Haunts of Houston - 2026

It’s officially October which means haunted and scary attractions are opening up all over the Houston area. This article will take a look at some of the biggest and most popular in the entire Houston area. For each attraction or event we will look at where it’s located, what it is, pricing, schedule and this year’s themes. You can also click on the title of each attraction to go directly to their website for more details. Now, let’s get into it!

Phobia Haunted Houses

There are two locations for this attraction; two houses on the Kemah Boardwalk and eight houses off of Beltway 8 near Pearland. Both locations consist of walk-through haunted houses and are currently open for weekends with extended weekday coverage the two weeks leading up to Halloween. Scare actors are also walking around the parks. The two houses in Kemah are “Doom” and “Darke Labs” exploring the curiosity of science and the pure chaos of fate. You can see both houses for $30/person and for an additional $5/person you can get express passes which is actually a pretty great deal considering this attraction only has two houses and lines will most likely be long.

The Beltway 8 location has the following eight houses; Dawn of the Machine, Mind Control, Genetic Nightmare, Clown Mania, Darke Institute and Exile (a three-in-one attraction). You can check out their website for more detailed descriptions, but they are pretty self-explanatory from the titles. Tickets for this location are a little more complicated. Tickets are available in three, four and five house packages with “Exile” being a separate ticket purchase altogether. You must purchase at least three houses and the three houses in “Exile” must be purchased together. You can check their website for more information, but I can sum it up by saying that it would cost $80/person to see all eight houses at this location. Parking is free at this location. There are no rain-outs according to their website since the lines are covered. It’s important to note that they encourage you to arrive early when seeing multiple haunts as they will shut down at closing time whether you have seen them or not. No refunds are given for unseen attractions. We went to this location a few years ago and really enjoyed it. We didn’t have a problem seeing all of the attractions, but it was very busy and you are essentially moving as a line through the haunted houses.

Purgatory Scream Park

This location looks so interesting we bought tickets for tomorrow night so check back next week for our review. Purgatory Scream Park is located in Kingwood just North of Beltway 8 with four walk-through haunted houses; Kingwood Asylum, Asphyxia, Dead Wood and Hysteria. There are three ticket options including a general ($42), VIP ($68) and Elite ($125) admission. Each ticket comes with different perks including skipping the line and free food and drink. Check out their website to see which ticket package is best for the experience you want. This location is currently open for weekends and opens Thursdays for the two weeks leading up to Halloween. They do note on their website that parking is free and there are food trucks on site for additional food and drink purchases.

Update: Our Review

We showed up at the lot and they directed us exactly where to park, which was nice, and then they directed us toward the entrance. There are kiosks for you to either check in or purchase tickets if you didn’t get them online. You are given a color-coded wristband that denotes which type of ticket you purchased and you are then herded to the appropriate line. Since we purchased VIP tickets, we got to go in ahead of the general admission line which wasn’t terribly long, but it definitely would have been a much longer wait time. I want to highlight the fact that they literally release you into the haunt based on a timer that the door attendant is holding. I have not seen this anywhere else! You are usually ushered in every few seconds in a group of people you don’t know. My husband and I were sent in, just the two of us, minutes after the previous group went in. That meant we got every single scare the haunt had along the trail and nothing was spoiled by a group walking in front of us. The haunt itself is quite long compared to some other places we have been, but we had no idea what to expect. Was it all inside? Was it all outside? Is it air conditioned?

The trail takes you through the attraction with a mix of indoor and outdoor portions. There is no air conditioning to speak of, but I was so focused on the attraction that I didn’t even notice that until we got in the car to go home. We really, really enjoyed Purgatory Scream Park. More than some of the others we have been to in the area. The scare actors walking around the front interact with the people waiting in line and there is also a live DJ playing music while you wait. The only thing I wish they would state on their website is that you park in a field and parts of the attraction are literally walking through woods outside so you WILL get muddy if it’s recently rained. I had to leave my shoes in the garage to clean, but somehow my husband stayed pretty clean. We highly recommend this location, but please note you do have to sign a waiver prior to entering the attraction. You are not touched by the actors, but the waiver covers other things that you should read before signing. Let me know in the comments below if you have been to this location and what you thought!

Houston Scream Fest

After researching Houston Scream Fest, I am a little apprehensive to include this in the article. The website seems very thrown together, the gallery is minimal photos with some seeming to be computer-generated and the ticket prices are extremely cheap for everything that they say is included. All of that said, I want to give it a chance so let’s look at the stats. This festival includes four haunted houses, a main stage with live nightly performances, a carnival midway and food/drink vendors. Your $40/person ticket includes all of that and the website also notes that parking is free. The haunted houses this year are; Sanitarium, Castle of Doom, Casa de La Llorona and The Graveyard. There is also a night-time paintball course with a fallout shelter theme included with your ticket if you wish (paint not included in ticket, just the admission). This attraction is currently open on weekends with additional weekday openings the two weeks leading up to Halloween. It’s located just off of I45 on the Southeast side of Houston. Let me know if you have been to this location before and what your thoughts are, I am genuinely curious if this is truly an amazing deal or too good to be true.

13th Floor

We have been to 13th Floor multiple times and thoroughly enjoyed it each and every time. It’s located just off of FM1960 on the Northwest side of Houston. Parking is free and there are usually food trucks on site as well as the secret 13th Floor bar with hand-crafted cocktails inspired by the year’s haunted houses. This year’s attractions include three haunted houses (Jason Universe, Containment: Sector 9 and Cannibal’s Crossing), mini escape games, axe throwing and zombie hunting. There are two ticket options, either general or platinum. The general admission ticket is just for the haunted houses and costs $35/person. You can add a fast pass for $48/person or a skip-the-line pass for $60/person in addition to the general admission price. The platinum ticket gets you free entry to the other attractions as well as the haunted houses, unlimited skip-the-line access, a VIP lanyard and a free photo. Platinum tickets will cost you $105/person, but could definitely be worth it on busier nights leading up to Halloween. This location is currently open on weekends with additional weekday openings each week leading up to Halloween. We highly recommend this location!

Creepy Hollow

I had never heard of this one, but it definitely has potential.After perusing the website, this location appears to be more of a festival than just haunted houses. There are live shows and vendors as well as food and drink options. The three haunted houses this year are; Scare Factory, Dark Woods Swamp and Pitch Black. Tickets cost $40/person and include all of the attractions and shows. There is an additional speed pass available for $20/person and a no-touch pass for $10/person if you do not wish to be touched by the scare actors. Creepy Hollow is open on Fridays and Saturdays only with the exception of Sunday 10/25 when they have additional hours before Halloween.

Houston Terror Dome

Located East of Houston in Channelview, this location boasts four haunted houses, a bar, carnival games, axe throwing, paintball, live DJ, escape rooms, pumpkin patch and a gift shop. The four haunted houses are; Story of June Le Beau, Soul Sucker, Sicko and Freak’s 3D Fun House and Dolly’s Doll House. Ticketing for this location is more of an a-la-carte style. You can purchase general admission tickets, single house tickets, express passes, etc. Prices obviously vary based on what you purchase and in what quantity. There are group discounts available as well as military, senior and first responder discounts. The Houston Terror Dome is open weekends with a few extra days sprinkled in throughout the month, check their website for more details.

Let me know in the comments below if you have visited any of these locations in the past or if you are visiting this year and what your thoughts are! Don’t forget to check back next week to see what we think of Purgatory Scream Park.

Until Next Time,

Happy Haunting