Halloweek: The best haunted houses

Or, as the authors put it, "13 Haunted Houses that will Make You Wet Your Pants." A sampler:

* USS Nightmare: Newport, Kentucky. Following the story of an ill-fated crew of sailors, this haunted house is set upon a real river steamboat. Every quarter in the ship has its own haunted scene whether you are in the captain's quarters, the mess hall or what appears to be a room full of torture devices. Be prepared for a lot of scary looking baby dolls strewn about the boat as well.

* Seven Floors of Hell, Cleveland, Ohio. The name alone will send shivers up your spine, yeah? ... It is said to be the longest linear walkthrough of any haunted house. With a 1 million dollar budget, you can bet this haunted house is going to be fancy. The seven haunted houses have, among others, a haunted cemetery, Cellblock 13 (full of dead inmates), the bloody Butchers Block, and, of course, a haunted circus.

* Terror Behind the Walls, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. This haunted house is based in the Eastern State Penitentiary, whose cells once held the likes of Al Capone and "Slick" Willie Sutton. ... Included this year is "The Experiment," a 3D madhouse complete with a bloodthirsty, psychotic doctor, and the all-new "Night Watch" which puts visitors in the pitch dark, only able to escape with the aid of an eerie flashlight beam. [Editor's note: I've been to this prison (voluntarily). It's scary enough in the daytime!]