#10 Onryou Zashiki
Tokyo, Japan
You didn’t think you’d be doing some community service on this journey did you? Well if you count guiding a resentful spirit to peace as community service, Onryou Zashiki in Tokyo, Japan is the place for you. Literally translated as ‘House Haunted with a Vengeful Spirit’, this experience shows you the cruel world through the eyes of a woman named Yoko, who was murdered by her adulterous husband. Visitors must remove their shoes in the haunted house, so if reading about it put you on the edge of your seat, you’ll definitely be on the tips of your feet trying to make your way around this place.
#9 Official SAW Escape Room
Las Vegas, Nevada, USA
Do you want to play a game? If you said yes, then you probably haven’t seen the Saw movies. But fear not (or do, we won’t judge), you can live the movie at the Official SAW Escape Room in Las Vegas, Nevada. At the #1 escape room in the US, according to USA Today, you’ll have to work to escape the Egan & Co. Meat Packing plant while surviving the infamous Jigsaw’s games. Whether you’ve seen the movies or not, we hope your brain works faster in fear, because otherwise, this might not be the playdate you imagined.
#8 Daiba Ghost School
Odaiba, Japan
If Onryou Zashiki wasn’t enough soul saving for you, make your way to the Daiba Ghost School in Odaiba, Japan (just a 30 minute ride, so you’ll have plenty of time for dinner – if you still have an appetite). Here your mission entails exploring an abandoned school with only an undependable flashlight to discover the stories of missing children and a principle who committed suicide. Hearing the children’s unsettling laughter was enough to give us a chill, but who knows? It could all be a day’s work for a ghost hunter like you.
#7 Shanley Hotel
Napanoch, New York, USA
Our next location takes you to a real haunted hotel in Napanoch, New York. The rather quaint looking Shanley Hotel hides a rich history from being burned to the ground and rebuilt, hosting a Prohibition Era speakeasy, and most infamously, relating to a series of tragic deaths in the Shanley family. Speculation abounds on whether their ghosts ever left the location, which inspired The Shining by Stephen King. Visitors must sign a waiver to stay overnight, because you just might have a few unexpected residents sharing your room. Do you dare spend the night and walk in the footsteps of several paranormal enthusiasts before you?
#6 Nightmares Fear Factory
Niagara Falls, Ontario, Canada
“163, 079 HAVE CHICKENED OUT, IT’S THAT SCARY” reads the front page of the Nightmares Fear Factory website. We’re sure that number’s still counting. If you ever visit Niagara Falls, Ontario, don’t miss out on your chance to step into the old coffin factory whose owner was murdered in a fight with some ruffians. His body was never found and legend has it he still roams the halls, so step carefully. Now, the place is a haunted house attraction with ever changing and increasingly frightful experiences. We think this could be a perfect end to a day of basking in the beauty of the Niagara Falls. But then again, we’re assuming you’re craving some horror.
#5 Gonjiam Psychiatric Hospital
Gwangju, South Korea
The next place on our list takes us to Gwangju, South Korea – a city just south of Seoul. But ask some Seoul locals about this haunted house, and you’ll have a hard time getting an answer. The Gonjiam Psychiatric Hospital is considered one of the country’s most haunted sites. Formerly a facility for patients with mental disorders such as schizophrenia, the hospital suddenly closed in the 1990s. Although the true reason isn’t clear, chilling theories from a series of mysterious patient deaths to human experimentation have been proposed. The facility is closed to the public, but this doesn’t discourage thrill-seekers who manage to find some way in. Do you think the hospital is filled with the spirits of its patients, or was that creaking sound really just the wind through the door?
#4 Lost Souls Alley
Krakow, Poland
Or it could be that those hospital patients decided to take a trip around the world, and we have an idea where they might have ended up – The Lost Souls Alley in Krakow, Poland. But if you find yourself here, you might have a hard time getting out. The experience consists of a series of 12 escape rooms filled with bloody tenants and your most gruesome nightmares. Visitors can choose from 6 different tour options with varying levels of fun, pain, and fear, but regardless of which level you choose, we know you’ll be dying to make it out of there alive.
#3 13th Gate
Baton Rouge, Louisiana, USA
Ever wondered what it was like to be in a Hollywood movie? Well if horror is up your alley, 13th Gate in Baton Rouge, Louisiana is just the place for you. The attraction features professional actors, lifelike makeup, and Hollywood grade sets – all coming together to deliver an ultra-realistic haunted experience that has been recognized as one of the top Haunted Attractions in the US by MTV, the Travel Channel, and many more. You’ll find yourself escaping an abandoned asylum, getting lost in underground snake infested tunnels, running from zombies, and everything in between. Whether you’re planning to fight your fears or take flight from them, 13th Gate will definitely give you the adrenaline pump you’re looking for.
#2 Blackout Experience
New York, New York, USA
Next on our list is for those art aficionados who want to add a dark twist to the mix. The Blackout Experience in New York City can only be described as something between an art project and a psychological endurance test. Participants are required to be over 18 and sign a waiver. The organizers want the experience to be as realistic as possible, so you won’t find yourself running from zombies or in the clutches of vampires. Instead, you’ll find yourself choked, tied up, crawling through tight spaces, and even witnessing simulated sexual assault. If those things don’t scare you, don’t panic (although we can’t see how you’re not already)! Organizers will learn about your fears beforehand and create situations that cater to just those dark places in your mind. Oh, and one more thing… you have to go through the whole thing alone.
#1 McKamey Manor
Summertown, Tennessee, USA
Would you face your deepest fears for $20,000? That’s the prize the McKamey Manor in Summertown, Tennessee promises to anyone who can get through the entire thing. But don’t buy your flight tickets just yet! Dubbed “The World’s Scariest Haunted House”, prospective visitors must sign a 40 (that’s right, forty) page waiver and go through a rigorous screening process that involves a doctor’s approval. Like Blackout, organizers create an experience designed to exploit your fears, but here it can last up to 10 grueling hours. If being forced to eat rotten eggs, finding your face held underwater, and having live tarantulas walk over you doesn’t seem scary enough, keep in mind that no one has ever been able to complete this experience, and that includes a US Marine. Does $20,000 still sound worth it?