With the growth of the haunted house business in the last 10 years, a particular myth has sprung up that fascinates and frustrates haunt goers more and more every year: the legendary Thirteen-Story Haunted House.

Usually a friend of a friend has been there and tells you that each floor gets scarier and scarier, and if you make it to the top you get your money back. Supposedly the floors get progressively more dangerous, with live rats and snakes, open pits, and monstrous actors who physically grab and push you into total darkness. Eager for the ultimate scare, and the ultimate challenge, haunt enthusiasts seek out this holy grail of dark attractions, sure that they have what it takes to go all the way. But, try as they might, few ever find this hidden place...or if they do, they seldom lead others to it...and when they do bring someone else, it's always a mysterious "friend" or "cousin."

If it exists, why is it so difficult to find? Why does everyone know about it, but no one can tell you where it is? Are those who find it sworn to secrecy? Do those who make it all the way disappear forever?

It is said to exist in many places, some of the more commonly mentioned locations being: somewhere in Ohio (most notably the House of Nightmares in Columbus); the Raven's Grinn Inn in the suburbs of Chicago, Illinois; and a place called Netherworld in Georgia. The latter one, a multi-story Haunted House located in an old Pepsi Bottling plant in Atlanta, has often been linked to this legend. Apparently the building housing the attraction was many things before it became the antique shopping mall that it is today, and some think the building still holds hidden areas deep inside it where events similar to the legend take place.

Is there a Thirteen-Story Haunted House where you get your money back if you survive near-death experiences? Very unlikely. But is there a multi-story haunted house, one where something very strange is going on, that might have given rise to these rumors? Who can say? Those that know the truth aren’t talking, that’s for sure! What do they have to hide from everyone? Is there a hidden haunt inside this place? What is really going on here every October? My search continues...

Other places I have found information include www.hauntedillinois.com and www.hauntedgeorgia.com.

Thank You,

The Haunt Hunter