Kansas City has earned the moniker “The Haunted House Capital of the World” since the 1980s, having some of the longest standing and highest rated haunted houses in the country according to the VisitKC.com website. For years, the KC metro area has been a hot spot for the scariest haunted houses in the state.
Kansas City, Missouri, is the home to one of the oldest, continuously operated Halloween haunts. The Edge of Hell, located in downtown KCMO has been open for 51 years and is one of Full Moon Productions’ Halloween Haunts. The season started on Saturday, Sept. 13, and is open Thursday through Sunday starting on Oct. 16, with individual tickets costing $37. They use paid actors and movie-grade props to bring the scares to life.
“This haunted house was straight out of a nightmare (in the best way),” said Audrey McBride in a review through the Edge of Hell website. “I waited less than 30 minutes on a Sunday night and watched actors walk around scaring people and performers on the street. I wish I could go there every weekend.”
The Full Moon Production company also owns The Beast, a haunted house within a few blocks of The Edge of Hell. The Beast is a multi-story haunted attraction, known for its talented scare actors and realistic props. It walks visitors through several stories set in different spooky locations, including foggy London during Jack the Ripper’s reign of terror and forests full of monsters. Due to being owned by the same production company, The Beast opens on the same dates as The Edge of Hell.
For those who prefer less scare-based activities, an alternative to haunted houses is the Louisburg Cider Mill and Country Store, located in Louisburg, Kansas. The Cider Mill is open year-round; however, they have many fall activities for their visitors. A few of the things they offer include a ten-acre pumpkin patch and the country store, which sells ciders and other fall treats, like their famous apple cider donuts. They also have a Zombie forest night, on Oct. 18, from 7 p.m. to 10 p.m, where volunteers dress up to scare visitors.
Regardless of how you choose to celebrate Halloween, there are a multitude of local attractions to choose from, scary or not.
Highest rated Halloween/fall attractions (In no particular order)
1: The Beast ($37) KCMO
2: The Edge of Hell ($37) KCMO
3: Macabre Cinema ($37) KCMO
4: John Wornall Haunted House Tours ($25) KCMO
5: Basement escape room ($???) KCMO
6: Worlds Of Fun Halloween Haunt ($???) KCMO
7: Jack’s Hollow Haunted drive-thru (free?) Gardner KS
8: Louisburg Cider Mill ($???)
