(Des Moines, IA) -- Since opening in 1984, Linn’s Haunted House, tucked beneath Linn’s Supermarket, has been terrifying Des Moines residents for decades. Visitors brave enough to enter must crawl into the basement and navigate a 20-minute maze filled with clowns, axe murderers, and even a gorilla, before finding their way out.
"I took my kids to haunted houses when they were little and thought, 'I could do this better.' So I started building, it took me a year and a half to finish," said Merlyn Linn, owner and creator of Linn’s Haunted House.
Linn said he was inspired to build the haunted house for his four children, and it turned into a massive success. "Anything my kids wanted to do, I got involved," he added.
The haunted house has remained a family-run operation since it first opened. Although Linn sold the supermarket in 2016, he retained control of the haunted attraction below. Last year, a small fire broke out in the basement just weeks before the 2024 season opened, triggering sprinklers and causing around $20,000 in damage.
"Last year the fire marshals came out and said, 'I don’t think you’ll be able to open this year.' I told them I could get it done in a week. So we tore everything out and started rebuilding—and we got it going," Linn said. "Actually, we were able to perfect some things, so they’re even better now."
One of the most unique features of Linn’s Haunted House is the entry experience: guests must crawl down a ramp into the dark basement. Linn says it’s his favorite part. While designing the haunted house he realized that people needed to crawl to actually get into the basement, but said that it ended up working well because it scared people even more.
When asked if the haunted house has changed over the past 41 years, Linn said only a few things have been updated. "How can you change something when it’s already really good?" he said.
Linn’s Haunted House is open for the 2025 season for just a few more weeks.