Here are haunted houses around the Milwaukee area and beyond for 2023
Tis the season for jump scares, creepy characters and sets that look straight out of horror films.
From Wisconsin Feargrounds to the Abandoned Haunted House Complex in Mount Pleasant, here are some haunted houses around the Milwaukee area and beyond.
Many of the adventures listed below feature multiple haunted houses on their premises.
For dates, pricing, age requirements — and warnings/waivers, in some cases — be sure to visit each attraction's website.
Wisconsin Feargrounds, Waukesha
Waukesha County Expo Center Grounds, 1000 Northview Road, Waukesha
Wisconsin Feargrounds is celebrating its 20th anniversary. This year's attraction has two haunted houses: "The Compound" and "Sketchy's Chambers."
"The Compound" is a sprawling "sinister and foreboding" complex where malevolent creatures and nightmarish beings live, the attraction's website said. The tormented souls who dwell there unleash their twisted desires upon visitors.
Sketchy's Chambers is a "nightmarish" abode where Sketchy, a former circus clown from the 1970s, resides. He found solace at the grounds after becoming disfigured in a tragic Big Top fire, according to the website.
Since Wisconsin Feargrounds owners Chad and Brenda Franks start from scratch when converting two long expo center buildings into the attraction, what's presented each year is fresh, even if the theme remains similar, according to a Journal Sentinel report.
MORE INFO: wisconsinfeargrounds.com
The Hill Has Eyes, Franklin
The Rock Sports Complex at Ballpark Commons, 7005 S. Ballpark Drive, Franklin
The Hill Has Eyes includes four haunts that span 45 acres.
According to the attraction's website, during "Failed Escape," extended exposure to toxic waste turned people into mutant freaks. They formed a new society centered around Junkyard Ray, AKA "The One with Many Faces." "The mutants fear and hate him as much as they fear and hate themselves, but they know he watches over them," the website said.
The mutants share a ravenous hunger for flesh. In "Hunger Hollow," visitors see captured victims skinned alive, butchered and eaten, the website said. The butcher is always experimenting with new ways to serve up dessert. "All souls are offered to The Demon, and all exits lead to his realm."
"Carnivore" is "the devil's carnival," per the website. Hell’s carnival barker leads visitors through a freak show with fire breathers and the spawn of Satan himself.
As visitors approach what seems to be refuge, they enter a space "dictated by judgment and torture," called "Dead End," the website said. They encounter a "twisted haven" of medical tests and experiments.
On Sundays, the venue is also offering a "Not So Scary Halloween Party" in which actors take visitors on a guided tour through the attractions, and kids get to trick-or-treat along the way, the website said. Kids are encouraged to dress up for that.
MORE INFO: hillhaseyes.com/home
Abandoned Haunted House Complex, Mount Pleasant
2825 SE Frontage Road, Mount Pleasant
Abandoned Haunted House Complex features three haunted houses.
According to the complex's website, "Ambush" is an intense startle-scare haunted house with loud noises, actors popping out of unexpected places and bright lighting effects.
"Hysteria" features visual and audible scares, confusion, misdirection, illusion and actor interactions.
"Stalker" is an interactive startle-scare haunted walking experience with characters lurking throughout, the website said.
Abandoned's sister haunted house complex is Burial Chamber Haunted House Complex in Neenah. The complex, 500 N. Lake St., has four haunted attractions, including one that gives guests the experience of feeling like they're being buried alive.
MORE INFO: abandonedhauntedhouse.com
The Dark Side Haunted Adventure, Ixonia
N1255 Hoard Road, Ixonia
The Dark Side Haunted Adventure features several haunts, including "The Descent," "Twilight Nightmare," "Backwoods Revenge," "Mephistopheles Lair," "Schizophrenia" and "Foxglove Nursery," as well as Zombie Expedition paintball, according to the attraction's website.
MORE INFO: thedarksidehaunt.com
The Haunt, Cedarburg
Ozaukee County Fairgrounds, W67 N866 Washington Ave., Cedarburg
The Haunt strives to be terrifying, but "on a scale of 1 to 10 (1 being a pumpkin patch and 10 being pee-your-pants-scary), we are about a 6," the attraction's website said.
The Haunt, a volunteer-run operation, lasts between 20 and 25 minutes and is mainly indoors. It's been put on for 16 years, the website said, and is a fundraiser for Ozaukee County 4-H.
MORE INFO: cedarburghaunt.com
Screamin' Acres, Stoughton
3865 State Road 138, Stoughton
Screamin' Acres features several attractions, including "Slaughterhaus," "Lockup: Under No Management," "The Last Resort" and "Side Effects."
In "Slaughterhaus," a plastic chemical tote filled with an odorous liquid was discovered when a meat processing facility was undergoing an expansion, according to the attraction's website. While hoisting the tote out of the ground, it fell and its contents spilled everywhere — including onto the butchers. They were transformed into vicious, bloodthirsty killers.
"Lockup: Under No Management" features a forgotten prison where inmates began escaping. Inside the winding prison, local adventurers discovered a laboratory, the website said. "Large barrels of toxic goo were found stacked to the ceiling with an ‘experiment’ still locked up in a cage begging to be released,' " the website said. Inmates inside the building chased the group to a sewer pipe "that proved to be the final journey out of the horrendous facility."
"The Last Resort" is about Herman Von Richtmyer, a chemist who was involved in chemical warfare and orchestrated some of the most gruesome experiments in human history at the discretion of the governments who hired him, per the website. In his old age, he lived alone in a house in the countryside. He began to hallucinate the victims he tortured: people he cut open, poisoned and distorted. He was found dead, but his voice is still heard chaotically yelling throughout the house.
"Side Effects: Recharged!" is a mind-numbing maze in which attendees will lose touch with reality. This attraction has all-new twists and turns, according to the website.
"Deathtrap," an evolving sideshow, is designed to target natural human reactions, the website said. It's again featuring "Shock Therapy" in 2023, with more and new ways to be shocked. It's primarily fueled by static shocks, and nearly everything in the attraction is designed to target that fear.
MORE INFO: screaminacres.com
Terror on Rural Street, Hartford
147 N. Rural St., Hartford
The Terror on Rural Street Haunted House features 17 rooms with "high tech effects" and more than 30 costumed actors, according to the attraction's website.
The haunted house was started in the late '90s by the Hartford Community Service Inc. nonprofit to raise money for the community.
"What the organizers didn’t plan on was that their efforts would draw the attention of actual spirits that haunt the old Libby’s Canning Factory that Terror on Rural Street calls home," the website said. "It wasn’t long after construction started on the new haunted attraction that strange and unusual events started to befall the workers."
MORE INFO: terroronruralstreet.com
Six Flags Great America Fright Fest, Gurnee, Illinois
1 Great America Parkway, Gurnee, Illinois
Fright Fest at Six Flags Great America features numerous haunted houses, scare zones, shows and more, according to its website.
There are two new haunted houses this year: "Saw X" and "The Estate of Wretched Meadows," the website said.
During "Saw X," which is inspired the new film, attendees attempt to survive Jigsaw's "ingenious and terrifying" traps.
The story behind "The Estate of Wretched Meadows" is that, while the estate was being built in the '60s, a ceiling collapse killed a workman and his apprentice — and several others since then. During the experience, guests discover those spirits.
The park's other haunted houses are: "13th Order," "Big Top Terror," "Bloodshed" and "Gates of Hell."
In "Scare Zones" — where a zombie, witch or other terrifying ghoul could be lurking — include "Wretched Meadows," "Demon Lair," "Henchmen Alley," "Nightmares," "Underworld," "Forbidden Forest," "Lost Souls," "Lost Circus" and "Ride Cemetery."
During "The Uprising Parade: Nightly Call of the Dead," an evil army comes out and begins their nightlong torture of guests. "The Witching Hour" is when the monsters convene at the front of the park to terrorize guests one last time.
There are multiple shows, including: "The Ringmaster's Cabaret," featuring illusions, music and "freakish" acts, and "Love at First Fright," classic music, singing and dancing to Halloween favorites, the website said.
By day, there's Kids Boo Fest, which is for all ages and includes a "BOO-Yeah! Parade," "Not-So-Scary Story Time," a "Monster Bash Dance Party," "Patch's Hay Maze," and trick-or-treating on Candy Corn Lane, according to the website.
MORE INFO: sixflags.com/greatamerica/events/fright-fest-2023
BONUS: Nine Below's Haunted Mini Golf, Milwaukee
1905 E. North Ave., Milwaukee
Nine Below is putting on a "thrilling and eerie" haunted mini golf experience, according to a news release. The course features haunted graveyards, foggy mazes and treacherous dungeons. Visitors will come across ghoulish traps and "hair-raising" creatures along the way. On-theme cocktails and snacks are available. The experience is suitable for attendees at least 16 years old, the release noted.
"We've created a one-of-a-kind, heart-pounding adventure that combines the fun of mini golf with the excitement of a haunted house in the heart of Milwaukee’s East Side," Izzy Santiago, experience and operations manager at Bars and Recreation, said in a news release. Bars and Rec is the parent company of Nine Below, as well as five other Milwaukee entertainment brands.
The Haunted Mini Golf experience runs from 5 to 11 p.m. Oct. 19-22 and Oct. 26-31.
"Family Trick-or-Treat Haunted Mini Golf," suitable for ages 10 and up, will take place from 2 to 9 p.m. Oct. 22 and 29.
MORE INFO: ninebelowmke.com/haunted-mini-golf.html
This isn't a comprehensive list. If your favorite haunt wasn't included, please let us know. Contact Hannah Kirby at hannah.kirby@jrn.com.
This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Halloween 2023: Haunted houses around Milwaukee, Wisconsin and beyond
