Who says Halloween is just for kids? These fright-filled festivals featuring freaky corn mazes, ghostly gatherings and terrifying tales promise to deliver jump scares for mature thrill-seekers.
Busch Gardens Howl-O-Scream
Through Nov. 3, 6 p.m.
Visit a demented circus inhabited by outcast clowns, and a chilling laboratory where a deranged doctor performs unspeakable, twisted experiments on his patients. Five haunted houses, six terror-tories and sinister performances—all in addition to nine terrifying roller coasters—will have you shivering for hours at this theme park in Williamsburg—about two hours from Arlington. It’s celebrating 25 years of fright nights with all-new scares. The haunted houses and terror-tories feature the new Clown Town, where jesters are out for revenge and Stalker Street, where scarecrows hunt victims. The event is not recommended for children. Access is included with regular admission, which starts at $54.99. // 1 Busch Gardens Blvd., Williamsburg
Laurel’s House of Horror
Through Nov. 2
Experience the paranormal, hunt ghosts and escape from witches and demons. Inside an abandoned 50-year-old movie theater in Laurel, Maryland, are three creepy attractions: a haunted house, escape rooms and paranormal tours. The haunted house boasts more than 28,000 square feet of movie icons, clowns, spiders, snakes and paranormal spooks, while guests can choose which of four rooms they want to (try to) escape. The ghost-hunting tours are after-hours events with paranormal investigators who use tracking instruments, night-vision cameras and more. The haunt is recommended for children ages 10 and up. Tickets start at $29.95. Check the website for the full schedule. // 935 Fairlawn Ave., Laurel, Maryland
Fields of Fear at Cox Farms
Friday and Saturday, Sept. 20-Nov. 2 (plus Oct. 13), 7:30-11 p.m.
A family-friendly Fall Festival by day takes a dark turn at dusk. Tread lightly through the Dark Side Hayride; a walk in the woods surrounded by chainsaws, spiders and all things fear-inducing; and the Cornightmare, the farm’s original haunted trail. Here’s how Cox boils it all down: “There are big, strong scary images and scenes, implied violence, ‘stage’ blood, witches, ghouls and skeletons; however, there are no representations of gore, torture, traditional weapons or mental or physical disabilities.” Tickets start at $30 and are available only online. This event is not recommended for children younger than 12, and anyone younger than 14 years must be accompanied by a supervising adult who’s at least 18. // 15621 Braddock Road, Centreville
Halloween Haunt at Kings Dominion
Sept. 20-Nov. 3
Hundreds of creatures from the underworld emerge to make your worst nightmares come true at this popular theme park an hour and 15 minutes south of Arlington. The park comes alive with the echoes of the dead in haunted houses, mazes and spooky live shows. For more thrills, zoom on rides such as the Anaconda roller coaster. Admission is included with regular tickets, which start at $44.99 online. // 16000 Theme Park Way, Doswell
Markoff’s Haunted Forest
Sept. 27-Nov. 2
Practice deep breathing during the hourlong drive to this Halloween haven. Choose to test your courage on the mile-long Haunted Trail, or walk blindfolded through the See No Evil sensory experience corn maze. Ages 12 and up will enjoy the attractions the most, but Lights on Night makes them accessible to anyone who prefers to avoid the jump-scares. Markoff’s Midway is always free to access and has giant bonfires, a DJ, roaming ghouls and goblins, and live entertainment most nights. Tickets start at $25. // 19120 Martinsburg Road, Dickerson, Maryland
Hitchcocktober at Angelika Film Center
Wednesdays, Oct. 2-30
Catch films by legendary filmmaker and master of suspense Alfred Hitchcock, including North By Northwest, The Man Who Knew Too Much, The Trouble with Harry, Strangers on a Train and Psycho. Anchoring the Mosaic District, the theater makes it easy to turn movie night into a date night. Grab some grub and a bucket of beers in the movie theater’s café or stop before or after at one of the neighborhood’s many restaurants. // 2911 District Ave., Fairfax
Workhouse Haunt: Twisted Tales of Terror
Friday-Sunday, Oct. 4-27, 7 p.m.
Thursday-Saturday, Oct. 31-Nov. 2, 6:30 p.m.
Back for its 11th season, this scary outdoor trail winds through the abandoned historic buildings that served as the District of Columbia’s correctional facility from 1910-1998. With the theme of “Twisted Tales of Terror,” expect more than a dozen creepy live-action scenes showing classic fairy tales such as Little Red Riding Hood and Pinocchio gone wrong. Tickets, which start at $25, are for timed entry, so while you wait, enjoy DJ-provided music at the Rizer Pavilion on Fridays, Saturdays and Halloween night; refreshments at the bar; food truck treats; and shopping time at the Haunt Pop-Up Shop. This event is not recommended for children younger than 13, but there is a sensory-friendly option on Oct. 20 for folks who want to walk the trail with less-intense scares and no strobe lights. For double the fright, catch a showing of Dracula: A Comedy of Terrors at Workhouse Arts Center’s W-3 Theater. // 9518 Workhouse Way, Lorton
Sleepy Hollow Experience
Thursday-Sunday, Oct. 10-27
Hold on to your heads and test your commitment to a good scare by making the almost-three-hour drive to Mount Rouge Farm in Roseland for an experiential journey into the story of Ichabod Crane and the Headless Horseman. Ticket prices start at $29. A $99 VIP package includes a private haunted cocktail party with music and scares 30 minutes before the show. // 74 Mount Rouge Road, Roseland
Field of Screams
Fridays and Saturdays and most Thursdays and Sundays, Oct. 4-Nov. 2
Lurking less than an hour’s drive from Arlington is this annual attraction, which this year combines two chilling trails into one. The new Super Screams Haunted Trail, self-described as “the longest, most terrifying trail in the country,” now has more than 55 scary spots, up from 27. The Haunted Trail, with the theme of Camp Fear, where a group of adult campers played and died, has 26 of them, including haunted houses with spooky sounds. The Trail of Terror is a haunted forest in dark woods littered with zombies and 29 stations. Be sure to check out the Slaughter Factory, where the money-hungry owner turns homicidal. Other highlights include carnival games like Lizzy Borden Axe Throwing, Zombie Brain Smash and Body Bean Bag Pumpkin Toss. Ticket prices start at $29.99. // 4501 Olney-Laytonsville Road, Olney, Maryland
‘Screams and Disease Tour’
Oct. 18, 25 & 26, 7-8:30 p.m.
Head to the Lee-Fendall House Museum & Garden to learn about the 18th-century estate’s dark and bloody history as a Civil War Hospital. Called the Grosvenor Branch Hospital, it operated from 1863-65 and each room has stories about the people who were treated—and who died—there. Tickets are $15 each, and anyone younger than 18 must be accompanied by an adult. // 614 Oronoco St., Alexandria
Clifton Haunted Trail
Oct. 26, 7-10 p.m.
Get your $18 tickets online Oct. 4-24 (or pay $20 at the door) for this one-night-only event in the tiny Civil War-era Fairfax County town, where many of the historic buildings are rumored to be haunted. Wear comfortable shoes for hiking the uneven terrain and watch out for branches in addition to zombies and other ghostly creatures of the night. Get directions here. // Clifton Town 8-Acre Park, Clifton