Halloween Houses: The fall is here. A haunted house awaits you with the leaves turning, the apple cider brewing, and the undead in pursuit. We’ve got you covered if your idea of a fun Halloween involves being scared out of your wits. There are haunted houses all over the country, from lightly spooky to nightmare terror, that open their creaky doors in September.
Halloween Houses 2021
Purchasing tickets in advance is the best bet this year since COVID-19 safety measures have changed the rules. It’s also a good idea to read up on any required safety precautions, such as wearing a mask. This fall, enjoy 26 of the most haunted attractions around the country, from family-friendly fun to adult-only haunts.
These spooky dwellings went all-out!
Slime house, Georgia, USA
A spooky spider, Indiana, USA
This house in Indiana installs this huge spider web decoration every year for Halloween. Covering the front porch and finished off with the spider’s prey in the top right corner, we would certainly avoid this house come October!
Transformers house, Ohio, USA
This house in Cleveland is always a huge hit with the kids at Halloween, and it’s not hard to see why. Reddit users marvelled at the size and detail of Optimus Prime and Bumblebee; don’t they look like they could spring into action at any time? If you’re wondering where they get stored for the other 11 months of the year, then don’t. They turn into cars and head to the nearest multi-storey car park, of course!
Pumpkin house, West Virginia, USA
Local pharmacist Ric Griffith started carving pumpkins with his three daughters in 1978. The following year they carved 20 pumpkins and now over a 1,000 volunteers show up to scoop out hundreds of jack-o’-lanterns. It’s become an annual spectacle that draws people to this gorgeous house in Kenova, West Virginia, and long may it continue. They must be the envy of the street with their pumpkin decorating idea!
Monster silhouettes, Pennsylvania, USA
This is one of the simplest and most effective ideas to transform a house for Halloween. Artist and master crafter Megan decided to use all of her empty moving boxes as Halloween decorations. These ghoulish shapes were cut out, painted and positioned in the windows, so they look cool even in the daylight. However, you can use all sorts of materials like paper or trash bags to get the same effect at night.
Hobbit House, Washington, USA
This little Hobbit House in Spokane, Washington, was made for Halloween. Not much is needed to turn this magical little dwelling into the stuff of fairytales. Built by resident Tolkien fan Ryan Oelrich, the hobbit house, which puts The Shire to shame, usually functions as a home office and reading room. Every Halloween, he opens up the pocket-sized space to trick or treaters on the proviso that they donate books to children in foster care. Now that’s a hero to rival Bilbo Baggins!
Everything Halloween, Washington, USA
If the Hobbit House wasn’t enough, Ryan also decorates his main house for Halloween – and he doesn’t hold back! From dragons to giraffes, the façade is covered in spooky creatures from all realms, with jack-o’-lanterns and dancing skeletons to boot!
Ghost manor, Louisiana, USA
When you’re blessed with a fabulous front porch and a historic house, you don’t need to go too crazy to create a spooky display on All Hallows’ Eve. We love the little hand-painted ‘Ghost Manor’ sign and the array of pumpkins in front of this New Orleans house – we counted 38!
Devil’s lair, New York, USA
An eerie sight to behold, the owners of this brownstone in New York City went all out in October 2016, when they adorned the outside of their house with a monstrous devil, surrounded by giant spiders scaling the facade. It’s enough to make our skin crawl…
Neon Halloween, California, USA
Celebrity skeletons, Louisiana, USA
The residents of this grand house in New Orleans put on a truly outlandish Halloween, covering their garden with comical, skeleton figures that you might just recognise. From Annie to the Rolling Stones, these homeowners certainly didn’t hold back when dressing their ghoulish gang, turning their garden into a local attraction for All Hallows’ Eve in 2015. We only wonder where the homeowners store all these skeletons when Halloween is over…
Pumpkin patch, Vermont, USA
Pirate ship house, USA
Wacky horror show, Washington DC, USA
This haunted home in Washington DC features a quirky array of spooky decorations, from a haunted telephone box to a coffin and even a zombie bride! The terrifying tableau is encircled by the vast web of a giant spider.
Haunted yard, California, USA
The owners of this home in Los Angeles not only decorated their entire home with spiders, webs, and tombstones, but they even went so far as to design their own spooky lighting system, complete with a homemade fog machine. The front lawn is adorned with sound-activated devices to keep passing trick-or-treaters on their toes. The homeowners also built a full-size coffin to hide in and catch unsuspecting visitors off-guard.
Zombieland, California, USA
Corpse wedding, Massachusetts, USA
This garden in Boston, Massachusetts, was transformed into the surprise setting for a ghostly wedding celebration, featuring a skeletal bride and groom, and a hair-raising priest. We’re not sure we want to be on the front row for this one…
Pumpkin harvest, New York, USA
What’s better than one pumpkin? A whole field of pumpkins! The owners of this New York City townhouse adorned their front steps with unique and unusual marrows, as well as two rather bizarre pumpkin art installations. Each to their own!
Skeleton family, USA
The White House, Washington DC, USA
When it comes to this much-loved annual festival, even POTUS gets into the spirit of things. In 2014, former president, Barack Obama and his wife Michelle decorated The White House with giant pumpkins and invited local children from military families around for a special Halloween party.
Black magic, Louisiana, USA
We’re heading right back to the creepy corner now, with another frighteningly imaginative front garden. This New Orleans Halloween house features terrifying clowns, a garland of bloodied daggers and an angel of death casting black magic over unsuspecting passersby!
Dark fairytale, Churriana, Spain
Inflatable cemetery, USA
The Addams Family, USA
Taking inspiration from The Addams Family, this yard in America was made over into a gruesome graveyard, brimming with creepy corpses, bats and tombstones.
Haunted junkyard, Connecticut, USA
Pirate’s graveyard, New York, USA
The Great Jack O’Lantern Blaze, New York, USA
Each year, Van Cortlandt Manor in Croton-On-Hudson, New York, hosts a rather spectacular – and illuminating – Halloween festival. Known as the Great Jack O’Lantern Blaze, this annual celebration is renowned for its use of more than 7,000 intricately carved pumpkins. The manor itself is also impressively decked out for the festivities, with dozens of pumpkin lanterns alight, each hand-carved thanks to the work of over 1,000 local volunteers.
Sinister graveyard, UK
The owners of this dwelling in the UK turned up the black humour with this graveyard garden, featuring a host of tombstones, from the horrifying to the downright hilarious. They boarded up their property’s windows, covered the lawn with fake rats and cats, and decked out their doorstep with a creepy butler and a haunted organ, a truly harrowing combination!
Giant spider web, Louisiana, USA
Demonic driveway, Missouri, USA
Each year, homeowner Chris Donaubauer sets up this vast display of Halloween decorations in September. Extending up his driveway and into his garage, Chris has kept up this spooky spectacle for a whopping 16 years!
Better beware house, New York, USA
Six-eyed monster, California, USA
Artist Christine McConnell takes the concept of Halloween decorating to the next level every year when she transforms her parents’ house in Highland, California. In 2015, she spent weeks painstakingly creating the eyes and fangs from Styrofoam for this house monster and then hand-painting them to add depth and definition. To top it all off, she dressed as a very glamorous witch for a photoshoot that she shared on her Instagram account, a fitting resident for this scary house!
Oogie Boogie house, California, USA
Christine, who has her own Netflix series where she creates Halloween-themed confectionary and crafts, took inspiration from Tim Burton for 2013’s spooky look. Oogie Boogie – AKA the Bogeyman from A Nightmare Before Christmas – has been immortalised in a giant roundel that hangs front and centre, as beautifully rendered bats swoop around him.
Candy Corn monster, California, USA
Built to promote her Netflix series The Curious Creations of Christine McConnell, it took the spooky artist and baker a full month to make. She fabricated a false front to the house to completely change the entire appearance of it, opting for black tiles and adding glowing Gothic windows and a pair of evil orange eyes to the monster’s face. The scariest bit? The sharp fangs painted to look like candy corns.
WITH TRICK-OR-TREAT cancelled in Milwaukee this year, we all will have to find another way to spend Halloween. If you’re looking for a safe, fun and free way to spend the spooky holiday this year, you could drive around to some of the creepy, freaky and fun houses that we’ve found throughout the Milwaukee area.
1. A & J’s Halloween House
2943 S. CLEMENT AVE.
Who you gonna call? A+J’s Halloween House in Bayview to see the elaborate and oh-so-fun Ghostbusters display that these homeowners worked so hard to put together! Okay, that’s a mouthful compared to the original song, but you know who to call! A & J started installing their fun-filled, ghostly display back on September 25, after building much of it themselves, and now it is on view to the public until Halloween! Keep an eye out for ghosts all around and make sure to let the Ghostbusters do their work! You can go to A & J’s Halloween House donation page to donate to Pathfinders Milwaukee, an organization that fights against homelessness and abused youth in our city.
2. The Nightmare on East Vogel
2615 E. VOGEL AVE.
If you enjoy the creepy, haunted, scare-the-crap-out-of-you decorations, you won’t want to miss this house! Follow the red balloon… if you dare, and the creepy clowns and terrifying animatronic ghosts and ghouls guide you through this yard haunt. Donations are accepted and encouraged, whether that’s a few dollars or some kitty goodies off of the wish list; it will be going to the Second Hand Purrs, a cat shelter in Milwaukee.
3. Who Let the Skeletons out?
2909 E. NEWBERRY BLVD.
It looks like some skeletons took over this house over by Lake Park! Watch out for the nicely dressed skeletons running through the yard and their friends coming out of the ground to join them! Don’t dare to go past the sidewalk, or the ghoulish figures guarding the house’s entrance may try to remove you from this very exclusive, ‘spooktacular’ party of the undead.
4. Creatures, Crawlers & a Huge Skeleton
7530 N. LAKE DR., FOX POINT
Beings of all kinds haunt this yard! Beware of skeletons as tall as the eye can see and werewolves that come alive as night draws near. There may even be a dragon lurking through the shadows, so keep an eye out for that too!
5. Halloween Overload!
4870 N. OAKLAND AVE., WHITEFISH BAY
We all have fun on this walkthrough! As you walk through this haunted yard, you’ll see ghosts flying through the yard and witches making ooey-gooey brew. See the skeleton greeting you – he’s “here for the boos,” as his cup says. Kids can also drop off Halloween drawings and notes in the Halloween mailbox. From 3:30 to 8:30 p.m., the lights and path are open, so you might want to wear a mask.
