Halloween is just around the corner, which means candy, costumes and of course, haunted houses. Feel in need of a scare? This pair of haunted houses is sure to make your heart pound, make you scream or maybe have you run out of the house crying like a little girl.

The haunted houses in the area worth a visit are Sleepy Hollow Scream Park in Pleasant Hill and Linn’s Haunted House in Des Moines.

Sleepy Hollow

Sleepy Hollow’s Haunted Scream Park is located in Pleasant Hill on Dean Avenue near the State Fairgrounds. The park is open on weekends in October with activities starting at 7 p.m.

Haunted Scream Park displays a great variety of scares and chills that will make your skin tingle and boost an adrenaline rush all night long. Cost to experience the events are $20. Now that may sound a bit pricey, but take into consideration that it is a smorgasbord of haunts, not just one house.

For starters, the Castle of Blood is for those who want to be easily frightened. The theme for this house revolves around a medieval torture chamber with bodies and other deformed creatures laying within the Castle. After the Castle is the hayride which was closed due to the chilly weather last weekend, but spokespeople from the Park said it was more of a comedic side toward Halloween.

If the preceding events were the appetizer, then the entrees are the houses of Chaos and Nightmare Estates. Chaos is by far the scariest house on the Sleepy Hollow grounds. In Chaos, to get away from the zombies and the mentally-crazy people, you’ll have to crawl, push and run to escape the madness. The only real danger lurking is near the end where you hear a familiar sound, but if you’re familiar with horror movies, it’s probably a sound that you may not want to hear.

In Nightmare Estates, the name explains it all. Around each corner is something waiting unexpectedly anticipating your every move. The house is based on scary movies from both classic and more modern, but all in all, if you can find your way, escape will be your friend.

Haunted Scream Park is an amazing place to get the yell scared out of someone. Besides the houses, concession stands are available which resemble Renaissance times, in addition to other fun activities that will keep everyone entertained.

Linn’s Haunted House

Located near the Drake campus on Sixth Street is Linn’s Haunted House. Linn’s is open Oct. 16-18 and Oct. 21-31. Doors open at 7 p.m. and run until 10 p.m. Sunday through Thursday and until midnight on Friday and Saturday. This is a house which doesn’t necessarily contain gore, but it’ll hyper your senses. The admission is $10, which is a bit high for an event like this.

This is a section of Linn’s Supermarket which is owned by Linn family. The uniqueness of the house is brought out by the Linn family, itself. If you want to be really scared, go see a horror movie. If you’re looking for creativity with a little shock, this is the place to go. At first, it may seem like a bad idea to partake in the course, but after that, the experience turns to fun and enjoyment.

The purpose of Linn’s is to entertain. If scare is what you want, don’t visit here, because you’ll leave greatly disappointed. If a good time is your aim, this place won’t let you down. This is a good-hearted family project that brings out the Halloween spirit is what defines this haunted house.

So if you’re looking for a good scare and some good entertainment, check out these area haunted houses to get in the Halloween spirit.