Every autumn haunted houses emerge from the darkness all over Oregon. They’re designed to terrify and delight those brave enough to buy a ticket. What can you expect to see and feel if you go to one of these creepy events? Here’s the inside scoop from an expert and some of Oregon’s top places to get scared senseless on the nights leading up to Halloween.
How to Haunt and Be Haunted
Veteran haunted-house producer, actor and all-around horror expert Christina Kortum is happy to share her behind-the-scenes advice about the best Oregon haunted houses. Her special-effects makeup company, Ravenous Studios in Portland, has created scary looks for shows like “Grimm” and movies like “Hell Girl.” She also runs Underhill Haunted House, a well-known Portland haunt that is on hiatus in 2026, though Kortum hopes to do some spooky pop-up events.
What does it take to put on a killer haunted house? Kortum says you’ll most always have staples such as fog machines, dim lighting, and stuff to duck under and interact with. But the beating heart of a haunt is the costumed actors, who should be having as much fun as the visitors.
Kortum notes that many haunted houses are built around a theme each year, such as a vampires’ ball or a plague on an alien planet. But she also recommends those with a more scattershot approach, “where every room is absolutely different and you have no idea what you’re walking into.”
If you’re planning on attending a frightening evening at a haunted house, be sure to check the website for exact dates and times, as they vary and there may be special themes or nights for kids only. Plan for indoor, walk-through experiences, perfect for a rainy night.
Get Petrified in and Near Portland
Kortum recommends the show put on by her friends at The Fear PDX. Not only is this Portland’s biggest Halloween event, it’s open the longest, from late September through early November.
This Northeast Portland classic combines actors with animatronics at 13 different attractions. In 2026 five featured haunted houses include Ancient Evil — set in a rotten swamp — and Sector D: Alien Terror, where twisted alien forms slither through a top-secret government research bunker. Visitors can wander the Rotten Pulp scare zone, with toxic pumpkins growing at a rapid rate with a new taste for blood. For an additional fee, play a game called Chopped, in which one of your hands will be trapped in a guillotine as you try to escape.
Portland’s other major haunt, Scaregrounds PDX, is located in Oaks Park in Southeast Portland. In 2026 the main attractions are Silver Scream — an abandoned movie theater filled with 1980s movie monsters — and the cursed and dragon-ridden Forbidden Fortress. Visitors can also buy admission to sideshows, including the buried-alive experience, where you can feel what it’s like inside a coffin.
Kortum also recommends braving Milburn’s Haunted Manor, 25 miles south of Portland in the farming community of Hubbard. The Milburn family runs the haunt themselves, adding a level of homegrown awesomeness. Visitors can expect two featured haunts in 2026: The Manor has a murderous inhabitant named Suzie One-Eye; the Dark is a grab bag of zombies, clowns and dinosaurs jumping out at you from the darkness. Bring home a gourd souvenir from the Moonlit Pumpkin Patch.
Visit a Haunted Factory in Salem and Asylum in Central Oregon
Ed Roberts founded the Nightmare Factory at the Oregon School for the Deaf in 1987. Almost four decades later, it’s a huge fundraiser for the Salem school each October. Eighth graders and up participate as actors, set decorators and makeup artists. Celebrating an October birthday? Buy that special person the birthday treat, which gets your group a personal clown escort who will help you gather gifts from the ghouls.
Redmond’s Scaregrounds is going into its 18th year with two haunts in 2026. The Asylum for the Criminally Insane features the classic Halloween trope of deranged mental patients, while the Haunt at Jupiter Hollow menaces visitors with malicious circus clowns.
Experience the Darkness in Southern Oregon and on the Coast
Roseburg Fright Club presents Grimm Times at Fairview Manor, showcasing the original dark forms of the popular fairy tales. High school kids help run the attraction, which was founded in 1993 and raises money for community causes. The haunt is known for the story of an ill-fated insane asylum whose resident Stabby the Clown causes all kinds of gory mischief.
Prepare to be terrified in Medford at the award-winning Nightmares on the Rogue, which allows visitors to opt for two experiences during most weekends in October. You can enter the temple of a serpent king for a live stage show and haunted chambers to escape, or encounter a runaway circus troupe in the Carnival of Chaos. Both have elaborate sets and theatrical lighting and actors.
In Florence the Scary Tales Haunted Maze promises fairy tales where “happy endings are devoured by darkness.” The haunted maze raises money for C.R.O.W., a youth arts nonprofit, and has a limited four-night run in late October inside the Florence Events Center. A Less Scary Hour is available for children, where the lights are turned up a little brighter, there are no jump scares and the monsters are friendlier. In 2026 a new sensory-friendly walkthrough was added; it keeps the lights on high and the sound effects low, and it omits costumed actors.
