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!