Laurel's House of Horror 2026: Guide & Getting There

Laurel's House of Horror is the DMV's largest indoor haunted house, built inside an abandoned movie theater at 935 Fairlawn Ave in Laurel, Maryland. The 2026 Halloween season runs September 19 through November 7, featuring four themed attractions in one continuous walkthrough. General admission starts at $29.95, with VIP and immediate-access upgrades available. This guide covers tickets, what to expect inside, and how to get there from Baltimore, DC, or Annapolis without dealing with the parking chaos that haunts the venue every peak weekend.

What Is Laurel's House of Horror?

Laurel's House of Horror occupies a former cinema complex in the back corner of Laurel Centre Mall. The theater was abandoned by its previous tenants years ago, and the building's age and emptiness gave it an atmosphere most haunted attractions have to manufacture. Paranormal investigation teams — including the Chesapeake Ghost Hunters — have documented unexplained activity on the property, making this one of the few haunted houses in Maryland that may actually be haunted. The attraction has been operating since 2014 and spans over 28,000 square feet of the old cinema. If you are exploring haunted houses near Baltimore this season, Laurel's House of Horror is one of the closest major haunts to the city.

2026 Season Dates and Schedule

The haunted house opens Saturday, September 19 and runs through Saturday, November 7, 2026. During the season, the attraction is typically open Friday and Saturday evenings from 7:00 PM to 11:00 PM, with additional Thursday and Sunday dates in October. Sundays and Thursdays may close one hour early at 10:00 PM — check the official schedule at laurelhaunt.com before you go.

Beyond the Halloween season, the venue hosts two special holiday events: Krampus Nightmare on December 12, 19, and 26, 2026, and Love is Blind on February 13 and 20, 2027. Presale tickets for both are currently available at 50% off.

What's Inside: The 4 Themed Attractions

The 2026 haunted house features four distinct themed sections experienced in one continuous walkthrough. One general admission ticket covers all four: The Carlisle Hotel — a long-running fan-favorite set in a decrepit hotel with a sinister history. Porter's Asylum — a returning haunt set in the building's abandoned corridors. The Town of Jebediah — a themed section continuing the venue's narrative storylines. Studio 13 — a brand-new attraction for the 2026 season.

The walkthrough takes roughly 20 to 30 minutes. The attraction uses blackout-style effects, strobe lights, and live actors — not recommended for young children or anyone with light-sensitivity conditions.

Tickets and Pricing

All tickets can be purchased online at laurelhaunt.com or at the door on select dates.

Prices may vary by date. Tickets are non-refundable but general admission can be used on any other open night during the same fall season. The speed pass upgrade is worth serious consideration on peak weekends — visitors on the Saturday before Halloween have reported general admission wait times of two to three hours.

How to Get to Laurel's House of Horror

The venue is at 935 Fairlawn Avenue, Laurel, MD 20707, in the far back-right corner of Laurel Centre Mall. Laurel sits roughly midway between Washington, DC and Baltimore, making it accessible from across the DMV corridor.

By transit: Laurel has a MARC Train station on the Camden Line connecting Baltimore's Camden Station and Washington's Union Station. From the station, the venue is about a 10-minute rideshare.

Parking and the Case for Not Driving

Parking on a busy night is a genuine problem. The venue sits inside a shopping center lot, and on peak Saturdays in October, that lot fills fast. Combine that with 2-to-3-hour wait times in the general admission line, groups splitting across multiple cars, and a dark parking lot at midnight, and the logistics get stressful quickly.

For groups of 4 or more coming from Baltimore, Annapolis, DC, or Northern Virginia, a chauffeured vehicle handles the whole equation. No one circles the lot. No one is the designated driver. Everyone arrives together and gets picked up when the screaming is over. After 30 minutes of jump scares and adrenaline, the last thing your group wants is a dark parking lot and a 30-minute highway drive — a professional driver waiting at the curb turns the whole night into an event instead of a commute.

Group Trips: Birthdays, Bachelor Parties, and Corporate Outings

Laurel's House of Horror is one of the more popular group event destinations in the DMV during the fall. The attraction accommodates corporate events, birthday groups, and private escape room rentals by reservation. For bachelor and bachelorette parties, the haunted house works as an unexpected activity before heading out for the rest of the night — Laurel sits conveniently between Baltimore's nightlife and DC's bar scene.

The VIP Experience ($54.95 per person) is worth considering for groups — a private lounge with snacks and drinks, photo ops, and immediate haunted house access so nobody waits in line. For groups arriving from different parts of the DMV, an Executive Sprinter van simplifies the logistics: one pickup point, one driver, one arrival, and the group can head straight to dinner or drinks afterward. For larger party bus groups, the ride itself becomes part of the Halloween night.

Escape Rooms and Paranormal Investigations

Escape rooms operate year-round inside the same abandoned theater complex. Current options include Escape the Movies ($29.95, scenes from Insidious, Scream, and The Nun) and Escape Beetlejuice ($29.95, inspired by the 1988 Tim Burton film) — both up to 8 players, 45 minutes. The R.I.P. Pass bundles an escape room with haunted house admission and immediate access.

Paranormal investigations run on select Friday evenings after the haunted house closes. Guests explore the old cinema complex with actual paranormal investigators and equipment — a genuinely different experience from the theatrical haunted house, rooted in the building's documented history of unexplained activity.

Frequently Asked Questions