Patch's Best 2024 Halloween Yard Haunts: Cook County, Chicago

COOK COUNTY, IL — If you're looking for new zombie graveyards, body parts, floating ghosts and devil's playgrounds to explore for Halloween, you've come to the right place. Patch has assembled its annual scary yard tour for 2024, created by some of Chicagoland’s most imaginative and demented exterior decorators.

Given the scary yard tour’s past history of breaking the internet, we have organized the 2024 list by county. So click on the link for the list of scary yards near your house, or go crazy and visit them all.

GET ON THE LIST: We LOVE reader submissions, so we'll be updating the list every FRIDAY leading up to Halloween. So send in your pictures and tell us why your yard haunt is worth a drive-by to lorraine.swanson@patch.com. Read more about how to get on the list. If you participated in years past and didn’t get an email from us, send Patch your info.

Also, check out these lists for more scary yards throughout the Chicago area: Chicago Haunt Builders, Haunted Illinois Directory, Illinois Haunted Houses and We Love Halloween. There's free fun to be had in the days leading up to Halloween, so set your GPS for these spooky standbys and nightmarish newbies.

See what other counties are doing:

• DuPage/Kane Counties
• Lake/McHenry Counties
• Will/Kendall/Grundy/DeKalb

Check out these slick haunts in suburban Cook County and Chicago:

Alsip

NEW! 5113 W. 120th Place, Alsip – Someone left a note on Robert Silva’s door telling him to send his house to Patch’s tour o’ scary yards. We’re glad they did.

NEW! 12401 S. Loveland, Alsip – This crazy house in Alsip won second place in the village’s Halloween decorating contest last year.

Arlington Heights

4240 N. Harvard, Arlington Heights — We love this 3D display that is sure to scare the pants off trick-or-treaters.

Bridgeview

Pavel's Cemetery, 7416 S. Octavia Ave., Bridgeview – This is a family-friendly yard display with a graveyard, light, and music show featuring a pumpkin king. The props are a combination of homemade and store-bought. Safe for young kids because there aren’t too many jump-scares, but there may be a few surprises.

Burbank

Trail of Terror, 8509 Newland Ave., Burbank — Trail of Terror. That is all.

Phobia Haunted House, 8258 Laramie Ave., Burbank – Winner of Burbank’s Scariet Haunted House contest, Mike and Julie Motes have built a haunted house walk-thru in their front year. Phobia Haunted House has six sections including a hospital, graveyard, spiders, clowns, a killer maze and ends with more clowns. Awesome animatronics along with fog machines, lights and tons of candy will be handed out on Halloween. The yard haunt will be list from 6 to 10 p.m. Oct. 18 to Oct. 20; Oct. 25 to Oct. 27, and 5 to 9 p.m. Oct. 31.

THE NEPHILIM FALLEN ANGELS, 8211 and 8215 S. MULLIGAN AVE., BURBANK — It's heartwarming when neighbors get along and pitch in to turn their front lawns into a hell for fallen angels every Halloween. This is one of the most popular yard haunts in the south suburbs. Now in its tenth year, the Ghoul Crew comes out to play on the weekends through Halloween (the Ghoul Crew sleeps during the week). Nephilim opens runs through Oct. 31; hours are Fridays and Saturdays 7 to 11 p.m.; Sundays 7 to 10 p.m. Per the scaremeisters: "Leave reality behind and enter our Dark Realm at the Nephilim Haunted Yard....Many animated and live ghouls surrounding two houses for Double the Scare!!! Creatures have been summoned to join our Nephilim Fallen Angels Ghoul Crew, making our 8th year more frightful! Be prepared to be Scared!! Join us if you DARE, because the next scream you hear will be your own."

Chicago

House of Phobias, 11436 S. Homan Ave., Chicago (Mount Greenwood) – Got a phobia? Maybe snakes, or rodents. Morgan and Jim Stenlund’s display offers a phobia for everyone. They’ll be up and running on Oct. 12. On weekends their walk-thru will be open with live actors inside. On Fridays for an hour the actors will crawl back into their crypt for kids who might be too scared. “We absolutely love Halloween and the best part is making people excited about the holiday. It brings the community together and will give the kids memories to last a lifetime.”

McManor, 13017 S. Avenue O, Chicago (Bridgeport) – This South Side scare is a Patch fave mainly for its skeleton in an outhouse. The McNamaras have been transforming their house for years, starting with a full house facade, then adding many animated residents that are either custom made or store-bought with a McManor makeover to make them even more lifelike. McManor fan favorites are Bones-a-wise cracking skeleton in an outhouse and Burnie swaying back and forth dumping gasoline on McManor. The haunt also features a walk thru haunted house in the driveway that is only open certain nights. Check their Facebook page for hours of operation. The McNamaras will be taking donations for Pet Profile Rescue.

5716 W 64th St., Chicago – It’s carney season at the Carnevil on 64th Street.

NEW! Haunted Carnival 5244 S. Mason Ave., Chicago (Garfield Ridge) – Ralph Scotese had us at “haunted carnival hosted by dead entertainers.” As a matter of fact, they have been dead so long that only their skeletons are left to perform their tricks. Characters range from a strongman, dog on a unicycle, and maybe a few roustabouts from the Hagenbeck-Wallace Circus train wreck. The flying elephant, Dumbone, even makes an appearance. All of the carnival’s denizens are fully animated. The carnival springs to life from 6 to 9 p.m., but if Ralph sees you looking at it, he’ll gladly turn it on if he’s home.

Chicago (Westlawn)

NEW! The Ghost of Bedlams Boneyard, 4555 W. 66th St., Chicago – This is the biggest yard haunt in Westlawn, Chicago lawn, Garfield ridge and Scottsdale area. Samuel Flores’s display features a 12-foot skeleton, floating reaper, ghost, predator demon and headless horseman. On most nights, Samuel comes out and greets people dressed as a dead groundskeeper. On Halloween night the display will be in operation from 5pm to 9pm with multiple interactive scare actors. His second haunt, Billy Bedlams Bonyard in the cul-de-sac at 66th Street and Kilbourn Avenue. “From Dawn Till Dusk These Graves You Can Never Trust…The Boneyard Is Open…You Never Know When A Groundskeeper May Be Out… Why Get Corny At A Carnival When You Can Witness Real Evil In The Graveyard This Halloween.”

Chicago Ridge

Deadpool & Logan’s Multiverse Battle, 10308 Barnard Drive, Chicago Ridge – The Deadpool Corps and Wolverine find themselves in a multiverse battle. Can they survive and attack by the Undead Sentinel? Will Taylor SwiftPool save the day? We love Antonio Medina’s imaginative yard haunt. Oct. 1-31 until 10:30 p.m., Saturday and Sunday are the best views.

Crestwood

NEW! Creepin' in Crestwood, 4951 135th Place, Crestwood – The first-place winner of Crestwood’s Halloween homes contest, Daryl Gorney and Robert Liescke have added some new items to their yard haunt to thrill the trick-or-treaters this year.

Evergreen Park

9140 S. Turner Ave., Evergreen Park – Stop by and have a ghoulish look at the Schelbergers’ little nightmare house.

NEW! 10247 S. Turner Ave., Evergreen Park – Lori Summers has a not-too-scary yard with skeletons crawling all over their house. The decorations even traveled through the front door. Her neighbor has also decorated his yard with a cemetery and spooky bus. No actors will be jumping out and scaring your kids.

NEW! Nightmare on 98th Street, 9811 S. Spaulding Ave., Evergreen Park – Get ready for a spine-chilling experience at Nightmare on 98th Street, Evergreen Park’s ultimate Halloween display! This eerie attraction features a hauntingly immersive setup designed to thrill and scare all who dare to visit. By day, you’ll see a sprawling display captured by drone footage, but it’s at night when things really come to life. With ghostly figures, dimly lit tombstones, and creepy decorations, the entire street is transformed into a terrifying nightmare. The atmosphere is heightened with strategically placed eerie music, lighting effects, and caution tape that gives a sense of an impending doom. Visitors warned to keep an eye on their surroundings—the display is known to have a few frightful surprises hidden in the shadows. This annual haunt is perfect for families looking for spooky fun or thrill-seekers in search of the ultimate scare.

Flossmoor

DEVIL'S PLAYGROUND HOME HAUNT, 900 WESTERN AVE., FLOSSMOOR — After 15 fabulous years in Oak Lawn, this playground from hell has relocated to Flossmoor. The yard haunt includes such old favorites as the lunging Freddy Krueger and a guy getting zapped in an electric chair. Head devil Keith Janowski has been busy building even more interactive delights, including a toxic lagoon, animatronics, carnEvil scary-go-round, haunted graveyard and other digital effects. Flossmoor-area residents are in for a treat. Open for viewing Oct. 18 through Oct. 31. The Devil's Playground Home Haunt supports Haunters Against Hate! Parking is available in the adjacent school parking lot. Visit them on Facebook. Scary as hell!

EVIL ON AVERS, 18808 AVERS AVE., FLOSSMOOR — We love Cindy Ver Haar's demonic gourd collection! Evil on Avers is a themed yard display entitled "Grinning Gourd Farm & Garden". There are animated and static characters in scenes including a hayride of creepy children, pumpkin monsters, a corn monster tending the farm stand, giant praying mantises who have found their prey in the cornfield, garden gnomes carrying a coffin and more. "I have been 'haunting' my home for over 20 years. I do make quite a few of my own props. I am a member of Chicago Haunt Builders, a great group of people who get together to build props and share our love for Halloween," Cindy says. (Stop by the equally magnificent "Devil's Playground.")

Hometown

NEW! Mortuary Gardens, 4568 W. 88th St. Hometown – This is a brand new cemetery display in Hometown, featuring animatronics, homemade props, homemade music and plenty of fog. Hometown has some great yard haunts and is definitely worth a drive-thru.

LORETTO CEMETERY, 9041 BECK PLACE, HOMETOWN — Tom Roche has had his display up since August and has been decorating his yard for the past ten years, adding props and animatronics. One of Hometown’s premiere yard haunts, this scary yard includes 25-30 props including zombies and witches, a handful of which move and talk. There is also a garage haunt. Roche and his girlfriend are out most nights haunting the yard with chainsaws and sledgehammers. This homeowner also has another surprise for trick or treaters. Watch out for the man on the lawn mower. Yard lights dusk till 9 p.m. Monday- Thursday; and dusk to 10:30 p.m. Friday and Saturday.

Homewood

McHugh Haunted Manor, 18145 Riegel Road, Homewood – Karen and Phil McHugh’s skeleton’s playlot is bigger and better than ever with new animated ghouls, spooky scenes and a lot more lights. A favorite on the tour o’ scary yards. Karen and Phil are members of Chicago Haunt Builders.

Justice

8016 S. 87th Ave, Justice – This house offers family free haunted fun.

LaGrange Park

430 N. Catherine Ave., LaGrange Park — "We'll be handing out some of kids' favorite candies candies (M&Ms, Reese's) come Halloween night."

Midlothian

Meadowlark Haunt, 15115 Hamlin Ave., Midlothian — This award-winning home haunt with a walk-thru won Midlothian’s 2023 Scariest House contest. Animatronic and static props with live actors on select nights, weather permitting. Walkthrough open on weekends. If this doll doesn't creep you out we don't know what will. Runs Oct 18-31 Su-Th (6-9PM) Fr-Sa (6-10PM).

Old Town Terror, 4359 150th St., Midlothian — Back for its 16th terrifying year, this award-winning creepy cemetery with multiple animations will scare you. The haunt will be lit from dusk to about 10 p.m. weeknights starting Oct. 18, a little later on the weekends and Halloween.

NEW! GRAVEYARD ON KILPATRICK, 14441 Kilpatrick Ave., Midlothian — Instead of playing tricks, kids come from miles around just to see Judy Scott's giant front yard mausoleum. "I have been decorating my house since around 1988, and I have expanded my decorations to what they are today. It started with my love for Halloween and my son wanting to scare the children. My husband helps with the large displays that are all handmade, like the mausoleum." On Halloween night there are smoke machines, spooky music and a live actor prowling about to scare the kiddies. Lights are on from dusk to 10:30 p.m.

Oak Forest

The Twisted Neighbor, 5020 158th St., Oak Forest – Some of the south suburbs' sickest Halloween displays can be found in Oak Forest. This year the Twisted Neighbor has built a bone throne where people can walk up and take a photo if they want. On the weekend they will have a fog machine and sometimes they like to scare people. We wish they were our neighbor!

The Haunted Garage, 5936 Condado Drive, Oak Forest —Oak Forest High School student David Martinez is the mastermind behind this haunted car shack, which is bigger and better than ever, with new scares. Don't let the innocent tract house fool you. The garage is a portal to hell with great special effects. David and his pals have added new tracks for 2024. Live actors will jump out at you.

Twisted Estates, 15200 Laramie Ave., Oak Forest – The former ‘Stuttgart Horror’ with their devil baby who is now a teenager, merged with “Laramie Hills” to form Twisted Estates. These people love Halloween and will have a haunted house walk-thru. Their yard is always crazy.

NEW! Skullnbone Cemetery, 14519 Club Circle Drive, Oak Forest – Ginger Jackson’s boneyard is currently up and running. This small, family friendly yard haunt features a cemetery, witches, ghosts, skeletons causing mischief, a 10-foot witch, spooky lighting and a newly expanded pirate area. Many props are handmade, DIY and/or repurposed items. The display has been expanded this year to include more items and details. Lights are on at 5 to 10 p.m. weekdays, 11 p.m. on weekends.

Haunt On The Lane, 4436 Lisa Lane, Oak Forest – This family-friendly haunt has been illuminating Oak Forest for years.

Oak Lawn

KRAZY KORNER, 94TH AND MOBILE, OAK LAWN — Chainsaws, monsters and clowns that chase you – oh my. The award-winning Krazy Korner has reached new heights in kraziness with the addition of a backyard walk-thru haunt that is pretty intense. Hard to believe that sweet little boy we took a photo of whispering into Santa’s ear ten years ago, is now a 16-year-old crazy clown chasing old ladies with a chainsaw. The corner lot is filled with monsters, corn creatures and bugs that jump out at you. Rick and Care Herpich have added a 12-foot-tall phantom and skeleton that are all the rage. The yard is lit from dusk to 10 p.m. most nights through Halloween. The walk-thru is open Friday and Saturday evenings. Awesome display. You can get out and walk around. Can’t wait to see what they do for Christmas. Member of Chicago Haunt Builders and first place winner of Oak Lawn’s first Halloween decorating contest. Krazy Korner lands on all the lists of cool houses to visit.

NEW! 9820 S. Mansfield Ave., Oak Lawn – Daniel Smith has entered Oak Lawn’s second annual Halloween Haunted House decorating contest. Daniel tells Patch that his house draws a lot of attention from looky-loos. The best part is that Daniel and his kids had lots of fun setting it up as they do every year.

NEW! 8836 S. 51st Ave, Oak Lawn – We heard about the creepy skeleton house in Oak Lawn. Nicole Merkle tells us that her husband, Joe, has added a bell tower to their roof that spins and has skeletons climbing up the house. Most of their skeletons are homemade and some may even jump out at you. Their neighbor loves their annual displays so much, she's let them expand to her lawn.

10920 S. Keeler Ave., Oak Lawn — These "authorized employees" showed up to work, so don't yell at them if service is a little dead. Like many businesses, they are short-staffed. An amazing display of handmade monsters populate this scary yard in Oak Lawn. An evolving display. Come visit in person. Love it!

NEW! Nightmare Village, 711 McVicker Ave., Oak Lawn – Nick keeps the nightmare in Oak Lawn with his front yard display, featuring tons of homemade props from the tombstones to the 8-foot tall Wheel of Torture and Brom, ruled by the pumpkin king/scarecrow. Scenes include a witch’s brew and undead cookout in the graveyard and a VERY dirty kitchen (sounds like our house). Nick has been doing this for over 20 years. Lights go on at 6 p.m. and off at 11 p.m.

NIGHTMARE ON NATOMA, 9716 S. NATOMA AVE., OAK LAWN — We love Lou and Melissa Rizzo’s shrieky, freaky yard. Like many yard haunts, it keeps getting bigger every year. Lou’s friends and neighbors have been telling him to get on the scary yard tour for years, and we’re glad they did. People can walk down a path and look through the windows at the decorations inside the Rizzos’ house. “We did this last year and we had a blast meeting all the people that came by. We added a few more things and changed a few also. We have a graveyard scene with many skeletons and animated props to add to the fun. It is kid friendly because that’s who we do it for — the kids.” The yard is lit from 4 to 10 p.m. weekdays, through 11 p.m. weekends.

NEW! OAK LAWN HAUNTED BARRENS, 5133 W. 101ST ST, OAK LAWN — We've been watching Sara and Mike Lesh’s portal to Pinterest and Dollar Tree hell evolve since its 2012 debut on the scary yards tour. This lawn of ghouls keeps growing in size every year, as does the garbage can full of guts. They’ve made some major improvements. Features handmade, static and several motorized props. All ages and wheelchair accessible. Members of the Chicago Haunt Builders. Winner of the 2023 Village Of Oak Lawn Judge's Choice Award (Top Prize) In All Categories In the first ever village Halloween decorating contest.

Smith's Grove Cemetery, 8720 S. 55th Ave., Oak Lawn – This is a boneyard for the ages and has been featured on the cover of our tour o’ scary yards in past years. Timothy Smith has built a full graveyard scene with a full skeleton rock band and audience, complete with light show and music. Plus, two giants! Everything is up now through Halloween.

SPIRITS ON SPROAT, 9028 S. SPROAT AVE., OAK LAWN — Love classic monsters from the movies, TV, literature, urban legend and pop culture? Come visit Spirits on Sproat, now in its fabulous 20th year. One of Chicagoland’s most popular Halloween season destinations, Spirits on Sproat in Oak Lawn began as a barebones outdoor exhibit with a handful of props. But over the years it continued to expand until it finally outgrew its front yard territory and enlarged to also include the back yard. What sets our free home haunt apart from others is that, from the start, it was designed to be an outdoor museum showcasing over 120 full-size figures, most of which are home-made replicas of classic horror characters—from Frankenstein and Freddy Kruger to Medusa, Norman Bates, Slenderman, Leatherface, the Headless Horseman, and Art the Clown. Fresh figures for 2024 include Dead Ned the Dullahan knight; Moe, Curly, and Larry the clown trio; Heartburn Harry; Patchy the plundering pirate; the angry apple tree from the Wizard of Oz; and several more. Spirits on Sproat—which has been featured multiple times on Svengoolie’s television program and was named a Hall of Fame Haunt by The Horror Tourers. Spirits on Sproat is not only Svengoolie’s favorite yard haunt, it’s 7-year-old Gavin DeGrechie’s favorite stop on the scary yard tour. The display will operate Sept. 27-29, Oct. 4-6, Oct. 11-13, and Oct. 18-31 (weather permitting). Hours are 7 p.m. to 11 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays and on Oct. 31; and from 7 p.m. to 10 p.m. on Sundays and Oct. 21-24 and Oct. 28-30. All ages are welcome.

Orland Park

8518 West 157th Street, Orland Park – Each year the Maher family expands their graveyard and videos every year. This year there are four different videos of flying ghosts, a seance witch, scary Halloween scenes in the bedroom window and of course singing pumpkins.

“Chills On Chestnut,” 7653 Chestnut Drive, Orland Park – Jennifer Storino is passing on her love for Halloween to her kids. They’ve gone all out with skeletons in their yard set against a haunted hotel scene set up in the garage. Jennifer confesses that they decorate the entire inside of their house, each room having a different theme: the basement is IT; the dining room features the classic movie murderers (Michael Myers’s, Jason, etc); the living room are the classics (Dracula, Frankenstein, etc) , the family room is Wizard of Oz, the bathroom is from the trick-or-treat movie, one daughter‘s room is hocus-pocus, the other is Beetlejuice. The good chocolate will be handed out on Halloween.

Shurley House Of The Dead, 17404 Deer Creek Drive, Orland Park — There is lots to see in the Shurley yard haunt full of creatures, ghouls, headless brides and more. Check out the projection of the lady in the upstairs window that turns into a ghoul before your very eyes. New this year is the Inferno King’s Castle of Terror. This yard haunt has been featured on every major TV news station. Fun but not too scary. Kids will like it. Dusk to ten, maybe a little later on weekends through Halloween.

SCARES ON SEQUOIA, 7631 SEQUOIA COURT, ORLAND PARK — Sorry, but the Scarecrow Army at this Orland Park haunt doesn't sing or dance. Scares on Sequoia gets weirder every year – and we mean that in a good way. Seven rooms are featured this year. Over 30 animated props populate this lawn, including a pumpkin patch, Dracula and his wolves, and my more. Glad to see this bad ass display back on the list after a few years off. Hours are dusk to 9 p.m, Sunday-Thursday; and dusk to 10 p.m. Friday through Saturday.

NEW! Dead Souls Cemetery, 8940 Lori Lane, Orland Park – The Carevic family’s yard is populated by quirky characters, including a skeleton dog walker, a bony hillbilly drinking witches moonshine, and – wait for it – a skeleton raccoon. We encourage the Carevics to expand on the raccoon theme. Lit from 5:30 p.m. to midnight. Candy being passed out is usually chocolate.

Sinister Cedar, 8446 Cedar St., Orland Park – We welcome these nutjobs in Orland Park to the list. The Muellers go crazy every Halloween. They’re still putting up stuff but there is plenty to see.

Palatine

Hidden Creek Community Park, 1426 N. Whispering Springs Circle, Palatine – Wanna play? This one-of-a-kind display put on by a mother and son duo offers static and motorized props, plus a walk-thru yard haunt. They’ve put in years of experience into building and painting many of the pieces. The yard jaunt is accepting non-perishable food items along with money donations for their local food pantry.

Palos Heights

Sally's Nightmare on Melvina, 12407 S Melvina Ave., Palos Heights – Sally’s ‘A Nightmare Before Christmas’ haunt featuring handmade characters from the Tim Burton classic, including singing pumpkins, animations and great lighting.

Howling On Navajo, 6718 W, Navajo Drive, Palos Heights – Last year, the Williams family were recognized by the city for “beautifying Palos Heights.” Their haunt features animatronics and motion lights.

Streamwood

Monster Squad Manor, 58 McKinley Lane, Streamwood – This delightful, family-friendly yard haunt boasts 12-foot props, static and motorized props including a giant fire-breathing dragon, predator of the night, a werewolf, spooky skeletons and much more. On Halloween we have a candy chute and of course we hand out an assortment of full size candy. We are open everyday from dusk until 10 p.m. from now until Oct. 31.

Evil Hollows, 500 Wellington Drive, Streamwood – Kim Leifel and Bryan Harwood’s yard is lit up for viewing seven nights a week from dusk to 10:30 pm. Through Nov. 1. “We have been doing a display for many years now. We are a huge hit in our neighborhood every year,” Kim says.. Their yard boasts a huge amount of horror movie killers and monsters.

Tinley Park

Dead Man’s Party, 17642 70th Court, Tinley Park – Order a keg and party on with this gang of wasted skeletons. This is Steve’s first year on the list.

7414 162nd Place, Tinley Park – Scott O’Connor Jr., the Christmas light guy, is putting on a Halloween light display from 5 to 10 p.m. Tune in to 105.7 FM and watch from your car. He’s been taking donations for the Project Fire Buddies. After Halloween, he starts setting up for Christmas.

19431 Lisadell Drive, Tinley Park – Jim and Jennifer Cate offer a brightly lit display. We like the figures smashed up against the window.

NEW! Reapers Revenge On Ridgeland, 16422 Ridgeland Ave., Tinley Park – This is the Deenens' eighth year of decorating in Tinley, and four years before that in Alsip. They’ve added six new props. The biggest hit is their zombie containment machine. Push the button and hope he doesn’t escape.

Worth

Nagle’s Nightmare, 11560 S. Nagle Ave., Worth – Meet Michael Myers with Dr. Lumas, Freddie, Jason, Killer Klowns from outer space, Frankenstein with his bride and many other characters. Some may come alive and walk around. Donations of food and money are greatly appreciated for Haunts for Hunger, feeding families in need during Thanksgiving and Christmas.

Nightmare on Natchez, 10900 S. Natchez Ave., Worth – This is Mike and Carrie Didier’s tenth year of scaring the hell out of Worth residents. Every year they add something new for visitors to check out. They've become a local hit on Halloween over the years. The haunt features a combination of animatronics, homemade monsters, window hologram displays that run nightly after dark, and even a guillotine that people can take their pictures in. Halloween night, actors will haunt the yard. The display should be up and running by the second week of October. The Didiers hand out a mix of chocolate, fruit flavored candy, and small prizes on Halloween night.