The Masses Have Spoken; The Top 10 Have Been Chosen...

HauntedHouseChicago.com is pleased to announce the Top 10 Haunted Houses in the Chicagoland area, as voted by the users of HauntedHouseChicago.com and the HHC Review Team. Congratulations to the winners, and HHC hopes that ALL the haunted houses and dark attractions in and around Chicago had a safe and prosperous season!

2009 Website User Ratings Haunted House User Rating  # of Votes Cast 1. Disturbia - Torment of Fears 7.7 71 2. Statesville Haunted Prison 5.9 130 3. Evil Intentions 5.8 36 4. Reaper's Realm 5.7 89 5. Psychosis 4.6 26 6. The Fear at Navy Pier 4.4 81 7. Nightmares: Basement of the Dead 4.2 46 8. Realm of Terror 3.8 41 9. Dream Reapers 3.4 38 10. Lombard Jaycees Haunted House 3.3 32

A haunted house had to receive a minimum of 25 votes to be considered for the Top 10. Users had to register and validate their accounts (via email) in order to vote. User Rating is the rating derived from the votes cast by the users of this website. Users could rate a haunted house from 1 to 10. # of Votes Cast is how many total votes were cast for the haunted house. Ratings were tallied on November 15, 2009 at Midnight.

2009 HHC Critics Ratings Realm of Terror Round Lake Beach, IL Statesville Haunted Prison Crest Hill, IL Dream Reapers Melrose Park, IL Dungeon of Doom Zion, IL Fear Itself Mishawaka, IN Nightmares: Basement of the Dead Aurora, IL Wisconsin Feargrounds Waukesha, WI Dark Side Ixonia, WI Reapers Realm Hammond, IN Niles Scream Park Niles, MI

The HauntedHouseChicago.com Review Team, led by former HHC owner Kris Zahrobsky, visited over 60 haunted houses in the Chicagoland area during the 2009 Halloween season. The list to the left represents their picks for the best haunted houses in Chicago in 2009.

One Final Weekend of FEAR!

Fear Itself @ Legend Skream Park in Mishawaka, Indiana will be open for one final weekend of FEAR: Friday, November 13^th and Saturday November 14^th. Mishawaka is 90 miles East of Chicago (right outside of South Bend, Indiana) and Fear Itself's multiple attractions are well worth the drive!


Get your tickets now – visit www.fearitself.tv or call 574.255.FEAR for more information.

Days of the Living Dead Episodes 1-7

What is the Zombie Army? It's a rag tag group of renegade actors, artists, technical directors and filmmakers working together to produce one of the largest and most heralded haunted houses in the country, Statesville Haunted Prison*. This year, like every year, will be the Army's biggest year yet and there is a lot at stake. Days of the Living Dead chronicles the hard work, creativity and absolute insanity that the people who like to scare you put into the job.

WATCH THE FIRST 7 EPISODES NOW!

*Zombie Army Productions also produces The Fear Haunted House at Navy Pier and has made several films in Chicago, all in various stages of production/distribution. This series focuses on Statesville.

Days of the Living Dead is a joint production of Zombie Army Productions and Joone Studios.

Dream Reapers Haunted House on the Travel Channel tonight!

Look for Chicago haunted house Dream Reapers on the Travel Channel's "America Haunts 2" tonight at 7:00 pm (CST)

Metromix Has Released its Chicago Halloween 2009 Guide

Local Chicago haunted houses feature prominently in Metromix Chicago's 2009 Halloween Guide. Congratulations to The Fear at Navy Pier and Dream Reapers in particular - great photos and articles!

READ ALL ABOUT IT.

How About Some REAL Illinois Ghosts?

Three of Haunted Attraction Magazine's 25 MUST-SEE HAUNTS Are Within Driving Distance!

Haunted Attraction Magazine, the oldest publication for the haunted house and dark amusement industry, recently released its first-ever 25 Must-See Haunted Houses list. Three of the attractions on that list are within very easy driving distance of Chicago; one of them is right in front of Navy Pier! Here's the list; the Chicagoland haunted houses are linked to their listings pages:

1. Shocktoberfest, Reading, PA
2. Terror Behind the Walls, Eastern State Penitentiary, Philadelphia, PA
3. The 13th Gate, Baton Rouge, LA
4. Erebus, Pontiac, MI
5. Wisconsin Feargrounds, Waukesha, WI
6. Dead Acres, Pataskala, OH
7. Fear Itself, Mishawaka, IN
8. The ScareHouse, Pittsburgh, PA
9. Hobb’s Grove, Sanger, CA
10. Nightmare New England and SpookyWorld, Litchfield, NH
11. Thrillvania, Terrell, TX
12. The House of Shock Horror Show, Jefferson, LA
13. The Dent SchoolHouse, Cincinnati, OH
14. Terror Town, Toledo, OH
15. The Fear Haunted House at Navy Pier, Chicago, IL
16. 7 Floors of Hell, Cleveland, OH
17. Woods of Terror on Church Street, Greensboro, NC
18. Ghostly Manor, Sandusky, OH
19. The Haunted Hotel, Louisville, KY
20. CHAOS, Kennedale, TX
21. Reindeer Manor, Red Oak, TX
22. Farmaggedon, Near Formby & Ormskirk, Northwest United Kingdom
23. Shipwreck Halloween at the Queen Mary, Long Beach, CA
24. Hacker House, Pilot Mountain, NC
25. Necropolis: City of Perpetual Darkness, Indianapolis, IN

HAUNTS AGAINST HUNGER Food Drive 2009

Hunger remains a serious issue for many residents of Illinois, as almost a half-million people each year rely on food provided by the Greater Chicago Food Depository's network of pantries, soup kitchens and shelters. Working poor families, parents of young children and the elderly are among those who need our assistance to not go hungry.

In 2009, ChicagolandHalloween.com  is heading up the 2nd Annual "Haunts Against Hunger" Food Drive with the Greater Chicago Food Depository. If it is in your means, we will be taking donations of non-perishable food that will be donated from October 17th to October 31st just in time to help families for the Thanksgiving & Christmas season! Our headquarter drop site is at the Worth Halloween House in Worth, IL. Our kick off/media night is on October 18th, 2009. To find our network of collections sites go to chicagolandhalloween.com

If your decorated home or business is the Halloween hit of your area and you would like to help provide food for hungry people in the Chicago metropolitan area, we would love to have your home become part of the CLH "Haunts Against Hunger" team and become a "Collection Haunt" (drop off point). To become a "Collection Haunt" go to chicagolandhalloween.com to join the team!

This year we hope not only to entertain fellow Halloween lovers but to try and help our community as well. You can too!

We need items high in protein canned meats, beef stew, chili and peanut butter. Also needed are canned vegetables and fruits, rice, pasta and cereal. With your help, we can restock the shelves with food for hungry people. Thank you for joining us in the fight against hunger!

BRING THE FEAR to Navy Pier Zombie March

CALLING ALL CHICAGO ZOMBIES! Join us in inaugurating the 2009 Halloween and haunted house season as we BRING THE FEAR to Navy Pier!

On Saturday, October 3, zombies are invited to gather at the fountain in front of Navy Pier at 4:30 pm. We'll shamble our way through the inside of the Pier and back down the outer deck and directly into The Fear Haunted House.

ALL ZOMBIES GET IN FREE!

That's right! Anybody who shows up AS A ZOMBIE at The Fear Haunted House at Navy Pier between 6:00 pm and closing on October 3rd GETS IN FREE!

Haunted House Reviews 2009

Ladies and Gentlemen, Boils and Ghouls, it is now the moment that you have been waiting for... OPENING DAY FOR REVIEWS! Between Tonight and Devil's Night, the Haunted House Chicago Review Team will be visiting over 53 haunted attractions within a 150-mile radius of Chicago.

Look for all the reviews to be posted in the review section. AND on Halloween, get ready for Haunted House Chicago's most complete Top-10 list ever created!

Want to know where the Review Team is headed? Want to follow along? Check out their Twitter feed for real-time updates from their journey:

http://twitter.com/HauntedHouseChi

Where do you want to scream today?

Halloween Is In The Air...

The leaves are starting to turn, the air is cooling and Halloween is in the air! The stores have rolled out their Halloween costumes, the seasonal Halloween stores are starting to pop up in the 'burbs and the online shopping for Halloween Props and Decorations, Halloween Decor and Party Supplies, costumes, accessories, crafts and ideas has never been better!

HauntedHouseChicago.com (as well as the other DarkChicago.com sites like ChicagoZombie.com, ChicagoHorror.com and ChicagoVampire.com) is looking forward to giving you lots of reasons to get your scare on this season. Let's hear it for Halloween 2009!

Casting Notice: The Fear at Navy Pier Actors/Actresses

Dates: September 18th, 2009.10am to 6pm.
September 24th, 2009. 2pm to 8pm.
Talent must attend make-up and acting workshops in order to work.
Workshops Sept. 24th 6:30pm-8:30pm 


Location: South Gateway Park, Navy Pier
600 E Grand Ave
Chicago, IL

Pay: Determined by Position.

Equity/Non-Equity: NON- EQUITY.


Ages: 16+

Time Commitment: Thursday October 1st thru Sunday November 1st, 2009.

• Thursday & Sunday 5pm to 11pm.
  
• Friday & Saturday 5pm to 1am.
• Tues. Sept. 27th non-paid training day
• Weds. Sept. 28th

** Additional Training Day: September 24th, 2009. **

Materials to prepare: Dress comfortably and appropriately. We will be doing acting and make-up workshops. Please bring a water bottle and wear comfortable shoes. There will be a dinner break.

Contact: E-mail questions or concerns to Dan dan@ZAP23.com

**This is a Zombie Army Production**

Open Casting Call: Statesville Haunted Prison & City of the Dead

Casting Notice

Statesville Haunted Prison Featuring City of the Dead Haunted Houses will be casting for the 2009 season on September 19th & September 20th, 2009. (Saturday & Sunday) from 10:00 am to 2:00 pm.

Talent must attend make-up and acting workshops both days in order to work:
19th Make-up 2:00 pm - 7:00 pm
20th acting 2:00 pm - 7:00 pm

Casting will take place at Statesville, 17250 S. Weber Rd. in Crest Hill,IL 60441
*Enter the farm and follow the drive to the backand you will see the Statesville façade. Please use discretion when entering the location.

Pay: Determined by Position.

Equity/Non-Equity: NON- EQUITY.

Time Commitment:

• Thursday October 1st thru Sunday November 1st, 2009
• Thursday & Sunday 5:00 pm to 11:00 pm.
• Friday & Saturday 5:00 pm to 1:00 am.

** Additional Training Days: Saturday September 19th & Sunday September 20th, 2009. **

Materials to prepare: Dress comfortably and appropriately. We will be doing acting and make-up workshops. Please bring a water bottle and wear comfortable shoes. There will be a dinner break.

Contact: E-mail questions or concerns to Jillian Jillian@ZAP23.com

*This is a Zombie Army Production**

Once Again, Folks - New Site, New Everything : PLEASE DON'T IGNORE THIS POST

There appears to be some confusion about how old HauntedHouseChicago.com (prior to July 2009) user accounts work with the new site, so here's the answer: THEY DON'T. Your old login info doesn't work anymore; HauntedHouseChicago.com changed ownership last year and had to be re-engineered from the ground up.

The site is BRAND NEW, 100% re-built. Old usernames, passwords and listings are GONE. You MUST create a NEW user account, and all haunted houses that want to be listed MUST CREATE THAT LISTING. We will not do it for you.

The whole point of all this was to (a) get rid of the dozens of outdated listings for no-longer-existing attractions and (b) put the ability to edit haunted house and Halloween event information directly into the owners' hands. Please help us help you! List your haunted house, attraction or Halloween event!

Contact Page / Email Issues Found, Fixed

All of HauntedHouseChicago.com's contact email addresses and the contact page appear to have broken when we relaunched the site. We have identified the problems and corrected them (thanks to those who took the time to track us down and tell us!). If you've tried to contact us and couldn't, we apologize - please get back to us at spirits@hauntedhousechicago.com!

Halloween II Release Party : The Michael Myers Victims Ball

Dress up as one of Michael Myers' victims and come out to Neo Chicago on Saturday, August 22 for the Michael Myers Victims Ball! DJ Jeff Moyer spins, there'll be door prizes and giveaways and dark, spooky fun for all as we celebrate the hotly-anticipated release of Rob Zombie's Halloween II on August 28!

10:00 pm - 5:00 am
21+
Neo Chicago
2350 N Clark
http://www.neonightclub.com

Sponsored by Dimension Extreme and DarkChicago.com

Account Creation Errors Fixed

The user account creation error(s) have been found and fixed - you may now create your user account and list your haunted house with (hopefully) no further glitchiness! If you do experience a problem on this site, PLEASE notify the webmaster at darkchicago@gmail.com.

Growing Pains

Looks like there's a glitch or two in the New User registration process; the programmer has been notified and the problem should be resolved shortly. Please bear with us.

Welcome to the All New HAUNTED HOUSE CHICAGO!

We at DarkChicago.com are very pleased to present the all-new HauntedHouseChicago.com, just in time for the 2009 Halloween and haunted house season. Please bear with us as we get the site set up today - you may see some weird listings or wonky elements, but they'll be very temporary.

In the meantime, go ahead and create your user account, which will let you rate and review haunted houses during the season.

HAUNTED HOUSE OWNERS

We are starting the Haunted House Listings over from scratch this year, so please read the following carefully. YOU MUST ADD YOUR HAUNTED HOUSE YOURSELF. We've made it super-easy to add and maintain your own listings this year - all you have to do is create your account and make sure you hang on to your username/password so that you can update your listing(s) in the future!

• FIRST: Click HERE to create your new account.
• SECOND: Check the email address you entered and click the link in the email you'll receive to activate your account.
• THIRD: Click HERE to create your haunted attraction's listing.
• FOURTH: A HauntedHouseChicago.com administrator will review your listing and approve it, at which time your listing will go live on the site!
  

You'll be able to add your attraction's address, phone number, email address, a brief description and even a couple of photos. Better still, HauntedHouseChicago.com users will be able to see your attraction's location on a Google Map, right on your listing page (so PLEASE be sure to get that address entered correctly!).

Stay tuned for more announcements as we gear up for Halloween 2009!

Clive Barker Reinventing Halloween!

Legendary writer/director/artist/bon vivant Clive Barker announced on his Twitter account this evening that he is working with Disguise to create his own line of Halloween masks, a line he intends to expand each year:

I'm starting to get full-size sculpts for Halloween masks and costumes developed to give a wild, edgy look to my favorite holiday! In 2010 we'll start with The Dark Bazaar. Then we'll add characters to the mythology year after year - my designs for a whole new Halloween, with not a pumpkin in sight. I originate the characters as oil paintings. In 2011 we will get even darker, as we descend into The Pit.

I'm working with an awesome company called Disguise - great, creative people who want to give the holiday some bite, some fresh blood, some new Terrors. There will be big press stuff to follow. But you folks (Twitter followers) have been amazing to me during a really bad time in my life. You first!

HAuNTcon Pre-Show Haunt Tour!

Time is running out for this CAN’T MISS pre-show tour!

Visit Six different Wisconsin Haunts in Two days on the HAuNTcon Pre-show Haunted Road Trip Bus Tour! April 29-30

All inclusive ticket price includes:

6 Different Haunted Attractions and a 4-D Theater! A ride on an antique passenger train! Bus Transportation! Hotel, Meals, Photo Op at Lambeau Field! Free beer, soda, and snacks at the Terror on the Fox!!

And more!

The Pre-show tour leaves at 8am on Wednesday April 29 from the Wyndham and returns to the host hotel at 6pm April 30. The current list of Haunts for this overnight bus trip includes Terror on Rural Street, The Hartford Jaycees Haunted House, Shawano Manor Haunted House, Dominion of Terror, Curse of the Crypt, and lights off AND lights on tour of Bad Boys Scenic Designs’ Terror on the Fox!

The Pre-show tour leaves at 8am on Wednesday April 29 from the Wyndham and returns to the host hotel at 6pm April 30. The current list of Haunts for this overnight bus trip starts with:

Hartford Jaycees Haunted House chaired by Gary Milliken, has consistently been rated in the top 5 haunted houses in Wisconsin by the Milwaukee Journal They are unique because they are located in an actual farm house; visitors to this one of a kind event will find themselves doing things in an attraction that they may never have seen before.

Terror on Rural Street owned by non-profit corp. "Hartford Community Service, Inc.". has been a Wisconsin haunted attraction landmark for years, this haunt is a multi level attraction that incorporates the use of a lot of water, we advise you to fear what lies with in the calm waters of T.O.R.S.

Curse of the Crypt at Noah's Ark Water Park - One of Americas Largest Water Parks) this attraction is brand new for the 2009 season built by Oak Island Productions. This is a 2.5 million dollar attraction that includes two dark rides! A hellevator that can hold over 100 people and a bonus for all attendees is the interactive 4 -D theater at Noah's Ark! That's right 4 D Theater!

Bad Boys Scenic Designs' Terror on the Fox Considered one of the most detailed Haunted Attractions in the Country, now entering its 13th season Terror on the Fox continues to deliver thrills, chills, and screams to tens of thousands of customers each October! This is your chance to visit one of the top rated Haunted Attractions in the Country! Upon arriving at Terror on the Fox you will be treated to dinner amongst some of the most historical trains in the Country including Eisenhower’s command train. After dinner you will board an actual passenger train that will deliver you to the Haunt. From there, you will be treated to a fully operational and staffed event with some industry guest actors and seasoned Terror on the Fox cast and crew. After the tour, it is time top check into the hotel but the night is not over yet! Attendees will be treated to a Terror on the Fox social gathering at the Stadium View Sports Bar and Grill across the street from the hotel.

Rated the Best Charity Haunt in the Country by HauntWorld Magazine, Terror on the Fox has been spotlighted in a Cover Story in Haunted Attraction Magazine, featured in Family Circle Magazine, Skin Deep Magazine a featured Haunt in Haunt Search Magazine, issues 4 and 12 and install of the month, Sound & Video Contractor Magazine! Terror on the Fox can be seen in the Halloween, The Happy Haunting of America DVD featuring Robert Englund, Alice Cooper, Tom Savini.

After breakfast the following morning attendees return to Terror on the Fox for an up close and personal, lights on backstage tour of the Attraction before heading over to Lambeau Field for a quick photo op!

Shawano Manor Haunted House owned by Dave Oshefsky Since the fall 1894, people have wondered what has been going on inside Shawano Manor. They have seen the mysterious lights, heard the mysterious sounds. The terrifying stories and rumors have spread throughout Northeast Wisconsin like fire in dry grass. Some have been slight exaggerations, but many are factual. The only way to find out the truth is to visit Shawano Manor for yourself! Shawano Manor a real haunted mansion, to get there you must first make it through the haunted trail. A mind blowing 3,600 square feet of 3D attraction, new building specifically designed for the attraction completed September of 2008, ChromaDepth 3D is utilized throughout the haunt. 3 acres of haunted trails. New EFIS Façade now under construction, Come see the early stages of a new Northeast Wisconsin Haunted Legend.

Dominion of Terror owned by Jodie Zajkowski. - Over 30 years of Terror will be unleashed as you attempt to find your way through the Dominion of Terror. Horror will overcome you as you attempt to make your way through over 18 brand new blood chilling rooms. Prepare to encounter gruesome and insane characters impatiently awaiting your arrival. With only one way out, your heart will be racing as you frantically try to find it. Every step brings a new twist to the word Terror! The Dominion of Terror, sponsored by the Sheboygan Jaycees, has been in existence since 1974. It is one of the largest non-profit haunts in Wisconsin. With a limited budget, the small staff need to work extra hard to maintain the fear in this haunt. Each year usually brings a new building, with new ambiance. Fortunately, the current location is now in its fifth year. If luck has it, it will remain the permanent location. The small core group of people dedicate most of the year to piecing together this haunt.

Tickets include bus, meals, DOUBLE OCCUPANCY hotel stay and 6 Haunted House Tours in 2 days!

CLICK HERE for 2 Day Pre-Show Haunting Bus Tour (April 29-30) $275.00

CLICK HERE For 2 Day Pre-Show Haunting Bus Tour - PRIVATE ROOM (April 29-30) $325.00

For more information, contact Leonard Pickel at 972-951-5100

HALFWAY to HALLOWEEN Haunted House Tours at HAuNTcon!

HAuNTcon, the Haunted Attraction National Tradeshow & Convention, takes place in Milwaukee April 29 - May 4. Milwaukee is only 1 1/2 hours north of Chicago. Haunted House enthusiasts can check out the tradeshow itself, but there's an added benefit to having HAuNTcon so close to Chicago - the Haunted House Tours!

April 29-30, May 1st and 3rd each feature a different tour of some of the Midwest's best haunted houses!

• WEDNESDAY/THURSDAY PRE-SHOW TOUR: Terror on Rural Street, Terror on the Fox, Shawano Manor and Dominion of Terror
• THURSDAY: Realm of Terror
• FRIDAY: Wisconsin Feargrounds, featuring Morgan Manor, Morgana's Torment and the all-new Unstable
• SUNDAY: Monster Mayhem

For more information about HAuNTcon, visit http://www.hauntcon.com

To find out more about the Halfway to Halloween Haunt Tour, visit the Master Haunt Tour Page

Second Annual Chicago Ghost Conference

"The dead say nothing
And the dead know much
And the dead hold
Under their tongues
A locked-up story."
-Carl Sandburg

One of the city's most beloved poets, Carl Sandburg, knew a thing or two about being haunted. Each October, we attempt to unlock the "locked up stories" of the spirits of Chicago--and beyond--at the Midwest's premier ghost hunting event of the season.

The first Chicago Ghost Conference went down in history as the first ghosthunters' convention ever held in the city of Chicago. For the first time, field investigators, authors, historians, folklorists, artists, sensitives, and enthusiasts from every walk of life came together in one of the world's most haunted cities for a weekend of learning, discovery, and--of course--ghosthunting.

The 2009 conference promises to be even bigger and better. All are welcome, whether you have merely a ghost of an interest in the paranormal, are looking to celebrate Halloween in a unique way, or whether you're a seasoned ghosthunter actively engaged in the science of paranormal investigation.

Registration is now open! Our 2009 Conference headquarters will be the historic and storied Portage Theater on Chicago's Northwest side, just minutes from O'Hare airport and some of Chicago's greatest paranormal locations, including Robinson Woods and the former site of the John Wayne Gacy home. Special evening events on Friday will sell out early, including a special ghosthunters' tour of Chicago and other supernatural events you won't want to miss!

Full details: http://www.chicagohauntings.com/conference.html

HAuNTcon 2009 : Right Next to Chicago!

Join Haunters from across the country for the Sixth Annual Haunted Attraction National Tradeshow and Convention, April 30-May 4, 2009 at the Wyndham Milwaukee Airport Hotel and Convention Center with a pre-show Haunted road trip April 29-30, less than an hour and a half drive from the Rosemont Convention Center in Chicago!

Open to the general public, HAuNTcon is a convention and expo that packs in everything a Haunter could possibly want or need to make the next Halloween season the best it can be! Designed by Haunters, for Haunters of every age and level of experience, HAuNTcon brings people together who love Haunted Houses and Halloween for a fun filled three days and nights of Haunter Education, Tours of Local Haunted Houses, jam packed Tradeshow Floor, Hearse Show and an incredible Costume Ball!

The HAuNTcon Haunt Tours starts on Wednesday April 29 with a pre-show tour. The over-night bus trip includes lights on and lights off tours of the Hartford Jaycees Haunted House, Terror on Rural Street Crypt of Terror, Bad Boy’s Scenic Design’s Terror on the Fox, Shawano Manor and Dominion of Terror.

The Thursday Night Kick-off Tour and Social on April 30 includes dinner and a tour of the Realm of Terror owned by Tom Kristof. The Friday Night Haunt Tour, May 1 is the three haunt multi-element event Wisconsin Fear Grounds, owned by Tim and Ann Marie Gavinski, and features Morgan Manor, Freaky’s Fun House and the brand new Unstable.

A key component of HAuNTcon is education! Over 50 hours of seminars, workshops and Demonstrations are included in the price of admission. Education id the key to help attendees learn tips and tricks on how-to build props and sets; how to make their lives easier and their attractions more successful.

The huge Tradeshow floor, Friday May 1 through May 3, is filled with the latest in fright services and equipment for the professional Haunted House owner and Halloween enthusiast alike. From horror makeup and highly detailed masks to static props and large animatronic creatures, everything a Haunter needs will be for sale and many at wholesale prices.

A Hearse and Parade Car Rally is planned for Sunday May 3, as the hotel parking lot fills with a collection of creepy tricked out vehicles and funeral cars.

Saturday night May 2, is the massive Haunted Attraction Magazine Costume Ball, where Haunters from across the country show-off their most creative costumes at a rocking party that celebrates the joy of getting into character for fun rather than for work. It is Halloween in May!

NEW for HAuNTcon 2009 is the Sunday Night Haunt Tour and social on May 3 of Monster Mayhem owned by Jeff Lister. The price for this tour includes a light dinner and networking social.

“HAuNTcon is an opportunity for Haunters to network, share tips and stories, get fresh ideas, learn new ways of doing things and check out the latest in Haunting props,” explains Leonard Pickel, editor of Haunted Attraction Magazine and HAuNTcon event coordinator. “It is the best money you can spend on your Haunted Event.”

HAuNTcon 09 is sponsored by HauntedHouseChicago.com, Wristband Resources, Zombie Army, Sinister Visions inc. and Haunted Attraction Magazine.

Attendee and Exhibitor Registrations are available at www.hauntcon.com, as is a schedule of events for the weekend. Discount hotel rates for the Wyndham Milwaukee Airport Hotel and Convention Center are also available on the convention website.

If you own a Haunted House or would like to find out how to get started in the Haunt business, then HAuNTcon is a "not to be missed" convention! Even if you just like Haunted Houses and Halloween, then you are in for a rare inside look at how major Haunted Attractions across the country scare millions of people each October.

Win The Haunting In Connecticut Passes/Prizes!

Lionsgate Films has a stack of free passes and merchandise to give away for their upcoming film THE HAUNTING IN CONNECTICUT. Contest time!

Based on a chilling true story, Lionsgate's THE HAUNTING IN CONNECTICUT charts one family's terrifying, real-life encounter with the dark forces of the supernatural. When the Campbell family moves to upstate Connecticut, they soon learn that their charming Victorian home has a disturbing history: not only was the house a transformed funeral parlor where inconceivable acts occurred, but the owner's clairvoyant son Jonah served as a demonic messenger, providing a gateway for spiritual entities to crossover.

Now unspeakable terror awaits, when Jonah, the boy who communicated with the dead, returns to unleash a new kind of horror on the innocent and unsuspecting family.

Have you ever had an encounter with the supernatural? Spotted a specter? Seen a spook? Describe your eerie encounter and send it to darkchicago@gmail.com for your chance to win two free passes to an advance screening of The Haunting In Connecticut in Chicago on March 23, plus a bunch of cool THIC goodies!

When submitting, you *must* include your:
* Name
* Email Address
* Mailing Address (so we can send pass/prizes)

Entries must be received by midnight on the 17th so that passes can be mailed on the 18th, so you'll hopefully get them by Saturday the 21st.The Haunting In Connecticut hits theaters March 27!

DISCLAIMER: Entering the contest does not guarantee winning anything. All entries become the property of DarkChicago.com and its affiliated sites; certain entries may be posted to these sites & related social networks.

HALLOWEEN in MARCH at THE ORPHANAGE

For years, this South side gallery gem known as "The Orphanage" has been host to artists of all media and performance, regularly featuring showcases every Sunday in it's spacious gallery. This March, the Orphanage acknowledges it being halfway to Halloween with this month long tribute to world's greatest play day. Chicago's own "Annual Halloween Art Exhibit" will bring the best of its national showcase of Halloween Art to haunt the house and horrify the halls. Well known spooky artists include: Scott Jackson (Megadeth, Rock'n'Roll comics), Chad Savage (Sinister Visions), JoJo Baby (Clive Barker documentary), Eric Pigors (Toxic Toons, Disney), Dan Brereton (Nocturnals) along with top & upcoming talents from all over the country.

Opening Reception Sunday, March 1st, 7:00 pm - Midnight; then different events every Sunday in March.

For full details, visit http://www.theorphanagechicago.org/

MySpace Page Shift

The MySpace page for HauntedHouseChicago.com has been terminated in favor of the new DarkChicago.com MySpace page at http://www.myspace.com/chicagohorror , which will cover the 4 Dark Chicago sites from now on. If you had added the old HHC MySpace account as a friend, please consider adding the new account.

HauntedHouseChicago.com Now Accepting 2009 Advertisers

HauntedHouseChicago.com has been updated for 2009 and has a set number of Featured Haunt spots available; these spots will run through December 2009 and are first-come, first-served.

HauntedHouseChicago.com did 90,000 UNIQUE VISITORS in October 2008*, which translated to major traffic for our Featured Haunts. For more information and rates, visit http://www.hauntedhousechicago.com/advertising.php .

These spots will fill up quickly - DON'T WAIT.

*Source: Google Analytics