Haunted attractions in the Kenosha area
Halloween can be a time for sunny outings to area pumpkin patches — but it can also mean seeking out terrors after dark.
If you're up for being scared, check out these Kenosha area attractions:
Haunted House at Kemper Center — The Kemper Center, 6501 Third Ave., plays host to a new set of creepy creatures each year, from mortuaries to freak shows.
This year's theme is a Haunted Cemetery.
The haunted house operates in partnership with the Kenosha County Teen Task Force of the Concerned Citizens' Coalition. The group aims to "encourage healthy lifestyles for Kenosha youth and families, coordinate prevention efforts and provide alternative activities to local youth." This haunted house is a service/learning project for the teens in the organization that raises funds each year for the Kemper Center.
The Haunted House is open every Saturday in October. From 6-7 p.m., the lights will be on for "kiddie tours." From 7-10 p.m., lights will be off and the real scares are on.
Tickets are $10 and $5 for children ages 10 and younger. Tickets are sold at the door of the Faulkner Building, on the back (east side) of Kemper. Cash sales only. Note: Snacks and drinks are available for purchase as you wait to enter the haunted house.
Dr. Destruction's "Haunted Manor" — The resident ghoul at the Jerry Smith Farm, who has been scaring folks in the cornfields and inside haunted buses and other structures for decades, is back with an all-new spooky attraction, which is already scaring visitors this season.
The Haunted Manor is open daily through Oct. 30. Admission is $15, cash only. It's open 4-8 p.m. Monday through Friday and 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. Saturday and Sunday.
The Jerry Smith Farm is located on Highway L (18th Street) just west of Green Bay Road in Somers. Note: The Haunted Manor has its own entrance and is not in the wristband area that requires an additional fee. This haunted attraction is NOT open on Oct. 31. For more details, go to jerrysmithfarm.com .
Soul Reapers Haunted House at the Kenosha County Fairgrounds — This haunted attraction in Wilmot is "a truly terrifying haunted house," according to the ghouls who inhabit the space. Soul Reapers are described as "the scariest, most ruthless monsters of hell. The queen has summoned them to devour your pathetic souls! Hearing your screams brings the Soul Reapers great satisfaction. Will you accept the challenge?!" (Yikes!)
Soul Reapers opens at 7 p.m. every Friday and Saturday through Nov. 2. General admission is $20. For more details and to purchase tickets in advance, go to soulreapershaunt.com .
Abandoned Haunted Houses — The Abandoned Haunted House Complex, at 2825 Southeast Frontage Road in Mount Pleasant, offers four "haunted experiences," including two haunted houses. The attraction features the Ambush and Hysteria haunted houses, the outdoor Stalker Haunted House and ax throwing. Bonus: Be in line at 6:45 p.m. to witness "The Rising" as the monsters and creatures make their way to the haunted houses for the night.
Abandoned opens at 6:30 Fridays and Saturdays, through Nov. 2. The ticket booth closes at 11 p.m., but haunted houses will remain open until the line ends. Blackout Night for Hysteria Haunted House is Saturday, Nov. 2. On that night, each group will get an LED candle and make their way through the pitch black maze. For tickets and more details, go to abandonedhauntedhouse.com .
'Daphne' by Josh Malerman
A ghost story shared among team members of the high school basketball team reignites old terrors when a name that's not supposed to be spoken — much less thought — suddenly becomes the top of everyone's mind.
As much about surviving an undefeatable killer as it is coping with the real-life perils of anxiety, "Daphne" will stick in your mind long after the pages are finished.
'Ghost Eaters' by Clay McLeod Chapman
Immersive, adrenaline-racing and darkly meditative, this Southern horror twists together real and imagined horrors in a terrifying page-turner that tickles the raw nerves of the grieving process and substance abuse.
"Ghost Eaters" leaves a lot to think about once you've finished reading.
'No Gods for Drowning' by Hailey Piper
Set in an alternate reality that updates mythology to near-modern day, "No Gods for Drowning" is written by one of the brightest new voices in horror.
Visceral, sharp and powerful, Piper's latest is an excellent follow-up to her Bram Stoker Award-winning novel, "Queen of Teeth."
'Things Have Gotten Worse Since We Last Spoke' by Eric LaRocca
Knit together by three dark-and-disturbing horror stories — including the viral titular story — about the power of connection, "Things Have Gotten Worse Since We Last Spoke" is a horror connoisseur's delight.
Twisted and grotesque, this collection is brilliantly gross and utterly delightful.
'This Is Where We Talk Things Out' by Caitlin Marceau
Quick, chilling and brutal.
Caitlin Marceau masters her portrayal of toxic narcissism in a bone-chilling tale of a mother-daughter relationship gone horribly wrong.
Part "Misery" and part "Sharp Objects," "This Is Where We Talk Things Out" is a sinister walk down memory lane.
'Gallows Hill' by Darcy Coates
A Southern Gothic masterpiece.
After being sent away at a young age, a daughter returns to a home she barely remembers — and a winery she knows nothing of — after the death of her parents.
Dark secrets come calling when she learns that Gallows Hill is not yet ready to rest.
'The Weight of Blood' by Tiffany D. Jackson
When Springville residents are questioned about prom night horrors, they point to Maddy.
In a nod to Stephen King's "Carrie," this culturally relevant story about bullying and racial injustice, "The Weight of Blood," pulls back the curtain to show what happens when a girl is terrorized into discovering her telekinetic powers.
'Leech' by Hiron Ennes
Hiron Ennes' debut is everything strange and unusual should be.
A strange death in a remote, snow-covered village, a curious doctor and an unearthly presence "Leech" the warmth out of you in this bone-chilling body horror that Mary Shelley would be proud of.
'Always the First to Die' by R. J. Jacobs
A former horror movie actor returns to the set of her most iconic film only to discover strange circumstances that resemble the plot of her most famous film.
Hard memories, sudden deaths and a dangerous past make the actor risk her life to avoid being "Always the First to Die."
'Motherthing' by Ainslie Hogarth
What begins as a grief-stricken guilt journey quietly morphs into a dark unraveling of the female psych.
Campy, bizarre and fiercely female, "Motherthing" is too relatable to be entirely comfortable, and that's what makes it such delicious reading.
