of Edgar Allan Poe.

Halloween Haunt: Knott's Scary Farm

Knott's Berry Farm

Nearly 4 decades of honing the recipe for scaring guests has allowed Knott's Berry Farm in Buena Park, CA, to perfect its offerings. Sure, there are zombies, clowns, witches and monsters, but a few unique scares make this park a must-see. An attraction based on the cult (and soon-to-be remade) film Evil Dead sends guests into a cabin in the woods where they discover the “Book of the Dead” and attempt an escape, while a truly twisted take on the Pinocchio tale (the creepy marionette seeks human flesh to cover its wooden skeleton) thumbs its nose at convention and sanity.

Phantom Fright Nights: Kennywood

Kennywood

Costumed actors roam the pathways of this West Mifflin, PA, park, as seemingly harmless landmarks and attractionsturn malevolent. When darkness overtakes this Pittsburgh suburb, the Raging Rapids transforms into the Voodoo Bayou, the Dancing Waters becomes the Kennyville Cemetery and Noah's Ark becomes, well, the Haunted Ark. Kennywood transforms into its thrilling counterpart on Friday and Saturday nights through Oct. 27.

Best scare: The Phantom's Pre-Scare Dinners are available for an upcharge, allowing diners to tuck into succulent rat ribs (actually baby back ribs) and Graveyard Stuffed Cabbage (a true fright.)

Halloween Haunt: Kings Island

Kings Island

A cast of murderous characters populates this Cincinnati theme park after dark. A blood-spattered meat cutter haunts the Slaughter House, while the twisted Madame Fatale has been released after a decade of incarceration to curate a museum of oddities and wax. The Blood Drums -- new for 2012 -- perform 5