Jessie was still determined to make the most of her limited time, be it in a practical and fatalistic way. So on Halloween night, on the deck of the Carew Tower where her great grandfather had died, in a city where dark matter was constantly pushing to abandon zeal in favor of the status quo and with which her fate was inextricably bound, Jessie attended a posh and outrageous costume party dressed as Mary Jane, Peter Parker’s girlfriend in the Spiderman comic series — her intelligent, independent and tenacious comic book role model.
  

The local commercial haunted house industry got its start in 1970 at a small house on St. Clair Avenue in Clifton, charging customers the princely sum of $1 to experience 16 rooms filled with classic monsters such as Dracula, the Wolf Man, Mummy and Frankenstein’s Monster. Huge crowds swamped the event, and the WSAI Haunted House was the talk of the town that October. The Sycamore-Deer Park Jaycees and radio station WSAI were at the forefront of an entertainment phenomenon that’s now a multimillion dollar industry with hundreds of events across the world.    

The Land is not one but five intense, haunted attractions. It’s our region’s “scream park,” the haunted house version of Disneyworld. New for this year is the Field of Screams, which is a mildly scary maze for young kids. The park’s vibe and clientele are overwhelmingly youthful — most of the patrons were teens — but the frights will creep out the most jaded adult. It’s a good time, devil’s-carnival atmosphere.  

A peaceful autumn hayride though a cornfield is not only shattered by creatures “stalking” the rows of corn but by no less than three flame-belching vehicles determined to run the fragile wagon off the path. Deep in the woods, there are backwoodsmen with ear-shattering shotguns and Leatherface from Texas Chainsaw Massacre. The dark barn at the end of the tour is an appropriate climax — new are the Hostel room and a zombie room (with an impressive wagon assault by the undead)  

The Springboro Haunted Hayride & Black Bog are some of the truly hidden gems of the Cincinnati haunt community. The attractions, which include a terrifically frightful dark ride and a lengthy trail excursion, are some of the best old school haunts in the region. And when we say hidden, we of course mean only to those inside the I-275 beltway. Bull Run Farms’ skill at scaring the life out of its guests is well known from West Chester to Dayton.  

The Cave is held in an old limestone mine and uses 4 square miles of its tunnels-it's listed as the World's Longest Haunted House in the 2010 Guiness Book Of World Records. It wastes no time dragging you in-literally, as amphibious creatures pull at your legs from the dark waters of an indoor lake. There are over 100 actors inside, often hidden in plain sight or above-and they WILL grab you.  

Halloween events for adults at bars and clubs, and others for the whole family. Whether you want to Run Like Hell or go to Parky's Farm. There's a little somethin' in these listings for everyone.
  

Sometimes it seems like gluttony is the goal of Halloween. Mountains of candy glommed by little door-to-door ragamuffins are the proud trophies of the spooky night prowl. And this is consumed by sugar-crazed mouths within a day or two. Sick bellies and glazed eyes are the leftovers from the party.  

Always among the Tristate’s most extreme attractions, the Chambers has made substantial improvements to both its lighting and rooms. The new LED lighting makes for a more subdued and less intrusive look while at the same time bringing out the details it’s meant to highlight. The Graveyard has been completely reworked with an impressive large skull that must be entered. As always, the building itself seems to be possessed, using its walls, doors and ceilings to entrap and confound hauntgoers.  

Ranked No. 11 nationally by Hauntworld Magazine, the Dent Schoolhouse features more than 75 animatronics and a selection of the area’s most recognizable haunt characters. Homicidal janitor “Uncle” Charlie McFree, Bludzo, Jasper & Jinx, Damien Reaper, Calliope and Fatso are a few of the twisted souls encountered. Actors are given a lot of freedom creating their characters and rotate personas on a regular basis, ensuring you’ll never see the same show twice.  

The Dungeons are darker and larger this season, twice as long as five years ago. It’s the “Year of Fear,” and Demonic Derek has a body bag fitted just for you. There’s an excellent amount of grisly detail and some very unique rooms, like one featuring nurse zombies and “Pyramid Head” from Silent Hill. Room design is devious, so much so that we still had trouble finding our way through during a second tour. Slasher movie icons mix with good old-fashioned Demons from Hell and the Dark Lord himself.  

It’s really, really big. As in the biggest haunt you’ll visit this season or, likely, any other. There are eight indoor mazes, four outdoor mazes, two live shows and a ton of twisted October ambiance to soak up. There’s something particularly creepy about an amusement park at night. Generous volumes of fog and a horde of costumed ghouls and freaks make a simple stroll among the coasters scary for many folks.  

Mayhem Mansion is alleged to be the site of a mass murder perpetrated by 1920s bootlegger Robert Haverford. One second-story window has come unboarded, and it’s through there you’ll enter. The Mansion is dark, deceptively large and outfitted with nothing but period props and furnishings such as a decades-old embalming machine and mortuary table. Clear Plexiglas floors, invisible walls, tilting hallways and rooms with no apparent egress make every step an adventure.   

Where else can you find a character named Bug Boy playing bingo in the Tired Bones Retirement Castle? Well, at least he was until that chandelier tried to squash him. That’s one of the quirky rooms that you’ll see at the Haunted Hall. There’s a whacked-out nursery with a deadly baby and an Ice Scream stand that lops off the hands of grabby children. If you’ve never seen a coffin double as a rotisserie oven or been forced to enter a cage full of demons, look no further.   

At 36 years and counting, St. Rita’s is the nation’s oldest haunt east of the Mississippi River. This season is one of its best, with virtually every area being changed or revamped. A large cast insures that each room is filled with multiple characters, each with professional-level costuming and makeup. The dripping cavern in the basement and the filth encrusted restroom (almost as bad as your average gas station) will have you believing it’s the real thing.