Connecticut haunted houses get you in the Halloween mood

There’s nothing like a good scare on Halloween. This year, haunted attractions are coming back from the coronavirus pandemic with their traditional supply of blood-curdling Halloween season fun.

Just so the visit doesn’t get any scarier, most attractions limit the number of people inside at any time. Many offer multiticket packs so visitors are admitted with friends, rather than strangers. Many have moved entirely outside. Others have not. But keep social distancing and masking in mind.

Here is a list of attractions. It is not all inclusive. Check websites before buying for their COVID-19 protocols. Some are open before October, but this list includes only dates during the October peak season:

“Netherworld Experience” is at Curioporium, 1429 Park St. in Hartford, every Friday, Saturday and Sunday in October at 6 and 8 p.m. According to the website, “plunge into a world of macabre, unabashed ghouls and get up close and personal with the Netherworld’s one and only Ghost with the Most,” as well as participate in a séance. $60. curioporium.com.

Evidence of Evil, a haunted attraction that started out at Crystal Bees in Southington, has moved to Lyman Orchards, on South Street in Middlefield, where it will deliver scares every Friday, Saturday and Sunday from Oct. 1 to 31 from dusk to 10 p.m. Admission is $25, sold online only. David Belas, who helped to create the attraction, said this year’s presentation will be more “light-hearted” than the hardcore version presented in previous years. A portion of the proceeds will benefit St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital. lymanorchards.com/events/evidence-of-evil-haunted-attraction-at-lyman-orchards/.

Fright Haven, 411 Barnum Ave Cutoff in Stratford (across the street from Home Depot and Behind the LAC Fitness Center), will deliver its scares on Fridays and Saturdays 7 p.m. to midnight and Sundays 7 to 10 p.m., from Oct. 1 to 31. Three attractions are inside the house: “Witching Hour,” about a missing family; “Psycho Ward 13,” about an asylum and a spooky doctor; and “Wasteland,” about a nuclear war. $25, $40 fast pass, $60 front of the line. frighthaven.com.

Dark Manor, 25 Main St. in the Versailles section of Sprague, will be open every Friday, Saturday and Sunday in October, as well as Oct. 21 and 28, with tours leaving each half hour from 6:30 to 10:30 p.m., until 11:30 p.m. on Friday and Saturdays. $18. On peak nights, admission is $20 and must be bought in groups of four or more. thedarkmanor.com.

Nightmare on Wolcott Street, 1058 Wolcott St. in Waterbury, will show off its “55 rooms of terror” every Friday, Saturday and Sunday in October, from 6 p.m. to midnight. $15. nigthmareonwolcottstreet.com.

Trail of Terror, 60 N. Plains Highway in Wallingford, is open every Friday and Saturday in October, and Sundays from Oct. 10 to 24, with groups leaving every hour from 7 to 10 p.m. $25, $40 for VIP Premium Pass, which cuts down on the wait time. trailofterror.com.

Rails to the Darkside, a haunted train ride at the Connecticut Trolley Museum at 58 North Road in East Windsor, will be every Friday and Saturday in October at 7 p.m. $20, $10 for members. ct-trolley.org/events/rails-to-the-darkside/.

Legends of Fear, at Fairview Tree Farm at 2 Saw Mill City Road in Shelton, is open every Friday and Saturday in October, Sundays from Oct. 10 to 31 and Thursday, Oct. 28. Groups leave every half hour from 7 to 9 p.m., until 10 p.m. on Oct. 15 and 16, until 10:30 p.m. Oct. 22, 23, 29 and 30. Admission of $58 includes The Haunted Hayride and The Hallow Walking Trail, which includes Forest of Fear, Fun House of Fear, Melonhead Revenge Trail, Hemlock Manor, Pine Hills Parish and The Dark Harvest. No one younger than 12 admitted. Other ticketing packages available. legendsoffear.com.

Graveyard Shift Ghost Tours at the Mark Twain House & Museum, 351 Farmington Ave. in Hartford, focus on stories of ghosts in the writer’s home and Mark Twain’s own interest in the supernatural. The tours will be every Friday and Saturday in October, as well as Oct. 21 and 28, with tours leaving at 6, 7, 8 and 9 p.m. $26, $18 for ages 10 to 16. marktwainhouse.org/admission.

The Haunted Isle, a haunted train ride at the Shoreline Trolley Museum, 17 River St. in East Haven, will be every Friday and Saturday in October, with trains leaving every half hour from 7 to 10 p.m. $21.25. shorelinetrolley.org.

Mystic Moonlit Graveyard Ghost Tours will be every Friday, Saturday, Sunday and Wednesday in October at 7 p.m., with 9:15 p.m. tours on the 23rd and 30th. $20. seasideshadows.com/tickets.

A double feature of the 1931 horror classics, Bela Lugosi’s “Dracula” and Boris Karloff’s “Frankenstein” will be Oct. 2 at 1 p.m. at AMC Bloomfield, Cinemark Buckland in Manchester, Cinemark Enfield, Regal Brass Mill in Waterbury, Cinemark North Haven, Regal Branford, AMC Lisbon, Connecticut Post 14 in Milford, AMC Danbury, Mystic Luxury Cinemas, Regal Stonington. Admission varies by theater. fathomevents.com.

Downtown Mystic Ghost Tours will be at 7 p.m. every Saturday, Tuesday and Thursday in October. According to the website, the tour tells “stories of true ghosts and specters of Mystic’s notable past with local guides steeped in paranormal experience and historical expertise in a truly haunted town.” Admission is $25. seasideshadows.com/tickets.

A 40th anniversary screening of the zombie classic “The Evil Dead” will be Oct. 7 at 7:30 p.m. at AMC Bloomfield, Cinemark Buckland in Manchester, Cinemark Enfield, Regal Brass Mill in Waterbury, Cinemark North Haven, Regal Branford, AMC Lisbon, Connecticut Post 14 in Milford, AMC Danbury. Admission varies by theater. fathomevents.com.

Dustin Pari, star of “Ghost Hunters,” presents Zoom talks all month. “Understanding the Paranormal” will be Oct. 7 at 6:30 p.m., presented by Richmond Memorial Library in Marlborough. “Spirits of New England” will be Oct. 14 at 6:30 p.m., presented by Granby Public Library. “Once Upon Death and Dying” will be Oct. 21 at 7 p.m., presented by Torrington Public Library. Admission is free. Details and registration: dustinpari.com/events.

Terror at Quassy, a haunted attraction at Quassy Amusement Park, 2132 Middlebury Road in Middlebury, will be every Friday, Saturday and Sunday from Oct. 8 to 31, from 6 to 11 p.m. Admission is $29.99, $10 for parking. quassy.com.

Nightmare on Main, themed “Phobia!” will be at the Windham Textile and History Museum, 411 Main St. in Willimantic, will be open Oct. 9, 10, 15, 16, 23 and 24, with tours leaving every 20 minutes from 7 to 9:30 p.m. $15. millmuseum.org.

A 25th anniversary screening of the horror classic “Scream” will be Oct. 10 at 3 and 7 p.m. and Oct. 11 at 7 p.m. at Cinemark Buckland in Manchester, AMC Plainville, Cinemark Enfield, Regal Brass Mill in Waterbury, Cinemark North Haven, AMC Lisbon, Connecticut Post 14 in Milford, AMC Danbury, Mystic Luxury Cinemas. Admission varies by theater. fathomevents.com.

Elm Grove Cemetery Haunted History Tour at 197 Greenmanville Ave. in Mystic will be Oct. 10 and 24 at 4 p.m. $25. seasideshadows.com/tickets.

“Things That Go Bump In The Night” will be presented by the Nathan Hale Homestead, 2299 South St. in Coventry, Oct. 14, 15, 21, 22, 28 and 29 at 7 p.m. There will be a “candlelight tour that will take you around the property and into the house, all the way up to the dark and eerie attic. The moonlit tour will feature the Hale staff’s spooky encounters, as featured on the Syfy channel’s ‘Ghost Hunters’,” according to the website. $25, $20 for Connecticut Landmarks members. ctlandmarks.org/event/things-that-go-bump-in-the-night-2021/.

Haunt on Eden, 396 Mt. Vernon Road in the Plantsville section of Southington will be open Oct. 15, 16, 22, 23, 29 and 30 at 8, 9 and 10 p.m. $18, $100 for a party of six. hauntoneden.com.

Witches and Tombstone Tours will take place at the Webb-Deane-Stevens Museum, 211 Main St. in Wethersfield, on Oct. 23 and 24 at 10:30 a.m., noon, 1:30 p.m. and 3 p.m. The tour teaches about colonial mourning practices, Connecticut’s first mass murder and tales from the Wethersfield Witch Trials, which began in 1648. $25. simpletix.com/e/witches-and-tombstone-tour-tickets-76862.

Halloween Weekend Burial Ground Paranormal Investigation will be Oct. 23 and 30 at 11:30 p.m. at the Whitehall Burying Ground in Mystic. The tour is 2 hours and 15 minutes. Admission is $40. seasideshadows.com/tickets.

A double feature of the Claude Rains horror classics “The Invisible Man” (1933) and “The Wolf Man” (1941) will be Oct. 30 at 1 p.m. at AMC Bloomfield, Cinemark Buckland in Manchester, Cinemark Enfield, Regal Brass Mill in Waterbury, Cinemark North Haven, Regal Branford, AMC Lisbon, Connecticut Post 14 in Milford, AMC Danbury, Mystic Luxury Cinemas, Regal Stonington. Admission varies by theater. fathomevents.com.

Susan Dunne can be reached at sdunne@courant.com.