Is anyone going to handle Kansas City’s paranormal problem? Every October, we see a frenzy of haunted houses, trails—even a tower and a theater. It’s an issue—but eh, let’s embrace it. Here are the latest and greatest.
EXILED: Crooked Rose Woods
EXILED: Crooked Rose Woods is at the top of this list because there’s nothing like it.
The former EXILED: Trail of Terrors in Bonner Springs has been overrun—in fiction and reality—by twisted locals. In the fiction, the deranged Redcurve family took its wooded land back from the creep of industrialization; in reality, this haunted attraction was reimagined by Darren Lynn Bousman, a Kansas Citian and director of SAW II, III, and IV.
The tickets are sold in tiers:
- A Crooked Rose Trail ticket ($49) gets you access to the haunted trail you might be familiar with. Be prepared to climb, crawl, and flee unspeakable things.
- A Redcurve Carnival + Trail ticket ($88) opens a new world. Bousman and his team created a carnival in the woods and seeded it with actors—some nice, some not, and all of whom could take you anywhere in the ever-darkening forest. It’s fun, it’s intense, and if you engage, the experience will stick with you.
- An Opulence VIP ticket ($199) gets you access to the trail, the carnival, and Opulence Tent, run by the Elites. You’ll get a look at the truly deranged occupants of the Crooked Rose Woods. It’s not suitable for people under 21.
Acres of Madness
It’s hard to believe all the things you can do at Acres of Madness in Kansas City, Kansas.
- On the Zombie Purge Monster Bus, a horde of zombies pursues the bus you’re riding on, and you fend them off with paintball guns.
- House of Horrors is a traditional haunted house experience that focuses on horror movies. Dracula, Michael Myers, Hannibal Lecter—they’re all there for a scare.
- Hell’s Gate is a five football fields’ worth of fear. Explore 12 themed areas meant to, as the organizers put it, scare the hell out of you.
- Then there’s the extras. An airsoft shooting gallery with live and fixed targets. A haunted hayride. A ride in a coffin that culminates in the feeling of being buried alive. Oh, and food trucks.
Here’s the ticket situation: $95 gets you into all attractions, and $75 gets you into the Zombie Purge Monster Bus, the House of Horrors, and Hell’s gate.
The remaining spots are run by Full Moon Productions, a haunted house powerhouse in Kansas City. Tickets to each cost the same—$27 for general admission, $57 for VIP—and, for the first time, are for timed entry.
The Edge of Hell
The Edge of Hell has been in Kansas City since 1975. It’s a five-story brick tower in the West Bottoms, and it’s one of the oldest haunted houses in the country.
On your five-story descent from Heaven to Hell, you’ll meet some unpleasant residents, like RatMan, the Hounds of Hell, and, of course, the Devil. It’s a phobia-focused haunt—think spiders, snakes, and claustrophobic spaces.
If you want to experience the quintessential Kansas City haunted house, this is the one.
The Beast
Elsewhere in the West Bottoms lurks The Beast. It’s run by Full Moon Productions—the same people behind The Edge of Hell.
This open-format haunt that draws its terror from a simple fact: You must find your own way out. Throughout the four-story building are creatures hellbent on your demise.
Macabre Cinema
Here’s another Full Moon Productions haunt in the West Bottoms. Macabre Cinema quite literally pulls you into the silver screen. You’ll be chased through authentic horror film sets—including from Hellraiser and Killer Klowns from Outer Space—by the very creatures who inhabited them. Not quite open concept but not cramped, either, it’s a good middle ground between The Edge of Hell and The Beast.