Haunted House Ads From The Past

I have always said that I was very fortunate to have grown up as an 80s Halloween kid in Northeast Ohio. We have an unbelievably rich history of haunted houses dating as far back as the early 70s, and continue to produce some of the best attractions in the country today.

When I was younger, I would race home from school every Friday starting in mid-September and grab the local newspaper. I would immediately pull out the Friday magazine insert, a small self-contained section that would have everything going on for the upcoming weekend. I would flip right past all of the boring concert and festival ads until I found what I was feverishly looking for... the ads for all of the local haunted houses!!

I can still smell the black ink that was slapped onto the porous newsprint paper (you know, the kind that transferred immediately to your fingers as you touched the page?). Page after page of glorious, horrifying clip art, spooky fonts, and outrageous claims. And don't forget the "celebrity" appearances to really seal the deal! I would mark off the ones closest to us, in hopes of having my or one of my friends' parents drive us to one (or more if we REALLY begged!) of those magical locations to get the wits scared out of us while gawking with utter excitement at all the gory props, masks, and scenes. Every weekend up until Halloween night was the same thing. And it was spectacular.

I recently came across this online article from the Akron Beacon Journal, my local newspaper. They had gone back into the photo archives and gathered up a HUGE collection of these old ads that appeared in the newspaper, dating all the way back to 1972.

I couldn't believe the instant joy as I looked through the ads. All those wonderful memories came flooding back as I scrolled, my smile getting wider the further I went.

Enjoy this amazing little slice of Halloween history from my neck of the woods. Most of these haunts are long gone, but their memories are most certainly not forgotten!

More terrifying than last year.

Hinckley's Haunted Hollow was one of the first haunted houses that my parents ever took me to. I remember it being an outdoor trail, which at that time was unique to other haunted houses in the area. I also remember this one being SO much fun!

Giant Gore House of Bloodview Heights. Best name ever!

All images courtesy of the Akron Beacon Journal.

Please do yourself a favor and check out the original article. TONS more of these awesome old haunted house ads that offer a glimpse into a bygone era. Enjoy!