Frightworld packs five haunted houses under one roof inside a former North Buffalo Kmart, and for its 2026 season it has built a new one. Hallow Grounds takes visitors into a rotting 1947 harvest festival where the Graves family’s devotion to Halloween turned deadly, and it joins four returning haunts: Mainframe Massacre, Carnival Boneyard, Grindhouse, and Eerie State Asylum.
The story behind Hallow Grounds is that guests vanished at the festival in 1947, authorities sealed the gates, and the screams never stopped. Now the missing are said to be trapped among the decaying displays while the family keeps searching for new victims. Frightworld sums up the new house with a line the marketing leans on: “where Halloween never dies.”
One ticket covers all five houses. “Halloween is more popular than ever, and Hallow Grounds captures that vintage Halloween atmosphere so many of us are nostalgic for,” said Trevor Feger, Frightworld’s general manager. The screampark is celebrating its 24th year and also runs a Screampark Midway between the houses.
Frightworld has not released footage of Hallow Grounds, but our own walkthrough from a previous season shows what a night inside the screampark’s houses is like. It was filmed before Hallow Grounds was added, so it does not include the new house.
Dates and tickets
Frightworld’s 2026 season runs on select nights from late September into November. Opening SCREAM Weekend is September 25 and 26, from 6:30 to 11 p.m., with discounted tickets. General admission is $32 during opening weekend, 20 percent off the regular $40, and one ticket covers all five houses. Regular season runs October 2 through 31, when general admission is $40 and is good on any open night. The season closes with a Lights Out event on November 6 and 7. Frightpass and VIP Immediate Access upgrades cut most of the wait for a higher price.
Know before you go
Frightworld is indoors and runs rain or shine, with free parking at the former Kmart at 1001 Hertel Ave and a cash-only box office. Bags, backpacks, and weapons are not allowed, and every guest passes through a security checkpoint. Guests 15 and younger need a chaperone who is 21 or older, and one chaperone can bring up to eight minors. Lines are longest on Fridays and Saturdays, so a Frightpass or VIP Immediate Access ticket is the way to skip most of the wait.
Frightworld says it has been recognized by Buzzfeed, Travel Channel, and The Scare Factor as one of the top haunts in the country, and it draws guests from across Western New York, Pennsylvania, Ohio, and Southern Ontario. For another Buffalo-area haunt, see our coverage of Nightmare Wharf at the Buffalo Naval Park, along with our earlier Frightworld reporting.
