Spooky Season: 2024 Guide to Northeast Ohio's haunted houses in and around Greater Akron

The 2024 haunted house season in Greater Akron will get off to an appropriately spooky start.

Many of Northeast Ohio's haunts plan to officially throw open the doors to crypts on Friday the 13th.

And operators have spent months letting the dust pile up along with the cobwebs on the walls.

They even have a fair number of new tricks up their sleeves to scare the bejeebers out of guests.

Akron Haunted Schoolhouse and Laboratory

This haunt has been scaring up screams since 1974,.

The beloved Akron Haunted Schoolhouse and Laboratory will open for the season on Friday the 13th and run through Nov. 2.

It is the same old former Thomastown Elementary School on Akron's Triplett Boulevard but new this year is an expanded and immersive indoor waiting area full of animatronic scares and surprises for guests.

For more information, visit hauntedschoolhouse.com .

Tickets range from $26.95 to $40.

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Forest of Screams

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

And over this past offseason they have been retooling and remaking the haunt's attractions.

The folks behind this scare have been running haunts for decades in and around Akron.

They actually design and sell props and intact haunted houses to other operators.

The showcase for much of this work is on a large piece of property along state Route 18 between Medina and Fairlawn where they operate a haunted trail and one of the area's only haunted hayrides.

The Forest of Screams Haunted Hayride, Night Stalkers Trail, Mortuary Haunted House and Bonfire Midway are all included in the admission ticket that ranges from $32 to $44, depending on the day and month you go.

The seasonal weekend begins Sept. 13 and runs through Nov. 2.

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 54th year of scaring folks this year.

It is also one of the few remaining haunted houses that raises money solely for charity.

They have spent the offseason adding a new room at the haunt that raises money for 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 $10 for kids.

The weekend season starts Sept. 27 and runs through Nov. 2.

For more, visit hudsonhauntedhouse.org .

Ghoul Brothers

Ever want to visit a Hollywood movie set?

The Ghoul Brothers in Akron is as close as you will ever get.

The scenes inside 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 opening up this haunt behind the Acme store in the Portage Lakes Plaza.

Be sure to 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. 27 and continue through Nov. 2.

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

The Slaughterhouse

The Slaughterhouse is back in Chippewa Lake.

Creator Vaughn Lekan adds another chapter in the evolving story inside an old market where they used to slice and dice up meat in Medina County.

The business is now 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 and it typically sells out, so it is best to buy tickets well in advance at https://slaughterhouseohio.com/ . The season runs from Sept. 13 to Nov. 2.

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

Carnival of Horrors

The Carnival of Horrors returns for another season 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 $30. The fairgrounds is located at 305 Wertz Ave. NW in Canton.

The season will open Sept. 28 and run through Oct. 27.

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. 13 to Nov. 2 and tickets range from $13 to $30 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.

Throw in nightfall and some scary folks, this former prison is by far the most unique haunt in the state.

Blood Prison takes place at the world-famous reformatory, which was the setting for the film "The Shawshank Redemption," and will be open for scary night tours Fridays through Sundays from Sept. 27 to Nov. 2.

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

Tickets range from $31.50 to $75 and are for timed admission and must be purchased in advance.

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

HalloWeekends

Cedar Point's HalloWeekends returns for its 27th 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 show this fall.

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There are several haunted houses and mazes for guests to explore after nightfall.

HalloWeekends runs Thursday nights, Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays, starting Sept.12 through Nov. 2.

For more information, visit cedarpoint.com .

Tadmor's Haunt for Kids

Greater Akron is home to one of Ohio's only haunts that is geared toward kids.

While still a bit spooky, the Tadmor's Haunt for Kids is tame compared to the other Halloween haunted houses in the region.

This season, the folks who put on this haunt will only be offering a haunted hayride that will pass by various scenes and spooksters.

Admission is $7 and it runs Friday and Saturdays starting Sept. 27 through Oct. 19. It is also open Oct. 25.

The haunt is located at the Tadmor Shrine, 3000 Krebs Dr., in Akron.

For more, visit hallowfun.net.

This article originally appeared on Akron Beacon Journal: Spooky Season: 2024 Guide to Northeast Ohio's haunted houses in and around Greater Akron