The Most Popular Haunted Houses in San Jose California
With Halloween just around the corner, many families and thrill-seekers in San Jose are looking for ways to get into the spooky spirit. One popular Halloween activity is visiting haunted houses, which provide a fun and safe environment for people of all ages to be frightened and entertained. Though San Jose has plenty of family-friendly pumpkin patches and corn mazes this time of year, the city is also home to several haunted houses that can provide a more thrilling experience.
In particular, the variety of haunted houses in San Jose highlights the importance of having safe yet scary venues for teenagers to visit. Since many haunted houses don’t permit young children, they can be an ideal place for teens to bond over their love of horror and the paranormal. With proper supervision and reasonable safety precautions, haunted houses allow young people to face their fears without being exposed to genuine danger. At the same time, San Jose makes sure to offer plenty of family-friendly daytime pumpkin carving events and costume parades. By promoting both frightening haunted houses and playful community events, San Jose finds a good balance to make Halloween an engaging holiday for all ages.
1. Dead Time Dreams Haunted Attractions
Dead Time Dreams Haunted Attractions in San Jose, California, is a well-known Halloween destination that offers an array of spine-tingling experiences for thrill-seekers and Halloween enthusiasts. Each year, the attraction transforms itself with elaborately designed haunted houses, mazes, scare zones, and interactive experiences, creating an immersive and terrifying environment for visitors.
The attraction is distinguished by its dedication to crafting intricate and ever-changing themes, ranging from classic horror settings to imaginative and unique concepts. With a commitment to high-quality production values, including impressive set design, professional actors in detailed costumes and makeup, and special effects, Dead Time Dreams ensures that guests are fully immersed in a world of horror.
Typically operating during the Halloween season, the attraction offers various ticket options, including VIP passes for shorter lines and special events like “lights-out” nights or behind-the-scenes tours. Safety measures are in place to guarantee the well-being of visitors, and the attraction often plays a role in the local community by creating jobs, supporting charities, and engaging with fans through social media to build anticipation for the Halloween season.
Tickets to Dead Time Dreams Haunted Attractions in San Jose are $20 for general and $30 for VIP.
Located at Eastridge Mall
Address: 2501 Tully Rd, San Jose, CA 95122
2. The Winchester Mystery House
Our haunted adventure begins with the infamous Winchester Mystery House, an architectural marvel shrouded in mystery and intrigue. Located in the heart of San Jose, this sprawling mansion was once the residence of Sarah Winchester, widow of the Winchester rifle magnate. Legend has it that Sarah was haunted by the spirits of those killed by her husband’s invention, and she embarked on a never-ending construction project to appease them.
The eerie architecture of the Winchester Mystery House features staircases leading to nowhere, doors that open into walls, and secret passages that baffle all who visit. Visitors often report strange sounds, ghostly apparitions, and unexplained occurrences, making it one of the most famous haunted houses in the United States.
During the Halloween season, The Winchester Mystery House Unhinged event takes place. Guests can take part in a spooky housewarming party in which a couple moves into the house but strange things start to happen. Winchester Mystery House also hosts a haunted maze with more than one angry spirit and a Halloween museum.
Address: 525 S Winchester Blvd, San Jose, CA 95128
3. The Bernal Scream
South San Jose hosts the return of The Bernal Scream haunted house walk-through. This year it’s located next to the closed Marie Calendar’s restaurant on Blossom Hill Road. this family-owned and run haunted house features realistic scare actors. We like that the Bernal Scream only allows small groups at a time, which means there is plenty of room to move throughout the house. This also means it can take quite a bit of time to get through the line to enter the house, especially on Halloween night.
Overall we recommend checking out this family-run haunted house which is a great option for those who want to stay in the South Bay area for Halloween.
Tickets cost $25 for general admissions and $40 for VIP
Address: 620 Blossom Hill Rd San Jose, CA 95123
4. Great America Tricks and Treats Events
The Great America Tricks and Treats is a popular Bay Area attraction that operates annually at California’s Great America theme park in Santa Clara, California. The park is decorated with pumpkins, zombies, ghosts, and other spooky themes. Some of the haunted attractions utilize indoor and outdoor sets and special effects to create an immersive, frightening experience. With multiple scare zones and mazes that range from family-friendly to extremely intense, the Great America Tricks & Treats offers thrills and chills for visitors of all ages.
Most of the popular roller coaster rides are operating during this special event. The lines for the trick-or-treating can get long but lots of kids and their families have plenty of other things to explore. You see many families with their young children up to teens enjoying the park. We love the addition of the bonfires with seats around which is a great addition to the park on chilly evenings.
This frightful event typically runs on select nights from late September through October. Ticket prices start at around $30 for basic entry on weeknights, ranging up to $90 for a VIP experience on peak nights. Parking costs an additional $20-25 per car. Guests can expect live shows, Halloween-themed treats and meals, and hundreds of creepy characters lurking around every corner.
Address: 4701 Great America Pkwy Santa Clara, CA 95052
5. Boo Crew on Church Drive
The Boo Crew is a popular haunted house attraction in San Jose, California. It is located on Church Drive. The Boo Crew has been a tradition in San Jose for over 22 years. Every year, the crew builds an entirely new, multi-story structure from scratch to reflect a new theme. The haunted house is known for its elaborate and spooky displays, attracting many visitors during the Halloween season.
In the past, the Boo Crew has created haunted houses with themes such as a cursed carnival with a nearly full-scale roller coaster, a spectral riff on San Jose’s Hotel “Dead Anza,” a pirate ship, and an Indiana Jones tribute with a boulder latched to a garage-door opener.
The Boo Crew on Church doesn’t have actors jumping out at you but the walk-through is still a fun experience and you get to admire the hard work of the community. There are additional decorations, stalls selling snacks and drinks, and various actors walking up and down the street to entertain and take pictures with those in line.
Address: 1441 Church Drive San Jose, CA 95118
