Welcome to Texas Haunts 2019, bringing you news and reviews of Texas haunted houses, plus listings of Halloween events all over Texas. Scores are on a 1-10 scale. Please click on the haunted house links for information about dates of operation, prices, location, and directions. Thanks for visiting and please come again soon!
Opening September 20
Dark Hour 7pm-Midnight
Hex House 7:30pm-11pm
Opening September 21
Yesterland Fright Farm Dark till 10pm
Houston Terrordome 8pm-11pm
Also open this weekend
Scream Hollow 7pm-Midnight
The Mortuary Hours TBA
13th Floor 7pm-10pm
House of Torment 7pm-10pm
Creepy Hollow Haunted House 7pm-Midnight
Below is a full list of haunted houses open on Friday the 13th.
Scream Hollow 7pm-Midnight
Waco Haunted Houses 8pm-11pm
Screamworld 8:30pm-11pm
Creepy Hollow Haunted House 7pm-Midnight
The Mortuary 8pm-11pm
House of Torment 7pm-10pm
13th Floor 7pm-10pm
Hours of operation listed are for opening night only. Refer to the haunt’s site for other nights open and hours of operation.
Open All Year
Opening September 13
Parker House 8pm-11pm
Scream Hollow 7pm-Midnight
Waco Haunted Houses 8pm-Midnight
Screamworld 8:30pm-11pm
Creepy Hollow Haunted House 7pm-Midnight
The Mortuary 8pm-11pm
House of Torment 7pm-10pm
13th Floor 7pm-10pm
Opening September 20
Dark Hour 7pm-Midnight
Hex House 7:30pm-11pm
Opening September 21
Yesterland Fright Farm Dark till 10pm
Houston Terrordome 8pm-11pm
Opening September 27
Screams 7:30pm-1:30am Box Office closes at Midnight.
13th Gate 6:30pm-11:30pm
Graystone Manor 7pm-Midnight
Doc Wilkes House of Horrors 7:30pm-Midnight
World of Khaos 7pm-Midnight
Creekside Manor Dark until Midnight
Hangman’s House of Horrors 8pm-Midnight
Tayman Graveyard Opens at 8pm
Moxley Manor 8pm-11pm
Haunted Trails 8pm-Midnight
3Haunts 8pm-11pm
Nightmare on 19th Street 7:30pm-11:30pm
The Sanctuary 8pm-11pm
Terror Trail Haunted House Hours TBA
Dark Woods Haunted Attraction 8pm-11:30pm
Tree Farm Massacre 7pm-Midnight
The Blackness Haunted House 7:30pm-11:30pm
Zip Line With Zombies Reservation required. Call 903 968 6924 or 903 736 5155
Opening September 28
Cutting Edge 8pm-10pm
Haunted Shadows Lake Trail 7:45pm-midnight
Phobia Haunted Houses 8pm-Midnight
Amarillo Scaregrounds 7pm-11:30pm
6th Street Massacre 7pm-Midnight
Redrum Fear Park 7pm-Midnight
P-6 Farms Fall Festival and Corn Maze 10am-10p
Six Flags Fright Fest 11am-Midnight
Rise Haunted House 7pm-10:30pm
Dungeon of Doom 6pm-10pm
Opening October 4
Thrillvania 7:30pm-Midnight
Texas Scaregrounds 7pm-Midnight
J&F House of Terror 8pm until midnight, or when the line dies down.
Zombie Safari 7pm until late
Houston Screamfest Park hours 8pm-12:30 am, ticket sales end at 11pm
Terror Trails Dark until Midnight
House of Thorn 7:30pm-11:30pm
Van Buren Frightmare 7pm to Midnight
Afterlife Haunted Attraction 8pm-11pm
Van Buren Frightmare 7pm-Midnight
Evil Visions Haunted House 7pm-midnight
Opening October 5
Nightmare in the Country 8pm-11pm
Opening October 11
Def Con 1 and Circus of the Dead 7pm-Midnight
Haunting on the Blue Ghost 7pm-10:30pm
North Texas
Screams Waxahachie
Cutting Edge Fort Worth
Thrillvania Terrell
Parker House Denton
Texas Scaregrounds Mineral Wells
Creekside Manor Midlothian
Tayman Graveyard Midlothian
Haunted Shadows Lake Trail The Colony
Moxley Manor Bedford
J&F House of Terror Garland
Hangman’s House of Horrors Fort Worth
Dark Hour Haunted House Plano
Zombie Safari Forney
Six Flags Fright Fest Arlington
Central Texas
Waco Haunted Houses Elm Mott (Waco area)
Scream Hollow Halloween Park Smithville
House of Torment Austin
Houston area
Screamworld Houston
Phobia Houston
Houston TerrorDome Houston
Houston Screamfest Houston
3Haunts Haunted House Shepherd
Redrum Fear Park Richmond
Haunted Trails Houston
Creepy Hollow Haunted House Rosharon
Dungeon of Doom Kemah
P-6 Farms Fall Festival and Corn Maze Montgomery
Galveston
San Antonio
East Texas
Graystone Manor Longview
World of Khaos Tyler
Doc Wilkes House of Horrors Longview
Terror Trails Yantis
Afterlife Blossom
Zip Line with Zombies Diana
Yesterland Fright Farm Canton
West Texas
Terror Trail Canutillo (El Paso area)
Nightmare on 19th Street Lubbock
Amarillo Scaregrounds Amarillo
6th Street Massacre Amarillo
Van Buren Frightmare Amarillo
The Blackness Haunted House Plainview
Nightmare on Main Street Vernon
DefCon 1 and Circus of the Dead Odessa
South Texas
Haunting on the Blue Ghost Corpus Christi
Louisiana
13th Gate Baton Rouge
The Mortuary New Orleans
Evil Visions Haunted House Monroe
Tree Farm Massacre Leesville
Rise Haunted House Hammond
Dark Woods Haunted Attraction Natchitoches
Oklahoma
Hex House Tulsa
The Sanctuary Oklahoma City
House of Thorn Dewey
Nightmare in the Country Woodward
Psycho Path Haunt Sperry
HALLOWEEN LINKS
Halloween Merchandise and Costumes
http://www.spirithalloween.
http://www.halloweencity.com/
http://www.halloweenexpress.
http://www.costumeworld.com/
http://www.norcostco.com/
http://rosecostumes.com/
http://www.halloweencostumes.
http://www.costumeexpress.com
http://www.buycostumes.com
http://www.
http://www.extremehalloween.
Halloween Decorations
https://athome.com/halloween
http://www.michaels.com/
http://lemax-spookytown.com/
http://www.darksidedisplays.
Haunted House Listings
“Real” Haunted Site Listings
http://theshadowlands.net/
http://www.texasescapes.com/
Closed
Halls of Horror-Could return in 2020
Kingswood Asylum
Fearaphobia-Could return in 2020
Rotting Flesh Factory
Psycho Asylum
Fearshire Farms-Could return in 2020
This is a list of haunted houses from years past. Of course, nearly every haunted houses that opened before 1996 is closed now, so this is a list of personal favorites that have closed.
Dallas Scaregrounds A great haunted house that started out as Dr Blood’s and developed into a haunted festival, in the Dallas Design District. It was very popular, but fell victim to the redevelopment of the Design District. This was one of the first extra large haunted houses in DFW.
Fatal End/Dollhouse Another popular haunted house that was ended by redevelopment in the downtown Dallas area. Fatal End opened in the late 2000’s. It had a great location in the West End, and had great props. Necroplex merged with Fatal End in 2011 and the name changed to The Dollhouse.
Dallas Slaughterhouse This haunt started in the West End in Dallas in the mid 2000’s and eventually moved to Deep Ellum, before merging with J&F in Garland in 2016.
Dungeon of Doom The original DoD, in the basement of the Arlington Museum of Art, was formed as a way to raise money for the museum. It probably had the best decor of any haunted house I’ve been to, with the possible exception of Verdun Manor. Kay, and her husband Milton, ran the place. With so many multi haunt attractions opening in the 2000’s, Kay felt that DoD could no longer compete and closed down after the 2007 season. Many of the props went to the new Dungeon of Doom in the Reindeer Manor/13 Street Morgue complex.
Necroplex started in Italy, south of Waxahachie, in 2008, and merged with Fatal End in 2011. Necroplex had great Old West style Gothic props and decor.
Tayman Manor One of the most intense haunted houses of the 90’s and early 2000’s was Tayman Manor in Midlothian. Actors made some contact, the place looked great, and had a creepy setting. Tayman Manor was destroyed in a fire, along with most of Addamsville, but Tayman Graveyard lives on to this day.
Addamsville was a haunt park, next to Tayman Manor. It was only open for 2002 and 2003, but it was fun while it lasted. Addamsville had a coupon system, similar to the State Fair. It had a trail, a clown house, a mortuary, a haunted museum, and a standard haunted house. Concessions and a gift shop were at one end of the park. Stilt walkers roamed through the night. It had a great festival atmosphere. Sadly, most of Addamsville was destroyed in the fire that took out Tayman Manor. The mortuary and concessions stand are still around at Tayman Graveyard.
Dr Haunt’s Chamber of Fear Located in Gainesville, Dr Haunts was a throwback to ’80’s side of the road haunted houses. The quality varied year to year, but a unique layout and enthusiastic college volunteers made the trip worthwhile through the 2000’s.
Terrorplex was a small haunt park located in the outskirts of the Mansfield area, south of Arlington. It had four to five small haunted houses at a time. Mead Manor was the best of the haunts.
Lafitte’s Landing was a pirate themed haunted house that opened in the mid 2000’s, and reopened for one more year in Allen.
Phantom’s Haunted House This was the haunt that would not die. Originally located in Lewisville, on the west side of the 1-35 access road, Phantoms had to move to Frisco after it’s property was bought by a car dealership. After one season in Frisco (I think that was 2003) Phantoms moved to the State Fair for three seasons, before moving back to Frisco, or Plano, at an Old West attraction in 2010. Phantom’s final location was in Allen, off of 75, where the outdoor mall is today. The Lewisville location had the best haunted house, but the Allen location had the best hayride I’ve been on. It wound through a densely forested area, with tree branches close enough to touch at times.
Faustas Sanitarium was located in Cleburne in the Wright Plaza building, which shows up on lots of paranormal sites as a haunted location. Faustas was upstairs, and was fairly small, but was extremely well decorated due to being designed by Lance Pope’s company, Wolf Productions. Wright Plaza was closed at night, aside from Faustas, and in those days downtown Cleburne was deserted at night, so the entire area had an eerie feel to it. Faustas was open in the 90’s and closed down around 2003.
Haunt House Located in Caddo Mills, off of the I-30 access road, Haunt House was a small, but creative place. This was the first haunt in the area to use shock pads on walls.
Ripley’s Haunted House Ripley’s in Grand Prairie had a very good haunted house in the wax figure section of it’s building in the 2000’s. I went for the first time in 2004, and it closed a few years later. The wax figures of horror movie monsters and liberal use of fog machines were the best parts of the haunt.
Strangling Brothers Haunted Circus This still exists in Utah, but the DFW version was around for three seasons, beginning in 2013. The circus was a collection of 18 wheeler trailers, each with it’s own scene and actors, plus some props and actors between the trailers. It moved each year, from two locations in Irving, to Grand Prairie, before closing shop in Texas. It was a unique approach to haunting, but was probably too expensive for the market.
Other notable closed haunted attractions:
Fearaphobia (Could return in 2020)
Halls of Horror (could return in 2020)
Southlake Carroll haunted house
Dan’s Haunted House
The Boneyard Haunted House
Dr Fright’s in Arlington
Haunted Hollow at the Hill
Fear Factory in the Colony
Nightmare on Forest Lane
Count Dracula’s in McKinney
Zombie Manor
Dark Path Haunt
Jefferson Fright Train
Kingswood Asylum (Could return in 2020)
Rotting Flesh Factory
Psycho Asylum
Thrillvania Theme Park will be open on July 20, from 8:30pm-10pm. Tickets will be available here later in the spring.
Dark Hour Haunted House will have it’s annual summer special, Dog Days of Summer, on July 19-20, and 26-27. Show hours are 7pm-11pm. Annabelle’s Asylum will also be open, with the same dates and hours. Individual tickets, combo tickets for Dog Days and Annabelle’s, group tickets, and VIP package tickets are available. A behind the scenes tour is available on Sunday, July 28, from 5pm-8pm. Tickets can be purchased here.
Cutting Edge will be open for their summer special event on July 6th from 8pm to 10pm. Tickets can be purchased here. This will be your only chance to see Cutting Edge before September, so plan ahead and put it on your calender!
Scream Hollow will be having it’s summer special, Wicked Summer Vacation: Clowns of Crystal Lake, on June 14, 15, 21, and 22. The hours are 7pm-midnight. Tickets can be purchased here. The following is from the Scream Hollow site.
The Scream Hollow Wicked Halloween Park is a truly spectacular Halloween experience that you don’t want to miss! For summer we have the all new Wicked Summer Vacation: Clowns of Crystal Lake! 4 Haunted Houses across 18 buildings in the woods. Cackling Witch Café and Bakery with the best brisket sandwiches in Texas. The all NEW Blind Owl Bistro with homemade pizzas and funnel cakes. Three bars: the Rabid Bat bar, The Cottonmouth Cauldron, and the all NEW Dragon’s Breath Bar! . Our steampunk stage for bands and live music. Madame Tinker’s Magic Emporium has keepsakes for everyone. Halloween retail vendors, fortune tellers, witches bonfire and much more! A great evening experience! Rated the #1 Haunted House in the nation by Lions Gate Films! Rated Top 10 in the US by USA Today. Featured on the Travel Channel! Come see what everyone is talking about! Open summer 2019 from June 14 through June 22nd Friday and Saturday nights from 7pm to midnight.
House of Torment will host Zombie Apocalypse on May 3rd and 4th. This is a show that travels around the country, appearing at haunted houses. It’s an interactive laser tag event where customers hunt zombies with realistic looking M4 laser tag guns. There are three packages available, with prices starting at $29.99. Tickets go on sale April 12 at noon. More information on the packages and pricing will be available once the tickets go on sale. You can have an email reminder for the ticket sale set on the Zombie Apocalypse site.
Hangman’s House of Horrors will be open Friday, April 12, and Saturday, April 13 for a live paranormal investigation. The event is called Ghosts & Stuff, and will begin each evening at 8pm. A schedule of events can be viewed here and tickets can be purchased here
Dark Hour Haunted House in Plano will be having it’s annual St Patrick’s Slay on March 15, 16, and 17. Annebelle’s Asylum will also be open, and combo tickets for Slay and the Asylum are available.
Hours are 7pm-11pm, all three nights. A behind the scenes tour is available on the 17th, from 1pm-4pm. A VIP experience is available at 7pm, and 8:30 pm, all three nights. Group tickets are also available. Tickets can be purchased here, and at the box office.
Cutting Edge will have it’s Twisted Love Valentine’s special on February 14 and 16, from 8pm-10pm both nights. Reservations begin February 1st at noon. You can buy your tickets here beginning Friday, February 1 at noon.
Cutting Edge is open on Valentine’s Day and all Friday the 13ths
Dark Hour has several shows in the offseason. Fever in February, St Patrick’s Slay in March, and Dog Days of Summer in July.
Fever and Annabell’s Asylum will be held on February 14, 15, and 16th, from 7pm-11pm. You can buy a combo ticket for Fever and Annabell’s, a ticket for Fever or Annabell’s alone, and a ticket for the Fever VIP experience. You can buy a ticket for the Fever behind the scenes tour on February 17, from 1pm-4pm. Buy tickets here.
House of Torment in Austin has a Valentine’s show called Love Bites on February 15 and 16. You can buy tickets here.
Haunted Mayfield Manor Open on weekends year round, check site or contact haunt for hours.
Ripley’s Haunted Adventure Ripley’s is open daily, all year. Here are their hours
Halloween is over, but many haunted attractions will be open this Friday and/or Saturday. A few will be open the weekend of the 9th and 10th. Ripley’s Haunted Adventure and Mayfield Manor are open all year. Cutting Edge and Dark Hour open for special nights in the off season. Texas Haunts will be open and updated all year, so check back with us for listings of special events between December and July. Thanks for visiting our site this season, and we hope you had a great Halloween. The 2019 season of Texas Haunts will begin in August of 2019!
Open Daily
Ripley’s Haunted Adventure Ripleys is open daily, all year. Here are their hours
Haunted Mayfield Manor Open on weekends year round, check site or contact haunt for hours.
Open Friday, November 9
House of Torment from 7:30pm-11pm
Haunted Mayfield Manor Contact haunt for times
Rise Haunted House from 7pm-10:30pm
Open Saturday, November 10
House of Torment from 7:30pm-11pm
Haunted Mayfield Manor Contact haunt for times
Rise Haunted House from 7pm-10:30pm
Beyond November 10
Scream Hollow has family friendly activities in December. They are open on Fridays from 6pm-11pm and Saturdays from 4pm-11pm, Sundays 4pm-8pm.
3Haunts is open December 21,22,28,29
Open Friday, November 2
Scream Hollow from 7pm-midnight
13th Gate from 6:30pm-11:30pm
Haunted Shadows Lake Trail from 7:15-midnight
Fearaphobia from 7pm-midnight
J&F House of Terror from 8:30pm until the line dies down, or midnight
Hangman’s House of Horrors from 8pm-midnight
House of Torment from 7:30pm-11pm
Screamworld 8pm-midnight
Phobia 7:30pm-11pm
Houston Terror Dome 8pm-midnight
3Haunts 8pm-11pm
Fearshire Farms from 7pm-11pm
Haunted Trails from 8pm-midnight
Creepy Hollow Haunted House from 7pm-midnight
Kingswood Asylum from 8pm-11pm
Haunted Mayfield Manor Contact haunt for times
13th Floor 7pm-midnight
Graystone Manor from 7pm-midnight
Doc Wilkes House of Horrors Contact haunt for hours
Yesterland Fright Farm 6pm-10pm
Nightmare on 19th Street 7:30pm-11:30pm
The Blackness Haunted House from 7:30pm-11:30pm
The Mortuary opens at dusk
Evil Visions Haunted House from 7pm-midnight
Rise Haunted House 7pm-11:30pm
The Hex House from 7:30pm-11pm
The Sanctuary from 8pm-11pm
Nightmare in the Country 8pm-11pm
Open Saturday, November 3
Cutting Edge 8pm-10pm
Fearaphobia from 7pm-midnight
Scream Hollow from 7pm-midnight
13th Gate from 6:30pm-11:30pm
Hangman’s House of Horrors from 8pm-midnight
Haunted Shadows Lake Trail from 7:15pm-midnight
Screamworld 8pm-midnight
J&F House of Terror from 8:30pm until the line dies down, or midnight
Zombie Safari opens at 7pm
House of Torment from 7:30pm-11pm
Phobia 7:30pm-11pm
Houston Terror Dome 8pm-midnight
3Haunts 8pm-11pm
Fearshire Farms from 7pm-11pm
Redrum Haunted House from 7pm-midnight
Haunted Trails from 8pm-midnight
Creepy Hollow Haunted House from 7pm-midnight
Kingswood Asylum from 8pm-11pm
Haunted Mayfield Manor Contact haunt for times
13th Floor 7pm-midnight
Graystone Manor from 7pm-midnight
Afterlife Haunted Attraction from 8pm-11pm
Doc Wilkes House of Horrors Contact haunt for hours
Yesterland Fright Farm 10am-10pm
Nightmare on 19th Street 7:30pm-11:30pm
The Blackness Haunted House from 7:30pm-11:30pm
The Mortuary opens at dusk
Evil Visions Haunted House from 7pm-midnight
Rise Haunted House 7pm-11:30pm
The Hex House from 7:30pm-11pm
The Sanctuary from 8pm-11pm
Nightmare in the Country 8pm-11pm
Happy Halloween from Texas Haunts! We hope you have a great time, and to help with that, here is a rundown of what there is to do on Halloween.
Haunted Houses-Aside from Screams, all haunted attractions are open for Halloween. Check our statewide haunted house listings for times. Generally, haunted houses close earlier on Halloween, usually around 10pm.
Parties/Trick or Treating/Other Events-Check our listing of Halloween events for everything other than haunted houses and movies. Catfish Plantation in Waxahachie has a Halloween buffet at 5 and 7. The big costume party is at the Church, and you will want to arrive early, or have a hell of a time finding parking. There are some big trick or treat events happening in DFW, and there are some other events, like murder mystery theater, a boat party, and face painting.
Movies-Alamo Drafthouses, Angelika Dallas and Plano, Texas Theater, The Granada, all Movie Taverns and Studio Movie Grills have vintage horror movies playing on Halloween. The new Halloween is in wide release. Check our horror movie listings for showtimes and links to each theater. Check the theater’s site to verify the showtime late morning or early afternoon. I can’t stress this enough because theaters sometimes make last minute changes to showtimes. Alamo Drafthouse locations are playing an advance screening of the new Suspiria, and a showing of the original Halloween. Angelika Dallas and Plano are showing Psycho, Texas Theater is showing the original Suspiria, Granada is showing Hocus Pocus, Movie Taverns are showing The Shining, and Studio Movie Grills are showing the original Nightmare on Elm Street and Hell Fest.
For at home entertaiment, AMC has Fearfest, TCM has vintage horror movies, SYFY has the final day of 31 Days of Halloween, Travel Channel has Ghostober, Freeform has 31 Nights of Halloween, Food Channel and Disney Channel have Halloween shows, and most other networks and channels will have some genre programming on Halloween. Check our listing of horror movies and shows for more information.
The weekend is almost over, but remember that, with the exception of Screams, all haunted attractions will be open on Halloween, and many will be open Monday, and/or Tuesday. Check my haunted attractions listings for haunted houses in your area. Click on the link and go to the haunt’s site to check for hours, as haunted houses have hours this week that differ from their regular hours.
There are some Halloween parties Sunday night, the Church has the largest, and there are a few Halloween events on Monday and Tuesday, but most of the remaining Halloween parties and events will be on Halloween day and night. Check my Halloween events listing for more information. It’s in chronological order, to make it easier to search.
The new Halloween is in theaters now, and it’s pretty good, though not as good as the original. Speaking of the original Halloween, Alamo Drafthouse has it playing on Halloween night at it’s locations. There are lots of classic horror movies playing at Alamo, Movie Tavern, Studio Movie Grill, Angelika, and the Granada this week, plus lots of movies and shows on television, so take a look at my movie and TV listing for showtimes and horror marathons on TV.
The weather will be nice this week, so get out and do something while the season lasts!
While there are parties on Halloween, and most haunted attractions will be open on Halloween, this weekend has the best parties, and is the best time to see haunted houses and theme parks. Check out my Other Halloween Activities post for information about everything offered from now through Halloween.
Remember that Screams will not be open on Halloween, so this Friday and Saturday are your last chances to see Screams this season. Most haunted houses will be open late this Friday and Saturday. Be sure to check out Cutting Edge, Thrillvania, Parker House, and Halls of Horror!
There are lots of vintage horror movies being shown at local theaters, marathons of horror and scifi movies and shows on TV, plus several new horror movies in theaters. Check out my listing of horror movies and shows to find something to watch in your area, or on TV.
Nearly every club and bar will have a Halloween party over the next week, and there are lots of other types of fun Halloween activities between now and Halloween. Check out my listing of the best parties and other events for more information.
This coming weekend is your last chance to see Screams this year! Please remember that Screams will not be open on Halloween, so this Friday and Saturday are the final days for the 2018 season at Screams. All of the haunted attractions, and most of the park, have been redesigned and remodeled for this season, so even if you’ve seen Screams in the past, everything will be new to you. Please read my review of Screams from earlier this season, if you want more detailed information about the changes Screams has made this year.
Screams has five main attractions, Cursed: the Witches of Terra Mythica Castle, Hotel D’Feers, Capt’n Barbarosa’s Blood Harbour (3D), PT Harmum’s Carnival of Chaos (maze), and the Zombie Wasteland Apocalypse trail. I listed the attractions in the best order to see them in, especially if you don’t have a fast pass. Screams also has a large food court, three pubs, and a full service bar and cafe called Full Moon Cafe. Full Moon has an excellent selection of Halloween specialty drinks (Dracula’s Kiss is my favorite) and great bartenders. They also have good food, generous portions, and reasonable prices. Full Moon is well decorated too, it’s like eating and drinking inside a haunted house. You can find Full Moon Cafe on the side of the food court by the West Market Arch.
Screams also has Scaryoke in the covered seating area next to Taboo Tavern, live nightly entertainment on the main stage, games of skill across from the food court, Halloween related shops, wax hands, henna tattoos, palm and tarot readings, and feather extensions.
Screams has general admission tickets, fast passes, and group tickets available here. Group tickets have to be purchased in advance, online. They are not available at the ticket booth.
Below are the events on the main stage this final weekend, and the Screams photo gallery. Screams has never been better, so be sure to check it out this weekend! Screams is located in Waxahachie, on the Scarborough Faire grounds. Their address is 2511 FM 66 Waxahachie, TX 75167. If you are coming from the north, take exit 399A from I-35, and head west (right), if you are coming from the south, take exit 399, and head west (left). Screams is 1.6 miles west of I-35. Visit their site here for more information.
Complete DJ on the Main Stage
Complete DJ on the Main Stage & the last night of Screams® 2018!
The weather looks better for haunted houses this weekend, and Screams has the following on their main stage, in addition to their regular attractions! The Screams Gallery has also been updated, with new shots of Hotel D’Feers and Full Moon Cafe.
Complete DJ on the Main Stage
100.3 Jack FM on the Main Stage with a Dance Off Party
October 13, 2018
Score-10
Site Here
Location-1701 East Lancaster Avenue. Fort Worth, Texas 76102. Just west of the I-30/I-35 interchange, on E. Lancaster. Cutting Edge is on the north side of the street, parking is on the other side of the street. Directions here.
Phone-817 348 8444
Dates and Hours open-Open Fridays, Saturdays, and Sundays in October, plus Thursday, October 25, Tuesday, October 30, Halloween, and Saturday, November 3rd.
Sunday, October 14, from 8pm-10pm, Friday, October 19, from 7pm-12:30am, Saturday, October 20 from 7pm-1am, Sunday, October 21 from 8pm-10pm, Thursday, October 25 from 8pm-10pm, Friday, October 26 from 7pm-1am, Saturday, October 27 from 7pm-1am, Sunday, October from 8pm-10:30pm, Tuesday, October 30 from 8pm-10pm, Halloween from 7pm-10:30pm, Saturday, November 3rd from 8pm-10pm.
Price-Cash only at the box office. Credit cards can only be used for tickets online. Click here to buy tickets. Tax is not include in the prices listed below.
General Admission-$34.99, plus a $3.95 fee online.
Timed Ticket-Allows you to drastically cut the wait time in line. No more than a 30-45 minute wait on busy nights. Choose your time when you buy the ticket. $44.99, plus a $3.95 fee online.
Speedpass-Allows you to skip the wait altogether on slow nights, and the wait is around 10 minutes on busy nights. $54.99, plus a $3.95 fee online.
Combo with Thrillvania General Admission ticket-Can be used on any open night. $70 if purchased onsite, on sale for $59.99 online, plus a $3.95 fee online.
Speedpass with Thrillvania Combo ticket-Can be used on any open night. $105 if purchased onsite, on sale online for $84.99, plus a $3.95 fee online.
Group tickets-Group rate tickets are for 15 or more tickets purchased, and they must be purchased online for the group rate discount.
Group rate General Admission-On sale for $29.75, plus a $3.95 fee
Group rate Speedpass-On sale for $46.75 plus a $3.95 fee
Parking is $10-$15. Parking is now across the street.
Miscellaneous-Cutting Edge is an indoor haunted house, but they have changed their parking this year to open up the area around the haunted house. With plenty of room, Cutting Edge has a souvenir shop, a barbecue stand, and a stand with an assorted menu, including vegan offerings. Now you can get something to eat and spend some time outside the haunt, before or after you go in. A real chef runs the stand, so the food is a step above carnival food.
Even though the haunted house is indoors, it is a huge house, so you need to wear comfortable shoes. There are stairs, and some wet areas, so your shoes also need to have some traction. Do not wear anything that can’t get wet. There is a maze with a lot of mist, so avoid wearing anything suede, for example. Also, keep your phone in your pocket. You don’t want to lose it, or for it to get wet. Speaking of phones, remember that flash photography is not allowed inside Cutting Edge. This is to protect the actors. Their eyes become adjusted for the low lighting inside the house.
Walk through time-This will vary, depending on how fast you walk, and how good your night vision is. We made it through in about 35 minutes, but we did not go through the bubble tunnel at the end. Taking the bypass probably cut a couple of minutes off of the time.
Review
The upgrade to Cutting Edge includes the way the area around the entrance is decorated. Figures on horseback line the area around the haunted house entrance. Once inside, actors are on you quickly while you approach a high speed vortex tunnel. The tunnel was almost fast enough to force me to hold onto the rails to get through. The tunnel sets the tone for the rest of the house, fast and intense.
Shortly after the vortex tunnel, there is an interesting area with long racks of clothing. You have to walk between the racks, with very little room to move. Actors hide in the clothes and either pop out, or wave a hand in front of your face as you pass by. There are either lots of actors in this area, or there are some fast actors who stay on customers as they make their way through.
One thing I really like about Cutting Edge this year is the lighting. Throughout the haunt, there is great mood lighting with lanterns, which are used to light many of the hallways. They could be Victorian, or Old West. Scene lighting is also effective, with red light in one area, while white light is used to reduce vision to almost nothing in the mist maze.
The laboratory/experiment area seems to have been worked on in the off season, and the detail is impressive this year. The dim lighting in this fairly dark sets of the props and decor nicely.
You go down a flight of stairs to get to my favorite area, the swamp. It’s something you would expect to find in Louisiana, in the bayou region. There are Voodoo looking creatures, and the actors have great makeup and costumes. This is the most atmospheric part of Cutting Edge, with beautiful decor, and ghostly lighting. The path winds tightly, and the bridge is very cool. There is one area, sort of like a crypt, that reminded me of graveyards I’ve seen in the New Orleans area. Swamp actors were active, there were lots of hands close to my face as I walked through. They got close to me on the narrow path, but not too close.
The funeral home has some good props, nice caskets, and what looked like a crematorium. There are some very dark areas toward the middle of the house. It’s not like the old days when you had to feel along the walls for a good portion of the haunt, but the dark areas are still effective, especially if darkness is a phobia of your’s.
My second favorite part of Cutting Edge is what I call the farm. It looks more like something out of Pumpkinhead than Texas Chainsaw Massacre. You go through the farm house, then the farm itself. It also has an Old West look to it in some areas. Parts of this area could pass as a mining camp. Whatever it’s meant to be, the effect is creepy. As with the rest of Cutting Edge, the actors really get into character and this area probably has better hiding places for them than in most of the haunt.
There is no five minute black out maze this year, and I can’t say that I missed it. There was supposedly a way out, but I never heard of anyone finding it. Mostly, the old maze irritated me. A clown house is now in it’s place. The first part of the clown house looks like what you might see in a macabre circus. There are extremely detailed props. A lot of time must have been spent painting this part of the haunt. The clowns do not make the mistake I’ve seen in other houses where they just stand in your way and honk a horn. The Cutting Edge clowns run around their area and are able to come back to the same group a couple of times. Once you leave the main clown house, you enter an area that I thought was a maze. There didn’t appear to be a way out, and around 20 people ended up in the same large room searching for an exit. A couple of clowns showed us to dead ends, and we were in this area for several minutes before a clown opened a hidden door to let us out.
After the clowns we entered a misty room with bright white light. The light and mist made it impossible to see, so I felt along the wall and eventually found the exit. The room was very wet from the mist and the air was thick. I got pretty wet, luckily I had taken my watch off when I first entered the mist. Stay along the wall, don’t go into the middle of the room, and you’ll get out in three of four minutes.
At the end, we decided to take the bypass before the tunnel filled with bubbles. The bypass is in plain site this year.
Final Thoughts
Cutting Edge has lots of animatronics, plus one large manually operated snake, or dragon head. There is an excellent animatronic dragon, but the one to watch out for is the snake. If you aren’t careful, you’ll be knocked back by it. It’s large, and it comes at you with a considerable amount of force, so once you see it, move to the side.
Cutting Edge actors are always among the best in the industry, but they are really special this year. They must practice getting their hands close to people’s faces, without touching. They did this frequently in all areas of Cutting Edge, and it’s a very effective technique when they can hide next to the path or hall. They are also great at finding places to hide so that you are almost on top of them when they jump out at you. Team work was impressive this year. Several groups of actors worked together, with one coming at you from the left, while a second later another jumped out on the right. The costumers, make up artists, and the set designer exceeded the level of quality of previous years. I didn’t see any actors without the ideal costume and make up for his or her part of the house. The decor is now approaching the level of places like Verdun Manor and House of Torment. Cutting Edge has always been intense and scary, and it now looks great too.
A major problem in all large haunted houses is that slow customers cause a pile up that leads to everyone walking through the haunted house in a long line, making it impossible for actors to startle anyone, and causing most customers to miss the effects that are set off by motion plates on the ground. Cutting Edge has solved this problem by having breaks through the house, where people can listen to live music while they wait to go further. A talented trio of drummers are in the first break area, and a band called Chasing Rent is in the second break area. After a few minutes you and your group go forward into the haunted house, without a bunch of people in front of you. The wait in line in the break areas might be irritating in a smaller haunted house, but Cutting Edge is so large that a brief rest is welcome.
Cutting Edge has continued to make improvements each year, and while previous upgrades went well, this year has seen a major leap forward in both the quality of the haunted house, and the outside area, which is now fun to spend time in. Even the parking is better this year. It used to be a pain to get in and out of the parking lot because there was so little space. The new parking areas are spacious, and exiting is now simpler since the cars aren’t crammed into a small area.
There are still plenty of nights remaining for you to see Cutting Edge, and it’s open late on Fridays and Saturdays. If you are going to buy a general admission ticket, I would advise you to go on a Sunday (or one of the weeknights later in the season) or to show up very early if you’re going on a Friday or Saturday. If you do end up in a long wait, you’ll at least be able to enjoy food and music, plus roving actors who provide some in line entertainment. This is probably the best year ever for Cutting Edge, so make sure you it at least once!
October 12, 2018
Score-9.5
Site Here
Location-At the southeast corner of I-20 and Wilson Rd in Terrell. 2330 Co Rd 138, Terrell, TX 75161. Across from the TA truckstop. About 25-30 minutes east of downtown Dallas.
Phone 972-428-9653
Dates and hours open-Fridays and Saturdays in October, and Halloween. Saturday, October 13th from 8pm-midnight. Friday, October 19 from 8pm-11pm. Saturday, October 20 from 8pm-midnight. Friday, October 26 from 8pm-11:30pm. Saturday, October 27 from 8pm-midnight. Halloween, from 8pm-10pm.
Price-General admission tickets are $29.99, plus tax. Speedpass tickets are 39.99, plus tax. Parking is $10 per car. Tickets can be bought online here. Group tickets (15 or more) and combo tickets with Cutting Edge are also available here.
Miscellaneous-Thrillvania is a haunted park, so wear comfortable shoes with good traction. Thrillvania does have concessions, with great corn dogs, among other offerings. Go to the concessions stand before you enter the trail. The trail leads to the park exit. A pumpkin patch is located just inside the park grounds.
Number of attractions-Three: Verdun Manor, Cassandra’s House of Clowns, Sam Hain’s Trail of Torment.
Walk through time, for all attractions: 30-40 minutes, depending on how fast you and the people in front of you walk.
Review
Thrillvania has had it’s ups and downs over the years, probably more than any haunted attraction I can think of. Things are definitely looking up for Thrillvania this year, and it looks like this historic haunt park has a bright future. It would be nice to see more merchants in the midway in the coming years. One of the things that made the old Thrillvania special was that it was a Halloween festival, in addition to having Verdun, Cassandra’s, and Sam Hain’s. Fortunately, the food concession is still in place. I wish it hadn’t been raining so hard while we were there because I really wanted to have a couple of corn dogs and a frito pie. If it isn’t pouring rain when you’re at Thrillvania, you need to get at least one corn dog. Your visit won’t be complete without it. If you’re in the market for a pumpkin or two, you’re in luck because you have to walk through a pumpkin patch to get into the park.
With the way Thrillvania is laid out, it’s best to start with Cassandra’s. The line won’t be long if you arrive early, and it’s a fun way to get the evening started. Cassandra’s is a 3D clown house, featuring a vortex tunnel, lots of neon paint, an area divided by high wire fences, and lots of hyper clowns. There are some cool touches, like the shaking hallway and a bridge that feels like it’s sinking as you walk over it. The actors are the best part of Cassandra’s. They do some unusual things, like walking on the railing of the vortex tunnel, and climbing on the wire fencing. Getting in your face is their thing, and they do it in every part of the house. The 3D glasses reduce peripheral vision, so the clowns tend to come at you from the side. Hiding behind curtains, to the side, is their bread and butter. I could do without the chainsaw toward the end, since I hate the fumes chainsaws produce, but I guess every haunted house in Texas is obligated to have at least one.
The best time to get your corn dog is after Cassandra’s and before Verdun, since you have to walk through the midway to get to Verdun. The Manor was bathed in eerie red lighting as we approached, and the mist in the graveyard in front of Verdun enhanced the atmosphere. This short approach to the Manor looks good, but I do miss the old trail that wound behind Verdun and eventually led to the graveyard.
There has been a major change to the inside of Verdun, the lighting. The downstairs used to be pretty well lit, to allow the customer to examine the well decorated rooms. This year, Verdun is emphasizing fear, rather than decor, and the downstairs is as dark as a traditional haunted house. Actors now have the ability to surprise customers, by moving around in the dark. The trade off is that it’s not easy to see much of the gorgeous Gothic decor, but the change is a welcome one since Verdun had looked basically the same for almost three decades. The entryway, parlour, dining room, and library still look good in dim lighting. Perhaps the focus on scaring customers has energized the actors in Verdun, because they have never been this effective at startling people. The actors upstairs were great, and for the first time, I was caught off guard a few times downstairs. The drop down window after the swampy hallway was especially effective since it was paired with an actor who came up behind me when the noise from the window had my attention.
The stairwell in Verdun is still well decorated and well lit. The first part of the upstairs looks like a home, with a bedroom and a den. There are some creepy little girls in this area, and they seem to enjoy getting in your way, and not letting you pass. This part of the Manor seemed a little darker too, but not as much as downstairs. The home gives way to a funeral home next, then you venture into the laboratory. This has changed some over the last few years, but it looks like it is still an area to perform experiments on unfortunate captives, to turn them into something else, possibly werewolves. After the lab comes a dungeon, which makes sense given that test subjects have to be kept somewhere. The descent into the catacombs is still perfectly lit, and the catacombs are narrow enough to make me wonder how many people have had to be pried out of the narrowest parts. Werewolves and chainsaws await in the final part of Verdun, then it’s out into the park, and on to Sam Hain’s.
As I mentioned before, be sure that you do not want to do anything else before entering Sam Hain’s trail. You’ll exit the park after the trail. It was raining heavily on the night we reviewed, and had been raining all day. The trail was pretty much a mud puddle, despite the efforts of the ground crew. Seeing the buildings and old vehicles along the trail in this sort of weather was interesting, but I really wish the rain had stopped for a few minutes. Even in rain, Sam Hain’s is fun walk. It always makes me think of the area the Texas Chainsaw Massacre was set in. Hats off to the actors who made the best of the terrible weather and didn’t stop scaring customers.
There aren’t too many nights left for you to see Thrillvania, and it’s definitely worth a look, even if you’ve been there in the past. Enough changes have been made to keep it fresh, even for regulars. It will be interesting to see what lies ahead for the haunt park that Lance Pope built. From what I saw this year, all signs point to a great future.
Catfish Plantation is a restaurant in an old Victorian style house in Waxahachie, a little to east of I-35, one block north of Business 287, on Water St. Directions are here. It is also on every list of paranormal sites in Texas. Several paranormal groups have investigated this place over the years, and DAPS hosts a yearly ghost hunt there. Catfish Plantation also decorates for Halloween and has a pumpkin patch in October. As it’s name suggests, they specialize in catfish, but they offer a wide variety of food, and have a full bar. There are seasonal dishes, including pumpkin fries and the great pumpkin dessert, during October. I usually get meat pies as an appetizer, and one of the catfish platters as the main course. Their desserts are good, but they give large portions, so I’m usually too full for dessert.
There are two special events this October. The October 12 Ghost Hunt with DAPS, tickets here, and the Black Champagne Buffet on Halloween, tickets here. Information about the two events can be found here.
Reservations are not taken, and there are only three dining rooms, so it’s best to arrive early between Friday and Sunday during October. Catfish Plantation is open from 5pm-9pm Wednesday-Friday, 11am-9pm on Saturday, and 11am-8pm on Sunday. I usually arrive at 5 on Fridays and around 4:30 on Saturdays. I never have to wait at those times.
Their address and phone number are:
Catfish Plantation
814 Water Street
Waxahachie, TX 75165
972.937.9468
I returned to Screams on October 6th to take more pictures, and because it’s a lot of fun. It was another hot, humid night, but the setting was great. There were thunderstorms to the east and north of Screams, but it didn’t rain in the park. The dark clouds and lighting added to the Halloween atmosphere. Next weekend will be an ideal time to visit Screams since the temperature will finally drop. Friday looks like it will have a high in the low 70’s, and Saturday should be a little warmer, in the mid 70’s for a high. It should feel like Fall for the first time this season!
I tried some more specialty drinks at Full Moon Cafe. Dracula’s Kiss is still my favorite, but Michael and Chelsea made The Bloody Bat (vodka based, like Dracula’s Kiss) and Harley’s Hammer (tequila based) and Bloody Bat is almost as good as Dracula’s Kiss. The food is good too, the portions are generous, and Rachel is a very friendly Harley Quinn/server. Full Moon is located on the far side of the food court building, close to the West Market Arch. I stop by Full Moon either before or after going through the Zombie Wasteland trail, since that is behind the food court area.
You can check out the Screams site here.
October 5, 2018
Score 9.5
Site Here
Address 8550 West University Drive Denton Texas 76207
Phone 469 556 3475
Directions The entrance to Parker House is easy to miss. It is located on Hwy 380 (University Drive) and is 2.2 miles west of I-35, on the north (westbound) side of 380. From the south, take exit 469 from I-35. That is the exit for University Drive/380. Take a left on University. Drive 2.2 miles, and look for the entrance to Parker House on the right. Drive slowly, the entrance is easy to overlook. There is an old school bus with Parker House on the side, but the bus is so far back from the road that you won’t see it until it’s too late. From the north, take exit 469 (University Drive/380) from I-35 and turn right. 2.2 miles to the entrance to Parker House on the right.
Dates and Hours open-October 6,12,13, from 7:30-midnight. October 19,20,26,27, from 7pm-midnight. October 14 from 7:30pm to 10pm. October 18,21,25,28, and 30, from 7pm-10pm. Halloween from 7pm-11pm.
Price $25 for general admission. $40 for the fast pass. Cash only at the ticket booth. You can buy online here. There is a fee for online ticket purchases. There are group rates available. Call 469 556 3475 or email dfwfrightnights@gmail.com for group tickets. Your group ticket purchase must be approved before the ticket booth opens on the day of your arrival.
Miscellaneous-Parker House is in the country, so it will be a few degrees cooler than Dallas or Ft Worth at night, on cool nights. There is some uneven terrain, and it’s a large house with a trail, so wear comfortable shoes with good traction. Unless it’s a cold night, put on lots of Off, or some sort of mosquito repellent. The line to get into the house is long and it’s near a pond, which makes it a buffet for mosquitoes.
Walk through time-around 25 minutes total, for the main house, trail, and sanitarium. This makes Parker a good value, at the general admission price. The fast pass is only $15 more. On busy nights, it’s probably a good idea to spend the extra money on the fast pass because Parker House only lets in a few people at a time. That makes for a long wait in line later in October.
Last year, Parker House was being remodeled and only had a trail and a hayride. The house is back this year, along with the sanitarium. The trail runs between the two, and there is no hayride. The bridge over the pond is front of Parker House is not safe this year, so follow the cones to the entrance of the main house. The house is eerily lit, and it’s a great looking setting. The entry room still has a host, but there was no long talk this time, just directions. At first it does look like you’re walking through an old southern Gothic country house, with some macabre touches here and there. Actors become involved after you’ve passed through a couple of rooms. This year, the actors are a mixture of crazy country guys and crazy young women. There is a backstory to the house. Mary Parker was obsessed with blood and slaughter as a girl, while living with her parents at their funeral home. The parents died when she was still fairly young, she took over the family business, and all hell broke loose. The characters encountered in the house are mostly Mary’s minions and victims. There is also a sanitarium, close to the house, full of some other people who were involved with Mary Parker. This is the short version. You can read the full story on the Parker House site. This back story explains a lot of what you see while going through the house. The deeper in you go, the more it looks like a funeral home. Parker House is very well decorated, the actors do a pretty good job of finding places to hide before jumping out at you, and the lighting is just right to make the place look as creepy as possible.
There is a great trail between the main house and the sanitarium. It’s more fun on a cool night, but we enjoyed it, even though it was hot and humid when we reviewed. It’s a winding trail that passes some shacks, and ends up in the woods. Moonshiners are the main inhabitants of this area. They are a lively bunch and will follow you until the next batch of shiners find you. A couple of girls want to play games along the way, like rock paper scissors. Avoid them. There is a little shack along the trail where you spend a few minutes listening to the resident before being sent on your way. The shack even has a couch, so you can rest while listening to the woman talk.
The trail leads to the Ratliff Sanitarium. You’re greeted by an employee of the sanitarium (Alice Parker?) who fills you in on the rules of the place. There are some extremely dark areas, so dark that you will have to feel along the walls to keep going. Ratliff looks as much like a slaughterhouse as a sanitarium, which you will understand if you read the story behind the place. There is even a chainsaw wielding inmate to chase you around.
Parker House has something for everyone. I like haunted trails, and the Parker trail is the longest in this part of the state. The main house looks great, inside and out, and the sanitarium is a nice way to end the experience. Hopefully, the hayride will be back next year. The price is reasonable given the combined size of the three attractions. Even though Parker House is minutes from the UNT campus and Golden Triangle Mall, it feels like it’s deep in the country. I’ve been reviewing this haunt since 2008, and it’s still one of my favorite places to see each October.
September 29, 2018
Score 10
Site Here
Address 2511 FM 66 Waxahachie TX, 75167
Directions From the north, exit 399A from I-35 South, go west (right) and Screams will be on your left in about a mile and a half. From the south, take I-35 North, exit 399, go west (left) and Screams will be on your left in about a mile and a half.
Phone 972 398 3247
Price $35 for general admission at the ticket booth, $32 online (plus a $1 fee, except for group purchases) and fast passes are $20. Parking is free.
Discounts and coupons-North Texas Metro PCS stores have a $3 off coupon, Waxahachie Nissan has $2 off coupons, and Waxahachie Nissan gives two free tickets per test drive. Screams offers a military discount of $3 off admission for active military personnel and up to four family members. Groups of 15 or more can buy tickets at $30, if all tickets are purchased at the same time.
Dates/Hours Every Friday and Saturday in October from 7:30pm-1:30am, but the ticket booth closes at midnight.
When to arrive/How to see the attractions-Unless you plan to buy fast passes (always a good idea if you arrive late or want to go through the attractions multiple times) you need to arrive no later than 7:15. The park opens at 7:30, but it will take a few minutes to walk from your car to the ticket booth, and the entrance lines become long by 7:30. I arrive by 7, get my tickets, take some pictures of the outside, then get in line by 7:10. The order in which to see the attractions is something that I’ve tested for years. By far the best order is: The Witches of Terra Mythica Castle, Hotel D’Feers, Capt’n Barbarosa’s Blood Harbour, PT Harmum’s Carnival of Chaos, and Zombie Wasteland Apocalypse. No matter what, always see the Castle first. It’s the main attraction, with the longest lines, and the lines become long within 15-20 minutes of the park opening. You may be tempted to eat first, but it’s better to see the attractions, then eat. There is a booth serving drinks next to the entrance to the Castle, if you don’t want to wait to get a drink.
Number of attractions-Five main attractions, Cursed: The Witches of Terra Mythica Castle, Hotel D’Feers, Capt’n Barbarosa’s Blood Harbour, PT Harmum’s Carnival of Chaos, and Zombie Wasteland Apocalypse.
Walk through times for the main attractions-Screams has redesigned all of it’s main attractions for 2018, and some are quite a bit longer than before. I would say that the main attractions, not including the maze, take 45-50 minutes to go through, combined. Add 10-25 minutes for the maze.
Other attractions-Screams has a large food court in the back of the park, three taverns, and a full service bar and restaurant called Full Moon Cafe. Veg-ta-bul Justice is located in the very back of the park, next to the entrance to the Zombie Wasteland trail. Scaryoke is at the stage next to the Taboo Tavern, and there are musical acts and live entertainment on the main stage every night. Souvenir shops are available, as well as tarot card readings, wax hands, Henna tattoos, temporary tattoos, a climbing tower, and various merchants. Games of skill, an electric chair, and paintball are across from the food court. There is also a short haunt path across from the entrance to the park. The area around it is very well decorated.
Full Moon Cafe-I thought that Full Moon Cafe should have a special mention this year. Full Moon is the full service bar and restaurant in the back of the food court area, close to the West Market Arch. Like the rest of Screams, it has had a thorough makeover this year. Full Moon Cafe has never looked this good. It used to be sparsely decorated, but now it’s full of Halloween lights and props. The bartenders and servers in the Full Moon Cafe now have great costumes and makeup. This is the way I had hoped that Full Moon would look when it reopened a few years ago. There are new specialty drinks this year and Dracula’s Kiss is my favorite. It’s a vodka based drink, with blackberry flavoring, probably grenadine, and maybe a couple of other ingredients. It tastes great, and is surprisingly refreshing. It cooled me down when I was in a full sweat after walking around the park on a very humid night. The bartenders are fast and good at what they do. The restaurant serves short order food, like stuffed taters, chicken sandwiches, and cheese fries. The bacon cheese fries are my favorite, and the portion they give is huge. Full Moon is a good place to rest and relax while you eat and drink, and they take all major credit cards. This is the only place in Screams where you can use credit cards to pay for food and drink.
Miscellaneous-Wear comfortable shoes. Screams is mostly outdoors and you will do a lot of walking on dirt and gravel, and it won’t always be even ground. This is not the place for high heels. Dress warmly on cool nights, the temperature is usually a few degrees cooler at Screams than in Dallas. Do not wear costumes. Costumes are prohibited for customers at Screams for security reasons. Screams is mostly handicapped accessible.
Review
Every main attraction at Screams has been redone for 2018. The themes are different, the actors have a new, more energetic approach to haunting, the decor is different, and some of the attractions have been rearranged and lengthened. While in the main attractions, you’ll never go more than a few feet without some kind of action, either from an actor, an animatronic prop, or an air gun. The entire park has been upgraded this year. You’ll notice greater attention to detail in the way the park is decorated, especially around the park entrance, and the Taboo Tavern/dining area. There are more roaming characters around the park, and each main attraction has costumed characters by the line entrance to guide you in. Overall, Screams looks much more festive this year.
Cursed: The Witches of Terra Mythica Castle
This is the largest attraction at Screams. The Castle is impressive from a distance, with its walls and turrets illuminated by light from torch fires above it’s entrance. After a talk with the host, who is also a witch, you go through the gate, over the bridge, and into the body of the castle. The decor in the Castle is the best in Screams. It is heavy on witches and black magic, but also has some outstanding werewolf props. There is a strange werewolf prop after the entryway. I’m not sure what it’s doing, but it looks great. You’ll see more werewolves later in the first half of the Castle, but by then you’ll have witches all around you. The witches and minions have a lot to work with. There are entrances to the path you follow built for them all over the Castle, and they are usually well obscured, so you won’t see the actors coming. Some follow you, others startle you, they are all very good and well costumed. They don’t touch, but they come close enough to make you uncomfortable.
The witches have been busy, in addition to rooms for black magic, they have built torture areas, a great looking library and den, and they’ve even webbed up some of their victims. If you’re lucky, you’ll have enough time to check out the detail on the corridor walls and in the rooms. It’s outstanding, and worth a second trip through, especially if you have a fast pass. The path descends as you go deeper into the castle until you’re in catacombs with eerie lighting. This is probably my favorite part of the Castle because it looks like it’s straight out of a high grade horror movie. It’s genuinely creepy in the depths of the Castle, and the actors make the most of it by popping out when you least expect them. Like the Hotel, you’ll think that you’re about to exit the Castle, only to find more dark paths ahead. There is a great scene deep in the Castle with witches around a giant cauldron. It’s movie quality and typifies the effort put into the remodel of this attraction.
I went through the Castle three times and I could have gone through a fourth time, if I hadn’t needed to get home to write this review. This is an haunt where a fast pass comes in handy.
Hotel D’Feers
The Hotel has had a major renovation this year. It’s new theme is based on a mass murder, and the actors, props, and decor are better coordinated and more consistent than in previous years. The act begins before you enter, with excellent hosts setting the stage for the Hotel. The action is nonstop once you enter. I don’t know whether the Hotel has more actors this year, or whether they are just covering more areas, but I was never without an actor around me for more than a few seconds. They were as active as any haunted house actors I’ve seen, and they have lots of hiding places and blind spots to use to startle you. The props are a combination of hotel, and either hospital or slaughterhouse. The actors have outstanding makeup and can be difficult to look at some of the time. Fog is used pretty heavily in some parts of the Hotel, while other areas are very dark. The design makes you think that you are about to exit, only to have more corridors ahead. The Castle is much improved this year, but the Hotel is probably still the most frightening attraction at Screams.
Capt’n Barbarosa’s Blood Harbour
The 3D house at Screams has a new design, and a new look. The outside of the house has a strong dead pirate theme. The props outside are cool, and the host makes you feel at home at the entrance. If you’ve been to the old 3D pirate house, you’ll realize that the path through the place has been reversed, and an even bigger difference is that the first half is not 3D, but is instead a great looking pirate village. I think there are more actors in Barbarosa’s than in the old pirate house, and they really like to get close to you. The standout of Barbarosa’s are the crab men. Like some other actors, they do a great job of blending in with their surroundings. Moving planks, shaking halls, and creatively uneven flooring will keep you on your toes, especially when you put on your 3D glasses midway through Barbarosa’s. The vortex tunnel is probably a little faster this year. The people in front of me had to hold onto the rails to get through it. The 3D paint is very good, with enough actors in the 3D area to keep it interesting. This house is fun, and it has a good number of scares mixed in.
PT Harmum’s Carnival of Chaos
This is a very challenging maze. It has wire fences and you can see surrounding buildings when you’re on the edge of the maze, so you’ll think that it’s easy to find the way out, but this maze has an unusual design and you can’t find the exit by keeping sight of other buildings. The 2018 redesign took away some things that could help you find the exit, and of course, the clowns always give false directions to the exit. Speaking of clowns, they are great at startling guests, even though there aren’t many good hiding places for them. They are always around, and their constant chattering is so distracting that I probably missed the path to the exit more than once. I became completely lost in the interior of the maze and wound up reaching the entrance. I thought about going back in, then exited. This is the second year in a row I’ve failed to find the real exit. You’ll spend more time in the Carnival of Chaos than in any of the other Screams attractions.
Zombie Wasteland Apocalypse
At the back of the park, behind Taboo Tavern, is the entrance to the Zombie Wasteland trail. This year’s zombie trail is much longer than in the past. There are fewer wide open spaces, with a narrower path and lots of turns. The zombies now get into the trail with you, instead of mostly remaining outside the pathway. The result is that Zombie Wasteland is more intense and you are now having to avoid zombies instead of just looking at props along the trail. The actors must practice quite a bit because they were able to startle me several times on both trips through. Props are solid, post apocalyptic fare, with creepy sound effects through the trail. This is an effective, winding zombie trail, and a bonus is that it’s the least crowded of the attractions at Screams since it’s in the back of the park.
A great deal of effort went into the remake of Screams, and the hard work has paid off in a big way. Every aspect of Screams has improved noticeably, from the actors and props, down to the smallest details in outside decor. All this has been accomplished while keeping the ticket price reasonable. Screams is still the best value in North Texas. The new themes for the big attractions are creative and have rejuvenated a great haunt park. 2018 is without question the best year yet for Screams!
September 28, 2018
Score-9
Halls of Horror is a new haunted house located inside of Music City Mall (formerly Vista Ridge Mall) on the second story, across from the food court. The entrance is inside the mall. Music City Mall is at the southwest corner of I-35 and Hebron Parkway in Lewisville. 2401 S Stemmons Fwy, Lewisville, TX 75067
Site/Social Media- https://www.facebook.com/hallsofhorrorlewisville/
Admission-$10
Hours can vary, check their Facebook page for updates. Generally, it’s 4pm until midnight, and from noon until midnight on Saturdays. I stress to check their Facebook page before going. They do close early sometimes, especially on weeknights.
Number of attractions-single attraction
Remaining dates open-Halls of Horror is open on days when Music City Mall is open, after 4pm, or noon on Saturdays.
Walk through time varies, but I would say around 7-8 minutes.
Review
This is the first time I’ve been to a haunted house in a mall since 2000. It’s a great idea for a location, but spaces large enough for haunted houses aren’t usually available in malls. I was surprised by how long it took to walk through this haunt. They did a great job of dividing their space up to extend the length of the place. The animatronics were very good, some of them jump out at you and are startling. Everything is well decorated, with good attention to detail, especially in the main rooms. They either use ground based foggers or misters, which enhances the atmosphere as you enter the main part of the haunt. The fog or mist is also used with lasers to create the illusion that you are moving through water in one area. All in all, a great job of using props and decor.
There are either actors or animatronics in every part of Halls of Horror so you won’t encounter dead space. Some actors seemed to be guides, but most were well positioned to surprise you. The costumes and makeup were good and went well with the decor. You’ll find as many actors per square foot as you will in any haunted house in Texas.
My group enjoyed the overall feel of the place. It reminded us of haunted houses when we were growing up. A plus is that you have a mall available to you when you exit (before 9pm) and plenty of other shopping and restaurants within a quarter of a mile. Cinemark has a recently remodeled theater in the mall, with late showings available. When possible, I like to eat and see a movie after going to a haunted house, so this is an ideal location.
Halls of Horror is a great buy at $10. That price makes it the least expensive haunted house I’ve reviewed, or heard of, this decade. It has extremely convenient hours, and because of it’s location, you can plan an evening around it. An additional bonus is that it’s located well within the Metroplex, just a few minutes north of Dallas, and next to Carrollton. With no haunted attractions within Dallas city limits, Halls of Horror is as short a drive as you’re going to have going to a haunted house, if you live in the northern half of Dallas or the northern suburbs. This is a refreshing take on haunted houses, and it’s the only new haunted attraction in north Texas this year. My group had fun here, and I’m pretty sure your’s will too.