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Duluth’s Haunted Ship ranked as one of ‘world’s scariest haunted houses'

By FOX 9 Staff
Published  October 29, 2024 4:45pm CDT
Duluth
FOX 9
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An outside view of Duluth’s Haunted Ship, which was named one of the "world’s scariest haunted houses" in a new Forbes list.

The Brief

    • Forbes has compiled a list of the seven scariest haunted houses in the world.
    • Duluth’s Haunted Ship made the list this year, among others from as close as Chicago, and as far away as New Zealand.
    • As part of Duluth’s Haunted Ship, employees have reported seeing unexplained shadows, hearing phantom footsteps, and objects thrown at them while doing maintenance work.

DULUTH, Minn. (FOX 9) - A new travel blog looking to alert thrill-seekers of the world's best attractions this Halloween season places Duluth’s haunted ship as one of the top in the world.

Haunted harbor

According to the list compiled by Forbes, Duluth’s Haunted Ship also has its actors solicit "jump scares" on the water aboard the 700-foot vintage ore boat, the S.S. William A. Irvin. 

The Haunted Ship has, "ghouls on board waiting to morph the William A. Irvin historic freighter into something truly sinister," according to its site.

The origin of its theme is also rooted in history, when in 1964 a sailor died on the ship during a boiler room accident.

The Duluth Paranormal Society has investigated the ship after employees have reported "seeing unexplained shadows, hearing phantom footsteps, and having objects thrown at them while doing maintenance work."

In order to work on the ship, the actors must graduate from "scare school."

This season marks the 29th year of the annual attraction in Minnesota’s port city along Lake Superior.

Other attractions

Several other places made the list, including:

  • Winchester Mystery House in San Jose, California: A 160-room mansion filled with occult oddities like trapped doors, staircases leading to dead-ends, and several design schemes that incorporate the number 13.
  • HellsGate Haunted House in Lockport, Illinois: A Chicagoland home allegedly built on land that was once a cemetery used to bury wards of the state whose bodies were not claimed by family.
  • Mortem Manor in Kissimmee, Florida: A two-story Victorian-style haunted house that is open all year round and features impressive sets with scare actors, state-of-the-art animatronics and even has a moving floor.
  • 13th Floor Haunted House Near Denver, Colorado: The 13th Floor haunt-plex has two different haunted houses (one you arrive at in a shaky elevator, locked in with a monster), and a total of three storylines to explore.
  • Scream-A-Geddon in Pasco County, Florida: Brave souls meandering through the "Breach" haunted house can opt-in to be grabbed, held back, sent into hidden rooms and removed from their groups, or trapped inside.
  • Spookers in Auckland, New Zealand: A haunted theme park that’s open year-round and that’s located on the site of a former psychiatric hospital.

The Source

  • FOX 9 used Forbes’ "7 Of The World’s Scariest Haunted Houses" ranking to compile this story.