Darkside Haunted Estates — Local services in Wilsons Mills

First, I want to thank the entire “ Haunted Estates family” you guys are incredible.

I am not one to scare easily. Plus we all know the rules of a haunted house you can’t touch them and they can’t touch you. This place is no did. But they prove they don’t have to touch you to have you screaming around every corner. All the stars are here too.. Mr Voorhees, Leatherface, Freddy all the legends. They aren’t the ones that GETTCHA it’s the kids!!!! They are horrifying and never break character. The laughs that do would make the joker proud. Also be careful if they ask to play a game with them.

A new attraction I tried was the last ride. You lay in a legit freshly dug up coffin. The lid closes and the darkness sets in. I can handle all that what gets me was it’s the smells… the burning rubber as your speeded to your finally resting place. Then flowers and the rain you literally smell dirt as it’s hitting the coffin’s lid.

First, I want to thank the entire “Haunted Estates family”—you guys are incredible.

I first came here in 2022, and I’ve been hooked ever since. Now it’s become a family tradition—we go multiple times each season, and I can honestly say it never gets old. Every time, the scares are fresh, the actors are all-in, and the atmosphere pulls you completely into their world.

I’m not one to scare easily, and we all know the rules of a haunted house: you can’t touch them, and they can’t touch you. But Darkside proves they don’t need to touch you to have you screaming around every corner. The legends are all here—Mr. Voorhees, Leatherface, Freddy—but it’s the kids that GETCHA. They never break character, and those creepy little laughs could make the Joker proud. If they ask to play a game with you, be warned.

Look, times are tough, and life can be stressful. But Darkside Haunted Estates is like a horror fan’s Disneyland with a hometown feel. The staff clearly love what they do, and it shows. Every scare, every detail, every laugh—it’s all done with passion.

So if you’re on the fence, don’t be. Take a break from the chaos of life and let the professionals show you how it’s done. You won’t regret it. For me and my family, it’s not just a haunted house anymore—it’s our tradition, and one we look forward to...

Edit: 10/29/2024 We went again this year and did the fast-pass option (highly recommended as the line to go through the haunted house trail can get pretty long). It was just as good as last year, and they even made some changes to some of the houses so it wasn't exactly the same experience. Snacks/food/drinks are reasonably priced, we got the lemonade, popcorn, and a corn dog. All around I'd say this is the best haunted attraction within 30 minutes driving distance of Raleigh!

Let's get this out of the way: The people complaining on here and giving 1-star reviews are doing it out of spite or some other mental issues. This place was super fun. I went with my wife and a couple of friends and we had a great time. There were plenty of startling moments in each of the "houses", albeit mostly just for the first of your group. My recommendation is to alternate who goes first at each house so that you get to take turns getting spooked. All of the actors were wonderful and seemed to really enjoy what they were doing. We even saw some actors step off to the side to address some girl who was touching/hitting the actors, and they went off to go eject her from the premises, so safety is a priority for them. Lots of great costuming, and the set design in most of the houses was amazingly detailed. We did feel a little hurried since there were so many people, and if you slow down too much the group behind you gets impatient (understandable). We were laughing and screaming and letting out expletives the whole time. Note: To address those that felt "attacked" by the insults the actors were throwing: that's literally what they are supposed to do, some of the areas are themed with mentally ill individuals, or people that poke fun at the way you look, what you're wearing, how you sound, etc. That's part of the fun, take it on the cheek and move on. If you're getting offended at haunted houses, maybe they aren't the place for you.Edit: I gave it 4 stars because the line for GA to get into the trail was about an hour long, and could have used a snack/drink cart and some scare actors for fun...

My husband and I attending Haunted Estates for Halloween. On their website, it is states that all employees would wear masks and there would be social distancing. We even bought tickets online because you could choose your entrance time. We arrived and the woman at the front gate walks right up to the car WITHOUT a mask on. First clue of how everything would go. We get in line that says online tickets. We wait. And wait. And wait. At to make it worse , there were people everywhere without masks and everyone was right up on each other. No social distancing whatsoever. We finally get up to the metal detector. We have to put our phones in bins while we go through. There were three bins. Everyone out there put their phone in these three bins. EVERYONE. There was no wiping them down, no sanitation at all. Then we were directed to the ticket booth. Again I already bought tickets. Why have everyone who already bought tickets get in line with people who haven’t bought tickets yet?? She scans my ticket and we are directed to the entrance. We get in line for the hay ride. Again, no distancing. We sit on the hay ride. I sit towards the end so that I would not have to sit in the middle of everyone who are TOUCHING SHOULDERS on this trailer. I very rude man tells me to slide down. I say no, that I am socially distancing myself. He proceeds to yell and tell me to move. I repeat my reasoning and he moves closer to me trying to intimidate me but it doesn’t work. He says something along the lines of “I’ll show you”. The next tractor was pulling up and so he had to let us go. After the hayride you wait in yet another line for the trail. Again. No distancing. Walking through the trail was okay at first. They tried to send people in a few seconds apart but eventually everyone was weaving through these tight spaces with people they did not come with. Overall this was a terrible experience. I would not recommend this place to anyone. I am now not leaving my house for 14 days for fear that I am infected with COVID. Stay away...