For jump-scare lovers

Fright fans return year after year to Basement of the Dead for good reason — it’s terrifying. After surviving its ceiling-strung corpses, mutilated torture victims, and deranged axemen, visitors are guided into Shattered 3D, a trippy fun house with clowns in black light. If that’s not scary enough, go on one of the “lights off” nights (November 1 and 2), with only a flashlight to guide you. Through Nov. 2. 42 W. New York St., Aurora. $28. basementofthedead.com

For the hard to impress

In terms of acting, makeup, and set design, HellsGate Haunted House is matchless. The premise is a mansion built on a cemetery that’s been “infected by darkness,” and visitors encounter a deranged turn-of-the-century German clown and a zombie cook who makes a bloody mess in the kitchen. Oct. 3–Nov 2. 1300 S. State St., Lockport. $30. hellsgate.com

For kids

The haunted house at Goebbert’s Farm & Garden Center is just part of the autumnal fun on this suburban farm that also features a corn maze, pig racing, and pumpkin tunnels. The creepy creatures are all animated and mechanical, with no actors — just the right amount of scary for the under-12 crowd. Through Oct 31. 40 W. Higgins Rd., South Barrington. $6. goebbertsgardencenter.com