Make your Halloween date night the most terrifyingly terrific yet by visiting some of the 10 best haunted attractions in Illinois.
Been wondering how you could add a little extra spice to your Halloween date night?
Imagine evil spirits, goblins, ghouls, and zombies – all ready to pounce as you round a darkened corner.
Now toss in cool temps and hot chocolate and you have the makings of a fun outing to a haunted attraction.
From Chicago to Southern Illinois, the state is home to some of the best and scariest attractions in the country. You’ll find basements, prisons, haunted houses and more.
Check out the top 10 haunted attractions in Illinois this Halloween.
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Basement of the Dead – Aurora
Located about two hours west of Chicago, Aurora’s Basement of the Dead challenges you to navigate a real basement.
With a sense of fear having already been naturally activated during your walk through, your experience will be heightened by actors in authentic costumes and make-up just waiting to jump out of the dark.
With zombies, evil clowns and more, a visit to the Basement of the Dead is truly a haunted experience.
Factory of Fear – Moline
The Quad Cities’ Moline is the site of Factory of Fear.
With more than 30 rooms of sheer terror awaiting, you’ll need to be on guard for things that go bump in the night, as well as what may be lurking in the shadows.
After more than 25 years of scaring people, making it one of the oldest haunted houses in Illinois, Factory of Fear is sure to bring on more frights this season.
HellsGate Haunted House – Lockport
HellsGate Haunted House is one of the Chicago metro area’s outstanding haunted attractions.
Hidden deep in the woods, HellsGate is a multi-level mansion filled with secret passages, giant slides, ghastly secrets, undead abominations, really nervous groundskeepers, and a darkness the gate can no longer contain.
Massacre Haunted House – Naperville
Are you ready to have your mind messed with?
Massacre Haunted House in the Chicago suburb of Naperville will test your willpower as you navigate through a maze of rooms filled with evil, the undead, and more.
With more than 60 rooms available to explore, the haunted house attraction is redesigned annually to keep visitors on their toes.
Bring your best evil-fighting skills, because you’ll need them to survive this encounter.
Necrosis Haunted House – Rantoul
The Champaign-Urbana area is home to a scary haunted attraction in Rantoul.
Necrosis Haunted House is home to truly evil beings thirsting for victims… and where the line between the living and the dead is rotting away.
As you explore the home where the undead rule, you’ll be challenged to safely make your way through the house.
Realm of Terror – Lake County
The Realm of Terror is the collaborative brainchild of professional filmmakers, special effects makeup artists, carpenters, set designers, sound designers and just plain messed up people.
Experience a winding maze of extreme terror that won’t just scare you, but will mess you up for life.
Sinister Acres – DeSoto
Southern Illinois is the setting for Sinister Acres, where you can check out two haunted attractions in one location.
Legend has it that deranged serial killer Otis Hodge offered his property, Sinister House, as a sanctuary for fellow serial killers, mass murderers and other criminal elements seeking refuge.
For more than three decades, debauchery was the word of the day on the Hodge property. But, as time passed, Hodge and his guests faded away.
Or did they?
Long before Sinister Acres was home to notorious serial killer Otis Hodge, it was home to a much older and ancient evil. Early pioneers in the region and native tribes would tell stories of a race of human-like creatures that lived in the forest and ate the flesh of those unlucky enough to wander into their lair.
Spook Hollow – Peoria
There’s an old saying that goes along the lines of “Will it play in Peoria?”
When it comes to haunted attractions, you can bet that it plays…and scares.
Into its fifth decade, Spook Hollow is home to three haunted attractions in one location.
Check out the woods of Independence Park for a scarily good time.
Travel through Spook Hollow, an outdoor haunt that challenges your sanity as you navigate your way through the woods while searching for the undead and any evil spirits that may be haunting the area.
If you don’t end up a meal for the undead, check out both MC Manor (a haunted house) and MC Nightmare, which may cause insomnia post this nightmarish adventure.
Each attraction doesn’t take long to complete, meaning you can cover all three in a night.
Twisted Crypt Haunted House – Rockford
Challenging all of your senses, Twisted Crypt Haunted House will make you question if you actually survived your encounter with evil.
A visit to any of the 10 interactive rooms will test your sense of smell, sight, sound and more, as you navigate your way through the haunted house.
Undead Acres – Monee
Imagine strolling through a nursery in total darkness, praying not to encounter the zombies and other undead characters that may roam Undead Acres in Monee.
You’ll feel the hair on the back of your neck stand up as you’re positive you brushed against someone…or something… not of this world.
The caretaker escorts you into the nursery, then all bets are off on making it out alive – or at least without being frightened.
Undead Acres is also home to zombie paintball. Acceptable for people of all ages, you’ll ride in a wagon as you pick off zombies roaming the land.
Guests are not shot with paintball weapons during the ride, just in case you were worried.
Undead Acres also features a shooting gallery and air cannon to take out corn stalks. The attraction is located about 45 minutes south of Chicago.
Summing up
You’ll likely have so much fun at Illinois’ haunted house attractions that one won’t be enough. Next thing you know, you’ll be driving across the state to check more of them out.
Just remember that these haunted attractions bring a sense of reality to their frights, so make sure you’re psychologically ready to take on the evil waiting in the dark. Either that or wear incontinence pads.
However you celebrate the Halloween season with your loved one, have fun and be safe!
Always look behind you for things lurking the dark.
Happy hauntings!
Get more great Halloween ideas at All things Halloween for adults.