Please take the F-ing bubbles out. This is the unscariest haunted house that I have ever been to. Then it ends in bubbles. My feet and legs were soaked. However the staff were AWESOME!!! The bald janitor stayed in character even when my friend's kids messed with him. The witch checking tickets just before you go in was very polite. The crossing guard at the door was funny. read more

I went here two years ago and loved it. I went October 11th 2025 and it was not so good. Walking through the haunted house and people were directly behind us and a group in front of us, we already knew what was coming just by this. They put way too many people inside at once and ruined the experience for our group. I paid $115 for a crappy experience. read more

Best haunted house in Ohio! Suggest you visit and see for yourself! My favorite is the snake!

3 years ago was amazing. But this year was not as good. The reason why 3 years ago was amazing is because they waited for groups to go way ahead and it was just your group embracing the haunt. This year we were with strangers ahead of us and the experience was not personal and was rushed also not enough actors. The 5 minute escape rooms were cool. read more

They put us in with another group that we weren't a part of and we were a four person group. So because of that, they were way ahead of us and we couldn't get all the scares that they were getting like the actors were going back to their station by the time we reached them. Because of that we're not coming back we spent too much money to not be given what we were supposed to be given. Like the lady that was flying above you we didn't get that. Also, while we are waiting in line with my 210-year-old daughters there was a group of young adults, standing behind us, smoking marijuana, and blowing it in our faces. I understand that weed is legal in Ohio, but if you guys are allowing stuff like that, I'm not bringing my kids back and neither am I coming back with my husband. Place was fun other than that. read more

Super fun place to go if you want to be mildly-to-very scared by clowns with chainsaws, zombies, and a fantastic maze of horrifying haunts. Great for teens and up around Halloween! read more

Dent School House - Outside area - Haunted Houses Near Me - Cincinnati, Ohio

One of the best most consistently reliable haunts in Ohio or anywhere! Set design & makeup quality trumps HHN & the LA & NYC bullsh!t. It's a medium-high level, high tech, totally immersive gothic horror throwback that manages to stay relevant by integrating new concepts, scenes & tech while handling its heavier subjects with alternating seriousness & a tongue & cheek sense of camp all executed side by side -- a tough act but Dent routinely executes masterfully. For Cinci denizens, it's like Fearfest (2002). It features one long haunt (around 25 mins) and a midway. The midway features old props & sets (still active, *ask if you'd like to see one move that's not in motion) confessions, museum style exhibits of Dent's history & THEMED ESCAPE ROOMS (for 3-5 people, $5 for 3-5 mins per room). Bud and his team are also extremely kind and approachable. My only note is that the group size could be smaller. However if you want to go slower & break up with you're group, they usually don't rush you & in fact help you reset your timing so the scenes refresh before you continue, much like Fear in Columbus. They also have a XMAS HAUNT! read more

Great haunted house!!! My husband and I were very impressed! The special effects were incredible and the costumes/makeup were extremely realistic! In many cases, we could not decipher between a real person and a figurine. It was amazing!! It is a bit expensive, but for a once a year thing we were willing to spend the money. For regular admission tickets, the line was VERY long. Those people had to have waited for about an hour. We splurged on the fast pass tickets and waited about 20 minutes, which was the perfect amount of time to have some spooky characters walk up to us in line and get our anticipation going and hearts racing a bit - exactly what we wanted before going in! They also offer "front of the line" tickets which were even more expensive and I did not think those were necessary. After experiencing it, I would do the fast pass tickets again. If you're looking for a haunted house in the Cincy area, I highly recommend Dent School House! read more

Dent School House - Haunted Houses Near Me - Cincinnati, Ohio

They swipe my card 3 times and told me that something wrong with the system and I have to purchase online. Then I find out that I got charged for each swipe $40. I send email and left voice message. They finally answer my email because I left bad review on Google, but after that they are not communicate anymore and I still don't have my money back. Very frustrating and never go again. read more

I was lucky to catch an off season showing of this haunt because they opened for the Midwestern Haunter's Convention. I've seen the Dent School house on the travel channel before, and though this was a lights up tour, I understand why they talk about it. Other than some minor safety concerns, this place is AWESOME. The attention to detail is here, the new areas are going to be amazing, and over all, they REALLY put a lot into their scare... PLUS the building is actually haunted. What more could you ask for? I'd love to see this up and running, but alas, I'm ALWAYS busy during haunt season. read more

See all

We visited the Dent School House in early October with a couple of our friends. We had bought tickets ahead of time for a certain time block, but when we got there we still had to wait in line for close to 45 minutes before we got to the door. Luckily, there were plenty of scarers walking around the lines and spooking unsuspecting guests. The line was well managed and moved quickly. The actually haunted house started with a small outdoor area before heading into the school. They did a really great job with decorations and had plenty of people in costume lurking around every corner. The actual haunted house is much bigger than we expected. After you got out, they had a whole section with props to pose with and a DJ playing music. They even had small escape rooms you could set up. It is one of the better haunted houses in the area and is a great price for all that you get. Just get there early in the night if you want to avoid waiting in too long of a line! read more

What an awesome fun experience. I can only rate the Dent School House for the special event today. From 4-7pm the school house tour had the lights on and the scariness toned waaay down for the young kids. They loved it. The staff handed out candy and we were able to tour everything without it being overwhelmingly scary. This is a must do if you have younger kids that your not sure can handle the normal tour. read more

This is considered Cincinnati's scariest haunted attraction, and it has received a number of awards, including the #1 spot on Buzzfeed's list of 19 Insane Haunted Houses and it's been featured on the Travel Channel, HGTV, and the Huffington Post. The Dent Schoolhouse was built in 1894. Several of the School's students began disappearing between 1942-1952 and people started noticing an odd smell coming from the basement. Charlie McFree, the School's janitor, convinced everyone that it was just backed up pipes. In 1955, 7 more children disappeared, and the smell in the basement started again. A mob formed and broke into the basement, where they found the rotting corpses of the missing students. No one was able to find Charlie the Janitor. Now the school is haunted by the ghosts of the murdered children, and Charlie's still looking for more victims. Or so the legend goes... We headed over to the Dent Schoolhouse on a Friday night around 8:30, and the line was fairly lengthy. We probably had about an hour wait. They had a couple of screens up with videos playing, so that helped to pass the time in line. Plus, there were characters walking around to interact with the crowd. After the "first" line, you take a group photo with whomever you're visiting with and then move through the next part of the line, which is built around the Fall Festival theme. So, an hour or so worth of waiting later, was it worth it? For me...well, I'm glad we finally made it to this star attraction, but I doubt I'd ever spend the time to go again. I think haunted attractions like these boil down to what you make of your time there. Do you like to be scared and want to milk every moment of it? Then you'll probably love it. I'm not an easy scare - although there was one spot inside the schoolhouse that made me give a short yell. Let's just say that some of the actors come at you from unexpected angles. The couple behind us was terrified. In fact, the guy was literally gripping the back of my jacket through much of the school. This place makes use of a lot of the classic horror house elements, including that dreaded chain saw. At this point, I barely even glance up. After you exit the school, there is a maze out back to go through. There are also a handful of port-a-potties. Hearing maze, I thought we'd be lost for a while, so I decided to make use of the bathrooms first. It took us all of five minutes to "find our way out of the maze", so I probably would've been okay. In summary, if you love to be scared and want to check out a decent haunted attraction, go for it! If you're a bit jaded like me, this probably isn't going to give you much of a scare, but you might still have fun checking it out! read more

See all

Okay, I'm going to be as fair and comparative as possible here. Price: $20 regular / $30 fast pass / Parking is $2 right across the street - The extra $10 for a fast pass is a MUST! Otherwise you can kiss up to 2+ hours of your life goodbye. This is not one of those cases where standing in line is part of the fun. It's not fun. It sucks. I paid the extra $10 and I was in the Schoolhouse in less than 10 minutes. Money well spent. - I'm not sure if the Dent Schoolhouse is worthy of $20 per person. - I wouldn't bother paying the extra $2 per ticket to buy them online. The ticket purchase booth is the least congested area. Save a few bucks because this is going to be an expensive evening. Experience: It wasn't as "scary" as I thought, and hoped, it would be. The decor was some of the best that I've seen. What I've always found to make a Haunted House the most scary are the "live" people and not the animatronic figures and displays. They could have definitely used more "live" cast members. The decor was good. Compared to popular houses like St. Rita and U.S.S. Nightmare, I'd have to say that this one combines the best of both of those. It's got the display and detail of the U.S.S. Nightmare and the grungy dirty house feel that you get from St. Rita. Would I go back? I'm not sure. If given the option, most likely I would. But considering the price, I'd probably rather visit St. Rita and U.S.S. Nightmare on one of their combination tickets with the fast passes. If you've never been to Dent Schoolhouse, I would recommend it, so don't take this as a bad review. I was just a bit disappointed. Been there, done that is how I'm going to leave it. In speaking to one of the ushers, before we entered, he said that they spend a large part of the year gutting and changing the schoolhouse design and layout making it as different as possible each year. read more

Go on a Thursday night. There is hardly any crowd and parking is a snap. We took our kids and had a great time. The make up, effects, actors, length of time to go through and story are all what makes this the best haunted house in Cincy. I will go again. read more

We come here every year. The line is really cool because it is decorated really neat and lots of props to take pics with. The house is really cool to go through and love the slaughter maze at the end. We really enjoyed at the end standing there and watching people coming out getting chased by the chainsaw guy tripping and falling trying to run away! read more

So as far as Haunted Houses go... this one is killer :) I don't know about everyone else, but I love a good Haunted House with a story, an actually haunted house. The actors here really have a passion for what they do. They go all out and love every minute of it. There are drop boxes and hidden panels in walls and bookshelves and ceilings and who knows what else! You never know where someone's going to pop out at you! They're anamatronics are pretty spectacular as well. This place is not for the faint of heart, especially if you know the back story to this place. It really is creepy... but well worth the money. read more

See all

This place has some of the most detailed sets I have ever seen. My recommendation is that you try to immerse yourself into all the set details and then let the actors do their thing. read more

You have no idea how good a haunted house can be until you go to Dent. The makeup is amazing. The props are authentic and it's difficult to tell what is real and what is not real. read more

First time going was this year. The 3 of us that went Saturday night had a lot of fun. The detail of the scenes and whole atmosphere of the place is incredible. I help out with a Haut in WV called Miller's Nightmare Haunted Farm. 2017 will be our 4th year so we are relatively new and we are always looking to see how bigger operations work. This is one of the best scares Ive ever been to and will return again for sure. read more

See all

This is going to sound lame when I say it, but it's the truth. I screamed like a little girl...There it is. The lame-ness continues. This was my first haunted house experience. Yes, I'm 30 and this was my first "real" haunted house. Luckily for me, the lame-ness was all me, and none for this place. It was amazing! Once you go through those doors you are transported into another world. A very scary, very disturbed, and at times very disgusting world. What was most amazing is that somehow they bend space and time. It just seemed to go on and on, like there was no escape. You will be freaked out! It gets crowded quickly on Friday and Saturday nights, so if you don't want to wait in line, get there before it opens. Of course, they do have characters roaming the line, as well as a horror movie playing on a screen out front, to keep you entertained. read more

I have been to Dent School House several times over the years and have always enjoyed myself. I love that there is a great history to the building and the events that occurred make it that much creepier. We went last night for a mini celebration of my birthday and we had a lot of fun. It was a Thursday evening and we got through the line fairly quickly. In the past I have attended on weekends and waited in line for hours. Weeknights are the way to go. I love the videos they show while you are waiting in line so you are always entertained. My favorite was the Charles in Charge video with the janitor (named Charlie) killing children to the upbeat tune. Very funny and twisted. Inside the special effects are great. I especially liked the lights that made it look like cockroaches were crawling around. Gross! The costumes are creative and I love when actors are super creepy acting, which they do well here. One complaint I have is that they did not stick to their theme. Yes, there were school children, teachers, and cafeteria workers. But why were there aliens, demons, and butchers? I didn't get it. The actors did startle me several times, making me do my scared dance which is quite embarrassing. They have a new outdoor attraction called the slaughterhouse. I did not enjoy this. It's a maze full of actors with chainsaws. I don't find chainsaws scary, just annoying. This was not scary to me because you could always see or hear them ahead of time. I think the haunted maze is a great concept and I love getting 2 attractions for my ticket price, but it could be executed better. In the end, Dent is a great way to spend a fall evening and I would recommend it. Is it the best haunted attraction I've been to? No. Did I have fun and shriek a few times? Yes, and that's what matters. read more

I had the worst experience I think humanly possible at this place. Me and three friends arrived at 8 o'clock on Saturday September 26th, 2020, we didn't get in line until 8:30 after buying our tickets. At first everything was going well we entered the line and enjoyed going through the 'slaughterhouse'. Our experience started going downhill when we got through that and entered the portion of the line that was just ropes and staying six feet apart. My group knew exactly who we started in front, and behind of because we talked to them. As we progressed through the rope line we noticed kids had cut us in line, cut the original people behind us in line, and so much line jumping happened that halfway through the line we no longer could see the people we started around at all. About 2 hours into our wait a fight broke out in front of the property between some teenagers and ALL of the kids in line jumped out of the line to go watch the fight. And when I say all I mean at least 50 kids jumped out of the line to go watch and encourage a fight, two police cars rolled up with their lights on the break it up. And when the fight was dispersed the kids all formed a group and decided to jump EVERYONE in line. Everyone who had waited for hours already got jumped in line, they went to the front of the ropes and only had to wait a maximum of ten minutes, while they added at least an hour onto everyone behind thems time. Because Dent is only allowing groups of five go at a time, that gigantic group of kids was broken into groups of five. I- along with many others, told security multiple times throughout the night about the ridiculous line jumping and they told us there was nothing they could do about it. I was so angry by the time we actually got to go into the haunted house, and had so much adrenaline in me, that the experience was awful and I didn't get scared. I don't feel like the experience was worth the money, stress, and time that came with the wait as a result of the line jumping security did nothing about. If security isn't going to do anything about blatant and clear line jumping resulting in people waiting over 3 and a half hours for a 10 minute haunted house, it shouldn't be 30 dollars a ticket. If you cannot control the crowds then there should be rules set in place like under 16 must be accompanied by an adult. Because my group and every other group around us that we talked to, were beyond angry and disappointed. I will not be coming back here ever again, and I will surely not be recommending this place to any of my friends. This is a great shame because I've been coming here since I was a kid and had such high praise and admiration for this haunted house prior this experience. I really hope this review is read and taken into consideration because nobody else should have to throw their money away like me and my friends did for the awful time we had. I did enjoy the Teddy Bear actor inside the house though, they were a jump scare I wasn't expecting. read more

I have been a resident of Cincinnati most of my life, and I had never been to the Dent Schoolhouse until this year. I can't tell you any good reason for it, other than thinking it wouldn't be long enough since it was in a schoolhouse, maybe? I'm not sure, but I was absolutely kicking myself for not having gotten out here sooner. Wow!!! I am super picky with haunted houses because I don't like to drop my hard earned money on something that is subpar and not scary. This year they had 2 houses for $20 and we went with a couple friends. We got there pretty early for haunted house standards so the line wasn't too long. We parked across the street, and it was free, so that must have changed. While we were waiting, a few actors would sneak through the line to scare unsuspecting patrons, and a huge screen was up playing clips from Special FX shows and other creepy stuff. The wait wasn't bad since we had our friends to chat with, and once we got up to the fence to be let in, we realized we were behind a group of little girls that could wake he dead with their terrified screams! Love it!! Once we were let in, the yard was setup like a cute and creepy school carnival. They took our picture at the first booth, and we were led around to a stage with an evil pumpkin creature who told the story of humans killing his family, while he demonstrated on a young girl how he would carve all of us up. It was so neat because you don't usually get a show like that while you're waiting for the main attraction. The booths were nicely decorated, and I couldn't help but want to stay out there for awhile to play with the creepies. When we went into the school, it was like a sensory overload. There was so much to take in, and they really did a fantastic job of keeping the school spirit alive. We walked through the main level for some scares, but the basement was where the real fun was located. We went through the library, cafeteria, gym and even the locker rooms. There was a dance going on in the gym and it felt surreal to watch the ghostly specters with their dates. The scares here caught me by surprise. The actors were fantastic and they hid in places that were hard to see. The walls dropped, secret doors sprang open, and even giant rat heads popped out to roar at us. (Be careful of the rat, I actually got knocked backwards by them!! haha) Once you exit the school you think the scares are done, but you have to walk around the school buses into the group of chainsaw killers!!! The second house is right behind the school, and for being as small as it was took a bit to walk through. It was mostly fog and chain saws, so perfect for those who hate the roar of the chainsaws. It was a nice little bonus, and I hope they creep it out even more in the years to come. I absolutely loved the schoolhouse, and I have nothing bad to say about it at all. The actors were fantastic. The scenery was believable and the story just came together. I loved every second of it, and I can't wait for next year. My advice, get there early in the evening if you don't want to wait forever. The wait for a house like this is to be expected. It is very popular, and for good reason. read more

I keep reading these rave reviews and I have to say I strongly disagree. I waited in line for an hr which is understandable. My problem was paying 20 bucks for a good scare that turned out to be more of a joke then anything. I have been to better haunted houses to say the least. It was a nice try but no where near scary. read more

Definitely the best and most high-tech haunted attraction in Cincinnati. It's kind of crazy how popular this place has become over the past several years. Charlie the Janitor is like the Mickey Mouse of the haunted attraction industry. They have probably the most passionate actors in the business. Come early in the season before the crowds get too huge. read more

I went to the Krampus haunted house. When I went with my friend and my dad. It was amazing. The actors in line were so into character. Especially the grinch. I loved him. Inside it was amazing and very detailed. I loved my experience and definitely will be back. read more

Wasn't the scariest haunted house ever, but it was fun! You'll have to park at the movie theatre across the street and down a bit, but that's not really a huge deal. They have cops on detail directing traffic so you can cross. Probably took our group about 15 minutes to get thru the main haunted house. They advertise 20-25 minutes but I don't see how it could take that long. It was a bit of a buzz kill seeing the groups in front of and behind us. I wish they staggered the groups further apart. They have a second haunted attraction now called The Slaughter House which was super lame compared to the first house. It was just a bunch of fake limbs hanging from the ceiling in a wooden maze structure. A couple people with chain saws chase you and one of them hit my boyfriend kind of hard with the saw and broke character to ask if he was okay. Overall, we definitely had a good time. It wasn't all that scary, but I like the story behind the haunted house and the theme. read more

Went here last night with some friends, there was a 30 minute wait to get tickets and then about a 75 minute wait to get in the school house, but it was worth it. While waiting in line a few characters came up and tried to spook us and everyone else in line. : Once in the haunted house it was really neat and I enjoyed the story and the workers did go all out making sure you were spooked, a friend of mine jumped in the air after being spooked by one of the guys. : The only complaint was there was a hold up in one of the rooms so about 15 people were in there waiting so no one got spooked. : Highly recommend to everyone! read more

This was my first haunted house, and it was AMAZING!! The atmosphere is very spooky but it feels safe as well. There are Halloween decorations you can take pictures with while waiting in line, and some actors in their makeup and costumes walk around and scare you/talk to you. The haunted house itself is awesome--lots of jump scares, and the acting is really good. The decorations are pretty impressive too. My friends and I had SO much fun! Most of us are going to college next year, but if possible, we would absolutely love to come back and get scared again :D 10/10 read more

My new favorite haunt. The most professional staff I have ever seen. The pre-show wait was nothing, interactive staff there to entertain us. The creepy corpse woman was a highlight of the night. Unique location, unique trek, unforgettable fun moments. This was my first Dent Schoolhouse visit and now will be a yearly tradition. Thanks a lot for the fun. Great work, great people. read more

The Dent Schoolhouse was an absolute blast! Our group of 5 went on a rainy Saturday, and we had so much fun. We stayed as the group throughout the house and outside. Would totally recommend if you like having a good time!!! read more

Last night was the first time I have ever gone for Halloween season. It was very well put together! And of course scary! One of my favorite haunted houses.. the slaughter house was one of my favs! I recommend to all my friends and family. I will definitely return next year! read more

This really is the best haunted house in the area. Not much to this review - lots of props, lots of actors, lots of different gory/creepy/scary rooms. I especially like the "vortex" or whatever it is that spins around and makes you dizzy as you walk through the tunnel. I would say, if you are a total wimp and get scared easily, you will probably pee yourself going through here and should probably pick a different haunted house. If you are a haunted house fan and you have a more solid grip on reality, then you will have an enjoyable experience. read more

I have been to Haunted Houses all across the country and this one was a let down. For its reputation as number 11 in the country by hauntworld.com, the "Dent School House" didn't rise to the high expectation. The Set design was prop pathway with tiny rooms. Acting was distracting and hurt the fear factor. The Costumes were nice but nothing outstanding. For a night out this would be something nice for a change but if you want a real thrill you need to check out other haunts read more

I was really let down by this haunted house. Their was two actors in the basement as soon as we came down and was being extremely rude telling us we ruined it because we was screaming like i thought you was supposed to be scared. And they told us we should have stayed home. Also the lunch ladie spit all over my face. I will never go their again very rude employees it was a waste of money and time. read more

I had such a great time! I haven't been to a haunted house in ages but this one was amazing! I guess it helps that the actual building itself is haunted. We waited in line for a really long time but it was so worth it! It's actually a very long walk-through so I think it's worth the money. All of the costumes and scenery looked great! I can't wait to come back next year! read more

The wait was long, very long. I expected a lot more from this one based on all the hype and recognition. And how fitting that it's in a school because it's very elementary. If you're looking for a real fright night, this isn't it. read more

They KILLED IT this year (2016). My wife and I went through opening night and had no complaints. Everyone was in character 100% of the time and everything was just so authentic. We go every year as a tradition and it usually just seems mediocre to us....but this year it was AMAZING!!! Best haunt we went to so far this year for sure!!! read more

This is now one of my favorite places!! I came from KY with a friend. Most definitely worth the drive! The staff was super friendly. The haunted house was really cool. Even the actors that were outside while we were waiting in line. Myself along with my children and friends loved it. Highly recommended!! read more