The Country's Creepiest Haunted Corn Mazes

Halloween fanatics wait till every October to get their fix of spine-tingling frights. Many of those frights come at haunted corn mazes, which harbor a host of disturbing, nightmarish characters. If you take on one of these challenges, you'd better have the courage to face evil clowns, ghosts, scarecrows, and whatever else might be hiding among the stalks. Let's hope you also have the navigational skills to find your way out.

From Washington to Massachusetts, here are some of the creepiest corn mazes in the U.S. Disclaimer: These attractions are made for adults and might be too scary for young children.

Night of Terror in Mullica Hill, New Jersey

After serving ice cream all summer, Creamy Acres Farm guarantees we all scream in the fall. For decades. the family-owned dairy producer has been freaking people out with Night of Terror, which features hayrides chased by chainsaw-wielding maniacs and a playground providing spooky surprises in every nook and cranny. One of the most popular attractions is Harvest — a corn maze filled with creepy characters like zombies and evil clowns.

Hysteria at Connors Farm in Danvers, Massachusetts

Hysteria at Connors Farm, just seven miles north of notoriously "haunted" Salem, takes fear fanatics not only through a corn field but also through orchards, a forbidding forest, a sinister swamp, and a real 17th-century burial ground. The farm also has a non-haunted flashlight maze that isn't staffed by actors, but that doesn't make it much less frightening. In fact, a couple with two young children got lost there in 2011 and called 911 for help.

"We thought this would be fun," the young mother told the dispatcher. "Instead, it's a nightmare. I don't know what made us do this." That call was music to the ears of corn maze enthusiasts across the country, and the already popular attraction is now even bigger.

Heap's Haunted Corn Maze in Minooka, Illinois

According to legend (or at least the owners), an eccentric former caretaker of what is now Heap’s Giant Pumpkin Farm had spontaneously taken to shredding not just the husks of his corn but also his personal belongings, his house, and his entire estate. One day, he mysteriously disappeared without a trace. Now the ghost of “The Shredder” (along with an assortment of zombies, witches, and goblins) haunts his old cornfield every weekend in October. Heap’s also has some non-scary attractions, including a moonlight hayride and, for the most ambitious puzzle-solvers, a flashlight maze.

Kersey Valley Spookywoods in Archdale, North Carolina

This multidimensional attraction takes you on a nightmarish journey through the fictional town of Kersey Valley, a once-thriving community now charred by a devastating fire and haunted by its undead citizens. In addition to dodging the monsters lurking in the Harvest of Fear corn maze, you’ll encounter ghosts and demons in a witch’s house, an abandoned sanitarium, and a vampire crypt, then take a terrifying tram ride through the deep woods, complete with werewolves and zombies.

The Bates Motel and Haunted Hayride in Glen Mills, Pennsylvania

The Revenge of the Scarecrows Haunted Corn Trail has long been a highlight of this seasonal attraction, hosted on a farm just 15 miles west of Philadelphia. A mix of monsters, animatronics, and pyrotechnics makes a walk among these stalks the ultimate spookfest. If you manage to make it out, you can further test your bravery in the Bates Motel – even more frightening than when Janet Leigh checked in — or on the heart-stopping haunted hayride.

Fear Farm in Phoenix, Arizona

The Scarecrow Mayhem maze at Fear Farm promises "creatures around every corner." Monsters and clowns hide among acres of moonlit cornstalks, waiting to scare guests as they attempt to navigate their way out. Other chilling attractions have included a carnival-gone-bankrupt invaded by the "rabid" sideshow performers who live in its sewers.

Haunted Field of Screams in Thornton, Colorado

Thornton’s Riverdale Road has long had a reputation for being haunted. Some people have reported seeing the ghost of a jogger chasing and tapping on cars that travel along the thoroughfare. Others claim that the evil spirits that drove a man to burn down his own mansion — leaving only the iron entrance gates — continue to prowl the road in search of more victims. The Haunted Field of Screams borders this paranormal stretch of pavement and plays up the connection with its "Ride to the Riverdale Gates of Hell", an especially terrifying hayride into a 40-acre corn maze filled with chainsaw-wielding zombies, evil clowns, and other blood-curdling characters.

Stalker Farms in Snohomish, Washington

This scream scene north of Seattle really lives up to its name as evil clowns, demons, and other paranormal plowmen creep among the crops before scaring visitors out of their wits. Just try to escape without becoming part of their “dark harvest.” In addition to the haunted corn trails, the farm offers a no-frills nighttime maze, a haunted homestead, paintball, carnival games, and rental campfires — perfect for sharing scary stories among your group.

Headless Horseman Hayrides and Haunted Attractions in Ulster Park, New York

This Hudson Valley attraction dares you to walk through its Evil Reaping: Dark Harvest Corn Maze, a field infested with "deranged," "friendless," "insane," and "indigent" beings. If you make it out with some courage left, you might also want to check out the haunted swamp shack, slaughterhouse, and other spooky establishments around the fictional town of Crow Hollow. You might even run into the Headless Horseman himself.