Aside from dressing up and going trick-or-treating, one of the most popular activities on Halloween night is visiting haunted attractions. This includes haunted houses and hayrides as well as amusement parks and ghost trains. Ghosts and ghouls, unfortunately, do not exist in real life so we have to bring ourselves to the situations we love to see in horror films.
Things get particularly meta when horror movies include haunted houses and rides. And quite often, those are some of the scariest films to watch. So, in time for Halloween, let's review and rank ten horror movies set at haunted attractions.
Blood Fest (2018)
An enthusiastic teenager and his friends attend a festival that celebrates all things horror. But when they get there, they and the other guests are attacked by the employees. There appears to be no escape either as everyone fights to survive this real-life horror movie.
Much to its own detriment, Blood Fest is a self-aware stab at the horror genre. The film is just so ambitious and, perhaps, smug that any semblance of its greater point fails to shine through. That being said, there are some amusing moments and the cast is personable enough.
The Hollow (2004)
In the small town of Sleepy Hollow, the presence of Ichabod Crane's living descendants triggers a local curse. The Headless Horseman now rides again and seeks revenge on those who wronged him.
The Hollow — which features a haunted hayride — is definitely aimed at children and teenagers, but there are things to like here anyway. First off, this TV-movie premiered on ABC Family long before it turned into Freeform. It stars Kevin Zegers (Wrong Turn), Kaley Cuoco (The Big Bang Theory), and Nick Carter of The Backstreet Boys. So, yes, this one is meant to appeal to the younger set. On the other hand, the decent special effects are fun for anyone, regardless of age.
The Park (2003)
An amusement park reopens after a terrible accident took place there fourteen years ago. The park is still unsafe, though, as a young boy has now gone missing there. As people search for him, they, too, become victims of this haunted park.
Andrew Lau's The Park is considered unique among East Asian horror movies. It does not shirk the tropes innate to its contemporaries, but The Park makes good use of its setting. Nevertheless, the film's barely-there story is incoherent. The saving grace in this film is without a doubt the park itself.
Dark Ride (2006)
Ten years have passed since two teens were murdered inside an amusement park by an unhinged man named Jonah. Today, a group of college kids pass through the now-abandoned attraction, unaware that the killer has found his way back to the Dark Ride.
Low expectations will help if you're seeing Dark Ride for the first time. Is it a thrilling movie? Not so much. Are there moments where it breaks away from being a standard slasher? Sometimes. It's fairly average, and the occasions where it's not are rare.
The Houses October Built (2014)
A group of friends hits the road in search of the scariest underground haunted attractions. Though they have yet to find one that meets their high standards, they catch wind of the infamous Blue Skeleton. It is there that they find a haunted house worthy of their praise. Unfortunately for them, the scares at Blue Skeleton are legit.
The Houses October Built has such an agreeable core concept that it is disheartening to see how disappointing the overall film is. It often succeeds in spite of itself, but there are so many missteps along the way. Not to mention, the pacing leaves much to be desired. An even more frustrating sequel was released in 2017.
Hell House LLC (2015)
A documentary crew investigates a tragedy that befell a haunted attraction outside New York City. Hell House LLC was built inside an abandoned hotel, and on opening night, disaster struck. At least fifteen people died in the haunted house, but the reasons why are not clear.
Found footage is absolutely the perfect choice for this theme. The divisive style makes audiences feel like they are part of the show too, and the real-time effect elevates the scariness. Hell House LLC was lightning in a bottle. Alas, the filmmakers have not been able to replicate what made the first movie so successful in the two sequels.
Haunt (2019)
On Halloween night, Harper agrees to go out with her friends. They and two guys then drive out of their way to a haunted house. Once inside, however, they quickly learn nothing before them is fake. Everything is real, and their lives are in danger.
Haunt is kind of like an off-brand Halloween treat that tastes like the good stuff, but you can still tell if it's not authentic. That's not to say it is bad either. In the moment, Haunt more than sates your need for retro, brutal splatter flicks with a keen eye for design.
Hell Fest (2018)
A college student named Natalie joins her friends for a night out at Hell Fest, a horror-themed amusement park. When there, they initially have trouble distinguishing between what is staged and what is not. To make matters more disconcerting, Natalie feels as if one of the park's masked employees is following them. Truth be told — she's not wrong.
Hell Fest is mimetic of other slasher movies, but the production values, a mostly affable cast of characters, and some unadulterated violence makes this one park worth visiting for some old school terror.
Waxwork (1988)
A mysterious wax museum sets up in a small town. College student Mark, his girlfriend, and their friends all visit out of curiosity. As soon as they are inside, though, they are literally absorbed into the morbid displays.
Waxwork acts like an anthology where each character deals with a different and unique situation within the wax displays. The rest of the film acts as a large framing device. In the end, Waxwork is a likable comedy with some gruesome gore achieved through practical effects. There is also a sequel called Waxwork II: Lost in Time that was released in 1992.
The Funhouse (1981)
A teen girl defies her parents by sneaking out to a traveling carnival with her friends. They then somehow end up witnessing a deformed carny murder someone. With them now trapped inside a funhouse with the assailant, the teens hide and pray until daylight or help arrives.
Tobe Hooper's 1981 slasher The Funhouse is one of the director's best. It possesses atmosphere, and it has a fairly plausible scenario. Dean Koontz handled a novelization, but he wrote it under the pseudonym of Owen West. Due to the movie taking longer to make, the novelization was released first.