after the story of the Hayden family, whose time at the home became filled with mysterious and eerie events. "The Dark Side of the Hayden House" is a second haunted house that is a lightless maze dotted with immersive scenes. The bravest guests can also choose to participate in the optional "touch" experience, where actors inside have permission to touch you as you explore the house.
13th Hours also offers eight different escape rooms, featuring actors after 6 p.m. on the days the haunted house is operating. Their newest attraction, Haunted Hatches, is an axe-throwing experience that uses glow-in-the-dark hatches and targets.
Go: 105 West Dewey Ave, Wharton; 862-244-4454, 13thhour.com
Hours: 7 p.m. to 10:30 p.m. Fridays; 7 p.m. to 11:30 p.m. Saturdays; 7 p.m. to 10 p.m. on Sundays, through October
Tickets: $40 for general admission, $45 for priority access
Hayride of Horrors and Corn Maze, Hackettstown
Visitors are taken on a haunted hayride through the woods and a haunted corn maze on the grounds of Corrado's Farms in Hackettstown. The attraction features strobe lights, live actors, clowns and animatronics. Each hayride takes about 45-minutes, including a refreshment stop halfway through.
Go: 671 Mt. Bethel Road, Hackettstown; 973-942-4448, hayrideofhorrors.com
Hours: Open Friday through Sunday from 6:30 p.m., with various closing times through October
Tickets: $22 for the haunted hayride, $15 for the corn maze
Haunted Red Mill, Clinton
Located within the Red Hill Museum Village, the Haunted Red Mill in Clinton will rise from the dead on Friday the 13th. This year's theme, "The Dead Don't Die," will offer scares from clowns, zombies and other creatures of the night. The attraction spans about 10 acres and will include a terror trail through the woods, an apocalypse hayride, mazes and more.
The Haunted Red Mill will also offer "Happy Haunts" on Oct. 14, 21 and 28 from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. These are a family-friendly, abbreviated version of the attraction for kids.
Go: Red Mill Museum Village, 56 Main St, Clinton; 908-735-4101, theredmill.org/haunted-red-mill
Hours: 5 p.m. to 10 p.m. on Fridays and Saturdays from Oct. 13 to Oct. 28
Tickets: $30 for general admission, $45 for a speed pass
Ridgewood Halloween Maze, Ridgewood
If you prefer smaller scale attractions and want to support a local effort, look no further than the Ridgewood Halloween Maze. Greg and Nancy Stewart have put together this loops-and-traps maze in their Ridgewood backyard every Halloween for 28 years. A 1,000-square-foot Halloween maze, this attraction features a 27-inch wide pathway, with one-way doors and mechanical ghouls.
The Stewarts have also said that children tend to complete the maze quicker than adults, so the only way to test that theory is by giving them a visit.
Go: 124 Sheridan Ave, Ridgewood; Ridgewood Halloween Maze 2023
Hours: Monday through Friday from 4 p.m. to 9 p.m.; Saturday and Sunday from 1 p.m. to 9 p.m., through October
Tickets: Free admission
Pantophobia, Montvale
Pantophobia is a 30-minute, entirely outdoors wagon ride based on the myth of Cyrus Grain, who is said to haunt the location of his family's former farmland-turned shopping center. It is followed by an 8-10 minute walk through the Cyrus' Family Crypt, which is also said to be haunted by spirits of the Cyrus family.
Go: DePiero's Farmstand & Greenhouses, 156 Summit Ave, Montvale; 805-666-1588, pantophobia.com
Hours: Open at 8 p.m. Friday through Sunday, with varied closing hours through October to the first weekend in November
Tickets: Start at $25 for general admission
Halloween House, Paramus
For those who want to experience a haunted house for spooky season but aren't the biggest fans of jump scares, the Halloween House in Paramus is for you. Described as "spooky, not scary" on the attraction's website, Halloween House is an immersive experience where visitors walk through rooms dressed in a different Halloween theme, like The Nightmare Before Christmas, the Horror Movie Graveyard and Dracula's Lair.
Go: Paramus Park Mall, 700 Paramus Park, Paramus; halloweenhouseparamus.com
Hours: Open Monday through Saturday; First walk through at 3:30 p.m. and last walk through at 8 p.m.
Tickets: $29.99 for adult general admission and $24.99 for teen and under general admission
This article originally appeared on NorthJersey.com: Best haunted hayrides, scary Halloween mazes and places in NJ
