October is here, and fall is finally settling in. The leaves are transforming into a kaleidoscope of color.

The spookiest time of year is fast approaching, and that means it’s time for haunted houses to open their creaky doors to visitors who will walk in with a smile on their face but walk out looking like they’ve just seen a ghost.

For those who like to put their courage to the test, October is the time of the year to do it — when haunted hosts will see whether you can make the grade (but be warned, they grade on a nerve!) — and the tri-state area around northwest Illinois is the place to do it.

Northwest Illinois, eastern Iowa and southwest Wisconsin offer a collection of dark corridors, masked monsters and eerie labyrinths.

These day-trip destinations range from long-running community staples to newer attractions, all carving out a place in the local pantheon of horror. Each stop on your terrifying travels is like a piece of art on a creepy canvas, the work of people who love to create eerie entertainment. Along with welcoming new faces to the fold, these haunted houses and schools, even hotels, bring brave and loyal fans back year after year with new frights and sights to behold, so even if you got through one last year without a scream, this year may be different.

Clowns and cobwebs, chainsaws and chills, creeping crawlies and creativity — they all come together to turn these spooky spectacles into fond memories for friends and families who dare to drop by. Some have been around for generations, while some soon will soon lock their doors, including one in Dubuque where the final nail will soon be driven into the proverbial coffin.

Haunted Haven

126 Anderson Drive, Nelson

Phone: 815-213-2269

Online: hauntedhaven.org

Open: 7 to 11 p.m. Friday and Saturday

Looking to face your fears? Visit the frightfully fun folks at Haunted Haven, which opened Sept. 26 for its 16th season. According to its Facebook page, the Haunted Haven community and creatures like to “push the boundaries of fear and sanity,” and “don’t take kindly to those that leave early due to fear.” Their show doesn’t just use sights and sounds to scare up some fun; it features scents, lights and fog to enhance the experience, with plenty of masked monsters popping up for unexpected visits.

Been there before, but not recently? Haunted Haven used to be south of Rock Falls but it moved to nearby Nelson in 2024 after a fire destroyed the original setup that spring. Rooms and themes change every year, so this year will bring a whole new experience – and so will next year. Admission is $15.

Hell’s Horror

11436 McNeil Road, Rock Falls

Phone: 815-631-2663

Online: Facebook

Open: 7 to 11 p.m. Friday and Saturday

One of the region’s newest haunted attractions launched its third season Sept. 26. Hell’s Horror offers an immersive experience for horror fans; it isn’t just a haunted house — it’s an all-encompassing plunge into fear, with flickering shadows and whispering hallways designed to make your skin crawl with goosebumps. Its Facebook page bills Hell’s Horror as a place “where nightmares come to life,” and poses the question: “Who are you to deny their desires?” Admission is $15.

Hopper’s Haunted House

11576 N. State Route 2, Rockford

Phone: 815-871-7334

Online: Facebook

Open: 7 to 11:45 p.m. Friday and Saturday

The Rockford area’s premier haunted house, on state Route 2 between it and Byron, opened for its 31st season Sept. 26. When it first opened, the O.J. Simpson trial was a popular Halloween costume theme. A lot has changed since then, but terror is timeless and the longtime haunt promises “heart stopping horror around every turn,” with plenty of monsters lurking in the dark.

The former agriculture warehouse is a maze of twisted corridors and eerie enchantments, with hyper-real airbrushed artwork distracting its brave visitors just long enough for a chainsaw-wielding clown to lunge from the shadows. The graveyards, nurseries and slaughterhouses also share plenty of creepy stories, along with the excitement of seeing a magic trick that might just go wrong — or really wrong. By the time you come to the end of Hopper’s Haunted House, you’ll be relived to see the exit sign. Admission is $20, cash only.

Great River Reapers

2750 Burden Ave., Dubuque, Iowa

Online: Facebook

Open: Dates and pricing information to be announced

A burden on Burden street? Only to the timid. This two-story American Foursquare architecture house in the middle of Dubuque’s North End neighborhood features gravestones leering from the shadows, giant spiders crawling across the roof, and a ghostly horse-drawn hearse creaking through the mist. Inside, it’s wall-to-wall fright: towering monsters, lifelike animatronics, and surprises around every corner.

The house also serves as a ghoulishly good cause, collecting canned goods for the Dubuque Food Pantry and supporting the Tristate Women Warriors organization for female veterans. But if you’re planning to go, don’t put it off until next year. After 19 years, the owners have announced that this will be their final year, as they plan to retire and move out of state.

Dark Chambers Haunted Attraction

1341 Frontage Road, Hazel Green, Wisconsin

Phone: 563-239-0367

Online: darkchambers.com

Open: 6:30 to 11 p.m. Friday and Saturday; 6:30 to 10 p.m. on Oct. 16, 23, 26 and 30

Southwest Wisconsin’s premier haunted attraction, Dark Chambers has 15 years of haunted history, serving up spine-tingling thrills at this dreadfully delightful destination.

Three thrilling tales of terror are part of the pulse-pounding package: Birchwood Asylum is where Dr. Pauling’s lobotomy clinic offers an unsettling “treatment” with only a 56 percent success rate; McMeaty’s Midway is home to a college of clowns (think an evil Ronald McDonald) with macabre games where survival is the only prize; and Dawson’s Cabin — its newest addition — brings visitors up close and personal with a sinister family amid whispered legends of voodoo and death-defying rituals that twist the air into palpable dread.

For those not quite ready for the darkest horrors, a lighter version of the tour — the “Light Fright” — is available from 6:30 to 7 p.m. Admission is $20, or $10 for just the Light Fright.

Charlotte Haunted House

115 First St./state Route 136, Charlotte, Iowa

Online: Facebook

Open: 7 p.m. to midnight Friday and Saturday

The 2025 season promises “big changes” to this small-town attraction in eastern Iowa, housed within the town’s former school building. Located 20 miles from Clinton, the Charlotte Haunted House provides “bloodthirsty spooks with sharp and rusty implements ready to jump out of shadows and inflict harm,” according to its Facebook page. Be warned though: This place gives new meaning to the “creepy crawlies.” While most of the maze can be walked, some areas will have you crawling and climbing through this three-story adrenaline rush, creating an unsettling ambiance of visceral fright. The many colors of light all around the place are meant to disorient and stimulate one’s senses. Admission is $20.

Raven’s Grin Inn

411 N. Carroll St., Mount Carroll

Phone: 815-244-4746

Online: Facebook

Open: by reservation

One of Mount Carroll’s most popular attractions for decades continues to haunt people of all ages and bring them back for more. Unique among haunted houses for being a year-round attraction, tours in recent years have been limited to reservation scheduling as its longtime owner, Jim Warfield, deals with health issues. As of early October, reservations are set to open next just before Thanksgiving, according to its Facebook page.

Warfield is helped by family members who are keeping the scary traditions alive. Originally built as a five-story hotel, Raven’s Grin Inn, which opened in 1987, is an eccentric Victorian labyrinth of oddities that winds through nearly 20 rooms, with lingering spirits and artistry gone gloriously mad, crafted to Warfield’s vision of a what a mad scientist would live like. Creepy vines, several whimsies, and sights that are sure to make you watch your step on this surreal journey with all its animatronics, hidden tunnels and mechanical pranks – it’s like a twisted childhood board game that comes alive. Visitors will be pulled into places they didn’t expect to go.

Admission is $15 for ages 10 and up, and $13 for children 9 and younger. Please note: Face coverings are required for entry.