The Most Terrifying Haunted House Ever

"I loved growing up and going to haunted houses and being scared. I loved watching 'The Exorcist,' 'Candyman' and all sorts of scary movies." —Author Katie Featherston

I will never forget the time we walked through the creepiest haunted house ever. It was one of the last times we would dare ever to visit one.

The year was 2008. We were on a summer holiday visiting family in San Antonio, Texas. We were making the round of the usual tourist traps.

We purchased a multi-pass attraction, which included the Guinness World Records Museum, Tomb Rider 3D, and Ripley’s Haunted Adventure. These attractions were conveniently located across from the Alamo near the River Walk.

My entire family walked through the first two attractions, which were pleasant enough. When it came time to enter Ripleys, the rest of the family decided to skip the attraction.

My husband, son, and I were apprehensive about it, seeing as we are not huge fans of scary attractions. However, we decided to be brave and check it out.

Needless to say, it was a horrible idea. In hindsight, we should never have gone in the first place.

Ripley’s Haunted Adventure

The experience began with guests being transported in a creepy freight elevator upward to the next floor.

Once at the top, we stepped out of the ride with our group and proceeded single file through the pitch-black hallways, not knowing what to expect.

It was impossible to see anything except what was directly in front of you. The attraction had only begun and we were already scared out of our wits.

We were greeted with sudden noises, flashes of light, and darkness at every turn.

There were several places in the house where live actors jumped out at you suddenly and scared you. It was quite jarring as we were only expecting to see wax figures.

By this point in time, we were scared senseless. I just wanted to get out of this haunted house as quickly as my feet could take me.

The actors, animatronics, strobe lights, and special effects were excellent. Trust me when I tell you that this attraction was not for the faint-hearted.

Towards the end of the attraction, I thought I would fall off what looked like a balance beam-like tube of moving light. I later learned it was merely an illusion. I remember holding on to my son’s shoulders squarely for dear life as he was directly in front of me.

They took pictures of us throughout the exhibit that were available for purchase at the end. I must admit we looked ridiculous, as our facial expressions and body language were priceless.

My poor son was only about ten years old at the time and was terrified by the experience. Several years later, he politely declined when I asked him if he wanted to visit the haunted mansion at another theme park.

Other Haunted Houses

We have visited a couple of other haunted houses in our lifetime. The Haunted Mansion at the Magic Kingdom park in Walt Disney World in Florida is one that comes to mind. It is entertaining and not at all frightening.

Yet another haunted house was the Chambers of Terror in Salem, Massachusetts, which was scary as it was pitch black inside. At one point, a screaming actor came up right behind me and gave me quite a fright. I proceeded to scream my head off, and my husband burst into laughter at the insanity of it all.

However, nothing will ever compare to the unforgettable experience at Ripley’s Haunted Adventure. It was undoubtedly one for the memory books.

This story originally appeared on Medium.