Cheapflights.com Takes Fright to a New Level This Hallow's Eve

Unveils Top Haunted Amusement Parks Worldwide

Boston, MA – October 11, 2011 – Cheapflights.com, the online leader in publishing travel deals, is embracing both the thrill and the chill of the Halloween season. While many folks check out the nearby hayride or local haunted house to get in the holiday spirit, true Halloween zealots take the fright fest a bit further. And for them, Cheapflights.com has scouted out the most ghoulish and spookiest theme parks, from Singapore to Texas, to compile its list the Top Haunted Amusement Parks Worldwide.

The spirit of Halloween spans the globe and Cheapflights.com’s list of Top Haunted Amusement Parks Worldwide is a testament to that. For those looking to stay a little closer to home, below are five of North America’s top hair-raising amusement parks spooky enough to make our global list.

Screams Halloween Theme Park – Waxahachie, Texas (Dates: Sept 30-Oct 30) - Those utterly traumatizing clowns are back, this time just outside of Dallas-Fort Worth. Five major attractions draw Texans to Screams Halloween Theme Park on Friday and Saturday nights each October. Topping the list is the Castle of Darkness, a residential house of worry for nervous tour-goers. Next up (cue the big gulp) is Unkel Koy’s Klown Maze, where hounding clowns chase visitors through a winding haze of pure terror. Add the Arcane Asylum, Pirates of Peril Point and the Ghoulish Graveyard, and you’ve got yourself one frightening destination.

Howl-O-Scream, Busch Gardens – Williamsburg, Virginia (Dates: Sept 23-Oct 30) - Again with the clowns! Howl-O-Scream at Busch Gardens lures visitors into “the creepiest show on earth,” Grin and Scare It – a version of a circus gone extremely wrong. Perhaps we’ll stay away from that one, but we’re excited to check out the park’s other scare zones: Widow Makers, Stitchin’ Time, Scavengers and Unleashed, where werewolves apparently roam. As it does year-round, Busch Gardens features country-themed areas, and incorporates appropriate attractions: the Catacombs in France, Dead Line (based on the Pompeii Metro) in Italy and Bitten in Germany.

Halloween Haunt, Canada’s Wonderland – Toronto, Canada (Dates: Sept 30-Oct 31) - Canadians have it horribly good just outside of Toronto, where Halloween Haunt sets up shop for one month annually to fool and ghoul visitors. New this year is the Terror of London, where folks are transported back to Jack the Ripper’s murderous reign in not-so-merry England. Other showstoppers comprise Clowns at Midnight, The Asylum and Mother Noose (Get it? Like Mother Goose!) – all guaranteed to induce unnerving symptoms. Those who make it out of the mazes alive can follow them up with live shows like zombie-ridden Beyond the Grave and thrill rides, including the Bat and Time Warp.

Knott’s “Scary” Farm’s Halloween Haunt, Knott’s Berry Farm – Buena Park, California (Dates: Sept 23-Oct 31) - Though it may not have the high-tech awesomeness that nearby Universal Studios Hollywood does, Knott’s Scary Farm carries its own via nostalgia thanks to 13 heart-racing, themed mazes and seven live shows. Like out of a horror movie, the park combines the worst of the worst – a Ghost Town (ghosts), Necropolis (vampires) and Carnevil (clowns) – over 160 acres of haunted terrain. Nearly 40 years young, the park taps into niche fears that’ll creep any visitor out. For starters: The Doll Factory.

Hersheypark in the Dark, Hersheypark, Hershey, Pennsylvania (Dates: Oct 14-30) - The sweetest place on earth gets downright spooky every October, when Hersheypark drapes itself in fall colors and scary trick-or-treat-themed witchery. More than 50 rides open under new guises: the Balloon Flight becomes the Balloon “Fright” and the SooperDooperLooper roller coaster becomes the SooperBOOperLooper, scaring visitors beyond the norm. Be sure to include the kids in this land of make-believe, where a Trick-or-Treat Adventure is offered for children 12 and younger – a perfect way to start their Halloween candy collection.

Looking to take your Halloween adventures a little further? Check these spooky amusement parks overseas to get your thrills this Halloween season: Halloween Horror Nights, Universal Studios Singapore; Scarefest, Alton Towers Resort – Staffordshire, England; Terenzi Horror Nights, Europa Park – Rust, Germany; Halloween, PortAventura – Salou, Spain and Halloween, Disneyland Paris – Paris, France.