Spooky season is already underway in Ohio, with longtime favorites like the Haunted Schoolhouse and Laboratory in Akron set to open their doors this weekend. And the Buckeye State has plenty of options for frights this Halloween.
Ohio is continuing its reign as the state with the most haunted houses in the nation, and that number has grown since last year.
Ohio has 144 haunted attractions this year, according to The Scare Factor, besting California (132) and Illinois (123). Ohio has grown by 11 sites since 2024, and had 130 spots in 2023, per the Akron Beacon Journal. And that’s after losing some haunted houses, like the Ghoul Brothers in Northeast Ohio, which was one of The Scare Factor’s top picks for 2024.
So what are The Scare Factor’s picks for haunted houses in Ohio this year? Here’s what to know.
What is The Scare Factor?
The Scare Factor offers haunted house reviews and a directory of attractions, according to its website. Members of the haunted house enthusiast group, based in Indiana, seek out and review attractions across the country, according to the Beacon’s story.
Tyler and Nora Proffet told the Beacon in 2023 that they scour the internet and compile a list of what’s available to visit in each state.
Why does Ohio lead in haunts?
Tyler Proffet told the Beacon last year that the Midwest loves haunted houses, and Ohio leads the way.
“Ohio just really has a really strong Halloween culture,” he told the Beacon. “Haunted houses are just wildly loved in the Midwest.”
Some of the oldest haunted houses in the nation are in Ohio, such as the Haunted Schoolhouse and Laboratory in Akron, which marked 50 years in 2023.
Proffet said that because the state has such old haunts, it gave other enthusiasts the urge to open their own.
What are the best haunts in Ohio for Halloween 2025? The Scare Factor’s ranking
This spooky season, The Scare Factor has created its top 13 must-see Halloween haunted houses in Ohio for 2025, based on popularity metrics, social media presence and the site’s own reviews.
Its choices are:
This article originally appeared on The Repository: Spooky season: Ohio leads nation in haunted houses. Check out the best 13 this Halloween
Reporting by Chad Murphy, Canton Repository / The Repository
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
