Looking to be spooked? Scares abound at these 7 haunted Michigan attractions
For most of the year, being frightened is something people try to avoid, but Jim Werner has a front seat every October when many go looking for a good scare.
"I think most of us are very nostalgic this time of year," said Werner, operations manager for Eloise Asylum, a haunted attraction in the historic Kay Beard Building, part of what was once a hospital in Westlund. "We remember our childhoods, trick or treating … the mystique of the Halloween season."
Beyond that, Werner said seasonal haunts — no matter whether they're in a house, corn field, car wash or century-and-a-half-old hospital — offer scares in a controlled environment.
In the weeks leading up to Oct. 31, being able to deliver that experience is big business in Michigan.
Effective scares don't depend on blood and gore or zombies and monsters, said Brian McVay, who co-owns Awaken, a haunted experience in Leslie, but a mix of carefully curated elements.
"The atmosphere, you've got to have great actors," he said. "And then, where can we put this actor for the best effects and timing to get them in and allow them to do their thing?"
Here's a closer look at seven haunted attractions in mid-Michigan to consider visiting this Halloween season.
Awaken Haunted Attraction, Leslie
Before McVay and Bob Robinson partnered to create Awaken Haunted Attraction in 2016, the property at 4760 Churchill Road in Leslie was still filled with automated car lifts.
The pair transformed the 14,000-square-foot former Chevrolet dealership into a haunt that's double that footprint, utilizing outdoor space and additional buildings on the property. In total there are five attractions guests can enjoy, including a traditional haunted house, a 3D maze, a pallet maze, an outdoor haunt and an escape room. There are plans to add a zombie paintball feature next year.
Narrowing down the highlights is a struggle for McVay.
"We have a full-sized town inside that we built that's flooded as a swamp," he said. "It gives you the illusion that it's a swamp and there are things in there."
At Awaken you'll see flames, chainsaws, aliens, a spinning vortex, more than two dozen actors in costume, and lots of special effects, lighting and sounds, courtesy of Stuart Vealey.
For McVay, who owns his own graphic design company, creating new scares every season is an exercise in creativity.
"We all kind of sit around and come up with concepts and one person might say, 'Hey, I got this idea,' and then that leads into something else. We'll come up with a concept for a room and it'll change almost up until we are open."
Visit Awaken on Fridays and Saturdays through Oct. 30. There are a few special events planned this year, including an appearance by David Howard Thornton, who portrayed Art the Clown in the film "Terrifier."
Tickets range from $25 for general admission to $35 for a pass that lets you skip the lines. Visit Awaken's website at www.awakenhaunt.com .
Eloise Asylum, Westlund
The Eloise Asylum haunted attraction plays off the history and rumored real-life hauntings of the property itself.
It occupies 30,000 square feet inside the 150,000-square-foot Kay Beard Building at 30712 Michigan Ave. in Westlund, which was once part of the Eloise Psychiatric Hospital. The building dates back to the 1830s.
"Most of the site was torn down," said Werner, its operations manager. "What remains is just a few buildings with the Kay Beard building being the cornerstone of the property."
In 2021, its first year, an estimated 40,000 people went through the haunted attraction, Werner said.
"It was an absolute success," he said.
Visitors can go through two features at the site: The asylum, which Werner describes as "Arkham Asylum" meets "Stranger Things" meets "American Horror Story" and Sub Level One.
"And that is a sci-fi theme descent into a military experiment," he said.
Each feature occupies its own floor. It takes more than 100 actors and 50 additional staff, along with special effects to pull the scares off, Werner said.
"We have some of the most advanced animatronics that you'll find outside of the biggest amusement parks...We also use 3D mapping, which is a projection that allows us to project all sorts of fanciful things in all sorts of different environments," he explained.
Eloise Asylum is open Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays through Nov. 5. Tickets are $44 and include both attractions, which each takes about 25 minutes to go through. The scares are best suited to those who are 13 and older, Werner said.
Visit Eloise Asylum's website at www.eloiseasylum.com.
Erebus, Pontiac
Greek mythology defines Erebus as "a personification of darkness."
But Ed Terebus and his brother Jim got into the haunted house business two decades before they bought the building at 18 S. Perry St. in Pontiac and settled on that name for their new haunt.
The pair's first haunted attraction occupied 1,200 square feet in Jim's backyard in the Detroit area. Erebus is in a four-story, 1928 building that had been vacant for 40 years before they bought it in 1998.
Two years later they opened Erebus. The spine-chilling time travel experience, "is a fun and scary atmosphere that everyone can enjoy," Terebus said.
It employs about 150 people and runs through Nov. 5. Tickets range from $20 to $35, depending on when you visit.
Thousands of people go through the attraction every year and there are often lines to get in, Terebus said.
How long does it take to get through?
"It depends on how fast you run," he joked.
Visit the attraction's website at www.hauntedpontiac.com.
Jackson's Underworld and PsychoVision 3D, Jackson
The three-story brick building at 1318 Wildwood Ave. in Jackson that's home to Jackson's Underworld dates back to the 1800s.
It had been a haunted attraction for nearly a decade when Lei and Tim Mullins bought the property and picked up the mantle of crafting and running the scares. The couple has been at the helm for three years.
"I had never been through a haunted house until we bought this one," Lei Mullins said, and she admits the thought of one "terrified her."
The first time she walked through Jackson's Underworld she took her children. It helped, she said, because their reactions made her laugh. She recommends that people who are as apprehensive as she once should do the same when they come.
"I'm like, 'Just put your kids first,'" Lei Mullins said.
The attraction offers two different haunts — a 3D experience with creepy clowns and a traditional haunted house with more gore.
Jackson's Underworld is open Thursdays through Sundays through Nov. 4. Tickets for the traditional haunt are $25. The 3D experience costs $20. A ticket that includes both is $40. VIP passes are more and allow guests to skip the lines. Visit the website at www.jxunderworld.com.
Slaughterhouse Adventure & Grand River Corn Maze, Fowlerville
Ken Evans and Rick VanGilder partnered up to create Slaughterhouse Adventure & Grand River Corn Maze two decades ago.
The property at 5781 W. Grand River Road has something for everyone, Evans said, including a 26-acre haunted corn maze, haunted hayrides, a traditional haunted house that's situated in a 100-year-old barn and two escape rooms.
The operation has expanded over the years and the outdoor attractions are weather dependent.
Evans spends most of the year brainstorming new scares for the attraction.
"When the creative part goes, I get excited about it," he said. "I write the scripts, and I write everything that goes on and then I have rehearsals. The haunted house is like a play. People go through it and you become immersed in the play."
The key to scaring people at each feature is often surprise, Evans said, but part of the goal is providing good entertainment.
The attractions are open Fridays and Saturdays through the end of October. Tickets, cash only, are $20 for one event and $35 for two events. Tickets for the escape rooms are $15 for 30 minutes and $20 for an hour on Fridays and Saturdays, and groups of 10 or more may reserve spots.
Visit the website at www.slaughterhouseadventure.net.
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Haunted Eaton County Courthouse, Charlotte
There wouldn't be a haunted attraction inside the historic 1885 Eaton County Courthouse if Julie Kimmer's family hadn't decided to move out of a home they owned at the corner of Lovett and Pleasant streets more than five years ago.
Their house was known for its elaborate Halloween displays that filled the yard. Kimmer gifted all her creepy decorations to the Eaton County Courthouse Square Museum, where she works as the manager. The group operates inside the historic courthouse at 100 W. Lawrence Ave. in Charlotte.
Entrance to the haunted courthouse, which runs for two evenings from 7 to 9 p.m. on Oct. 28 and 29, costs $5. Proceeds are used to help maintain the building.
And yes, rumors abound that the building is actually haunted. Kimmer can attest to hearing strange noises over the years.
Learn more at www.csamuesum.net.
Tommy's Express Haunted Car Wash, Delta Twp.
Looking for a scare that's convenient? Tommy's Express Car Wash, at 3715 W. Saginaw St. in Delta Township, is offering one you don't even have to leave your vehicle for.
The business is offering a haunted car wash for three weekends in October — from 7 to 10 p.m. Oct. 21, 22, 28, 29 and 30.
Assistant site lead Ken Sandoval said the company has been offering the spooky attraction at some of its more than 60 locations for at least five years.
"We're very excited, he said. "I think we have about four billboards up. We're anticipating a lot of people to show up, hopefully."
Members of the car wash can go through the haunt free of charge. It will cost non-members $25 per vehicle. Goody bags will be offered in the car wash's lot when vehicles exit the attraction.
Contact Rachel Greco at rgreco@lsj.com. Follow her on Twitter @GrecoatLSJ .
This article originally appeared on Lansing State Journal: Looking to be spooked? Visit these 7 haunted Michigan attractions
