Data study
America's best and worst haunted houses ranked ahead of Halloween
Ahead of Halloween 2026, Bayville Scream Park on Long Island is the worst-rated haunted attraction in America, averaging 2.69 stars from 1,007 Google reviews, while Twisted Trails NYC on Staten Island is the best at 4.95 from 265 reviews.
Data collected
Source: SEO Backlinks, https://seobacklinks.com/
Key findings
Fear at the Pier in Panama City Beach, Florida, is second best at 4.94, ahead of Terror Isle Adventures in Texas City, Texas (4.93), and The Farm of Fears in Cartersville, Georgia (4.92).
The average haunted attraction in the ranking scores 4.40, so the bottom of the list stands out. Howl-O-Scream at SeaWorld Orlando is second-worst at 3.05, and Ripley's Haunted Adventure in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, is third at 3.25. The Ripley's Haunted Adventure in Gatlinburg, Tennessee, is seventh at 3.50. Arizona has two attractions in the bottom 10, Scarizona Scaregrounds in Mesa (3.34) and Nightfall at Old Tucson (3.58). Psycho Path in Ellisville, Mississippi, Carnival of Horrors in Canton, Ohio, Jason's Woods in Lancaster, Pennsylvania, and Newberry Cornfield Maze in Florida complete the list.
Everhaunt Haunted House in Angola, New York, Trial of Fears in Honolulu, Sounds of Screams in Miami and Dark Prison Haunted House in Carson City, Nevada, are fifth to eighth, and two Illinois haunts, Disturbia Haunted House in Downers Grove and Aura Haunted House in Bartonville, complete the top 10.
Illinois also has the best-rated haunted attractions of any state, averaging 4.63, ahead of Maryland (4.56) and North Carolina (4.53). New York's attractions are the lowest-rated at 4.26, followed by Pennsylvania (4.33) and Ohio (4.34).
Chart
Worst and best 10 at a glance
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Method
How we did it
We used the DataForSEO Business Listings database to pull the US Google Maps listings that Google files as a haunted house, along with listings found by searching business names, on October 5, 2026, 2,855 listings in all.
We kept haunted houses, haunted trails, hayrides and scream parks. Escape rooms, ghost tours, historic buildings billed as haunted, pumpkin patches and farms where a haunt is only a side attraction, and attractions that have closed for good were left out, and listings at the same street address were merged into one, with their reviews added together. To make sure each attraction is open for the 2026 Halloween season, we kept only those with at least one new Google review since September 1, 2026. That left the 410 attractions with at least 200 Google reviews each, 389,536 reviews in all.
Each attraction was ranked by its exact average rating, worked out from its count of one, two, three, four and five-star reviews rather than the rounded score Google displays, so attractions that show the same rating on Google are still put in order. Where two attractions have exactly the same average, the one with the larger share of one-star reviews ranks lower.
Each state's average gives every one of its attractions equal weight (the mean of the attraction averages) and is shown for the 17 states with at least 10 attractions in the ranking. The best and worst rated attractions are listed below for every state with at least two attractions in the ranking. Delaware, Hawaii, Montana and West Virginia have one each.
National rankings
The worst and best 10 in America
The 10 worst-rated haunted attractions in America
| Rank | Attraction | Average | Reviews |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Bayville Scream ParkBayville, New York1,007 reviews | 2.69 | 1,007 |
| 2 | Howl-O-Scream at SeaWorld OrlandoOrlando, Florida214 reviews | 3.05 | 214 |
| 3 | Ripley's Haunted AdventureMyrtle Beach, South Carolina552 reviews | 3.25 | 552 |
| 4 | Psycho PathEllisville, Mississippi275 reviews | 3.28 | 275 |
| 5 | Scarizona ScaregroundsMesa, Arizona777 reviews | 3.34 | 777 |
| 6 | Carnival of HorrorsCanton, Ohio675 reviews | 3.41 | 675 |
| 7 | Ripley's Haunted AdventureGatlinburg, Tennessee1,023 reviews | 3.50 | 1,023 |
| 8 | Nightfall at Old TucsonTucson, Arizona676 reviews | 3.58 | 676 |
| 9 | Jason's WoodsLancaster, Pennsylvania822 reviews | 3.62 | 822 |
| 10 | Newberry Cornfield MazeNewberry, Florida373 reviews | 3.63 | 373 |
The 10 best-rated haunted attractions in America
| Rank | Attraction | Average | Reviews |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Twisted Trails NYCStaten Island, New York265 reviews | 4.95 | 265 |
| 2 | Fear at the PierPanama City Beach, Florida2,629 reviews | 4.94 | 2,629 |
| 3 | Terror Isle AdventuresTexas City, Texas227 reviews | 4.93 | 227 |
| 4 | The Farm of FearsCartersville, Georgia1,246 reviews | 4.92 | 1,246 |
| 5 | Everhaunt Haunted HouseAngola, New York461 reviews | 4.91 | 461 |
| 6 | Trial of FearsHonolulu, Hawaii1,514 reviews | 4.91 | 1,514 |
| 7 | Sounds of ScreamsMiami, Florida346 reviews | 4.91 | 346 |
| 8 | Dark Prison Haunted HouseCarson City, Nevada360 reviews | 4.91 | 360 |
| 9 | Disturbia Haunted HouseDowners Grove, Illinois6,460 reviews | 4.90 | 6,460 |
| 10 | Aura Haunted HouseBartonville, Illinois729 reviews | 4.89 | 729 |
Averages are rounded to two decimal places. Where two attractions show the same figure, the order comes from the unrounded average.
State ranking
Haunted attractions by state, best to worst
The average Google score of each state's ranked haunted attractions, with every attraction given equal weight. Only the 17 states with at least 10 ranked attractions are included.
| Rank | State | Attractions | Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Illinois15 attractions | 15 | 4.63 |
| 2 | Maryland10 attractions | 10 | 4.56 |
| 3 | North Carolina20 attractions | 20 | 4.53 |
| 4 | Alabama13 attractions | 13 | 4.49 |
| 5 | Indiana12 attractions | 12 | 4.44 |
| 6 | Texas26 attractions | 26 | 4.44 |
| 7 | South Carolina11 attractions | 11 | 4.42 |
| 8 | Georgia11 attractions | 11 | 4.41 |
| 9 | Wisconsin13 attractions | 13 | 4.41 |
| 10 | Tennessee20 attractions | 20 | 4.40 |
| 11 | Michigan20 attractions | 20 | 4.39 |
| 12 | California12 attractions | 12 | 4.39 |
| 13 | Florida12 attractions | 12 | 4.35 |
| 14 | Kentucky11 attractions | 11 | 4.34 |
| 15 | Ohio35 attractions | 35 | 4.34 |
| 16 | Pennsylvania31 attractions | 31 | 4.33 |
| 17 | New York20 attractions | 20 | 4.26 |
State by state
The best and worst rated haunted attraction in each state
The highest and lowest scoring haunted attraction in every state with at least two in the ranking, including states with fewer than 10.
| State | Best rated | Worst rated |
|---|---|---|
| Alabama13 attractions ranked | PV Slaughterhouse Haunted AttractionRainsville, 288 reviews 4.75 | Sleepy Hollow Haunted FarmAuburn, 352 reviews 4.08 |
| Arizona6 attractions ranked | Sanctum of HorrorMesa, 237 reviews 4.45 | Scarizona ScaregroundsMesa, 777 reviews 3.34 |
| Arkansas4 attractions ranked | Fear Factory 501Jacksonville, 345 reviews 4.64 | Haunted Hotel of ArkansasLittle Rock, 202 reviews 4.24 |
| California12 attractions ranked | Haunted Forest CAPlymouth, 759 reviews 4.88 | Sacramento Scream ParkSacramento, 1,641 reviews 3.81 |
| Colorado8 attractions ranked | The Frightmare CompoundWestminster, 8,785 reviews 4.83 | Haunted Field of ScreamsThornton, 495 reviews 3.94 |
| Connecticut5 attractions ranked | Trail of TerrorWallingford, 841 reviews 4.68 | Dark ManorVersailles, 474 reviews 4.05 |
| Florida12 attractions ranked | Fear at the PierPanama City Beach, 2,629 reviews 4.94 | Howl-O-Scream at SeaWorld OrlandoOrlando, 214 reviews 3.05 |
| Georgia11 attractions ranked | The Farm of FearsCartersville, 1,246 reviews 4.92 | 13 Stories Haunted HouseNewnan, 958 reviews 3.82 |
| Idaho6 attractions ranked | Haunted Mansions of AlbionAlbion, 745 reviews 4.59 | Scarywood Haunted NightsAthol, 605 reviews 4.11 |
| Illinois15 attractions ranked | Disturbia Haunted HouseDowners Grove, 6,460 reviews 4.90 | Old State Mine Haunted Trail at the Peoria State Hospital MuseumBartonville, 243 reviews 4.19 |
| Indiana12 attractions ranked | Shattered Nightmares Haunted HouseTerre Haute, 230 reviews 4.63 | The Columbia City Haunted JailColumbia City, 488 reviews 4.12 |
| Iowa4 attractions ranked | Hillside House of HellGlenwood, 738 reviews 4.74 | Circle of Ash Haunted AttractionCentral City, 254 reviews 4.07 |
| Kansas2 attractions ranked | Exiled: Trail of Terrors & Twisted CarnivalBonner Springs, 465 reviews 4.44 | Field of Screams KansasMaize, 601 reviews 4.38 |
| Kentucky11 attractions ranked | American HorrorplexLouisville, 588 reviews 4.67 | Field of ScreamsBrandenburg, 421 reviews 3.71 |
| Louisiana5 attractions ranked | RISE Haunted HouseTickfaw, 532 reviews 4.67 | The Mortuary Haunted MansionNew Orleans, 799 reviews 4.23 |
| Maryland10 attractions ranked | Leech WoodsDamascus, 423 reviews 4.74 | Field of Screams MarylandOlney, 1,555 reviews 3.95 |
| Massachusetts6 attractions ranked | DementedFXHolyoke, 697 reviews 4.62 | Chambers of TerrorSalem, 362 reviews 3.88 |
| Michigan20 attractions ranked | Nightmare RealmMattawan, 407 reviews 4.83 | Psycho Ward Haunted HouseKalamazoo, 258 reviews 4.08 |
| Minnesota5 attractions ranked | Harvest of Horror Haunted AttractionSt Augusta, 799 reviews 4.75 | Haunting ExperienceCottage Grove, 546 reviews 4.19 |
| Mississippi2 attractions ranked | Terror on the CoastGulfport, 378 reviews 4.32 | Psycho PathEllisville, 275 reviews 3.28 |
| Missouri8 attractions ranked | Field of Screams Haunted Forest & CaulrophobiaNixa, 745 reviews 4.70 | CreepyworldFenton, 730 reviews 4.14 |
| Nebraska2 attractions ranked | Dungeon of the DamnedOmaha, 1,449 reviews 4.82 | Scary AcresOmaha, 472 reviews 4.21 |
| Nevada4 attractions ranked | Dark Prison Haunted HouseCarson City, 360 reviews 4.91 | Universal Horror UnleashedLas Vegas, 730 reviews 4.04 |
| New Hampshire4 attractions ranked | The Dark WoodsMilford, 522 reviews 4.86 | Spooky World Presents Nightmare New EnglandLitchfield, 1,517 reviews 3.96 |
| New Jersey7 attractions ranked | The Conover KillingsWall Township, 234 reviews 4.89 | Field of TerrorEast Windsor, 970 reviews 3.95 |
| New York20 attractions ranked | Twisted Trails NYCStaten Island, 265 reviews 4.95 | Bayville Scream ParkBayville, 1,007 reviews 2.69 |
| North Carolina20 attractions ranked | The 13th AcreMonroe, 1,660 reviews 4.85 | Aberdeen Fear FactoryAberdeen, 337 reviews 3.64 |
| Ohio35 attractions ranked | Distracted Haunted HouseBowling Green, 904 reviews 4.83 | Carnival of HorrorsCanton, 675 reviews 3.41 |
| Oklahoma8 attractions ranked | The Madhouse Haunted AttractionOklahoma City, 275 reviews 4.84 | Wicked Forest of TerrorOklahoma City, 250 reviews 4.17 |
| Oregon4 attractions ranked | Milburn's Haunted ManorHubbard, 376 reviews 4.57 | The Fear PDXPortland, 684 reviews 4.01 |
| Pennsylvania31 attractions ranked | Lincoln Mill Haunted HousePhiladelphia, 349 reviews 4.75 | Jason's WoodsLancaster, 822 reviews 3.62 |
| Rhode Island2 attractions ranked | Haunted GallowsBurrillville, 252 reviews 4.77 | Scary Acres RIHope, 635 reviews 3.78 |
| South Carolina11 attractions ranked | Sweet Dreams Scare HouseEasley, 767 reviews 4.85 | Ripley's Haunted AdventureMyrtle Beach, 552 reviews 3.25 |
| Tennessee20 attractions ranked | The Scream ChamberAthens, 443 reviews 4.80 | Ripley's Haunted AdventureGatlinburg, 1,023 reviews 3.50 |
| Texas26 attractions ranked | Terror Isle AdventuresTexas City, 227 reviews 4.93 | Hangman's House of HorrorsFort Worth, 687 reviews 3.73 |
| Utah7 attractions ranked | Castle of Chaos Haunted HouseMidvale, 3,314 reviews 4.59 | Asylum 49Tooele, 1,045 reviews 4.03 |
| Virginia7 attractions ranked | Terror ManorRoanoke, 555 reviews 4.68 | Nightmare MansionVirginia Beach, 455 reviews 4.15 |
| Washington8 attractions ranked | Fright Factory Haunted HouseBuckley, 438 reviews 4.55 | Stalker Farms Haunted AttractionsSnohomish, 471 reviews 3.93 |
| Wisconsin13 attractions ranked | Terror Shed Haunted HouseKewaskum, 228 reviews 4.88 | Ghost OutpostWisconsin Dells, 401 reviews 3.64 |
Scores are the exact average of every star rating on the attraction's Google listing, rounded to two decimal places.
Using this research
Citing these figures
You're welcome to quote or republish any figure on this page. Please credit SEO Backlinks and link to this page so readers can see the full method and rankings.
How to cite
SEO Backlinks, "The best and worst haunted houses in America", data collected October 5, 2026: https://seobacklinks.com/
This study comes from SEO Backlinks, which runs data-led digital PR campaigns built on public data like Google reviews.