13 Horrifying Haunted House Attractions To Visit On Long Island This Spooky Season

During that special time of the year, when temperatures dip and days shorten, ghouls come out to play. It's a period when chill inhabits not only the air but also our imagination. We picture spirits wandering around the ether, spectral beings shadowing us down dark alleys, and the undead rising to roam the Earth once again. Well, you might have these thoughts if you have vivid imaginations. If not, your Halloween might be filled with comforting food, fun get-togethers, the chance to wear cool outfits, and, hopefully, the opportunity to snag healthy doses of candy. But that doesn't mean you can't get a shot of excitement or experience terror running down your spine. 

Long Island, which protrudes east of New York City, has a tradition of haunted houses. There, during the fall, a time to see some great foliage, getting terrified is the star attraction. This surfeit of haunted houses finds a home on Long Island, the uncrowded alternative to the Hamptons, for a good reason. It's a part of the country steeped in spooky history — spanning battlegrounds of the Revolutionary War, burial grounds of Native American tribes, and haunted sites. For anyone looking for a good old-fashioned fright or maybe just a frisson of fear flash-fried into their fun, these haunted houses should do the trick.

New York City, a destination with budget-friendly outdoor activities, comprises five boroughs. Two of them, Brooklyn and Queens, are technically on Long Island, and visitors will find Hollis in the latter. The neighborhood is famed as the home of Run-DMC and the frightening A Haunting in Hollis, a building bathed in a devilish red, whetting the appetite for the terror ahead. The haunted house's theme is inspired by Mrs. B, a local woman who died mysteriously in a laundry room and had a heavy, chest-style box with unknown contents. 

The house offers four floors of blood-curdling spectacle, with 16 distinct rooms sure to make you jump out of your skin. You'll have to navigate 2 40-foot-long mazes as dark as a moonless night. Elsewhere, you'll dodge zombies, ghouls, and killer clowns during an experience of about 30 minutes. "This haunted house is the truth!" notes a previous guest on Tripadvisor. "I've seen grown men scared to even go in. Well thought of and a great scary experience! I have been [there] every year for the past three years, and it has been a different experience every time!"

A village in Long Island that sits on the lyrically named Oyster Bay, Bayville is a picturesque spot with fine beaches and a quiet ambiance. But during Halloween, the atmosphere changes, especially at Bayville Scream Park. This theme park has six scream zones with terrifying storylines, and they all promise frightening characters, flashing lights, wild effects, and a ton of jump scares. Bloodworth, for instance, is the home of an evil scientist obsessed with resurrecting the dead. He stole corpses from graves and tried to revive their organs and muscles. His sons took over his practice and created a zombie army through kidnapping, torture, and murder. 

Bayville Scream Park also features a haunted movie theater, an arcade, and a slightly terrifying forest. The terror doesn't end here, as its bars, cafés, and restaurants onsite celebrate the joys of horror and are themed as such. Ticket options range from visiting three zones to all six, and guests can skip the lines with an express pass or a special pass to visit all of the hidden bars. "Awesome secret bars all around. Delicious specialty drinks can be found inside. Just have to find them," mentions a commentator on Google. Maybe you can try out this zombie cocktail recipe in anticipation?

Set in the hamlet of Hauppauge, close to the Long Island Expressway, Chambers of Hell is a haunted haven that also features special events. These include a "Beetlejuice" movie, adults trick or treating, and the fiendishly named Feast of Spirits. "We checked out Chambers of Hell over the weekend and it is an absolute scream-inducing masterpiece of horror! From the second we walked in, I was on edge," wrote a visitor on Facebook. There are three haunts here, and the tales that support them are all chilling, as one would expect. One of them recreates the dank, unsavory era of Victorian London, a time of Jekyll and Hyde and Jack the Ripper, and places visitors in a realm where they could be the next victim. 

Another brings thrill seekers to a research facility on the sea's floor, where mutant aquatic creatures run riot and destroy everything in their path. In addition to the shriek-worthy scare zones, visitors can also book a haunted escape room, play laser tag against a battalion of zombies, and hurl axes at targets — digital ones, not actual terrorizing figures. As with many haunted houses, participants should prepare for loud sounds, darkness interspersed with strobes, sudden shocks of light, mist, fog, and crazy effects like moving floors. This is not an excursion recommended for the faint-hearted.

In the town of Copiague, this attraction promises ghoul seekers two haunted houses. It certainly impressed this reviewer on Yelp. "Came on opening night with a group of my friends, and they were super welcoming. All of us had an amazing time, way, way better than we could've ever expected. Very informative, the most polite group of staff, and a very creative set of scares. Actors are really into what they do, and it very easily immerses you in the setting." The duo of devilish distractions spreads over 12,000 square feet, and you might find yourself wandering down the sparsely lit hallway of a decrepit house with a huge, spectral figure hovering in the air behind you. 

The house called Parasite sends you into a cutting-edge scientific facility. There, you will realize all is not as it's meant to be, as a ruthless being possesses the staff, replicating until it dominates. Will you be able to escape the clutches of this terrifying creature? House of the Devil is, just as it sounds, a realm where dark spirits have taken control of a family. The very core of the house seems to be under the spell of evil; slowly and unexpectedly, you will encounter the family members. The fun happens Thursday through Sunday, and tickets present two options — a standard entry or, for a higher fee, the expedited pass that helps you cut down wait time.

The village of St. James is roughly in the center-north of Long Island and has less than 15,000 people. Some of those residents might be aware of the paranormal activity at this Halloween mainstay that attracts families. "I took my husband, 12-year-old daughter, and my father-in-law to this place," wrote a commenter on Google. "I was amazed at the size of the place; every inch was decorated. We walked through the house, and it was awesome. Very well done, a ton of actors and the kid actors added to the creepiness ... We had such an amazing time that I bought tickets to go back two weeks later." Visitors are known as victims, and their punishment is to wander a building where ghosts and ghouls are very much alive. 

The action takes place in 1845 and starts with a Cabinet of Curiosities, a cupboard where a selection of the weird, though not necessarily wonderful, is there for all to see. The journey continues, under the dim light of gas-fueled lamps, through the house, where more macabre machinations await. The theme changes from year to year, but 2024 is when guests will find a strange, eerie forest that takes the concept of traditional fairy tales and injects them with a healthy dose of unbridled terror. The experience ends with a graveyard, where the undead lay still, though ready to appear at a moment's notice.

This scream-filled destination in Bellport is linked to the Performing Arts Center of Suffolk County, so trained actors are among the scarers. The theme changes every year. In 2024, the story explores the epic tale of King Arthur. The sorcerer Merlin uses his spells to turn Camelot into a realm of wizards and magicians, individuals who create creepy figures along the way. Storytelling is a key part of the experience here, and along with the scares, visitors can expect fables of romance, deceit, devastation, and death. The attraction prides itself on its professional staging, from the theater designers who build the set to the actors who spend hours to get in character. 

The result certainly impressed this reviewer on Google. "The haunted house itself had to have been at least 30-45 minutes of jumps and scares. The actors were spectacular and spaced out in a timely manner, giving guests the perfect opportunity to ... get scared. Even the smallest detail, like [the] smell of the specific room we were in, gave us an eerie feeling that something ... was not right. From the creativity to the raw talent of these actors, this would easily be ranked [as] one of the best-haunted houses we've had the pleasure of visiting during our northeast road trip."

While not really scary, this extravaganza is an offshoot of the one in Croton-on-Hudson (an overlooked small town in New York not to be missed). Like its sibling, it presents thousands of illuminated, carved pumpkins that create a spooky tableau. "Amazing experience!!! This place is phenomenal. The effort from the artists and organizers is extraordinary. Very fun activity to do with the family," wrote a reviewer on Google. Running from early October to early November, the event spreads across a 200-acre plot. Visitors will find a trail of pumpkin carvings, old barns, and buildings that are 200 years old.

The one constant is the more than 7,000 carved and illuminated pumpkins. Some are arranged to create the swirling spire of a lighthouse, while others form the snaking back of a colorful dragon. Elsewhere, you might find windmills, sunflowers, and grand sculptures, all made from an assemblage of lighted pumpkins. Having visited, we can attest that the most appropriate word to describe this place on a cool, dry night is "breathtaking."

Focusing less on the frightening and more on the nostalgic love of spooky Halloween, this house celebrates the joy of the season. This is a much more passive experience for visitors than many other Halloween houses, with a distinct lack of actors wearing blood-curling makeup or outfits and no intent to make guests jump out of their skin in terror. The vibe here is very much awe and enjoyment. 

Halloween House presents rooms meticulously decorated in line with the season. One has all the hallmarks of a front door, ready to welcome revelers ready to trick or treat. A second recreates the strange optical dimensions of a scene in the movie "Beetlejuice," while another is tricked out in clubby, neon hues, creating a fantastical space that screams fun, not fear. Most visitors spend about 45 minutes in the house, although guests can stay longer since they aren't herded along like cattle. You can get into the spirit by wearing an island-themed Halloween costume.

This review on Yelp neatly summarizes the benefits of visiting this attraction on Middle Island. "If you haven't crawled your way down to the Medford Haunted House, then grab your sweetie, your friends, and family members and add this destination to your Long Island haunted house hunt. It is quite possibly one of the top haunted houses on Long Island. And for only $10.00." 

Running on weekends in October, this really is a steal, costing a wildly affordable $10 per person. It first operated in Medford, though it has since moved to Middle Island. Visit, and you might see ghoulish skeletons huddled together. Or you might stumble across an open, sturdy, wooden carriage bathed in glowing red and purple lights, full of ghoulish apparitions. While the price tag attached to this seasonal attraction might be enough to draw scores of visitors, please note that the organizers only accept payment in cash.

In the eastern section of Long Island, where the two arms open like pincers about to snap into Great Peconic Bay at Riverhead, the Long Island Aquarium opened in 2000. It has a huge exhibit featuring a vibrant coral reef and is also home to this seasonal attraction, which, as its name suggests, does not focus on scaring guests. Aimed squarely at kids aged 3 to 11, this house spreads over five levels and requires a separate entry ticket from the general aquarium entrance. 

It opens on Fridays and Saturdays in October. Activities include interacting with animals, decorating pumpkins, and making pieces of art out of sand. Children must have an adult with them during their visit; the ticket price admits one parent for free. Visually, you can expect slides, net bridges, spooky-style mesh, and creepy costumes strung around the entire outdoor attraction.

On October weekends in Huntington Station, travelers will be able to get the fright of their lives. Four scare zones ensure no visitors leave without a healthy dose of fear. These include Shack of Screams, which creates the sensation of being trapped inside a creepy motel. Dark Colony is set outside and pits visitors against the Daniels Family, a troupe of crazy cannibals. Anyone scared of clowns might want to give Klownkatraz in 3D a pass — you'll be stuck in a prison where the inmate population is made up entirely of killer clowns. The attractions mix live actors providing the jump scares and animatronic gizmos that suddenly appear. 

The set-up wowed a commenter on Google. "I'm giving this place five stars for the unique experience it offers. They work the line in such a way that everyone has a personal experience in the scare zones. It's more like you're part of the story than just watching it. [It's a scary] dinner theater show without dinner (unless you buy snacks) ... and people get really close to your face. You literally interact with every scare actor. It's cool to experience it at least once.

This is another seasonal attraction where carved, illuminated pumpkins are the main draw, not actors in makeup who want to see the fear in your eyes up close. That much is evident from this review on Yelp. "My friend and I love coming here- it has become our fall tradition. This is great for a family outing, [a] group of friends, and great for everyone of all ages. A nice walk through the gardens and you get to see beautiful displays of art on the pumpkins! Highly encourage everyone to check this out!"

There are in excess of 10,000 illuminated props on around the grounds, 7,000 hand-carved jack-o'-lantern, and 3,000 other unique types of lanterns. In addition, intricate displays tied to the celebration of Halloween round out the experience. Each year sees new additions to the exhibits, so even return visitors will have something in store that they haven't seen.

The proceeds of this outdoor trail of doom benefit a local church. As the name might suggest, this experience occurs in the open, winding its way through wooded areas filled with characters and visitors having a guide in tow (this is necessary because it takes place in the dark). It only opens on select weekends in October, and at $15 per person, it's relatively affordable. 

The trail can trace its genesis to the end of the 1990s, when it was known as Yaphank's Tales of the Haunted Forest, changing its name to its current sobriquet in 2003. While it was initially pitched as something for the whole family, the newer iteration, with its rebirth, was aimed at teens and adults. These days, more than 1,000 visitors come at night to get shivers down their spine, like this commentator on Google. "Great trail for a great price! It's more spooky than in your face ... [The] dark woods are scary enough!"