Scarily Affordable Haunted Houses

The 13th Gate in Lousiana has been rated as one of the country's scariest haunted houses.

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aunted houses are a mixed bag—there's some for kids that leave the lights on all the time, there's mediocre park-district-sponsored houses that feature actors who are still in high school, and there's houses hosted in abandoned hospitals or prisons that are downright terrifying. The varying degrees of horror also come with varying price tags, with some costing just a few dollars to others costing a pretty penny. Which haunted houses are worth the coin, though? Here's a rundown of five relatively inexpensive haunted houses that are still creepy as well as some more expensive terror shows.

The 13th Gate in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, was rated number one on Hauntworld.com's list of Best Haunts 2012. It's $25 per person, and group rates are available if you have 20 or more people. In addition to just being plain scary, this one has you crawl through a crematory oven, cross a rickety bridge that hovers over a live-snake pit. It's 40,000 square feet, so for the price, it's a pretty great deal.

Cincinatti is home to the haunted Dent School House.

Cutting Edge Haunted House in Dallas, Texas is $30 for each adult and $25 for each child, with a line-jumping speed pass available for an extra fee. Located in an old meatpacking plant that closed years ago, it features plenty of equipment that was left behind, making this house extra-strength creepy.

Pontiac, Michigan is home to the Erebus Haunted Attraction. It's four stories high and prices vary from $23 to $28 per person, depending on which day you choose to go. Group rates and VIP tickets are also available. This one's on our list for its unique approach to instilling fear—some of the attractions in this one place you in situations where things fall on your come at you, where you'll have to walk through a swamp, and where you'll find yourself in a room with the door slammed as 10,000 balls bury you alive.  This is no Chuck-E-Cheese ball pit, folks.

Over in Cincinatti, Ohio, you'll find the Dent Schoolhouse. Lore says that back in the 1940s, a murderous janitor named Charlie lived in the basement of the school, and is said to have killed at least 20 local schoolchildren. It's morbid, for sure, but is said to be one of the scarier haunted houses in the country.  Tickets are $20 per person, $30 if you want to skip the line, or $10 if you choose to have the lights on.

Finally, if you're in or near Chicago, check out the Statesville Haunted Prison just outside of Joliet, IL. It's $30 per person, and it's widely recognized as being the scariest haunted house around Chicago, and it's based on a real-life prison—Stateville Correctional Center, which is a maximum security prison that holds an average of 3,500 inmates. The haunted prison, however, features faux-inmates that will scare you (nearly) to death.