Maryland’s most terrifying and unusual haunted houses

Like the undead, haunted attractions crawl back into view every fall.

Abandoned buildings of all sorts — a mall, a school, a theater — make for spooky settings. And then there are the terrifying trails. How about a 10-minute stroll through the woods as creepy clowns pop out every few steps?

The oddest place of all? Maybe it’s among the fabulous extra yard decor on Catalina Terrace in Silver Spring.

Here are some of the most unusual haunted places across Maryland.

Leech Woods

A 10-minute walk through a trail of clowns.

Scared yet?

Leech Woods in Damascus blends a house of horrors with glow-in-the-dark axe throwing and fire dancers in rural Montgomery County.

The newest attraction this season is Clown Carnage, a walking trail packed with clowns who pop out every few steps. Expect chain saws, clowns with teeth for eyes and other bits of circus horror that you never wanted to imagine.

Guests can take other perilous paths, including Leech Woods’ namesake trail, a 30-minute walk that features scenes starring more than 60 performers trained to scare the daylights out of you.

Leech Woods at 11201 Bethesda Church Road in Damascus is open weekends through Nov. 1. Tickets start at $44.99.

— Hau Chu

Bennett’s Curse at Eastpoint Mall

The zombie is the mall itself.

Eastpoint Mall has closed, but Bennett’s Curse still reigns across four featured hallows of horror: House of the Demons, Halloween 3D, Ravenbrook Asylum and The Crypt.

And, when the lineup is this tantalizingly macabre, why choose? A $35 ticket gains you entry throughout the entire venue.

Whether you’re itching to confront King Raum (a ruthless demon with Lucifer on speed dial), meet The Carver, who will immortalize your scream — and maybe your soul — onto his jack-o’-lantern canvas, convince the orderlies at Ravenbrook not to make you their next experiment or roam the catacombs, this place has you covered.

But the scariest prospect of them all?

It’s Bennett’s final season in Dundalk. The family-owned operation, with a quarter century’s worth of spooktacular success, is on the hunt for a new location.

This season, though, it’s Night of Living Eastpoint Mall.

Bennett’s Curse at 7875A Eastpoint Mall in Dundalk is open weekends through Nov. 7, plus Oct. 29. Tickets start at $35.

— Céilí Doyle

North Carroll High School

At its peak, North Carroll High School had around 1,700 students. Now it’s filled only with school ghouls.

The high school, which was open for more than half a century, closed in June 2016 because of declining enrollment. But the 260,000-square-foot building remains and, as it happens, is up for auction this month.

You can spend 30-45 minutes walking through “real classrooms, corridors and places students were never allowed,” according to the attraction’s website.

“As the final bell echoed through the halls, a strange silence fell over the building,” the website warns, “one that staff say never lifted.”

The Final Bell Haunted Schoolhouse at 1400 Panther Drive in Hampstead is open Fridays and Saturdays through Halloween. Tickets start at $30.

— Julie Bykowicz

The Catalina Haunt

An elaborately decorated free haunted experience is on display in the front yard of a suburban family home.

For more than a decade, Holly Agouridis has drenched the yard and porch of her family’s Kensington house in upward of 150 creepy Halloween animatronics, towering skeletons, colorful lights and elaborate props for guests in the neighborhood and around Montgomery County to walk through — if they dare.

The Catalina Haunt at 11423 Catalina Terrace in Silver Spring is free and open through Halloween night.

— Hannah Yasharoff

Laurel’s House of Horror

Now showing: spookiness.

Because Laurel’s House of Horror is inside an abandoned cinema complex, which the attraction’s website claims may be haunted, it’s fitting that a roughly 20-minute walk starts with a short film. When you’re standing in a dark room, focused on a screen, an impending sense of doom sets in. Are the jump scares going to start right here? That dread intensifies as you navigate tight corners, bracing for new scares as your pace slows.

With elaborate — and sometimes cheesy — sets, this house is more visual spectacle than nightmare fuel. If you’re the friend who drags the group to haunted houses, this is a good option for vibes that won’t leave your less-than-enthusiastic pals feeling betrayed by the scare factor.

Laurel’s House of Horror at 935 Fairlawn Ave. is open weekends through Nov. 7 and some weekdays in late October. Tickets start at $29.95.

— Maya Lora

Legends of the Fog

At Legends of the Fog in Aberdeen, the haunted corn maze isn’t the usual predetermined path. You can choose your fate at a few forks as scare actors whisper and growl suggestions in an attempt to separate groups and isolate their victims.

As you wander the stalks, you can hear earlier groups screaming into the night.

At four attractions — including the infamous hayride, where by the time you’re scared enough to cry “Uncle!” it’s too late to get off — the use of dialogue, props and gore is top tier. Beware of Farewell Hotel, where a bellhop will usher you into the elevator ride from hell.

Legends of the Fog at 500 Carsins Run Road in Aberdeen is open weekends through Nov. 7 and some Thursdays in late October. Tickets start at $25 for just the hayride, but it’s worth doubling the investment for all four attractions.

— Maya Lora