SPONSORED CONTENT | Photographed by Jess Shada, Destination Salem
In Salem, you never have to go far to find something spooky. But tucked just off Derby Street, there’s one corner of the city where you can find two haunted houses, live actors, spellcasting, ghost stories, and plenty of surprises all in one place.
Welcome to the Haunted Neighborhood.
Home to the Salem Wax Museum and Haunted Witch Village Halloweentown, this longtime Salem destination transforms for Haunted Happenings with experiences ranging from classic Halloween scares to a candlelit walk through the Witch City. We recently stepped inside for a closer look—and found plenty that’s new this year.
Our first challenge? Frankenstein’s Castle Haunted House, where visitors descend into the dungeon of Dr. Frankenstein and wind through darkened corridors filled with animatronics, unexpected scares, and live actors.
Unlike some seasonal haunts, Frankenstein’s Castle has live actors whenever the haunted house is open. During the busiest part of October, even more actors can be hiding inside, waiting for just the right moment to make an appearance.
The experience draws inspiration from classic literary horror, but there’s a decidedly Salem sense of fun behind the scares. And if you visited in years past, don’t assume you know what’s around the next corner. The team continues to update the experience with new props and details.
Next door, Witch Village Halloweentown offers another chance to get scared. On weekends in October, Salem’s longest-running haunted house comes alive with live actors and plenty of Halloween frights.
The space itself has undergone some big changes. The route through the attraction was reversed during renovations, sending returning visitors through the experience in an entirely different direction. New props have joined longtime favorites, while an intriguing hidden entrance has become an attraction of its own after catching visitors’ attention on social media.
Longtime Salem Wax fans may recognize a few pieces from the past, too. An original sign that once hung outside the building has found a new home inside – one of several little details connecting the Haunted Neighborhood of today with its history.
And the transformations aren’t finished. Artists continue to create new scenery and figures by hand, meaning even repeat visitors can find something they haven’t seen before.
Make a Night of It with the Halloween Pass! The two haunted houses are only part of what’s waiting in the Haunted Neighborhood.
The Halloween Pass includes five experiences: Salem Wax: A Halloween Experience, Haunted Witch Village Halloweentown, Frankenstein’s Castle Haunted House, Within a Witching Hour Spellcasting, and the Candlelit Ghostly Walking Tour.
That means you can follow up your haunted-house scares with a little spellcasting before heading out into Salem for ghost stories by candlelight.
Better yet, you don’t have to do everything at once. The pass can be used over one or multiple days, making it easy to fit the experiences around the rest of your Haunted Happenings plans.
Every Halloween Pass also includes a free souvenir mug. Passes should be redeemed at the Haunted Neighborhood’s Will Call Booth on Liberty Street before 5 p.m. to guarantee access to all five attractions.
Whether you’re searching for haunted houses in Salem, planning an October ghost tour, or simply looking to pack a little more Halloween into your Haunted Happenings visit, there are plenty of scares waiting inside the Haunted Neighborhood.
The only question is: are you going in?
