INDIANAPOLIS (WTHR) — 'Tis the season for a good scare!
There's plenty of spooky attractions in central Indiana to enjoy on the cool, crisp October evenings.
Carlos' Top 10 Haunted Theme Parks in Central Indiana
10. The Asylum House (6611 Bluff Road, Indianapolis, 317-919-9347, theasylumhouse.com)
We start with Asylum House on the near Southside.
“The madness, MADNESS?!”
Listen, any Haunted House that has a shrine to the late, great Sammy Terry is awesome in my book.
“Watch out for those spiders!”
The Asylum House was the most interactive haunted attraction, with me getting mock electrocuted, really tied to a bed, running from scary people and my wife getting a screening from a spooky doctor.
“Welcome to the Asylum Hospital. I am the attending surgeon Dr. Giggles.”
And you can’t beat a Haunted House that has its own rocker on electric guitar.
9. Stillwell Manor Haunted House (1704 East 60th Street, Anderson, 765-393-1645, stillwellmanor.com)
Stillwell Manor in Anderson slides in at #9…
“Whoooaaaaaaa!”
Have you ever been in a ball pit with Demonic Clowns?
I’d say Stillwell Manor really “nails” the crazy circus vibe…
Big Bird has nothing on their Killer Vulture, and I have no idea what that is…or what that is…
But I do know the award for the Best Haunted Tour Guide has to go to this lovely young lady who really needed some quality dental work.
8. Hauntfest at Stoney Creek Farms (11366 Ind. 38, Noblesville, 317-773-3344, twistedwoodshayride.com)
The newest Halloween Hayride to make the list is HauntFest at Stoney Creek Farms.
“Everyone have fun, hope you make it back!”
I really enjoyed the Haunted Movie theme, with this hayride paying homage to "Friday the 13th," "It," "The Shining," "The Texas Chainsaw Massacre" and, of course, "Halloween."
And the movie characters aren’t afraid to jump right into the hayride with you…
“This is terrifying!”
…much to the delight of the pre-teen kids riding alongside us!
“This is awesome!”
7. Hanna Haunted Acres (7323 East Hanna Avenue, Indianapolis, 317-357-0881, hannahauntedacres.com)
Hanna Haunted Acres is not just one of Indy’s best Haunted Attractions — it’s been named one of the best in the country! This Indiana tradition features six different haunted attractions spread out over acres and acres of farmland, which may be especially disturbing for some people.
“My wife is afraid of corn, so this might not be good.”
6. Necropolis (2525 North Shadeland Avenue, Indianapolis, 317-353-1987, darkarmies.com/necropolis-haunted-house)
“Enter at your own risk!”
Another Indy October eastside mainstay is “Necropolis." There are five different attractions in this huge abandoned warehouse…
“55,000 scare-feet.”
…and they’ve been adding on to the scare-fest ever year for the last few decades…
I especially love the “Dead and Breakfast”…
Behind the scenes, the actors at Necropolis are affectionately known as “Scary Dudes”…but I found the female dudes to be just as terrifying…
5. Haunted Angelus House (8829 East Washington Street, Indianapolis, 317-500-4746, 500grim.com)
“It’s a Haunted Bar, I am out of my drink!”
If you’re looking for the best actors, The Haunted Angelus House is for you! From a harmless drunk ghost…
“Now go outside and bring me some more alcohol. Ok!”
To a very scary Lady Maleficent…to a doctor with real mice and real cockroaches.
“I’ll eat him. Go ahead and eat the cockroach.”
And she ate the the cockroach. Trust me.
“That’s some method right there.”
A warning: things can get pretty intense at the Angeles House…
But when it’s all over, you’ll be laughing like a clown.
“Waaaaa! Nice!!”
4. & 3. Nightmare on Edgewood (1929 South Meridian Street, Indianapolis, 317-627-7576, nightmareonedgewood.com) and House of Trepidation (1929 South Meridian Street, Indianapolis, 317-912-3845, houseoftrepidation.com)
For the first time ever, House of Trepidation and Nightmare on Edgewood have moved into the same enormous warehouse… which they claim creates 5 city blocks of terror.
The difference between the two… House of Trepidation is a no-touch experience… while Nightmare on Edgewood is full contact.
2. The Thirteenth Hour (850 South Keystone Avenue, Indianapolis, 860-385-1031, thirteenthhourindy.com)
Number two on our list is a haunted house you may not have heard of…
The Thirteenth Hour on South Keystone features some very cool special effects…from fog…
“That was really cool.”
…to snow…
“Wow.”
There are awesome characters like Spider Lady and Slender Man…
But I most impressed by The Thirteenth Hour’s entertaining plot line, involving sacrificing yourself for your loved ones, that holds true throughout the entire experience.
1. Indy Scream Park (5211 South New Columbus Road, Anderson, 317-218-9515, indyscreampark.com)
And the number 1 haunted attraction on our list is…
Indy Scream Park…
It is worth the drive up to Anderson to take in this huge haunted compound featuring five chilling experiences…
From a 3D haunted house that you have to see to believe…
To one where you can’t see anything because it’s pitch black throughout the entire maze…
…until the gigantic rats jumps out at you.
If you need a break, chill in their haunted food court…and then head back in for more, because your ticket allows you unlimited visits to the attractions in one night.
Family-Friendly Haunted Houses
If you have little ones, here are some recommendations for more fun than spook.
- "ZooBoo"
- Indianapolis Zoo (1200 West Washington Street)
- 2 - 7 p.m.
- 317-630-2010
- "Hotel of Spells Haunted House"
- The Children's Museum of Indianapolis (3000 North Meridian Street)
- Various times on various days
- 317-334-4000
- "Family Fright Night"
- Indiana State Museum (650 West Washington Street)
- Friday, Oct. 11 from 6 - 9 p.m.
- 317-232-1637