Looking to scream this Halloween? We toured 2 of SLO County’s scariest haunted houses
Halloween is almost here.
Jack-o’-lanterns are appearing on porches, trick-or-treaters are preparing costumes and haunted houses are popping up to induce screams across San Luis Obispo County.
Two of the county’s largest haunted houses — The Haunt in Atascadero and Nightmare from Main Street in Paso Robles — recently reopened their doors, introducing visitors to a horde of frightening monsters, creepy creatures and serial killers.
We recently spent a night stumbling through the spooky spots. Both successfully spiked our adrenaline levels and made us scream dozens of times.
Horror junkies will have a blast in these haunted halls, and scaredy-cats will have fun, too.
Here’s our full review of the freaky attraction:
The Haunt in Atascadero: Meet Dr. Frankenstein’s Monsters
Now in its 10th year in business, The Haunt takes a no-holds-barred approach to scares — constantly finding new ways to terrify its guests.
In 2024, the theme is “Dr. Frankenstein’s Monsters,”
Visitors are confronted by grotesque masterpieces “forgotten by the world but eternally bound to their creator’s dark legacy,” its website said, with actors playing scientists and monsters following you through a nightmare scenario.
For us, the frights at The Haunt began before we even walked in the door.
During our visit, a guide told guests waiting in line that it might be their last night alive and warned them to send final texts to our loved ones before entering.
A chart tacked to the wall counted the number of people who have confessed to peeing their pants during the tour.
As of Oct. 18, 11 victims had lost control of their bladders.
As we wandered through the haunted laboratory, sinister creatures wearing capes and covered in gashes trapped us in tight rooms, forcing us onto elevators and into hallways with seemingly no way out.
We couldn’t help but scream as we shuffled through the claustrophobic darkness and confronted new terrors.
Each of the haunted attraction’s 18 rooms was elaborately crafted, featuring candlelit libraries, barrels overflowing with toxic green goo and laboratories packed with nodes, vials and complicated machines.
The scares were big and bold with many monsters perched in ceiling corners waiting to terrify us at every turn.
We jumped and ran and yelled right through the end.
These were our final thoughts about The Haunt:
“This definitely scary enough to make me pee my pants. Every single person jumped out at you! ... it’s darker and more consistently scary (than Nightmare from Main Street).” — Chloe Shrager
“I got a burst of adrenaline around every corner! Monsters are hiding in the shadows and aren’t afraid to get in your face flaunting bloody fangs. I couldn’t stop screaming.” — Hannah Poukish
Nightmare from Main Street in Paso Robles: 20 rooms of scares
Paso Robles’ Nightmare from Main Street is one of the Scariest Haunted Houses in California in 2024, according to California.com.
This house of horrors has operated for 15 years and features more than 6,000 square feet of “thrills, chills and the Vortex of Doom,” its website said.
The terrifying tour takes a different, but no less scary approach than its Atascadero counterpart. Instead of relying on a single theme, each of the 20 rooms feature a different horrific hallucination.
Whatever keeps you up at night is surely found within these walls.
We saw body bags hung from the ceiling, witnessed the bloody aftermath of a surgery gone wrong and trekked through rooms filled to the brim with creepy mannequins and wide-eyed dolls covered in grime.
Convincing actors played clowns, ghostly Victorian girls and more.
We couldn’t help but yelp with fear when each room led to the next frightening situation.
At the end, we were asked to wear 3-D glasses that heightened the fear factor of a carnival-themed space. Technicolor shapes spun off the walls, disorienting our senses.
Without giving too much away, the finale had us dizzy with fear and practically falling over our feet to escape.
A visit to this haunted house is like walking through a dozen horror films. It’s perfect for those craving spooky fun this Halloween.
Here’s what we thought:
“It was creative and felt more diverse in its scariness. There were crazy sensory experiences. I felt like I was really being followed and also like I was gonna puke,” — Chloe Shrager
“I was impressed that every room had a different theme. Whatever you’re afraid of — chainsaws, mannequins, clowns, you name it — you’ll find it in this freaky path of nightmares.” — Hannah Poukish
How to visit SLO County haunted houses
Here’s where you can find San Luis Obispo County’s spookiest spots.
The Haunt is at 5805 El Camino Real in Atascadero.
Doors open at 6:15 p.m. every Friday and Saturday in October and the first weekend in November, with select shows on Sunday and a Halloween show on Thursday, Oct. 31. The Lights On walk-through is 2 to 4 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 26.
Tickets are $18.
For more information, call 805-457-5845 or visit thehauntinatascadero.com.
The Nightmare from Main Street can be found at 828 14th St. in downtown Paso Robles.
Tours available from 7 to 10 p.m. every Friday and Saturday in October, plus shows on Wednesday, Oct. 30; Thursday, Oct. 31, and Friday, Nov. 1. A lights-on tour is 1 to 4 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 26., and a Total Darkness tour is 7 to 10 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 2.
Tickets are $10 to $20, or $30 for a VIP visit. For more information, call 805-423-0674 or nightmarefrommainstreet.com.
