HBO Max’s chilling new horror series based on true stories is quietly dominating streaming right now

ahsan65@gmail.comOctober 17, 2025

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HBO Max’s chilling new horror series based on true stories is quietly dominating streaming right now

When the temperatures drop and the leaves fall, spooky season officially begins. And that chill in the air has many people turning on the TV to watch horror classics and Halloween specials. But there’s an unexpected entry into the world of horror that’s come out of the cellar and shot to the top of the charts on HBO Max: The scariest house in America.

The scariest house in America is HGTV’s hit series that takes viewers on a haunted history tour of the spookiest houses imaginable. Directed by Parks and Recreation star Straight linethe series is now in its second season and it scares you. If you’re worried it’s staged, Retta’s reactions tell you everything you need to know: it’s all real. As the series climbs to the top of the charts, it’s clear why. The scariest house in America is a wonderfully entertaining series, perfect for the season.

Retta takes viewers on a tour of America’s scariest houses

Image via HGTV

The scariest house in America takes viewers on a cross-country tour as comedian Retta travels the country to bravely visit homes full of haunts, scares and scares. Meeting the brave souls who inhabit their spooky abodes, Retta assigns each house a rating based on the Scare Meter. Rating based on appearance, uninhabitability and fear factorone house from each episode will advance to the finale before winning the title of scariest house in America. But what do they gain? A makeover, of course! The scariest house is getting a spooky $150,000 renovation, courtesy of HGTV’s star designer. Alison Victoria. Don’t worry, the integrity of fear will remain. It gets better thanks to Alison’s brilliant vision.

The series is a spin-off of another HGTV hit, The ugliest house in America. Like her creepy sister, Retta travels the country in search of what’s truly horrible, so her cohort can carry out a truly life-changing renovation that will transform the house from ugly to beautiful. Filled with Retta’s unfiltered reactions, I watch The scariest house in America from the comfort of your couch may not give you a complete haunting experience, but it fulfills the desire to see how scary the real world can be. These are not temporary haunted houses set up for Halloween. These houses are occupied! Some are used as getaways for those who want to experience a haunted house. Others are just pieces of horror history.

Season 1 saw the property known as “Hansel and Gretel’s Frightening Fixer Upper” victorious. Nestled in Saunderstown, Rhode Island, the house was filled with nasty elements and rich history. Inside the gingerbread-like house built by its previous owners, the deathtrap entrance was overwhelming, with towering beams and textured walls. Despite the spacious entryway, the kitchen was cramped due to its shocking 7 feet. ceiling. Oh, and it also featured a handmade elevator, a TV mounted on the ceiling directly above the bed, and a heart-shaped bathtub filled with mouse skeletons as rodents got stuck inside. Thanks to Sin City Rehabilitation star, Victoria transformed the property into a cohesive, radiant and habitable home. There was no longer any apprehension about living in this house with fear.

‘America’s Scariest House’ Season 2 Is Full of Screams

So far this season, Retta has divided the map into several sections to visit what each region has to offer. Without spoiling too much of what the show’s second season has to offer, one episode brought Retta to a house that had a “corpse door” leading directly to the basement, as it was once a morgue. During his tour with the owners, Retta learned that it was through this door that the bodies would be transported. Additionally, they showed areas of concrete where blood would flow after the preparations. Truly terrifying!

Another terrifyingly spooky house in the Eerie area, linked to the haunted history of a Marlboro, Maryland house described as Hint come to life. Their story centered on the urban legend known as the Bowie Goatman, a half-man, half-goat who wielded an ax and roamed the woods making strange and unnatural sounds. This creature even caught the attention of the White House, creating an executive order allowing people to kill anything that was terrorizing the woods of Maryland. Now, as for what lives inside, the house featured spinach (half spider, half cricket), which springs out and attacks unsuspecting individuals.

It goes without saying, The scariest house in America is a perfect family visit for a fall weekend. Retta is a wonderful host who becomes the voice of the audience. His incessant commentary is hilarious and entertaining. It’s no wonder the show has become a new Halloween favorite.

The scariest house in America airs Fridays at 9:00 p.m. on HGTV. All episodes are available to stream on HBO Max.