How to Find the Perfect Halloween Haunted House Attraction Near You
Halloween season is creeping closer, and the hunt for the ultimate scare is officially on. Whether you’re chasing bone-chilling screams, immersive storylines, or family-friendly frights, the right haunted attraction is out there—if you know how to search for it. So how do you search for the RIGHT Haunted Attraction?
First you might start by trying to remember the name of the haunted house your friends were talking about. Was it the Asylum? Hotel Fear? Hollywood Horror Nights?…. No, wait, that’s in California! So maybe you just jump on a search engine and type in “Haunted House”. Is this really the most effective method?
I tried, first I see listings for houses that people claim are actually haunted, then a Wikipedia listing for haunted houses in my state, a redit lisiting of paranormal locations, and even a poem ”Haunted Houses” by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow!!! But you wanted to go to that cool Haunted House in the Mall! It was the Meadows Mall…. Now I am getting listings on shopping Malls…. then online shopping start popping up…. what does Temu have to do with Haunted Houses??? And so starts the Rabbit Hole that ends up with us online watching videos of cats when we just wanted a haunted house!
Maybe we can avoid the “cat trap” if we just look for “best”? But by who’s standards are we judging “best”? Is this listing the best, or the best one that advertised the most? Now I am getting the Top Ten Halloween Costumes for 2025!!! I just want a Haunted House so someone will scare the crap out of my friend, and I get to laugh! Maybe we need a step-by-step guide to uncover the best haunted houses for this October, using smart search strategies that can lead you straight to the heart-pounding horror you crave, something local, hopefully right to the Asylum and Hotel Fear!!
- Start with “Near Me” Searches
Most people begin their haunted house hunt with location-based searches. On your phone or laptop, type:
- “Haunted house near me”
- “Halloween attractions near Las Vegas”
- “Scary haunted house near me”
Tip: If you have location services enabled, Google and other search engines will prioritize local attractions so you can find nearby events without hours of scrolling. There might be a Halloween themed event that you didn’t even know existed but is near you. If you are not searching “near me”, you might get a cool event but if it’s 4 hours away or in the next state it won’t do you much good for tonight!
- Use Experience-Specific Keywords
Not all haunted attractions are the same. Narrow your search by adding the type of experience you want. This is more important OUTSIDE Las Vegas:
- “Haunted hayride near me” – Perfect for outdoor chills, just not many in Las Vegas.
- “Interactive haunted house” – If you want actors to get really close. But just because they “touch” you, doesn’t guarantee it’s actually scarier.
- “Haunted corn maze tickets” – For a mix of jump scares and getting lost. More of a family event.
- “Escape room haunted house” – Great for puzzle-loving thrill seekers, but this is better for the escape room experience not an actual haunted house experience.
Using Key Words not only filters results but also helps you discover unique seasonal events you might not have heard about. Use Key Words that are actually available in your area. Back east there are Haunted Hayrides and Haunted Trail Walks EVERYWHERE. Living in Las Vegas or anywhere in the southwest high desert you are not going to find very many cornfields or wooded trails! This is a big reason why the Asylum and Hotel Fear are mobile attractions. There are not many corn fields, no big wooded areas and old buildings are just not available in Las Vegas, so our attractions are uniquely built to be mobile out of necessity.
- Check for Reviews and Ratings
Once you find an attraction that looks promising, search for its name plus the word “reviews” or “rating.”
Example: “Hotel Fear reviews Las Vegas”
Checking for reviews by name will focus on the attraction you intend on visiting without wasting time on places you’re not visiting. Reading reviews for an attraction can prepare you so you don’t miss the best features.
Why it works: Reviews on Google, Yelp, and Facebook often reveal what the scares are like, the wait times, and whether the event is worth the ticket price. Read more than one or two reviews so you can get a clearer picture on what to expect.
Why it DOESN’T work: Remember it is ten times easier to write a BAD review than to write a good review. If one small thing upsets someone, it will totally segue the review. We have had people claiming they waited HOURS in line, yet we had only been open for 45 minutes! Make sure you look for details in a review. You need to ask, did this person REALLY attend? Unfortunately, other attractions may get an overzealous actor who thinks they are helping by slamming the competition. Read more than just a few reviews. Look for trends. If the majority of reviews all talk about how detailed the sets were and how great the actors are then one reviewer claims it was nothing but dark hallways with no actors, you might want to disregard that review. Look for specific details, see if they match other reviewers.
- Search for Ticket Deals and Dates
Don’t just search for the attraction—look for special offers and availability. Try:
- “Las Vegas Haunts discount tickets”
- “Haunted house early entry pass”
- “VIP haunted attraction tickets”
You can also filter by date in search results to find events happening exactly when you want to go. Most Haunts are seasonal and only open on weekends. Some may have additional or specific dates. Pricing can vary from day to day. Some attractions offer coupons or discount days.
At the Asylum and Hotel Fear, we used to print coupons but people would forget the coupons, people would lose them, or sponsors would run out. So, while we do utilize a sponsor code that you can use online if you shopped at Smith’s or Sonic, we now utilize a sliding ticket price. Basically, YOU decide what discount you want. If you attend early in the season the tickets are cheaper. If you wait until Halloween night, you pay more! It’s simply supply and demand. Come early in the season for the best deal! Check other attractions as they too will be more expensive later.
- Explore Social Media & Event Sites
Some of the scariest attractions don’t rank high in Google but have a strong social media presence. Search on:
- Facebook Events – Search “Halloween” or “Haunted” plus your city.
- Instagram Hashtags – Try #HauntedHouse + [City] or #Halloween[City].
- TikTok – Many attractions post sneak peeks and scare videos that never make it to their websites.
Even if you just get to see a couple scenes or just the outside areas (a lot of haunts do not allow filming inside) it helps to see if it is a truly professional attraction, or if you should spend your money somewhere else!
- Use “Best Of” Lists
Every year, blogs and local news outlets post rankings of haunted attractions. Search:
- “Best haunted houses in Las Vegas 2025”
- “Top haunted attractions near me”
These lists often include details like scare level, recommended age, and special effects used—helping you choose the right fright level. Another advantage of sites like these is that if they are related to the industry they are comparing “apples to apples” . They will judge the attractions on more criteria than just “…they had a cool chainsaw!”
If the site just “specializes” in Lists, beware. The listing can depend on how much advertising is bought on the site. We were approached by a site that even listed what each level of ranking would cost you!
- Don’t Forget the Legends
If you’re into real history and ghost stories, combine “haunted house” with terms like “historic,” “real,” or “true story.” You may stumble upon real haunted hotels, asylums, or theaters that may also host Halloween events. Adding a Haunted Attraction to an actual hospital or jail can add a level of “eerie” that would be hard to replicate. Unfortunately, we do not have many of these in Las Vegas. If a building gets old, we blow it up and build a new one! Other cities actually have REAL historic, horror locations or haunted buildings. We have to create the horror or the legend.
Some attractions just create a couple haunts that capitalize on what current trend or horror movie is current, like mixing clowns and pirates… they really have nothing to do with each other. We created our own legend about Dr. Vander and Meadview Asylum and how they interact with the Feoray Family and the Hotel they founded! The storylines intertwine so they are like chapters in a bigger story. Very early on we were contacted by a foreign film crew. They wanted to do a documentary about Meadview Asylum! They had read the story on our website and thought it was real!! It shows the power of good story.
🎃 Final Tips:
Search early. The most popular haunted houses sell out fast – especially for prime nights like the weekend before Halloween. While we may sell out the Asylum and Hotel Fear VIP tickets online, we do always have General Admission tickets available on site, you may just have to wait longer in line. Many other attractions will do the same.
Remember, the more specific your search terms, the closer you’ll get to the perfect creepy adventure. You do not want to show up with kids to an adult only haunt or show up with the guys from your ball team to end up at a kiddie attraction!
Watch out for the self-claims. Everyone claims that they are the “Scariest”, “Las Vegas’ BEST”, “Las Vegas’ Number One Haunt!”, “The only Vegas Haunt that [add the newest catch phrase here]”. Remember, it’s really hard to be Las Vegas’ Number One attraction when no one has even heard of you! It’s always better when the claim comes from a reputable source. Listing a claim is “according to X Publication” is way better than “It’s the Number 1 Haunt according to Bob!”
The Asylum and Hotel Fear have been CONTINUOUSLY providing Las Vegas the highest levels of FEAR for 27 YEARS! We have seen a LOT of Haunts come and go and WE survive because we constantly change, update and improve. We unleash new horrors every year to keep our show fresh. People return to the Asylum and Hotel Fear because they know you will get a great show!! In the end, it’s all we can hope for.
