Ready to scream? Haunted house season is upon us in Northern Ohio
It's that time of year.
Leaves start to fall.
Halloween candy must be purchased and repurchased as we can't resist the temptation to try it before the big day.
And we spend money just to have the bejeebers scared out of us.
There are ample opportunities to be scared as Northern Ohio is home to more than its far share of haunts.
Some have been around for decades while others are relatively new.
Hudson is home to one of the last-remaining haunted houses that is all volunteer run and solely raises money for charity.
And series of haunted attractions under one roof in Canton hold the record for one of the biggest such haunts in existence.
Some are known to be a bit more timid like the Ghoul Brothers in Akron, while others like the Slaughter House in Chippewa Lake are something right out of horror flick.
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Local haunted houses increase prices
Like everything else, inflation has hit haunted houses as most − with exception of a rare one or two − have raised their prices from anywhere from a couple of bucks to as much as $10.
And some have even adopted dynamic pricing where the ticket costs fluctuates depending on the popularity of the day you visit.
The venerable Akron Haunted Schoolhouse and Laboratory are now charging to just linger outside of its haunts.
Owner John Eslich said this particular move is not so much about economics, but rather practicality.
They have put a lot of effort and spent a great deal of money in recent years, he said, to enhance the guests' experience before and after touring the haunts by adding a midway between the two attractions where you can grab a drink, eat, shop for souvenirs and even be scared by roaming characters.
The problem is it has also attracted some non-paying youngsters who simply hang out and harass workers and guests and cause headaches for security.
"We are not a babysitting operation," he said. "We are looking to provide a fun Halloween experience."
Starting this season, Eslich said, those guests who do not have a ticket to tour the haunted houses will have to pay a $5 admission to enter the midway.
Spooky updates at the Akron Haunted Schoolhouse
Workers have toiled the whole off season to put in some new scares and move around and renovate some of the old ones.
Dave Shonk, who helps manage the Akron operation, said they switch between the laboratory and the schoolhouse each year.
This year, it was the schoolhouse's turn.
They worked on creating or renovating some 20 scenes alone in the schoolhouse for the fall season.
"Some customers said in the past 'why is it called the haunted schoolhouse when there's no much about school in it,' " Shonk said.
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School will definitely be in session this Halloween. They have added new school-related rooms and scares. If you look closely, some of the photos hanging on the walls are class pictures from back when it was still the functioning Thomastown Elementary School.
And some of the piles of books scattered about are actually yearbooks from Akron schools.
Don't worry there's still plenty of eclectic scenes in the old school.
There's a new birthday party room full of creepy clowns.
They have also added an expanded slaughterhouse section complete with a deli counter and a gory backroom where the sausage is made.
And there's a section full of creepy pumpkins.
There are lots of new nooks and crannies for actors to spring out of to scare guests. But like most businesses, Shonk said, finding workers is getting tougher and tougher.
They have added more spots where a single actor pops out of multiple locations and also added more animatronics along with improved lighting and sound effects.
The venerable talking skeleton sitting on a toilet in the bathroom scene has even gone hi-tech.
In the old days, the voice was provided by an actor hidden behind a panel on the wall who would use a remote control to move the skeleton's mouth.
Shonk said they brought back one of the old actors who provided the voice of the skeleton to record a soundtrack to sync up with the new electronic movements of the prop.
"I'm just glad he's still here," Shonk said. "He's just as vulgar and funny as ever."
Here are some of the more notable haunts in the Akron area or ones worth a drive to visit.
Forest of Screams
The brains and brawn behind the Forest of Screams in Medina County's Sharon Township must know what they are doing since they've been running haunts for decades and design and sell props and intact haunted houses to other operators.
They put all this knowledge into a large piece of property along state Route 18 between Medina and Fairlawn where they operate a haunted trail and the area's only haunted hayride.
The Forest of Screams Haunted Hayride, Night Stalkers Trail and Mortuary Haunted House are all included in the $32 admission ticket.
The seasonal weekend run begins Sept. 23 and runs through Nov. 5.
For more information, visit forestofscreams.com.
Haunted Schoolhouse and Laboratory
There's a good reason the Akron Haunted Schoolhouse and Haunted Laboratory has been around for nearly five decades.
It offers some old school scares in a couple pretty cool buildings with rich histories − ghosts and ghouls aside.
The original haunt dates back to 1974 and occupies the former Thomastown Elementary School on Triplett Boulevard.
And right next door is the former Guggenheim Airship Institute that has been home to the haunted lab since 1981.
Built in 1932, it was designed by Akron architect M.M. Konarski, who used an art-deco scheme for the structure.
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It was once home to scores of workers and scientists who toiled in a maze of laboratories, offices, classrooms and libraries with a lofty goal to perfect lighter-than-air travel and conduct weather experiments.
Now inside of its brick walls are scores scares.
Tickets to get into both attractions at 1300 Triplett Boulevard in Akron range from $25 to $35 depending on which day you attend. A ticket to just one of the attractions runs for $20.
The weekend season goes from Sept. 23 to Nov. 5.
For more, visit hauntedschoolhouse.com.
Hudson Haunted House
The Hudson Haunted House is the granddaddy of local haunts.
This one is a bit less gory than most and is one of the few remaining haunted houses that raises money solely for charity, in this case the Hudson Jaycees.
You won't see a lot of high-tech gadgetry here, as most of the scares are created by the actors.
There is just one house, but you certainly get your money's worth.
This is a good first haunted house for adventurous youngsters.
The house is located at 2250 Barlow Road in Hudson and tickets are $15 for adults and $8 for kids.
The weekend season starts Sept. 23 and runs through Oct. 29.
For more, visit hudsonhauntedhouse.org.
Ghoul Brothers
This is about as close to Hollywood as you can get − at least in Akron.
This haunt is the child of David Barton, who grew up in the Akron area and worked in Hollywood as a special effects makeup artist and prop maker, before coming home.
This house of horrors is situated behind the Acme store in the Portage Lakes Plaza.
The fun thing about this particular haunt is that some of the props are from Hollywood movies, including "Jurassic Park" and the movie "Pacific Rim" in the form of a large silicone Kaiju (monster) organ resting on an autopsy table.
A couple seasons back, actor Tom Holland, of Spider Man fame, even toured the haunt.
Tickets are $22 to get in the haunted house at 3235 Manchester Road.
It will begin its run Sept. 24 and continue through Nov. 5.
For more, visit https://www.ghoulbrothers.com/.
The Slaughterhouse
Another chapter will be written this fall at The Slaughterhouse in Chippewa Lake.
Each year, creator Vaughn Lekan adds to the story of the real-life old market where they used to slice and dice up meat.
The backstory is the place is run by the Karver family, who seem to be stuck in the 1940s and use some pretty sinister meat sources to sell in the shop.
The haunt begins in the market and then makes its way into the slaughterhouse and meat plant and ends with a scary walk in the woods.
Tickets start at $30 per person. The slaughterhouse is at 5665 Chippewa Road in Chippewa Lake.
They only let a few guests in at a time with timed entries, so it is best to buy tickets well in advance at https://slaughterhouseohio.com/. The season runs from Sept. 24 to Nov. 5.
Carnival of Horrors
The Carnival of Horrors is returning to the Stark County fairgrounds.
This collection of four haunted houses includes an obligatory clown or two.
The attractions include the Insane Asylum, the Fun House, the Trail of Terror and The Freakshow in 3D Terrorvision.
Admission to all four haunts is $25. The fairgrounds is located at 305 Wertz Ave. NW in Canton.
The season will open Sept. 30 and run through Oct. 30.
For more, visit http://carnivalofhorrors.com/.
Factory of Terror
Canton is home to the Factory of Terror, which is billed as one of the world's largest indoor haunted attractions, encompassing some 160,000 square feet with five different themed areas.
It is also now home to what might be one of the best spooky bar crawls too.
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The haunt with its various attractions has five themed bars to explore too.
You will walk around a mile to take it all in including a new haunt this year called the Abyss where guests walk through a murky swamp, a pitch-black maze, and then to the ocean and a port where they encounter ghostly pirates.
The factory is located at 4125 Mahoning Road NE in Canton.
The season runs from Sept. 23 to Nov. 5, and tickets range from $25 to $35 depending on the night of your visit.
For complete details, visit https://fotohio.com/.
Blood Prison
The old Mansfield Reformatory is a pretty cool place to tour in the daylight.
But throw in nightfall and some scary folks, this former prison is by far the most unique haunt in the state.
And the insanely long line of folks outside on a weekend waiting to get in is proof of its popularity.
The Escape from Blood Prison takes place at the world-famous reformatory that was the setting for the film "The Shawshank Redemption" and will be open for scary night tours Fridays through Sundays from Sept. 24 to Oct. 30.
The prison is located on aptly named Reformatory Road in Mansfield.
Tickets range from $35 to $75; for more information visit https://www.bloodprison.com/.
Haunted Hydro
For spooky ambiance, it is hard to beat the Haunted Hydro in Fremont, which has been around for 30 some years.
The old hydroelectric plant that houses one of the haunts has been around a lot longer than that. Built in 1911, the plant produced electricity into the 1940s.
Now it, along with the land around the plant, becomes a Halloween destination with haunted houses, entertainment and other amusements.
The plant is at 1333 Tiffin St. and is open weekends from Oct. 1 through Oct. 30. Tickets are $25.
For more, visit http://www.thehauntedhydro.com/.
HalloWeekends
Cedar Point's HalloWeekends is marking its 25th anniversary.
There are some new shows, shops and food to mark the milestone.
There are 11 different haunted attractions this season from outdoor scare zones to full-fledged traditional indoor haunted houses.
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Two of them are new.
The Bloodbath indoor maze takes place inside of the Orpheus nightclub where the dead seem to be the lives of the party.
The park has reimagined the G.A. Boeckling’s Eerie Estate haunt situated just off the main Midway. The tour is now led by the Sandusky Paranormal Society.
HalloWeekends is open Thursdays through Sunday through Oct. 30.
Tickets are $89 for adults, but discounts, along with more information, can be found at https://www.cedarpoint.com/.
Craig Webb, who is easily scared, can be reached at cwebb@thebeaconjournal.com.
This article originally appeared on Akron Beacon Journal: Haunted houses in Akron Ohio area open for chills across region
