Have you been debating what haunted house to go to this year and if it’s even worth it? Well, the best-haunted house in the area is Wicked World, based in Nicholasville. It is one of the two haunted house attractions in the Lexington area. Overall this is the best attraction due to its price, quality of the attractions, and location.

Wicked World is located at 5817 Tates Creek Road, Nicholasville, KY. They will be open October 21st-November 5th on select nights. On Fridays and Saturdays, they are open from 8 pm-12 am, and on select Sundays, Mondays, and Thursdays, they are open from 8 pm-10 pm. On November 5th, they have that day labeled as a special event. Ticket prices are $28 for general admission and $43 for a speed pass. For the price of one General Admission ticket, you get in all three haunted houses: Nightmare, The Hunted, and Welcome to Valley of the Dead. After waiting in line, you get to do all three houses one after the other.

Wicked World has a variety of awards and was voted Kentucky’s most terrifying haunted theme park. Julia Finley, a freshman at Lafayette High School, said, “The details of the haunted houses were incredible!” They also have food vendors, photo-ops, in-line entertainment such as scare actors, a DJ, a fire pit, and a gift shop.

My friends and I went to Wicked World Scaregrounds on October 15th, 2022. We got there at 7:50 and waited for tickets for around five minutes. After buying our tickets, we got in line and waited around one hour before entering the first haunt. We loved all the in-line entertainment, such as the scare actors who did a great job at scaring and a DJ who plays music and occasionally contests for prizes. We enjoyed the food and were plenty entertained while waiting in line.

Rachael Combs, an East Jessamine High School freshman, said, “My favorite part of the scare grounds was the clown.” The clown had many ways of scaring victims while waiting in line. He sometimes had a chainsaw, slid with sparks flying behind him, and popped up when you least expected him. All the scare actors roaming the Scaregrounds were entertaining and did a great job scaring. Sidney Chadwell, a freshman at Lafayette High School, said, “Clowns and monsters were sliding at me when I was least suspecting it.” In total, the night we were there, there were four actors. We were entertained even as we walked into the first house.

Nightmare Haunted House was the scariest in our opinion of the three haunts. It went through every fear, including dolls, a butcher shop, a swamp, a funeral home, and much more. People were popping out of every corner and not holding back until you ran out into the next room.l Combs said, “I liked how one of the rooms shook, which I have never seen before at any haunted house I’ve ever been to.” It was an amusing house that had scares and seemed never-ending.

The Hunted Haunted House was entertaining because you could shoot the zombies from left and right lunging at you. Then, two-three people in your group get a gun, and as you walk in, you’re immersed into a fearful atmosphere where you don’t know where the zombies will lunge at you from. They are very aggressive and make you feel like you’re in an episode of The Walking Dead. They did a great job of forming an apocalyptic environment around you. Finley said, “My favorite haunted house was probably The Hunted. The details of the haunted house were on point.”

The final haunted attraction was Welcome to Valley of the Dead. This haunt is the most interactive of the three. Combs said, “This was my favorite haunted house because of how interactive it was and {it was} a fun experience.” As you walk in, you have directions to ask Earl (The owner of the gas station) how to get to the other side. He then tells you, “you walk through a portal” to the other side. This haunted attraction is based outside, unlike the other two. My favorite part in this haunt is when you walk into the hotel and see the Bellhop, which the person playing him does a great job. Sidney Chadwell said, “One of my favorite parts of all three haunted houses was the room tilted in the clown section.” You walk through multiple scary scenes, such as clowns, a haunted hotel, the wild west, and voodoo. Finley said, “Mama Juju blew smoke on Logan and me, and took our blood after she possessed us in the ritual circle!”

Wicked World is a great place to go for crazy people who want to pay to get scared. Chadwell said, “I hated how I was never sure when a chainsaw coil started chasing after me.” We can see how they got all of those awards. I highly recommend this place to haunted house fans. They have great prices, excellent quality houses, and interactive staff to make your visit as unique as possible. Combs said, “The staff scared me!” Overall, it’s an enjoyable place to visit and a great place to have fun with your friends.