Verdun

Located in Terrell at Wilson Road and I-20, Thrillvania is a haunt park with six attractions, a magic show, food and games. The attractions are Verdun Manor, Cassandra's Labyrinth of Terror, Voodoo Bayou, Dr Lycan's Trail of Torment, Granny Lupus' Seance Theater, and the Maze of Chaos. Tickets to attractions can be purchased individually, but I recommend either the All Attraction pass ($25) or the unlimited VIP Pass ($35) which gets you to the front of the line to all attractions and allows you to go through each attractions as many times as you want.

A foggy trail through Voodoo Bayou winds through scenes of execution, carnage and a swamp complete with a bridge and a fire shooting dragon. A considerable amount of effort was put into building the trail and it's surroundings so take your time walking through. Creatures will be around the trail so be on the lookout. The trail leads to the front of Verdun and it's graveyard, shrouded in mist. The front of the house is one of the most impressive sights in the haunt industry and makes for an excellent picture. The graveyard has a great deal of detail so you'll have fun making your way through as the mist becomes denser. Flames shoot out of gargoyles mounted on top of the house, with the roof lit up with red light. The lead up to Verdun is better than some haunts I've been to and adds greatly to the Halloween atmosphere.

The centerpiece of Thrillvania is Verdun Manor. Verdun, like most of Thrillvania, was designed and built by the late Lance Pope and is one of the premiere haunted houses in the nation and is listed as a must see on the national haunted house directories. The props in Verdun are the best I've seen anywhere and the attention to detail is outstanding. There are no blank spaces in the house and you'll need a second trip through to see everything (get the VIP Unlimited Pass) since the actors are first rate and will get you moving. Speaking of the actors, the other reviewer and I were caught completely off guard several times in Verdun, something that rarely happens. Three trips through Verdun is best, but go through at least twice if you can in order to take in all the detail the house has to offer.

Cassandra's Labyrinth is part funhouse, part haunted house. You'll find large clown areas with creative neon paintings as well as more traditional haunted house elements such as vampires, demons, and corpses. The art and prop detail in Cassandra's is worthy of any primary attraction and the actors have excellent timing. The vampire area and the two bridges were my favorites, although the clown area probably scares people the most. Some people seem to be more frightened in Cassandra's than in Verdun, but that varies depending on whether you're more afraid of clowns (Cassandra's) or werewolves (Verdun). Two trips through Cassandra's is a good idea.

The Trail of Torment is lots of fun, it's the only haunted trail that I know of and walking around at night with creatures around is always a good way to go. The Trail seems to have more actors than in the past and there are some surprises along the way such as the haunt dog and Claustrophobia. Claustrophobia is well named and that part of the Trail has a chicken bypass for people not up to pushing their way through. I only had time to go on the trail once, but I would've enjoyed a second trip. Note that I recommend a second or third trip quite a bit, the VIP Pass really is a good buy.

Granny Lupus and the Maze of Chaos are good ways to end the evening. Granny performs her seance in the beautifully decorated theater and the Maze isn't as easy as you would think, especially when you're being chased by a creature.

Thrillvania can and should take up an entire evening. Besides the main attractions there is a midway with food, drink, a fortune teller, and games plus Dr Phineas' Phantom Phrolics Magic Show. A DJ plays on Friday and Saturdays. Arriving early is the best way to go, that way you'll have plenty of time to go through the attractions multiple times, and you'll be able to catch the magic show, plus take time to eat and relax between haunts. We strongly recommend taking at least one night this season to visit the outstanding Thrillvania Thrillpark!