Haunt season is underway in southern cities

The temperatures are dropping, the leaves are changing and the screams are starting – all signs that “Haunt Season” is happening once again. The Haunted Attraction Association (HAA) has announced that hundreds of fright specialists from coast to coast have opened their doors of doom to offer thrills and chills to visitors now through the end of October.

 “This is the best time of year in my opinion,” said HAA President John Eslich.  “Our members have worked hard to elevate the guest experience; and with the introduction of new elements like virtual reality and blackout experiences at a number of attractions, I think people will feel emotions they’ve never felt before.”  

In advance of National Haunted House Day on October 14, here is a sampling of haunted attractions in southern states of the U.S.

Plano, Texas

Dark Hour Haunted House provides over 30,000 feet of terror to be explored by willing guests. The attraction includes three themed areas: Dominion of the Dead, Coven Manor, and Voodoo Vengeance, all of which have sets worthy of a Broadway production. Professional actors and strategic use of technology all combine to create a genuine theatrical experience in terror.

Nashville, Tennessee

Entering its sixth year of fear, Nashville Nightmare has brought together the top talent in the area to enter a new level of terror. New for 2016, the attraction is introducing Night Terrors Haunted House, an industrial horror complex, where Necro-Toxins are pumped into visitors’ systems as they travel through dark tunnels and sewers while encountering nightmarish creates.

Baton Rouge, Louisiana

The 13th Gate offers 13 distinct nightmarish realms where a visitor’s worst fears will come true. The attraction features a real snake-infested Louisiana Swamp, nightly voodoo shows, claustrophobic cellars, hidden subterranean passages and a prehistoric ice cave and much more, all seamlessly woven together to create one haunting experience. From crawling through a crematory oven and an old hearse to being lost in dark underground tunnels, this 40,000 square foot haunted house is not recommended for the faint of heart.

More Haunts in the South:

Creepy Hollow Haunted House, Rosharon, Texas

Derailed Haunted House, Ramer, Tennessee

Mountain Mayhem, Whitesburg, Kentucky

Sinister Tombs Haunted House, Eastview, Kentucky

Tormented Nightmares, Black Mountain, North Carolina

Granville Haunt Farm, Oxford, North Carolina

Dark Woods Haunted House, Natchitoches, Louisiana

Lake Hickory Haunts, Hickory, North Carolina

Information courtesy of Daylyn Weppner, Lou Hammond Group. Photos from Haunted Attraction Association