Haunted Scarehouse; Brighton Asylum; Bane Haunted House

By Amy Kuperinsky | NJ Advance Media for NJ.com

Contentious Senate hearings on a Supreme Court nominee! Midterm elections! Alleged bar fights with UB40 lookalikes!

There's plenty to be scared of in 2018.

A jaunt in a haunted house should be a breeze, right? Whether you're looking to be shaken out of your everyday routine, snatched from existential dread or simply prefer being chased by things that go bump in the night to coping with actual life, haunts are ready and waiting for you across the state.

Halloween in New Jersey presents plenty of opportunities to visit haunted houses and other seasonal attractions designed to make you jump. Some startle, while others slowly work to create an atmosphere of horror among cornfields, dingy barns and other macabre locations.

Here's a guide to get you started on your journey to fear and fantasy.

In the comments, tell us what other haunted attractions you'll be visiting this season.

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Haunted Orchards, Demarest Farms, Hillsdale

Brand new for 2018 is Haunted Orchards, and indoor-outdoor haunt at Demarest Farms in Hillsdale.

Think of it as apple or pumpkin-picking gone horribly wrong, thanks to evil spirits that have woken up after 132 years. Included in the attraction is a walk through an orchard, a hayride and "20 room of sheer terror." This haunt is not recommended for children under 10.

Haunted Orchards, at 244 Wierimus Road in Hillsdale, is open Oct. 4-7; 11-13; 18-20; 25-27; 30-31 and Nov 2-3. Admission is $25 online and $30 at the door; use promo code Haunt18 for $2 off online orders. Visit hauntedorchardsfarm.com or facebook.com/hauntedorchardsfarm for specific times on each day.

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House of Horrors, East Brunswick

East Brunswick's House of Horrors (645 Cranbury Road, a corner of Fern and Cranbury), hosted by Middlesex County 4-H, combines a haunted hayride with a haunted house.

The haunt is open from 7 to 10:30 p.m. every Friday and Saturday in October. Admission to haunted house $5; hayride admission $5. Combination tickets $8. Proceeds go toward Project Gift, an initiative that gives holiday toys and gifts to families in need; houseofhorrorsnj.com

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Amy Kuperinsky | NJ Advance Media for NJ.com

Nightmare at Gravity Hill, Jackson

If you prefer full immersion in a haunted experience, one that doesn't last just 10 or 15 minutes, Gravity Hill at Cicconi Farms in Jackson (1005 Farmingdale Road) — which is made up of more than a dozen scenes spread over five acres — may be the ticket.

You know the backstory — cars are said to be inexplicably pulled uphill on certain roads in New Jersey — hence "Gravity Hill." When we visited in 2014, we were impressed by the movie-caliber staging at the "ghost town," with all of its wide-ranging horror tropes — the crazy butcher, the strobe-addled psych ward, the deranged clowns, the hanging body bags.

Children under 14 not admitted without guardian. Opens at dusk from Fridays through Sundays in October as well as Nov. 2-3. Admission (cash only) $25; express admission $35. In the event of inclement weather, call 732-703-4198 or visit facebook.com/GravityHillNJ to check availability. Those under 14 not permitted without parent or guardian; nightmareatgravityhill.com

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Haunted Hamilton, Rahway

Union County Performing Arts Center's Hamilton Stage (360 Hamilton St., Rahway) hosts Haunted Hamilton, a haunted theater attraction, from 7 to 11 p.m. Oct. 26 to 31.

The theater will be stocked with ghoulish characters, and at 8 p.m. each night, there will be an Edgar Allan Poe performance called "Nightfall." Admission to that show is complimentary while available.

A family-friendly version of the haunt called "The Real Wicked Witches of Halloween Hills" (children are encouraged to arrive in costume) is set for noon, 2 and 5 p.m. on Oct. 27. Haunted Hamilton admission is $15; ucpac.org

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Bane Haunted House

Bane Haunted House, Livingston

Bane Haunted House, a large indoor attraction in Livingston, topped our best haunts list two years in a row.

Fair warning: you will be separated from your partner or group, spun around and set through a disorienting series of poorly lit obstacles. There will be hellish clowns, confining spaces and no shortage of classic horror themes.

But there's a reason we like all this — it's not regular creepy, it's a physically jarring experience, too, with more than 100 actors on deck. We found that out when we first visited in 2014, and on successive visits to the 40,000-square-foot space, the haunt lived up to that first experience.

Bane, located at 630 W. Mount Pleasant Ave. in Livingston, is open Wednesday through Sunday for the rest of October as well as Nov. 1-3. Hours vary, but the haunt opens at 7 p.m., with a child-friendly version running from 2:30 to 4:30 p.m. on Sundays. Admission $28; banehauntedhouse.com

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Fear in the Forest, Pemberton

The Pinelands: what better place to set the mood for a haunt?

Pemberton's Fear in the Forest, set for 7 to 10 p.m. on Oct. 19 and 20, plays off local scares like the Jersey Devil and "creepy old cranberry bogs." Visitors will get a ride to the woods through the bogs to ... what else? ... a cabin the woods. Expect encounters with ghouls, ghosts and clowns in blueberry country.

Fear in the Forest, which has been scaring up a good time since 2001, is at 182 City Line Road, off Route 70 in Pemberton. Suggested donations $10 for ages 16 and up; $5 for ages 5 to 15; free for ages 4 and under; fearintheforest.weebly.com

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Amy Kuperinsky | NJ Advance Media for NJ.com

Field of Terror, East Windsor

East Windsor's Field of Terror (pictured above: a scene from its Killer Kornfield) offers a variety pack of haunts spread out over a large outdoor area, including the Unknown Barn, Haunted Hayride to Terror Town, the House of Insanity, Circus of Terror Paintball Wagon Hunt and Killer Kornfield. The backstory: Farmer Frank tried to "cross the genetics of the local town people with some of his crazy vegetation." You can guess what happened next!

Open starting at 7 p.m. Fridays through Sundays in October, along with Oct. 18, 25 and 31. Fireworks on Oct. 7. Single haunt $15, two haunts $25, triple pass $35 and quad pass $40.

The farm also has non-scary daytime activities for children including pumpkin picking and a friendly flashlight corn maze ($10) from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Saturdays and Sundays. The Field of Terror is at 831 Windsor-Perrinevile Road in East Windsor; fieldofterror.com

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C. Casola Farms Haunted Attractions, Marlboro

C. Casola Farms in Marlboro (131 S. Main St.) has five different haunts: the Haunted Hayride of Terror, 3D Haunted Barn, Marlboro Zombie Breakout, Living Maze and Haunted Wooded Trail. Open Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays in October starting at 7 p.m. and Halloween night. Individual tickets $12 to $15; $40 for four attractions (excluding paintball); $60 for all five attractions; hauntedcasola.com

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Tim Hawk | NJ Advance Media for NJ.com

Night of Terror at Creamy Acres Farm, Mullica Hill

Night of Terror, the huge haunt at Creamy Acres Farm in Mullica Hill (448 Lincoln Mill Road), has five different haunted houses and attractions.

The Harvest, a scare that looks to be haunted by some kind of Jersey Devil reindeer, is new for 2018, and the Slaughter Cave, Ride of Terror and Dark Dreams provide different facets of horror to satisfy various fears. If you're a fan of shooting zombies, there's also a haunted paintball ride ($25).

Night of Terror is open from 6:30 to 9 p.m. Oct. 5 and 6; Oct. 11; Oct. 18; Oct. 25 and Nov. 1-3. Open 6:30 to 10 p.m. Oct. 12-13; Oct. 19-20; Oct. 26-27; closed Sundays. An all-access voucher is $30; VIP voucher (little to no lines) $60. Suggested minimum age 13; nightofterror.com

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The Dark Carnival, Bayville

"Please note that our sideshow oddities are not accustomed to human interaction and can be extremely dangerous," reads a disclaimer from Bayville's Dark Carnival. "For your own personal safety and that of others please do not taunt our 'performers' and never, ever put your arms or hands into their booths at any time. The result of such actions could have severely unfortunate outcomes."

The carnival's sideshow includes Morbus, the Aquatic Fish Boy, Algano, the Amphibious Lizard Man and Mongo the Human Mutant.

The Dark Carnival (136 Atlantic City Blvd., at Blackbeard's Cave/"Grave") is open from 7 to 11 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays through October 27 and 7 to 10 p.m. on Sundays through Oct. 28. Call 732-599-5147 in case of inclement weather. Admission $20; darkcarnivalhauntedhouse.com

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Cornfield of Terror at R and J Farm, Egg Harbor City

Egg Harbor City's R and J Farm (723 W. Herschel St.) hosts its Cornfield of Terror, which follows the legend of a local farmer who went missing during the harvest, with only torn flesh and a pool of blood remaining to tell the tale. Try to escape the clutches of the creatures of the cornfield, or visit the farm's non-scary corn maze.

Open Friday through Sunday all of October, from dusk to 10 p.m. on Fridays and Sundays and dusk to 10:30 p.m. on Saturdays (closed on Halloween). Admission $14; $19 for all attractions, including the regular corn maze; $10 for children 10 and under; $15 for children's combo ticket; cornfieldofterror.com

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Haunted Scarehouse

13th Hour Haunted House, Wharton

After visiting 13th Hour Haunted House (formerly known as Haunted Scarehouse), in Wharton two years in a row, we can safely say that this is another large-scale indoor haunt geared at completely immersing you, across "two floors of fear," no less.

Expect to find yourself squaring off against devious clowns, an intrusive dragon and other decrepit denizens of the haunted Hayden home. A new "Darkside of the Hayden House" attraction is separate from the main haunt. There's also five different haunted house escape rooms stocked with actors, for those who wouldn't mind the extra challenge of finding their own way out.

13th Hour Haunted House, located at 105 W. Dewey Ave. in Wharton, is open Friday through Sunday in October and on Halloween, starting at 7:30 p.m., along with Oct. 18 and 25 and Nov. 1-3 (Nov. 3 is the only "lights out" night). Admission starts at $28; 13thhour.com

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Nightmare on River Road, New Milford

Follow the lead of a lost clown (the carnival was here, but then it left) at Nightmare on River Road in New Milford (854 River Road, behind Brookchester stores), a corn maze haunt that features a hospital scene and a cemetery. Open Friday through Sunday in October (6 to 10 p.m. Friday and Saturday, 4 to 8 p.m. Sunday). Admission $17; nightmareonriverroad.com

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Six Flags Great Adventure

Six Flags Fright Fest, Jackson

For those looking for an amusement park-sized experience, Fright Fest, at Six Flags Great Adventure in Jackson (One Six Flags Boulevard), has seven haunted mazes — Cell Block 6 and Big Top Terror among them — and five scare zones including The Bloody Fountain and Demon District.

New for 2018: Blood Drums, horror set to "rhythmic beats"; Reflections of the Dead, which features a labyrinth of mirrors; Fears, a play on some of the most infamous sources of nightmares, including spiders and clowns; and Hell Fest, a maze from the new movie of the same name. Fright Fest runs on weekends (also Oct. 8, Columbus Day and Oct. 29 to 31) through Oct. 31. Tiered admission prices start at $29.99; sixflags.com/greatadventure/special-events/fright-fest-night

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Jefferson Township's Night of the Scarecrow

Jefferson Township's haunted house, a community-organized event, returns to Camp Jefferson (81 Weldon Road in Lake Hopatcong) for its 30th anniversary haunt, The Night of the Scarecrow, on Oct. 20 and 21.

Family-friendly programming can be had with children's matinees from 3 to 4:30 p.m on Saturday and 3 to 4 p.m. on Sunday.

The full-on scary haunt runs from 7 to 9:30 p.m. on Saturday and 6 to 8 p.m. on Sunday. Admission $3; visit facebook.com/jthauntedhouse

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Brighton Asylum, Passaic

Passaic's Brighton Asylum, nestled in a dark warehouse, is one of northern New Jersey's most in-demand haunts. Demons harass customers as they wait in line for the attraction in the lot outside.

New for 2018 is The Bleeding Grounds, a trip through the asylum's staff quarters, abandoned and closed in 1952. On Nov. 2, an "extended stay" event will offer a special version of this attraction.

Brighton Asylum, located at 2 Brighton Ave. in Passaic, is open Friday through Sunday every week in October, on Halloween and Nov. 2-3. General admission starts at $28.99. Box office opens at 7:30 p.m. each night and 7 p.m. on Oct. 13, 20 and 27; brightonasylum.com

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Hayride of Horrors and Haunted House at Corrado's Farm, Hackettstown

The Hayride of Horrors and Haunted House is at Corrado's Farm in Hackettstown (671 Mount Bethel Road). The haunt is open Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays in October from 6:30 to 10 p.m. on Friday and Saturday and 6:30 to 9 p.m. Sunday. Tickets $16 for hayride; $16 for haunted house; $30 to $37 for combination ticket that includes corn maze. Visit hayrideofhorrors.com

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Camp Evans Base of Terror

Camp Evans Base of Terror, Wall

Camp Evans Base of Terror in Wall (2201 Marconi Road), put on each year by volunteers, is a fundraiser for InfoAge, a science museum on the grounds of the former U.S. Army site and National Historic Landmark. This haunt is less terrifying than a good-natured romp.

But the whole thing becomes infinitely more creepy when you realize the space was also formerly the site of a resort for members of the Ku Klux Klan. Open 7 to 11 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays in October. Admission $20, $15 for police officers, fire, EMTs and military with ID. Recommended for ages 12 and up; campevansbaseofterror.com

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Brookdale Haunted Theater, Lincroft

Brookdale Community College Performing Arts Center in Lincroft (765 Newman Springs Road) hosts its Haunted Theater Aftermath attraction, a self-guided walk through an indoor haunted house maze built by Brookdale students, faculty and alumni.

Interconnected mazes are populated by witches, zombies, clowns, inmates and doctors. The maze is open from 7 to 10:30 p.m. from Oct. 12-13; 19-20; and 26-27; admission $15. Rain or shine; brookdalehauntedtheater.com.

There's also "A Magic Adventure," a Haunted Theater kids tour, for ages 2 to 8 from 2 to 4 p.m. on Oct. 20-21 and 27-28; $5.

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Oasis Island of Terror, Robbinsville

Robbinsville's Oasis Family Farm (3 Circle Drive) hosts the Oasis Island of Terror, a mile-long haunt it bills as "New Jersey's most realistic haunt."

New for 2018: the Sawmill Escape Room, a 20-minute challenge, with a new game beginning every half hour.

The Island of Terror is open Oct. 5-7; 12-13; 19-20; and 26-28. Ticket window opens each night at 5:30 p.m. Admission $30; escape room $20; oasisislandofterror.com

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Amy Kuperinsky | NJ Advance Media for NJ.com

Scare Farm, Hillsborough

Scare Farm is the haunt at Norz-Hill Farm in Hillsborough (120 South Branch Road). This is the kind of haunt you go to if you like your scare set in the middle of a cornfield.

Take your pick: there's the Creepy Hollow, Paranoia and The Slay Ride. The attraction's backstory involves "a crazed farmer, Elias Atrum, who murdered his unfaithful wife and her lover and turned them into scarecrows."

Scare Farm is opens at 6:30 p.m. Fridays through Sundays in October. Admission $16 for one haunt, $26 for two and $35 for three; scarefarm.com

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Red Mill Museum Haunted Village, Clinton

Clinton's Red Mill Museum hosts its 28th Haunted Village (56 Main St.), promising "10 acres of frights." Proceeds support educational programs at the museum village. The Haunted Village is open starting at 4 p.m. on Oct. 12-13; 19-20; and 26-27. Admission $30 to $35; redmillhauntedvillage.org and eventbrite.com for tickets. There will also be Happy Haunts for children from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m.

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Monster Martin's House of Terror, Pitman

"Scaring away hunger since 2001," Monster Martin's House of Terror is a free haunted house hosted by Jon Martin in his Pitman home (155 Esplanade Ave.). He's celebrating his 17th year collecting food to fight hunger. Visitors are asked to bring a nonperishable food item for donation or $2. Martin says that last year he collected more than 1,800 donations.

This year it's Nightmare on Esplanade: The Final Chapter. No-scare behind-the-scenes tours are available 6:30 to 8 p.m. Oct. 24. The full haunt is set for 6:30 to 9:30 p.m. from Oct. 25-27 and 30-31; facebook.com/Monster-Martins-House-of-Terror

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Bloodshed Farms Fearfest, Columbus

Bloodshed Farms Fearfest in Columbus (2919 Route 206, at Columbus Farmer's Market) has several haunts to choose from: Clownophobia, a recently revived abandoned funhouse; the Trail of Terror, featuring the Murter Manor, a corn maze, cannibals in the woods along with crypts and catacombs; and Hellsgate Asylum, a long-abandoned institution where the patients were never released; and The Last Ride, a hayride to the cemetery. Fearfest is open starting at 7:30 p.m. Oct. 5-7; 12-14; 19-21; and 26-28. Combination tickets $30-$35; VIP tickets $45-$50; bloodshedfarmsfearfest.com

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Haunted Walk, Blackwood

Camden County 4-H presents its family-friendly Haunted Walk from 7 to 10:30 p.m. from Oct. 19-20 at Camden County Fairgrounds in Lakewood (508 Lakeland Road, Blackwood). Ages 8 and up; admission $10 per person or four people for $35; camden.njaes.rutgers.edu/4h

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Jersey Devil Haunt, Shamong

V & V Adventure Farm in Shamong (1339 Old Indian Mills Road) hosts its Jersey Devil Haunt on a cornstalk trail, which features not only the Jersey Devil but also men with chainsaws, zombies and clowns. Admission $15; not recommended for children under 13. There's also a Zombie Invasion Hayride ($25) and a family-friendly flashlight corn maze ($6) with a Jersey Devil design. Open starting at 7 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays in October; vvadventurefarm.com

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Scary Rotten Farms, Brick

Scary Rotten Farms in Brick (151 Brick Blvd, Brick Township), normally home to Berry Fresh Farms, has a new attraction for 2018: Twisted Tales, a fairy tale-fueled horror, in addition to Sinister Sneed's Chaotic Carnival of Chaos and Blackened: The Plague.

Opens at 7 p.m. Fridays through Sundays in October in addition to Oct. 18, 25, 30 and 31. Admission $18 for a single haunt; $30 for two; $40 for three, VIP (skip the line) $50; scaryrottenfarms.com

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Farm of Horrors at Schaefer Farms, Flemington

Schaefer Farms in Flemington (1051 Flemington Whitehouse Road) hosts its Farm of Horrors (formerly Frightfest), which stars four separate attractions: The Carnival of Chaos, Massacre Maize, Trail of Terror and Hayride of Horror. Open starting at 7 p.m. Fridays through Sundays in October as well as Nov. 2-3. Admission $30, includes all attractions; schaefersfrightfest.com

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More Jersey haunts and Halloween events

This isn't our first encounter with New Jersey haunts. Or even our second. We published a guide last year, and in the past, have asked readers to recommend their favorite haunted attractions. Then we staged votes on the haunts and visited the top vote-getters to rank the best attractions.

Looking for family-friendly Halloween activities or other non-haunted house fare?

Try our altogether ooky guide to N.J. events, trick-or-treating, parades and zombie walks for Halloween 2018.

Amy Kuperinsky may be reached at akuperinsky@njadvancemedia.com. Follow her on Twitter @AmyKup or on Facebook.

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