Five stars

A personal favorite, largely because I appreciate the ridiculously involved construction and the in-your-face attitude of the actors. (Plus it has a real spanking-by-evil-witches dungeon; go ahead and make your Club Dominion jokes now, line forms on the left.) If the main house was all Asylum offered, it would still be worth the price: Spooky sets and actors specializing in full-contact, weapons-grade horror. Most houses put some distance between you and the actors; the Asylum crew is likely as not to put you in a barber chair for some quality time with Sweeney Todd.

But that’s far from all; Asylum has expanded considerably this year, adding a more elaborate outdoor Crystal Lake woods walk, two external cemeteries, and a Hellraiser-themed maze to the mix. Plus they’ve got mind-bending 3-D sections and freakishly complex psychedelic painting. It’s one of the longest single houses out there, and probably the most intense.