As far as haunts go, Houston’s got a lot to offer.  But do you have what it takes to make it through the city’s most sinister scares?

Surviving every haunted house in Houston is more than most hearts can handle, but KHOU.com hit the highlights to give you an inside look at the hottest -- and most bone-chilling -- haunts around.

PHOBIA

For those looking for an entire evening of terror, Phobia haunted houses are a good bet.  They have two locations, the original off 290 and a new haunt in Texas City, boasting a total of seven separate scary attractions. We were only brave enough to take on the original, but it was clear that these guys mean business … and their business is scaring you out of your skin.

At the 290 location, there are five completely different, completely twisted experiences designed to bring your greatest fears to life.  The folks behind the scenes spend all year kicking around ideas about what will freak you out, and they don’t disappoint. 

For $40, brave souls can scream their way through all five attractions: the Asylum, Simon Fowler Woods, Claustrophobia, the Darke Institute and Clownophobia.

Those who would rather pick their poison can purchase entrance to as many or as few as they’d like, but if you dare to hit all five, plan to spend a few hours screaming.

Besides the multitude of attractions, what sets this haunt apart from the others are the animatronics.  Visually, the Asylum is a sight to behold – if you can keep your eyes open.  The extra effort put into the effects is evident, and the cast of hundreds – mostly aspiring actors and artsy-types – is outstanding.

“The reason that we’re the best, is we’ve got a good, good crew,” Phobia’s Gonzo Orona said. “Our crew’s been here for the last four or five years on this side of town … We keep the same crew, and we all get our heads together to come up with the best ideas. It’s kind of like family. Once you’ve got family, everything comes together.”

And come together it does, in the most horrifying way. Feel the need to be chased through the wilderness by madmen, slasher-film style? Check out the Simon Fowler Woods.

Claustrophobia, a scare you'll only find here, is described as an ultra-modern industrial horror. Victims ... err ... brave souls are forced to face their fears as the floors twist and tilt and the passageways narrow into nothing. Don't like feeling boxed in? Too bad.

While lots of houses have neon paint-laden, 3-D experiences, Clownophobia is a step ahead of the pack.  The actors are downright demonic, and the disorienting displays are exceptionally mind-bending.  Quite frankly, the circus will never be the same for us.

NIGHTMARE ON THE BAYOU

Raw video: Inside Nightmare on the Bayou
Say you’re looking for something a little more authentic and a lot closer to downtown – Nightmare on the Bayou may be your (final) destination.

At Nightmare, they say they’re the real deal because they're the only attraction in Houston that’s actually haunted.  That’s because they’re located right next to a cemetery.  Creepy indeed. While this haunt isn’t as big as some of the others around, it’s all new, and just $25 will get you in.  Haunted house guru Rich Hanf says while his competitors don’t change much from year to year, Nightmare is re-done from the ground up. 

The atmosphere at Nightmare has a carnival feel to it, and the staff's enthusiasm is contagious.

“I’ve been doing this for 30 years, so I know how to scare people,” Hanf said. “And there’s the matter of taking people off the street, our haunted house actors – they’ve never done this. They don’t know how to scare, they don’t realize how many scares they ruin. So I train them.  It’s ghoul school, baby!”

Thrill-seekers with guts of steel can brave both the outside and inside houses at Nightmare.  The outside house is a good, old-fashioned series of spooky surprises – actors popping out of the dark, loud noises and some seriously gory décor – the ideal attraction for the haunted house purist.

The indoor haunt – another that equips you with the 3-D glasses – sends you through an intricate maze of morbidity and memorable movie-themed madness, complete with slamming doors and plenty of freaky folks lurking at every turn.  This house is loud. When you're not staring in the face of a gruesome scene, the creators use sudden, startling noises to keep you jumping -- slamming doors, horns, you name it.  And the actors have an uncanny ability to sneak up and get you when you’re at your most vulnerable. Nothing is what it seems in this chilling experience, setting you up for some seriously scary surprises. 

Probably the coolest part of this waking Nightmare is the head-shrinking show.  Not only is it unique, but it offers the audience the chance to get in on the action. As far as illusions go, it doesn’t get any better than this – a must see, even for the squeamish. You won't believe your eyes.

What sets Nightmare apart from the crowd are its smaller attractions – the head shrinking and the torture dungeon.  While they aren’t going to make you scream, they will make you squeal, and they can’t be found anywhere else.

SCREAMWORLD

If you're searching for a spine-tingling, supernatural experience, you have to head over to Screamworld.

Selected as one of America’s Best Haunts, it’s intense – ‘fraidy cats are better off elsewhere. The attraction has five separate experiences, but with a twist – they’re all connected.  That means you only wait in line once, and the scares come quickly, one after the other. 

Those brave enough to fork over their $22 and get in line will have their nerves tested first in the Maze of Maniacs, an entirely outdoor chain-link maze chock full of creepy characters and disorienting strobe effects. 

For the weak of heart, that alone might be enough, but Screamworld isn’t done yet.  Just as you’ve got your heart pumping and your nerves frayed, you enter the Haunted Hotel and the real fun begins.

From the skull-strewn walls to the abundance of animatronics, the Haunted Hotel is hands-down one of the best haunts we have ever survived.  The attention to detail is evident – you won’t find anything like it in Houston.  As in any haunted house worth its salt, the scares are frequent, but the overall experience of Screamworld is so intense and so coordinated, you can’t help but … well … scream. 

If you manage to get through the Hotel alive, the Edge of Darkness is next.  As the name suggests, this place takes dark to a whole new level.  Feeling your way through pitch black halls is scary enough, but add the lingering sensations of cobwebs hitting your face and critters brushing your legs and it’s downright terrifying.  Then there are the actors – you won’t forget about them because they’re popping out at every turn with a flashlight to their ghoulish faces and a scream, only to disappear into the inky blackness again. 

Movie Monsters in 3D is exactly what it sounds like – another trip down scary street with the 3D glasses.  While there weren't as many scares in this part of the Screamworld experience, the effects were something to behold. And movie buffs will delight in seeing their favorite characters and scenes flying furiously at their faces.

Just when you think you can’t possibly handle any more terror, you’re back outside, dropped smack in the middle of the Tobias Strange Family Cemetery.  Set up in a low-lying grassy area, the cemetery full of shady characters.  Again – and this is what sets Screamworld apart from the rest – it’s next to impossible to tell what’s real and what’s not, so when something you thought was a statue of sorts starts coming at you with an air gun, you’ll jump. 

“I feel we have mastered the element of surprise, which takes an enormous amount of planning and ingenuity, and that's why Screamworld has remained the best haunted attraction in Houston and was selected by AmericasBestHaunts.com as one the top 11 haunted attractions in the country,” co-creator Jim Fetterly said.

All of the haunts in Houston have their strengths.  Phobia’s got excellent actors and an abundance of attractions, Nightmare on the Bayou has the exceptional sideshows and classic frights in the shadow of downtown and Screamworld takes creepy creativity and scare tactics to a whole new level of horror.  With all these options, any boy or ghoul looking for a terrifying time should have no trouble finding a haunt – or three – to visit … if they dare.