It's Spooky Season: Guide to Northeast Ohio's haunted houses in and around Greater Akron

There's a lot of history inside these cobweb and blood-splattered walls.

And that doesn't include the ghosts of the former students and staff at the old Thomastown Elementary School on Akron's Triplett Boulevard.

The Akron Haunted Schoolhouse is celebrating its 50th anniversary this fall.

For five decades, this haunt − considered by many as one of the best and longest-running commercial haunted houses in the state − has been scaring and scarring generations of guests.

The place has been run by John Eslich, owner of Factory of Terror in Canton, since 2016 when he purchased it from the Johns family, who started the haunt.

Production manager Dave Shonk, who first visited as a teenager some 20 years ago and has been hooked ever since, said it's pretty cool to hear the stories of guests and their memories of the place.

For some, Shonk said, it was a first date destination that later led to marriage.

Touring the four floors − including the creepy basement − is a rite of fall for many Greater Akron families that now runs several generations deep, he said.

But this sense of tradition can be tricky.

Haunts have to reinvent themselves to remain fresh and not predictable.

The challenge for operators of a place like the Haunted Schoolhouse is diehard fans don't want too much change.

So every year, Shonk said, they have to look at the haunt and its sister attraction the Haunted Laboratory next door to see what needs to be not only fixed but completely overhauled.

The former Guggenheim Airship Institute 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.

Typically, they focus a lot of their energy and brawn on one of the attractions each year.

National recognition: Akron Haunted Schoolhouse makes list of top haunt attractions in the country

Since this is such a milestone year for the schoolhouse, Shonk said, it got the most attention in the offseason.

Some of the scenes inside the schoolhouse have been moved around. And one classic scene had to be removed: Frankenstein's castle is no longer part of the haunt.

Shonk said it was a difficult decision to remove such an iconic and classic scene, but they really had no choice.

The set was literally falling apart and in need of major repairs to the floor inside the space, he said.

Don't worry. Frankenstein still makes an unexpected appearance inside the haunt.

And a classic scene − Dracula's Castle − has been revamped with the addition of some new creepy figures, along with a new path through it.

"It's just adding some eye candy," Shonk said. "It's still the same actors and bones. It's just a new take on some of the classic scenes."

Since the haunt is located in a former school, they are limited to working within the existing space. Former classrooms and existing hallways inside the building cannot be structurally removed.

So they are left to tinker with the space they do have and add more and more stuff each year to the sets.

Shonk said they have invested in recent years in adding more animatronics along with lights and sound effects − like those found at Universal Studio haunts − to add to the scare factor.

And like in the haunt's beginnings there are still plenty of live actors who are able to roam behind the scenes and lurk behind hidden corners to scare unsuspecting guests once or twice.

New this year in the mishmash of scenes in the schoolhouse is one depicting the Salem Witch Trials.

"A lot of what we are doing this year is paying homage to what this has always been," Shonk said. "We are just trying to reinvent the wheel a bit. We want this to still be a classic but we don't want it to be the exact same show every year.

"It's no fun if you know exactly where the scare is going to be."

Tickets to get into both attractions at 1300 Triplett Boulevard in Akron range from $27 to $37 depending on which day you attend.

The weekend season goes from Sept. 23 to Nov. 4.

For more, visit hauntedschoolhouse.com.

Forest of Screams

The Forest of Screams in Medina County's Sharon Township is a showcase of sorts for horror nuts.

The folks behind this scare have been running haunts for decades and actually design and sell props and intact haunted houses to other operators.

The showcase for much of their work is on 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 admission ticket that ranges from $32 to $40 ,depending on the day and month you go.

The seasonal weekend begins Sept. 15 and runs through Nov. 4.

For more information, visit forestofscreams.com.

They also run the 7 Floors of Hell scream park at the Cuyahoga County Fairgrounds.

Hudson Haunted House

The Hudson Haunted House is the granddaddy of local haunts and will mark its 53rd year of scaring folks this year.

It is also one of the few remaining haunted houses that raises money solely for charity and in this case it's the Hudson Jaycees.

There's not a lot of high-tech gadgetry here, as most of the scares are created by the actors in elaborate sets.

This is a good first haunted house for adventurous youngsters and offers daytime kid matinees in October.

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 haunt is the newest kid on the block in Akron but it feels like it has been around forever.

It also has a Hollywood set feel to it and for good reason.

The scenes are the brainchild 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 to open this haunt behind the Acme store in the Portage Lakes Plaza.

Be sure to keep your head on a swivel as you make your way down the dark passages.

And keep your eyes out for props that 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 $25 to get in the haunted house at 3235 Manchester Road.

It will begin its run Sept. 29 and continue through Nov. 4.

For more, visit https://www.ghoulbrothers.com/.

The Slaughterhouse

Another grim chapter will be played out this fall at The Slaughterhouse in Chippewa Lake.

Each year, creator Vaughn Lekan adds to the plot of a real-life old market where they used to slice and dice up meat in Medina County.

Don't worry if you are new to the market's grim history.

It's your classic story of a family-run business in this case 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 and it typically sells out so it is best to buy tickets well in advance at https://slaughterhouseohio.com/. The season runs from Sept. 29 to Nov. 4.

Lekan also runs the Nightmare Cleveland haunted attraction in Cuyahoga County.

Carnival of Horrors

The Carnival of Horrors is back at 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. 29 and run through Oct. 29.

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 about 160,000 square feet with five different themed areas.

It is also home to a series of spooky-themed bars to explore.

The factory is located at 4125 Mahoning Road NE in Canton.

The season runs from Sept. 23 to Nov. 4 and tickets range from $27 to $37 depending on the night you 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.

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. 29 to Oct. 29.

The prison is located on aptly named 100 Reformatory Road in Mansfield.

Tickets range from $35 to $75 and for timed admission and should be purchased in advance.

For more information visit https://www.bloodprison.com/.

Haunted Hydro

It is hard to beat the Haunted Hydro in Fremont, which has been around for 30-some years, for its sheer spook factor from the outside.

Built in 1911, the old hydroelectric 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 Sept. 23 through Oct. 31. Tickets are $25.

For more, visit http://www.thehauntedhydro.com/.

HalloWeekends

Cedar Point's HalloWeekends returns for its 26th year.

Each fall, the Sandusky amusement park is decorated from its entrance to its far reaches with spooky decorations and hundreds and hundreds of pumpkins.

HalloWeekends has activities during the day for youngsters including corn and hay mazes along with special activities and even trick-or-treating.

The park's resident spookster Mr. Midnight will have his own haunt this fall.

Replacing Hexed, the witch-inspired haunted house by the Gatekeeper roller coaster, the “Book of the Dark” will have guests encounter his or her fears as they walk through the pages of his book.

Four other traditional haunted houses are returning this year. They include: Bloodbath, Fearground Freak Show, Slaughter House and The Haunting of Eerie Estate.

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There's a new outdoor scare zone too.

Clownz: Death Metal Tour takes up residence along the midway by the Gemini roller coaster and features The Butchers of Rock band who perform an eternal concert night after night.

There will be live music played by dead metal musicians along with four other outdoor fright zones. They include: CornStalkers 2.0, Tombstone Terror-tory, Cut Throat Cove and Blood on the Bayou.

HalloWeekends runs Thursday nights, Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays, starting Sept.14 through Oct. 29.

For more information, visit cedarpoint.com.

Craig Webb, who is afraid of his own shadow, can be reached at cwebb@thebeaconjournal.com.

This article originally appeared on Akron Beacon Journal: Haunted Schoolhouse in Akron has 50 years of history in Ohio