Halloween is the perfect time to experience intensely scary situations. And it's not just handful of people who seek them out: haunted houses have become a $300 million industry. Recently the emergence of the Haunt Industry has increased at an amazing pace. Gone are the days of a few connected trailers setting up camp in a strip mall parking lot for a few weeks in October. Haunted houses across the country have become larger, more realistic, and more immersive than ever before. Getting through them has become a point of pride for lovers of frights everywhere. Below are some of the best haunted houses of 2016.

photo by Luke Price / CC BY

The Shallow Grave - Winter Haven, FL

Possibly the most detailed haunted house around, The Shallow Grave prides itself on its immersive environment. The main attraction - Attention Deficit Haunt Disorder - has filled a haunted gap in Central Florida, which hasn't seen a house like this before. It follows the story of Thaddeus Van Buren, a cemetery caretaker who fell on hard times during the Great Depression. When families couldn't pay for their loved ones to be buried, he went on a killing spree. The Shallow Grave takes you through his cemetery, where you'll find his victims, and maybe Van Buren himself. Between the backstory and special effects, The Shallow Grave takes you into an environment more enveloping than any other haunted house in the area.

13th Floor - San Antonio, TX

Like many 13th Floor haunted houses across the country, this one takes its name from the legend that some builders avoided putting a 13th floor in their buildings since it was considered bad luck. Known as one of the most innovative and creative haunted houses in the country, 13th Floor, located on San Antonio's East Side, raises its frights with something new every year. Currently you can choose between staying inside at the clown house (which is sure to get a bump this year with the recent clown craze across the country) or go outdoors at a cursed and haunted cemetery filled with scares in every crypt. Not only does this haunted house use its animatronics and special effects perfectly, it also makes visitors travel several stories for its two attractions, providing depth that adds to the fear factor.

photo by TC Photography / CC BY

Erebus - Pontiac, MI

One of the trendsetters in the haunted house industry, Erebus is one of the first ones to takes its frights to the next level, continuously adapting as more and more competitors enter the market. Almost all of Erebus's designs and special effects are made in-house, meaning visitors get a truly one-of-a-kind experience. Having expanded since its initial opening in 2000, Erebus now spans a half mile on four separate floors, earning them recognition by the Guinness Book of World Records. As of this writing, just under 7,000 people weren't able to complete the entire house, while over 1,000 have fainted. Sixteen years on and this house still knows how to scare.

McKamey Manor - San Diego, CA

This is not simply a haunted house - it's more than just a place you walk into anxious and come out exhaustingly frightened. It's a place that crosses the line between imagined terror and into the realms of actual fear. You must sign a waiver to enter, so expect to be grabbed, doused in blood, and even forced to eat disgusting things. For haunted house enthusiasts, this is their mecca. Participants start of the tour by being "kidnapped" before taken to the manor, where they are often bound with tape, placed into a freezer, and have water poured over their heads. If you have any doubts about being pushed beyond your terror limits, it's best not to enter. McKamey Manor used to be open on the weekends year-round, but now only operates in limited runs.

photo by tobbo / CC0

Basement of the Dead - Aurora, Il

This haunt didn't have to do much to make the location spooky: they simply bought a century-old house in Downtown Aurora, which quickly made it one of Illinois' most authentic haunted houses. Visitors are taken to the basement of this house, where its rusted, exposed pipes, and creaky floorboards are just as spooky as the actors. In 2016 they added a second attraction, a 3D house called Shattered. Instead of 3D glasses, you're given a black light flashlight as you walk through a house of clowns. Some are simply statues, others are real, and it's almost impossible to tell one from the other. Basement of the Dead has certainly raised the bar for haunted houses in Illinois.