Halloween 2022: Your guide to haunted houses, attractions in Michigan
October is fast approaching, meaning it’s only a matter of time before Michigan is swept into spooky season, the best time of year for haunted house enthusiasts.
But how do you know which attraction is right for you? Fortunately, we’ve got a comprehensive rundown of haunted attractions across the state that are bound to fit your interests.
Not a haunted house person? Try out a haunted hayride or corn maze instead. Are you a boating enthusiast? Some attractions take place on boats featuring several decks of spooky fun.
If you can brave it, here’s a list of haunted attractions to check out state-wide:
The Edson Incident
1680 Martin St., Bay City
This haunted attraction on the USS Edson in Bay City takes brave visitors through five decks of the Vietnam-era U.S. Navy Destroyer, according to Michigan Haunted Houses.
In addition to its regular schedule, there will also be a series of “Blackout” weekends, where people are given a single glow stick to navigate the darkness while on the ship.
Tickets for the 2022 season are available to buy.
Ghosts on the Balcony
211 S. Old Woodward Av.e, Birmingham
The Birmingham 8 will not be showing movies during October and will instead be transformed back to the Victorian era for an immersive haunted attraction.
According to the event description, the theater, built as a playhouse in 1927, has been rumored to be haunted, with guests reporting paranormal encounters through the years.
“Ghosts on the Balcony” will transform 11 areas in the theater that will be uniquely themed and staffed by professional actors. It will run daily through the month of October and will feature family-friendly and adult haunts. Tickets are currently available for purchase.
Slaughterhouse Adventure
5781 Grand River, Fowlerville
Slaughterhouse Adventure offers a total of four terrifying attractions: a haunted house, haunted hayride, haunted corn maze and an escape room.
If your group doesn’t consist of all thrill seekers, there is also a 26-acre non-haunted corn maze that’s encouraged as fun for the whole family.
Per the website, all haunts are cash-only events.
Rotten Manor
13245 Dixie Hwy., Holly
Featuring haunted attractions and carnival games, Rotten Manor offers immersive horror-themed performances for the entire family.
In addition to its haunted attractions, it features a Rotten Hayride that goes through the haunted woods of the manor.
Rotten Manor also has a midway full of carnival-themed games and activities.
Tickets are sold on-site at the ticket booth only. Check out the calendar for available dates.
DarkSyde Acres
11375 Rowe Road, Jonesville
This haunted attraction features more than 70,000 square feet of mazes and monsters, according to the website. There are five scary attractions, including a chainsaw maze and a clown-themed haunt.
In business for more than a decade, DarkSyde Acres’ haunted attractions include hand-built sets and do not feature any animatronic characters.
Tickets are available for purchase at the ticket booth, located near the haunted house.
Past Tense After Dark
1965 Farnsworth Road, Lapeer
This haunted destination features three attractions: The House of Horrors, the Hayride of Despair and the Corn Maze of Fear. If you’re able to escape from the haunts unscathed, cider and donuts are available at the cider mill right next door.
Tickets are not yet available for purchase, but you can keep up with events on the Facebook page.
Awaken Haunted Attraction
4760 Churchill Road, Leslie
Visitors can visit four linked attractions here with one ticket, according to the website. It begins with a haunted house, followed by a 3D haunted experience leading to a 3,500-square-foot pallet maze. Then, visitors go to an outdoor trail and loop around back to the haunted house.
Additionally, there are extra side attractions like an escape room and paintball.
Tickets for the 2022 season are available now.
Azra Chamber of Horrors
31401 John R. Road, Bldg 2, Madison Heights
One of the newer haunted houses in metro Detroit, Azra Chamber of Horrors features an interactive, multi-level maze of a haunted house that used to be a laser tag arena.
Azra has been voted a top haunt destination and fan favorite in metro Detroit by Scare Factor.
Tickets are currently available on the website for select dates.
Manistee’s Ghost Ship
99 Arthur St., Manistee
This haunted house attraction is located on the historic car ferry S.S. City of Milwaukee. According to the website, it’s a fundraising event that takes place Friday and Saturday nights in October.
It consists of five to six decks and takes about 25-45 minutes to walk through. Ghost Ship opens on Oct. 7. Fastpass tickets are currently available for purchase.
Niles Scream Park
855 Mayflower Road, Niles
Spanning 44 acres, Niles Scream Park prides itself on its reputation as one of the top haunted attractions in the country, according to the website.
Niles rebuilds all six of its major attractions every year for completely new and unique shows.
The attractions include its haunted house that includes more than 100 different paths inside, along with a series of outdoor mazes and a haunted hayride. Additionally, there is an attraction that simulates the Salem Witch Trials.
Tickets for the 2022 season are available for purchase.
Terrorfied Forest
145 Swarthout Road, Pinckney
This is an outdoor haunted attraction that puts visitors in the middle of the forest on a dimly lit path that’s just under a mile long.
According to the website, the walk may attract monsters, but visitors can grab “monster repellent” at the ticket booth to keep the creatures away.
Tickets for the 2022 season are available for purchase.
Erebus Haunted Attraction
18 South Perry, Pontiac
Downtown Pontiac is home to Erebus, one of the top haunts in the nation. It was named the second-best haunted house in the country by USA Today in 2021.
A Halloween season staple, Erebus features a four-story haunted house filled with frights and thrills.
It was founded by Ed and Jim Terebus in 2000 and has gotten national attention. In 2005, it was recognized as the world’s longest walk-through haunted attraction in the Guiness Book of World Records.
Tickets are currently live for the 2022 season.
Abandoned Acres Farm
7737 Fruit Ridge Ave., Sparta
Abandoned Acres Farm, located just north of Grand Rapids, is an immersive experience with several spooky attractions.
There are two different corn mazes, per the website: one is the Bloody Butcher Corn Maze, which features mutant pumpkins, witches, scarecrows and more. The other is the Big Top Terror Vision Corn Maze, a carnival-themed 3D maze full of clowns and circus animals.
Tickets are currently live for September and October.
The Scream Machine
23131 Ecorse Road, Taylor
Located in the Taylor Town Trade Center, The Scream Machine boasts a “relentless, in-your-face action-packed haunt experience.”
The attraction begins through the halls of an asylum that is just the beginning - visitors are then taken through a crypt and a “menagerie of failed creations.” There are also two optional five-minute escape rooms.
The Scream Machine opens for the season on Sept. 23. You can buy tickets here.
Eloise Asylum
30712 Michigan Ave., Westland
The infamous asylum-turned-haunted attraction features over 30,000 square feet of horror-themed experiences.
According to the website, the haunted attraction uses “cutting-edge production technology” used by the likes of theme parks like Disney and Universal Studios.
In addition to the haunted attraction, an escape room and paranormal tours are also available. Tickets are currently available for purchase.
Hush Haunted Attraction
37550 Cherry Hill Road, Westland
Hush features three attractions in one place, each of them meticulously designed to deliver a truly fearful experience.
The attractions include the Hush Falls Hotel, Louisiana Catacombs and the Rosecliff Hall Haunted Mansion.
Hush is also offering special events during the season outside of its haunted attractions, including a secret bar crawl and a lights-on, kid-friendly event on Oct. 30.
Tickets for the 2022 season are currently available for purchase.
Wiard's Orchard Night Terrors
5565 Merritt Rd., Ypsilanti
Wiard's Orchards Night Terrors is the home of Michigan's Haunted Thrill Park, which features five haunted house attractions.
Attractions include a haunted barn, an "alien clown" exhibit, a spooky mineshaft, a haunted asylum and a haunted hayride. After the hayride, each customer receives a donut and cup of cider at the end of the ride, along with a communal bonfire.
According to the website, Night Terrors is always upgrading and making changes to haunts every year, including new sets, animatronics and new technology.
Tickets are available to buy for the 2022 season.
This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Guide to haunted houses, haunted attractions in Michigan
