People across America are expected to spend a whopping total of $9 billion on all things Halloween, including costumes, candy, decorations and more, according to the National Retail Federation. The NRF's survey of nearly 7,000 consumers found that Americans will spend a near-record high on Halloween, and 21 percent of them plan to visit a haunted house this year.

Haunted house designer and attraction expert Larry Kirchner has been in the Halloween business for more than 25 years and for the 13th year in a row, his website HauntWorld.com released a ranking of America's scariest haunted houses.

"Most of these haunts have been around for 20-plus years and they're just getting better," Kirchner tells CNBC Make It.

Kirchner, also the owner of Halloween Productions, has worked with hundreds of amusement parks to help stage attractions and currently owns some of St. Louis' most famous haunted attractions such as The Darkness, House of the Occult at Lemp Brewery and Creepyworld.

"People used to go to multiple haunted houses, but now that they're more expensive, people need to do their research to help them choose," says Kirchner.

If you're in search of some spooky plans, here are the seven scariest haunted houses in America, based on HauntWorld.com's latest rankings.