Halloween celebrates the monsters that go bump in the night, and New Jersey is in on all of the frightful fun. Check out some of the best haunted attractions on the Jersey shore. Be careful: some of these might be too scary for the kids!
Haunted Scarehouse
This Wharton haunted house began more than a month ago, but you can catch the last few days of it up until the end of the month. This indoor attraction will fright and delight guests rain or shine. Check out both floors of fear – the House of Nightmares and The Attic. You can enjoy the escape rooms year-round!
The house is inspired by the story of the Hayden family, two parents and two children who owned a farm in the 1970s despite the modern development happening around them. They remained secluded in the house and never answered the door. As the father grew deranged, the condition and hygiene of the house deteriorated and began to smell. When a hurricane hit, nearly destroyed the home, and forced the Haydens to leave, the town rejoiced. That is, until they finally ventured inside…
This haunted house has been ranked and awarded by Haunt Hunters, NJNew1.com, Scranton Haunted House Review, Oni Hartstein, and Haunt Spot.
Brighton Asylum
This Passaic horror show is set in a defunct warehouse-turned asylum with a history of horrible conditions and inhumane experimentation until the state closed it in 1952. You can also tour “The Horror Museum” and the Tunnels. Experience custom special effects, huge interactive moving sets, animatronics, and more! If you came here last year, new changes for 2016 make it worth coming back. The Brighton Asylum Escape Rooms (open year-round) require a group of guests to work together, find clues, and escape a choice of four rooms.
The Today Show called this “The Scariest Place on Earth” and Haunted Attraction Magazine named it one of the Top 4 must-see haunted attractions in the U.S. last year.
Oasis Island of Terror
This Robbinsville walkthrough is the most realistic in the state, so make sure you experience it before it closes on the 30th. The large field allows the perfect amount of space between scares and past themes like insane asylums, zombies, a bayou crypt, dead nuns, and carnivals with creepy clowns that manage to sneak up on you in plain sight make us excited for what they have this year.
Enjoy refreshments at the Cannibal Cafe like fresh baked pumpkin doughnuts and hot apple cider and come early for daytime family attractions like the FunZone, Gem Mine, Fossil Adventure, Amazon Gold Rush, Trading Post, Live Bee Observatory, and Live Ant Colony.
Blood Shed Farms Fear Fest
On Fridays and Saturdays throughout October, this outdoor horror spot in Columbus has shown guests unspeakable horrors and the ultimate frights based on the story of the Lived family, who ran a farm in town during a series of disappearances. The trail of missing persons ended once the family moved, but their tiny red shed contained the corpses of everyone who disappeared and the torture equipment used to murder them.
Check out Clown-o-phobia, a traveling funhouse staffed by asylum patients and vagrants. The Trail of Terror takes you to Murter Manor, home of the Liveds, a corn maze, an old mine shaft, into the woods where cannibals live, and the chop shop. Hellsgate Asylum fell into ruin when a private organization took over and abandoned it, leaving the patients behind with sadistic attendants who performed inhumane experiments on them. Ride through Necropolis Cemetery on a funeral wagon and be careful if it veers off course! The Blood Shed, separate from these activities, is an individual experience in the Liveds’ shed.
The Reapers Ball features nightly performances from DJ Cuddles McSpanky, food trucks, roaming actors, pumpkin smashing, dance team performances, music, games, and photo ops. If you’re looking for an entirely non-threatening experience, October 30th is “No Scare” Night, when all of the actors turn friendly and give out candy, and the venue holds a Kids’ Costume Contest and Parade with prizes, free goodie bags, and Halloween music!
Aside from the best haunted attractions on the Jersey shore, there are plenty more events going on the celebrate Halloween. Check out our events page to learn more!