Thanks to the relentless effort of Halloween fanatics (like us), mid-September is now firmly in the grip of spooky season and that means haunted houses in Pittsburgh are now open. Throughout the city (and a bit beyond), there are plenty of great haunted attractions to fill your calendar with frights, from traditional spookhouses to full fall festivals — and many add drinks, carnival games and more to make it a full evening of seasonal atmosphere. You’ll have plenty of macabre offerings to choose from over the next two months, so let us help: Here are five of our favorites.

The Best Haunted Houses and Attractions in Pittsburgh

Hundred Acres Manor

Bethel Park

One of the longest-running Halloween attractions in the region is also one of the most lauded nationwide. Hundred Acres Manor, which is a nonprofit organization that benefits local charities including Animal Friends and the Homeless Children’s Education Fund, has been ranked among the best in the nation by industry publications. That’s largely a product of its sprawling, mile-long series of haunts, each with vivid set decoration and shocking special effects. In addition to the main attraction, Hundred Acres Manor offers food-truck fare from Franken-Fried, a pop-up bar serving brews from Cinderlands, a midway full of carnival games and more — and keep an eye out for our full guide to Hundred Acres Manor.

Phantom Fall Fest

Kennywood

Kennywood has added a new attraction to its lineup of haunts this year — and it offers the chance to stroll through one of the park’s rides. For the first time, the dark ride Ghostwood Estates has been turned into a walkthrough attraction for the season; guests will lurch through the already terrifying scenes at the longstanding ride, with added ghouls around every corner. It’s one of seven haunted attractions open at the park during Phantom Fall Fest, and guests can also ride select roller coasters and other rides while visiting. While the nighttime experience may be too scary for younger kids, the park remains open during the day on Saturdays and Sundays for the all-ages fall festival portion of their October programming. Take a look at our trip to Phantom Fall Fest last year to see what all awaits.

Portals of Fear

West Mifflin

Relative newcomer Portals of Fear, located in a former school building in a quiet corner of West Mifflin, immediately established itself as an attraction filled with genuine frights from experienced, seasoned performers. It’s also one of the best options for larger groups, thanks to the Raven Room VIP Experience; you’ll get a private lounge (with some spooky secrets of its own) and dedicated concierge, and you’ll get skip-the-line access when it’s time to enter. Portals of Fear aims to be one of the more genuinely scary attractions in the area, so if you prefer tamer frights, be forewarned — or fortify yourself with a beverage from the on-site bar before you face your fears.

Castle Blood

Monessen

Another longstanding local tradition, Castle Blood is located in an appropriately spooky setting: A hulking former funeral home in downtown Monessen. The attraction has the scares and settings you’d expect, with a twist: There are challenges, games and riddles to solve in each room. Someone in your group will have to solve the puzzle (or at least find the exit) in each room before you can proceed. (Not to worry; staff will help anyone who’s stuck.) The Castle Blood team also takes time to schedule behind-the-scenes tours and family-friendly trick-or-treat sessions throughout the season. Keep your eye on their schedule all year long; they offer holiday and “Summerween” sessions and more.

Crawford School of Terror

Connellsville

Make the drive to Connellsville to visit Crawford School of Terror, a sprawling attraction that, like Portals of Fear, is located in a former school building. (We all have nightmares about being back in school, right?) Crawford School of Terror makes great use of its location and packs its halls with performers, so you’re never far from a jump scare. It’s also the only combination haunted attraction/coffeeshop in the area; the owners operate Coffee at Crawford by day. (The coffeeshop is considerably less spooky.)

Looking for more spooky fun? Check out more haunted attractions near Pittsburgh.

About the Author

Sean Collier is the editor-in-chief of Shady Ave and the arts and culture editor of TABLE Magazine. Before joining the TABLE Media team, he spent nearly 15 years as a writer, editor and columnist at Pittsburgh Magazine. As the in-house film critic for the top-rated WDVE Morning Show since 2009, he’s been Pittsburgh’s most widely heard voice on movies for nearly two decades. A Pittsburgh native, Sean has since 2020 appeared weekly on KDKA-TV’s popular Pittsburgh Today Live talk show. He’s the co-founder of Vigilance Theater Group and an active stand-up comedian and event host. He can be found on Instagram and Twitter at @seancollierpgh.

About the Featured and Phantom Fall Fest Photos Photographer

Kylie Thomas is TABLE Magazine’s Online Editor, covering Pittsburgh food, drink, and going out, including the Things to Do in Pittsburgh column. A Point Park University graduate, her work has also appeared on The Takeout, QBurgh, and Empire Extreme. She also runs the photography business Photos by Ky. 

Subscribe to TABLE Magazine’s print edition.