Score 10 out of 10
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Phone (972) 938-3247
Location: Screams is on FM 66, 1.6 miles east of I-35, in Waxahachie. The address is 2511 FM 66 Waxahachie TX, 75167. Screams is about 30 minutes south of downtown Dallas and downtown Ft Worth. Screams is just off of I-35, on the Scarborough Faire grounds. Directions to Screams are here.
Screams Halloween Theme Park enters a new season with major improvements in all of it’s five main attractions, including a full redesign of Terra Mythica Castle. Time’s Up Maze has also been redesigned and it can take up to 20 minutes to find the exit. Time’s Up Actors are clearly having a good time misdirecting the guests. Bootlegger’s Bayou is outstanding this season. It has some new props, but it’s the actors who have driven most of the improvement. Klownz in 3D is fun and creepy at the same time, and is another haunt where the energy of the actors elevates the overall quality. Zombie Wasteland Apocalypse provides an intense outdoor experience. In addition to the haunted houses Walk through attractions Cool Ghoul Boulevard and Rottingwood Cemetery are back, with changes of their own.
The walk through time is 10-15 minutes per main attraction, except for the maze, which can take over 20 minutes. The combined total walk through time for all five main attractions is over an hour. You can go through the haunted houses and walk through attractions as many times as you want. Fast passes are available online and cut the wait time in line for haunted attractions significantly on crowded nights. Fast passes can be purchased here.
Hell Dollz return on the main stage, while new stage entertainment has been added at Taboo Tavern. Hell Dolls is a 30 minute show featuring acrobatics, fire swallowing, and fire twirling. The Hell Dolls are made up of three stage performers, and much of the act involves synched routines with all three performers working with fire simultaneously. Check their schedule in front of the main stage early in the evening as it may vary nightly. Their link tree is here.
Queen Anne’s Lace from Scarborough will be singing songs in the Halloween spirit at the Taboo Tavern Stage opening weekend only. Ghouls Line Is It Anyway and Halloween themed trivia will be nightly at Taboo Tavern. End of the World Parade will march October 11,12, 18, and 19. Scary-Oke returns on Merchant’s Row near the park entrance.
Rottingwood Cemetery is a walk though attraction at the park entrance. It’s decor and props have improved this year and will usually have actors in the area. It’s well decorated and is a good way to begin and end the evening.
Cool Ghoul Boolevard is a walk through light show, with synched music. It’s very photogenic and looks good at either twilight or in the dark. Take a right at the park entrance and look for the lights just before Headless Horseman Tavern. The light patterns have changed this year, alternating between dark lights and a pattern that is almost Christmas like.
A wide variety of roaming actors can be found around the park all night. They have excellent costumes and will pose for photos. A lot of work was put into decorating the park in the off season. My favorite area is the long stretch of graveyard from Rottingwood Cemetery at park entrance down to 13th Hour Bakery. Fog machines add to the ambience once night falls.
The Mythical Monster Museum is open during Screams for the first time in a decade, and it has lots of new monsters to examine. You can find the MMM behind Taboo Tavern, next to Time’s Up Maze.
A variety of games can be found around the park, including Heads and Hoops on the side of the food court next to Bootlegger’s Bayou, Zombie Paintball next to the Mythical Monster Museum, and Drop of Doom by the food court. Additionally, Test of Strength, and Axe, Knives, & Stars Throw Games are also close to the back of the food court.
Several new vendors have been added, including food trucks close to the main stage and Coco’s Sweet Treats. A screen showing classic horror movies is up at Headless Horseman Tavern, which has the most scenic setting at Screams, and covered seating. Jack-O-Lantern Tavern is enlarged and is on the side of the main stage. Taboo Tavern is at the back of the food court, while Morgue Tavern is on the side of the food court next to Full Moon. Spiders Web Bar is next to Taboo Tavern. Bag of Bones has a good location between the entrances to Terra Mythica and Bootleggers Bayou. In all, there are seven pubs and taverns to choose from, each with it’s own style and decor. Additionally, roaming vendors have jello syringes with vodka and rum.
The full list of alcohol offered at Screams is below. Not all taverns and pubs will have the full selection. Last call is at midnight.
Beer & Cider: Blake’s Carmel Apple, Blake’s Original Hard Cider, Blake’s Triple Jam, Bud Light,
Dallas Blonde, Deep Ellum IPA, Estella Jalisco, Left Hand Milk Stout, Mango Cart, Michelob Ultra,
Monster Beast (various flavors), Nasty Beast Hard Tea (various flavors), Neato Bandito, Paulaner
Oktoberfest, Spaten Oktoberfest, White Claw Black Cherry, Ziegenbock, and assorted variety of
specialty beers.
Wines: Alexander Valley Chardonnay, Brut Champagne, Cupcake Muscato, Ferrari Crano Fume
Blanc, Rebellious Red, White Zinfandel-Peach Sangria, and more.
Other: Cherry Noir Mead, Scarborough Mead
Jell-O Shots: Cherry, Lemon Lime, Coconut Lime
Full Moon Cafe and Bar has been revamped for 2024, and has new bartenders, plus food service again. In addition to the newly added Banana Pudding, old favorites return in Bacon Cheese Potato Wedges, Buffalo Wings, Meat Pies with Corn Salsa, Toasted Ravioli, Raspberry Fontina Grilled Cheese Sandwich, Ultimate Grilled Cheese Sandwich, Bottled Dr Pepper products & Water, Coffee, & Hot Chocolate. Full Moon has a full bar, covered seating, very good bartenders (Alicia, Alex, Dylin), and a cool location in the park.
Taboo Tavern in the back of main food court has Bud Light, Michelob Ultra, Deep Ellum IPA, Ziegenbock and Left Hand Milk Stout on tap. Best Day Electric Lime is available in bottles. Scarborough Mead, Chardonnay, Cabernet and Champagne are also offered at Taboo Tavern. Bottled water can be bought here.
Spider Web Bar next to Taboo Tavern, has bottles of Bud Light, Bud Zero, Michelob Ultra, Estrella Jalisco, Korback Cervesa Especial. White Zinfandel and bottled water are also offered.
Morgue Tavern, on the far side of the main food court next to Full Moon, has Bud Light, Michelob Ultra, Ziegenbock, Mango Cart, Spaten Lager, Full ESB, and Budweiser on tap. Dallas Blonde, Bud Zero and Best Day Electric Lime are available in bottles. Chardonnay, Cabernet, champagne, and sangria are sold here.
Headless Horseman Tavern is next to Cool Ghoul Boulevard and across from 13th Hour Bakery. Bud Light, Michelob Ultra, Left Hound Stout, Honey Hush, Spaten Oktoberfest, and Ziegenbock are on tap. Dallas Blonde, Best Day Electric Lime and Bud Zero are available in bottles. Wine offerings are Alexander Valley Chardonnay, Cupcake Moscato, Rebellious Red and Ferrari-Cerano Fume Blanc. Headless also has Cherry Noir Mead and Brut Champagne.
Bag of Bones is located next to the entrance to Terra Mythica Castle. It has icy Hurricanes and Blood Orange ‘Ritas on tap. Bud, Bud Light, Bud Zero, Michelob Ultra, White Claw Selzer, Miracle Wheat, Estrella Jalisco and Korback Cervesa Especial are sold in bottles. Jello shots are also available.
Jack-O-Lantern Tavern offers can and bottles only, and has more craft offerings than the other taverns. It’s located on the far side of the main stage. Craft offerings are Ace Pear Cider, Ain’t It Funky, Coco Vodka Pineapple, Coco Rum Mojito, Monster Beast, Monster Hard Tea, Northeast IPA, and Miracle. Domestics are Bud Zero, Bud Light, Michelob Ultra, and Electric Day Lime. Bottled water is also available here.
The main food court has faire/carnival staples. Their full list is below.
New offerings: Baked Potatoes, Brisket Baked Potatoes, Jalapeno Sausage-on-a-Stick,
Hamburgers, Cheeseburgers, Broccoli Cheese Soup in a Bread Bowl, Red Beans & Rice in a Bread
Bowl, Garlic Bread, Cheesy Garlic Bread, Frozen Dr Pepper & Big Red
Returning for 2024: Chicken Tenders & Fries, Corn Dogs, French Fries, Funnel Cakes, Pretzel
Bites with Cheese, Bubba’s Bacon, Sausage-on-a-Stick, BBQ Brisket Sandwich on Texas Toast,
BBQ Pulled Pork Sandwich on Texas Toast, Smoked Turkey Legs, Elote, Beef & Chicken Fajitas,
Frito Pie, Nachos with Cheese, Beef & Chicken Nachos, Hot Dogs, Pizza, Bottled Dr Pepper
products & water, Fresh Lemonade & Iced Tea, Root Beer Floats, Coffee
You can get barbecue, sliders, nachos, fajitas, tacos and more from three food trucks.
The food trucks are:
Big Red Trailer
Sausage-on-a-Stick, Cowboy Pepper (smoked chicken, cheeses, jalapeno, wrapped in
bacon), Philly Cheesesteak, Brisket Sliders, Pulled Pork Sliders, Brisket Tacos, Smoked
Chicken Tacos, Pork Tacos, Nachos: cheese, chicken, brisket, or pork. Big Red is located next to Jack-O-Lantern Tavern and close to Cool Ghoul Boulevard.
El Taquito de Luna
Traditional Mexican Tacos made with fresh high quality ingredients: pork, brisket,
chicken fajita, Volcano plus Refreshing Fruit Waters. This stand is close to the food court and Henna Tattoos.
Missing Links BBQ
Boudin: chicken, seafood, or spicy pork; Sausage: Alligator with jalapenos, spicy beef,
Cajun beef; Sausage Hoagie. Missing Links is across from the food court and near Bootleggers Bayou.
Kettle corn is sold close to the main stage, and 13th Hour Bakery has a wide variety of sweets, tea, hot cocoa, and coffee. 13th Hour’s full menu is below:
Skull Pastries, Cookies, Cheesecake, Cannoli, Cake, Pumpkin Pie, Apple Crisp, Turnovers,
Popovers, Gourmet Brownies, Hot Coffee, Cold Brew Coffee, Iced Chai Tea Latte, Iced Green
Tea, Hot Tea, & Hot Chocolate with specialty flavors
Coco’s Sweet Shop has cotton candy, chocolate dipped bananas, cheesecake, iced apple cider, and 17 flavors of shaved ice. Coco’s is located next to Full Moon Cafe.
Screams has added a turkey leg stand on the main shopping row, close to the park entrance. A drink stand has been opened close to Zombie Wasteland.
Screams has expanded it’s list of Halloween themed merchants this year, and maintains it’s own souvenir shop. Vendors at Screams are:
Main Row by the park entrance; Creepy Coasters, Dead Dave Designs, Cowgirlz Candy, Rugged History Beard Company, Morbid Hookers, Delicious Doom Chocolates and Candies, Autumn Moon, palm reading and tarot cards, plus the Screams souvenir shop. Fyre and Fairie is located across from Terra Mythica Castle. Studio Stig is across from Bootleggers Bayou, Henna Body Art Tattoos is across from the main food court.
Across from Cool Ghoul Boulevard; Duststarr 3D, Altered Spirit.
Wares from merchants include the following:
3-D printed items, Halloween themed pumpkins, dragons, knights, Pokémon, dice towers, alter &
meditation practice tools, crystals, palm stones, trinket boxes, sage bundles, natural oils, horror themed
crochet plushies, witch starter kits, healer kits, drink coasters with classic horror & sci-fi movie themes,
dream catchers, moons, jewelry, doll art, skull art, mugs, incense, handmade clocks, coasters, kitchen
knives, neon lights, mystery bags, studio products, men’s grooming products, Halloween soaps, hair
clips, fairy gardens, charm bottles, prints & canvas art, moss art, crafts with bone, and more. Most merchants are on the main row close to the park entrance, but others are scattered through the park, with several in the back of the park near Coo Ghoul Boulevard.
The Screams souvenir shop has Screams baseball caps, beanies, t-shirts, hoodies, shot glasses, wine tumblers, water bottles, coffee mugs, bottle openers, glow sticks, necklaces, car decals, yo-yos, power pack chargers and lapel pins.
The park opens at 7pm, and closes at 1am, but the ticket office closes at midnight. This is a massive park, so arrive as early as possible. I spent two nights reviewing Screams, to give you an idea of how much there is to do at this park. If you know that you will arrive after 9, you may want to consider buying a fast pass, especially if you want to go through the haunted attractions multiple times.
It helps to go through the haunted houses first, then eat and drink. I begin my night at Screams with Terra Mythica Castle. This has the longest lines later at night, so see it early. When you enter the park, take a left past Rottingwood Cemetery, walk down Merchant’s Lane, and you will see the entrance to the Castle ahead. Once you exit the Castle, take a right, then another right and begin walking uphill, back to the shops. After a few yards you will see the entrance to Bootlegger’s Bayou on your right. This is lots of fun and also has long lines later in the evening. After Bootlegger’s, take a left, walk past the food court and games, and go into Time’s Up Maze. Once you are out of the Maze, walk past the food court, past the main stage, and look for the entrance to Zombie Apocalypse Wasteland. After Zombie Apocalypse, look for Klownz in 3D, which is close to the entrance to Zombie Apocalypse. After exiting Klownz, you will have seen all five major attractions and then it’s time to eat, drink and shop. On your way around the park you can walk through Cool Ghoul Boulevard and Rottingwood Cemetery.
Haunted Attractions
Terra Mythica Castle
Located at end of the main row of merchants, close to the park entrance, Terra Mythica Castle is the largest attraction at Screams. The Castle has been completely redesigned this year. Remnants of a tavern are found at the beginning of the trek. Dark lighting, dark wood and good detail highlight the tavern area. An evil monk puts a curse on customers in a sort of hunting trophy room after the tavern. In a rapid change of scenery, a well decorated bridge follows as the path leads into a swampy area. Good mood lighting plus fog make this area the most atmospheric part of the Castle. You’ll find great detail in the library that follows the swamp. Among the interesting props in this area are the three witches of the Castle. Actors have an easy time startling guests in the library since people tend to be distracted by the quality of the decor. Leaving the library, the descent down to the dungeon is much darker this year. Like the library, the dungeon is filled with high quality props and decor. An old favorite dating back to the early days of Screams, the big dragon animatronic, is in a new location before the end of the path. Go through the Castle a couple of times if you have a chance. There is a lot to see inside and you’ll probably notice more detail during your second trip. I have to give a special shout out to the greeters of the Castle. Great job of interacting with guests and making the experience special for everyone!
Bootleggers Bayou
Creepy and run down looking, complete with dim green lighting, the outside of Bootleggers Bayou seems like something you would find on the wrong side of a haunted swamp. A pair of perfectly cast greeters welcome you to Bootleggers and set the mood for the haunt. A dilapidated living room begins the trip, leading to a hallway filled with hanging clothes. The clothes hallway has been used at haunted houses before, but the actors here make the most of the cover the clothes provide. Bootlegger’s butcher shop is creatively decorated and comes with a couple of family members who encourage guests to be on the menu. It takes a lot of work to make a place look this filthy, and the effort paid off. A nasty looking bedroom follows, packed with old dolls that look like something out of a slasher movie. The best, or worst part of Bootleggers is the bathroom. It’s as gross as ever, and it has a peculiar aroma this year. There is nice detail in the sewing room and I appreciated the hanging cadavers that followed. Can’t go wrong with old school props. Bootleggers wouldn’t be complete without a good swamp, which wraps up your trip. This is a very well done attraction. Great dim lighting, excellent actors all the way through and believable props and decorations.
Klownz in 3D is the funhouse at Screams. It is located between Zombie Wasteland Apocalypse and the front gate. The fun at Klownz starts with an entertaining greeter who gets the crowd into the spirit for a trip through the house. You’ll find great detail in the neon 3D paint in all parts of this haunt. Variety is the best part of this attraction. Well timed airguns, strobe lights, and fog add to the usual 3D house experience. The fast spinning vortex tunnel is a good touch. A hall with shaking walls and a hall with prop clowns and a real clown coming out of the walls are always favorites of mine. The number of props is impressive and include a large four headed clown prop, a spinning clown, severed clown heads hanging from the ceiling and a toxic waste area with neon paint. Red velvet drapes in one area were an unusual touch. Some of the best actors at Screams are in Klownz and they have some of the best costumes in the park. There are plenty of good hiding places for actors in Klownz, so you’ll never know where the next scare will come from.
Time’s Up Maze is located in back of the park behind the main food court. It’s much longer than I anticipated. I would say that the average time to find the way out is 15-20 minutes. There is a considerable amount of depth in the design of this year’s maze. If you use the tops of other buildings that are visible from inside the maze you will have an easier time of it. Actors in the maze are good at popping out as customers round corners, especially in low visibility areas. There seemed to be more actors working the maze than last year as there were no long stretches without an actor around. Don’t make the mistake of listening to actors when they give you directions. That’s how you spend 30 minutes in the maze. I don’t want to give out real spoilers on how to find the exit, but I will say that you have to go through the chain link fence area to get to the exit. Also, staying to the right is usually a good idea in mazes. There were an impressive number of jump scares in Time’s Up, which isn’t easy to pull off in a maze.
Zombie Wasteland Apocalypse is the haunted trail at Screams. It is located between Klownz in 3D and the main stage. When I was going through the notes that I took after my trips through ZWA, it occurred to me that ambience is probably the best thing about this attraction. The mood is very creepy on the trail. Eerie green and blue lights illuminating the fogged path reminded me of old zombie movies that I’ve seen. The fog is heavy in one part of the trail and combined with strobe lights to almost cause me to lose my way for a second. Even the most experienced haunted house fan will be disconcerted from time to time in ZWA. I was very impressed by the actors. They had great timing and knew how to use props for cover. The diner was my favorite part of ZWA. I didn’t expect to find a room this detailed and the actors were very into their roles. I’ve always enjoyed the change of pace the outdoor area with broken down vehicles offers after the narrow passageway in the middle of the haunt. Dueling chainsaws were another good change of pace. They never fail to get people running. All in all, 2024 is another great year for Zombie Wasteland Apocalypse.
Screams is on the Scarborough Faire grounds and is natural terrain, so remember to wear comfortable shoes, and don’t wear high heels. If the weather cools down, you may want to take along a light jacket, just in case. Wearing costumes, Halloween type masks, or face paint into Screams is not allowed
Remaining Screams dates are:
October 11th and 12th
October 18th and 19th
October 25th and 26th
November 1st and 2nd
All nights are 7pm-1am. Admission to the park closes at midnight.
Online Ticket Prices are:
$42 General Admission for Friday ($45 at ticket office)
$52 general admission for Saturday ($55 at ticket office)
$30 for Friday fast pass ($33 at ticket office)
$40 for Saturday fast pass ($43 at ticket office)
$40 group tickets for Friday, $50 for Saturday. Parties of 15 or more to qualify. Online only.
$165 season pass. Available online only.
Monster Museum $5 + tax and fees online, or $7 at the door.
Buy tickets here
Ticket prices do not include taxes and fees.
Parking is free.
There are 4 ATMs onsite. Two are in the souvenir shop, one is between Coco’s Sweet Treats and the pizza stand on the far side of the main food court, and another is close to Taboo Tavern on the main food court. While all taverns and most food sellers accept credit cards, games are cash only.
Flush Toilets are available between Scary-Oke and Terra Mythica Castle. Porta potties are located in several locations, including: by the flush toilets next to Scary-Oke, close to the exit for Terra Mythica castle across from the food court, close to Cool Ghoul Boulevard, and close to Zombie Wasteland and Klownz in 3D.
Screams is the only real haunted theme park in North Texas and is the best value around. At other haunted attractions, you drive to the haunt, wait in line, and spend 10-35 minutes inside. Then you leave. Some of the haunted houses in DFW are good, but Screams is the only place where you can go through each attraction as many times as you want, eat, drink, and shop. It is easy to arrive at 7 and stay until 1. Another unique feature is that there is something for everyone at Screams. Even if you aren’t into haunted houses, you can have a great time in the park. You can fill your evening by having dinner, trying the various pubs and taverns, seeing Hell Dolls, checking out the new stage entertainment at Taboo Tavern and Scary-Oke, shopping, playing games, and going through the walk through attractions.
Screams looks great in 2024, with a major redesign of their haunted attractions, new food and drink, and a great cast of actors. The crew went all out in preparation for this season in another summer of punishing heat, and their effort shows in the attention to detail in the houses, trails, and in the park grounds. Be sure to see Screams at least once this season, and remember, arrive early, and stay late!