The Phantom of the Ville highlights the scariest, newest and most spirited haunted attractions in Louisville, KY!
Facing our fears, feeling the cold chill of terror run down our spine and then coming out the other side feeling more alive and stronger than before is the primal Halloween experience that modern haunted houses provide thrill seekers each October weekend through All Hallows’ Eve.
Louisville was among the first cities in the United States to really embrace the concept of the modern theatrical haunted attraction in the early 1970’s when most haunts were charity fundraisers produced by local chapters of the Jaycees. Perhaps the most fondly remembered of these attractions is the legendary Jaycees’ WAKY Haunted House.
Back then Louisville could be counted on for opening one, or maybe two haunted houses, each Halloween. Now Louisvillians can choose from well over a dozen professional haunted attractions in the region with numerous more yard haunts and charity events to challenge the fortitude of the bravest souls. They’re all wonderfully unique and in totality offer something for almost every thirst for thrills, chills and/or blood.
Here are my Top 10 favorite in alphabetical order. You can find all the information about location, operating hours and ticket prices on the Louisville Halloween website.
The 7th Street Haunt: Starting out as a little old school haunt next door to the Expo Five on 7th Street, this attraction has more than doubled in size over the last five years. It now includes a free sideshow carnival, a theatrical short film in a mini movie theater and a queue line full of classic monsters of the silver screen. The original attraction, Fort Harmony’s Revenge, has been completely revamped and a brand new second attraction, Unit 732, is open for Halloween 2017.
Asylum Haunted Scream Park: Located in the woods surrounding the Paintball Asylum in Louisville’s South End, this attraction offers an entire evening’s entertainment that includes a ¾ mile haunted woods called Darkness Falls, an interactive, story-based attraction called Zombie City, a zombie paintball shooting experience called Zombie Hunting and a laser shooting experience called Xterminate that has been reformatted this season to put you face-to-face with mutant clowns.
Black Orchard Haunted House: What’s in the barn? Louisville’s only brand new haunt in 2017, Black Orchard is located in a mysterious ramshackle barn in Shelbyville where rumors have circulated about a series of grisly murders committed by Silas Black and his demented family. This haunt seeks to deliver a grimy, gritty intensity that fans of movies like “The Texas Chainsaw Massacre” and “The Devil’s Rejects” crave.
The Devil’s Attic: Venture if you dare into the place where Satan himself keeps all of his most evil souls from throughout history. You’ll tour numerous scenes that take you from the chills of classic horror monsters to the netherworld of ghosts & spirits to the savagery of modern serial killers. New for 2017, this attraction adds to Satan’s stable of classic horror villains with the addition of the Mummy’ Tomb.
Disturbed Souls Yard Haunt: This FREE yard haunt in J-town has now grown to deliver 6,000 square feet of backyard terror! You’ll explore the dreaded Zombie Maze, the massive Clown Funhouse and the brand new for 2017 Marlin Manor for the Criminally Insane. The fun starts at dark on Saturday, Oct. 28 and opens again on Halloween night.
Fear Fair: Just over the bridge about 45 minutes to Seymour, IN, you’ll find one of the largest and most elaborate haunts in the region that is also a non-profit charity haunt still owned by the local Jaycees. This attraction was once renowned for its realistic movie scenes, but has been in the process over the last couple of years of completely reinventing itself as a massive original haunt that includes scenes that take you to the voodoo cursed swamps of New Orleans and, new this season, to a witchcraft plagued medieval village.
Grim Trails Haunted Attraction: Twisted versions of the fairy tales and fables we all grew up reading come to life in this 30 minute forested trail in Eastern Jefferson County. Among the elaborate scenes you’ll explore are Vlad the Impaler’s castle in Transylvania, Kaa’s lost temple in the Jungle Book and the witch infested town of Salem. New this year are the Island of the Dolls and Geppetto’s puppet shop.
The Haunted Hotel: This longest annually operating haunted house in Louisville has also become Louisville’s only real “extreme” haunt. This means you will be touched, possibly grabbed, kidnapped from your group and have dangerous looking blades make contact with your skin. Don’t worry, it’s all very safe and the actors are well trained to deliver physical thrills without any real danger. At the Haunted Hotel, the more chainsaw maniacs, the better.
The Legend at Pope Lick: The only haunted attraction in Louisville based on an actual urban legend, this attraction takes place in the dark woods near the Pope Lick trestle where legend tells of a creature known as the Pope Lick Monster aka the Goatman that haunts the train trestle and lures foolish trespassers to their deaths. This 25 minute trek into the Goatman’s territory explores the numerous stories that have been told about the monster for decades.
Nightmare Forest: Located in the dark wilds of Otter Creek Park, this haunt offers six different attractions including Hawthorne’s Circus Bizarre and a 4-minute Ouija Escape Game. The Nightmare Forest trail puts guests inside some of the scariest horror movies like “Halloween” and “Friday the 13th.” New scenes this year include “Stranger Things,” “Krampus” and “Deliver Us from Evil.” The Trail of Terror is all original haunted trail that includes zombies, aliens and creepy dolls. Also new this year is an attraction called St. Lucifer’s Schoolhouse.
