That’s right grown-up kids, it’s haunted house time

Massachusetts is a scary place to begin with. The home of Halloween, if you will. No doubt you’ve heard of Salem and the history up there. All together our state’s past has spurred a year-round torment tourism industry that stretches far beyond the North Shore to encompass the likes of the Ghosts & Gravestones tour in Boston.

But of course, when fall arrives every year, so do all of the performers who live to scare us to death. This weekend, the massive Factory of Terror opens down in Fall River, while Fear Town in Seekonk on the Rhode Island border welcomes visitors on the 23rd. New Hampshire has some of the biggest haunted houses in the region, so there are options up there too, but there’s probably enough going on in Mass to keep you plenty scared here.

Also southward, though closer to the Cape, Hollowed Harvest on the Marshfield Fairgrounds will have “more than 7,000 incredible Jack-O’-Lanterns creating stunning landscapes and larger-than-life structures designed to amaze audiences of all ages,” plus their Wicked Labyrinth with “1,000 intricately carved Jack-O’-Lanterns.” It’s hardly a murderous villain leaping at you with a chainsaw, but the spectacle is definitely creepy in its own way.

A bit closer to Boston, Barrett’s Haunted Mansion in Abington returns on Sept. 23 as well. It’s a killer experience and they also offer a “lights-on tour” of their attractions and makeup plus a legendary Halloween party at the end of October.

Shaking. In. Our. Boots. With excitement, that is.