Texas Haunts – Haunted House And Halloween News and Reviews

Welcome to Texas Haunts 2020, 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. We also list current and vintage genre movies and TV shows, pumpkin patches, links to a variety of Halloween stores, and paranormal sites and restaurants with the Halloween spirit. We will also have a full list of Halloween parties in the DFW area. Thanks for visiting and please come again soon!

Dark Hour Haunted House in Plano is open December 13-14, and December 27-28. 7pm-11pm each night. A behind the scenes tour is available on December 28, from noon-3pm. Tickets here.

Scream Hollow is open December 13-14, and December 20-21, from 6pm-11pm each night. Tickets here.

House of Torment in Austin will be open December 13-14, and December 20. Hours are 8pm-Midnight each night. Tickets here.

Screamworld in Houston will be open on December 13, 8pm-11pm. Tickets here.

Ripley’s Haunted Adventure in San Antonio, and Haunted Mayfield Manor in Galveston are open all year. Check their sites for times and prices.

Halloween is over, but many haunted attractions will be open this Friday and/or Saturday. A few will be open the weekend of the 8th and 9th. Check the statewide haunted house listing page for hours of the haunt that you want to see this weekend, and beyond. 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 2020 season of Texas Haunts will begin in August of 2020!

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 and other Halloween activities for everything other than haunted houses and movies.

Movies-Most Alamo Drafthouses, Angelikas Dallas and Plano, Texas Theater, and some Studio Movie Grills have vintage horror movies playing on Halloween. Zombieland Doubletap and Countdown are 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.

For at home entertainment, 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.

With the exception of Screams, all haunted attractions are open on Halloween, and many are open Monday-Wednesday. Check listings here for the haunts you want to see. My recommended haunted houses are here. Most haunted houses will also be open Friday and Saturday. I will have a post later in the week for haunts that will be open past Halloween.

For all things Halloween, check out the following pages. All have been updated for this week.

Statewide listing of haunted attractions

Halloween movie and TV listings

Halloween Parties October 29-November 2

Other Halloween Activities

Haunted House Reviews

Halloween links

October 29

Rocktober Halloween Bash at Wayne Ferguson Plaza in Lewisville, beginning at 5pm.

Halloween Trivia Special at Pinstripes Bowling in Ft Worth, begins at 7pm.

October 30

Flash Film Screening Halloween Films at Mockingbird Station in Dallas, begins at 7pm

Bakeology DFW Halloween Cake Decorating Class in Keller, beings at 5:30pm

Halloween Wine Glass Painting Party at Drunken Donkey in the Colony, begins at 7pm.

Halloween!

Alaween Halloween Carnival at Alamo Richardson, from 3-6pm.

Spooky Snaps Free Halloween Portraits at Ft Worth Camera at 4pm.

Halloween Paint Party in Dallas at 4pm.

Family Halloween Party in Dallas from 4-9pm.

Treat Street at the Stockyards in Ft Worth from 5-7pm.

Denton Halloween Fest begins at 6pm.

Halloween With the Hannah’s in Garland, begins at 6pm.

Halloween Paint Party in Dallas, begins at 6pm.

Kostumes and Karaoke Halloween Party at 7 in Carrollton.

Halloween Bash at Texas Republic in Fort Worth at 7pm.

Halloween Trivia Night at Starbucks on La Vista in Lakewood, at 7pm

Halloween Cocktail Class at 7pm at The People’s Last Stand in Dallas.

The Melvins at Trees in Deep Ellum at 7pm.

GWAR at Gas Monkey in Dallas at 7:30pm.

The Nightmare Before Christmas in concert at the Meyerson in Dallas at 7:30pm.

Halloween on Halloween at the Church, begins at 8pm.

Hall O Ween at Legacy Hall in Palno at 8pm.

Dame 5 Halloween Night in Arlington at 8pm.

Halloween Masquerade in Ft Worth at 8pm.

The House on Haunted Hill Live Ballet at 8 at Texas Theater in Dallas.

W Rooftop Halloween Night Masquerade Party at 9pm

The Throwback 90’s Halloween Party at Canton Hall in Deep Ellum at 9pm.

Darkwave Halloween Party at Free Play Denton at 9pm.

Halloween Night at Status in downtown Dallas, begins at 9pm.

Highlife Halloween Party at One Sette in Dallas, at 9pm.

Halloween Fright Night in Downtown Dallas at 10pm.

November 1

Nightmare on Singleton Halloween Bash in Dallas at 7pm.

Halloween Costume Contest at Pinstripes in Ft Worth at 7pm.

Halloween Bash and Costume Contest at The Forum in Richardson at 8pm.

November 2

Halloween Masquerade Ball in Irving at 6pm.

Angels and Demons Ball at the Stoneleigh in Dallas at 9pm.

I went to Screams this Friday and had a wonderful time! The park has been upgraded since I reviewed on October 5th, and looks even better now. All other haunted attractions will be open at least on Halloween, so you can see them later this week, but this Saturday is the last night of the season for Screams. The weather will be perfect, and you can’t beat the value, so check out Screams while you still can. Be sure to stop by Full Moon Cafe, a full service bar and cafe, and say hi to Michael and Cheltsey at the bar. Order a Dracula’s Kiss, you won’t be disappointed. Check out my review of Screams here, Full Moon here, and the pics below. You can buy tickets on site, or online here. Screams opens at 7:30pm and closes at 1:30am, with ticket sales cutting off at midnight.

Here is a list of links to pages on this site that will be useful as you plan your weekend.

Statewide listing of haunted attractions

Halloween Parties

Other Halloween Activities

Halloween movies and TV listings

Screams Halloween Theme Park

Haunted House Reviews

Halloween links

Guide to children’s parties here.

Adult and Pet Events

Wednesday, October 23

Hotel Habana Halloween Festival

Thursday, October 24

Doublewide Halloween Bash starts at 8, show at 9.

Happy Halloween and Perfect Pie -Grapevine starts at 6:30.

Boss Babes Halloween Birthday Bash in Lake Dallas, starts at 7pm.

Pumpkin Carving at The Old Monk nightly through Halloween.

Friday, October 25

Trick or Treat at the Farmstead at Heritage Farmstead Museum in Plano, from 10am-noon.

Dallas Storytelling Guild’s Ghost Tales for Adults at 7 at Lochwood Library, close to White Rock Lake.

Free Play Arlington Night of the Living Arcade The ticketed Halloween party begins at 7pm.

Monky Events Halloween Party in Arlington, starts at 8

Dallas Halloween Bar Crawl Downtown and Deep Ellum. Starts at 8 at RBC on Commerce St.

Punch Bowl Punch Up Halloween Edition in Arlington, starts at 8.

Werewolf of London at Pocket Sandwich Theater at 8.

Perrish Cox 3rd Annual Halloween Spooktacular in Dallas, starts at 8.

Phright Night Costume Party in Arlington, starts at 9.

Leather and Laces Halloween Edition, hosted by Jeremy Piven, starts at 9:30 Statler Dallas

Hotel ZaZa’s Yelloween Halloween Bash, begins at 10.

Saturday, October 26

STEM in the park, Halloween Edition-Begins at 10am, in Dallas.

Halloween ComicFest at the Multiverse Multiverse Comics in Hurst, begins at 10am

Halloween Boogie Spooktacular at M.A.C. center in Dallas, begins at 10:30am

Halloween Cupcake Decorating Workshop-in Royse City, begins at 11am

Trick’r Treat Trains Grapevine Vintage Railroad at 11:30 am and 1:30pm

Dallas DogRRR Howl O Ween Party and Costume Contest at 3 Nations Brewing in Carrollton 1-5pm

Hilltopper Halloween Beer Tasting in Farmers Branch, begins at 1pm

Dallas Storytelling Guild’s Ghost Tales for Kids at 2 at Lochwood Library, close to White Rock Lake.

Truck Yard Halloween Party and Costume Contest for Dogs  3pm at Truck Yard in Lower Greenville

Friscovania 3pm in Frisco.

Halloween Bar Crawl at Clutch Bar on Cedar Springs, begins at 4pm

Trick or Drink Halloween Bar Crawl (2 days) begins at 4, at Playground Bar on McKinney.

Cirque Du Horror in Denton at 4.

Howl O Ween Costume Contest for pets at the Ginger Man in Southlake from 5-8.

Oaklawn Block Party-begins at 7 on the 3900 block of Cedar Springs in Dallas.

Deep Ellum Bar Crawl at STIRR on Main St at 7.

Dallas Storytelling Guild’s Ghost Tales for Adults at 7 at Lochwood Library, close to White Rock Lake.

Harley Quinn’s Fright Night Halloween Party in White Settlement, begins at 7.

Halloween Costume Paint Party at Toshio’s taste of Japan in Duncanville, begins at 7.

Come if You Dare Pole and Aerial Show in Hurst, begins at 7.

Boo’d Up Couples Paint and Trap Party in Ft Worth, begins at 7:30.

Halloween Costume Party at Z Tap and Grille in Flower Mound, begins at 8.

Doublewide Halloween Bash in downtown Dallas, begins at 8.

Werewolf of London at Pocket Sandwich Theater at 8.

2019 Halloween Bar Crawl (Saturday) at RBC in downtown Dallas, begins at 8.

Terror at Texas Halloween Party in Arlington, begins at 8.

Three Links Halloween Party at Three Links in Deep Ellum, begins at 8pm.

3rd Annual Car Wreck and Cowboy and the Key Party at On Premise in Deep Ellum, begins at 8.

Haunted W Halloween Costume Party in the W Hotel, begins at 9.

Halloween Twerk and Sip at Ruby Room in downtown Dallas, begins at 9:30pm.

9th Annual Mega Masquerade and Costume Bash at House of Blues in Dallas, at 10.

Halloween TricksNTreats on Kiest Blvd in Dallas at 10pm.

Sunday, October 27

Trick’r Treat Trains Grapevine Vintage Railroad at 1:30pm and 3:30pm

Halloween Slime Fest at Tinted Beauty in Irving, begins at 2.

Halloween SafeTacular  for Kids and Pets at the Ron Kirk Bridge at 4pm

Halloween Murder at Sherlock’s in Addison at 6.

Werewolf of London at Pocket Sandwich Theater at 7.

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 2019 season at Screams. All of the haunted attractions, and most of the park, have been remodeled for this season, so even if you’ve seen Screams in the past, there will be things for you to see. Please refer to my review of Screams from October 5th for more detailed information.

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, 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.

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.

With the Halloween season entering it’s final phase, I thought I would post a list of haunted attractions that I personally recommend. Keep in mind that I live in the DFW area and mostly see haunted houses around here, so most of the recommended haunts will be in this region.

Screams-A great haunted park with five major attractions, games, merchants, and lots of options for food and alcohol at three pubs, plus a full service bar and cafe.

Cutting Edge-A huge haunted house in downtown Fort Worth. As good a haunted house as you will find anywhere, it takes over half an hour to go through it.

Thrillvania-A large haunt park in Terrell, about 30 minutes east of downtown Dallas. Three attractions, including the famous Verdun Manor.

Texas Scaregrounds-A haunted house in a haunted hospital, in Mineral Wells, west of Fort Worth. It’s a fun, intense house, and it’s nestled in an area with major paranormal hotspots. You can combine Texas Scaregrounds with a ghost hunt in the old hospital it’s in, as well as the nearby Baker Hotel.

Waco Haunted Houses-Two attractions and a nice gift shop on the northbound access road of I-35. a little north of Waco. These are great looking haunted houses, and everyone has fun here, including the actors.

Dark Hour-Fantastic props and decor, and first rate actors make this Plano haunted house one of the best in the country.

Scream Hollow-A huge haunt park southeast of Austin with multiple attractions, and a cafe and bar.

Screamworld-If you are in the Houston area, this is a must see haunted attraction.

13th Gate-World famous, and deservedly so. The best haunt in Louisiana, by far. People travel from all over the country to see 13th Gate.

House of Torment in Austin and San Antonio’s 13th Floor-Owned by the same company, they feature movie quality sets, props, costumes, and makeup.

October 13, 2019

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-October 18 from 7pm-12:30am, October 19 from 7pm-1am, October 20 from 8pm-10pm, October 24 from 8pm-10pm, October 25 from 7pm-1am, October 26 from 7pm-1am, October 27 from 8pm-10:30pm, October 30 from 8pm-10pm, Halloween from 7pm-10:30pm, November 1 from 9pm-10:30pm, November 2 from 9pm-10:30pm.

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 $3.75 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 $3.75 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 $3.75 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 $3.75 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 $3.75 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 $3.75 fee

Group rate timed ticket-$38.25 online plus a $3.75 service fee, $45 onsite.

Group rate Speedpass-On sale for $46.75 plus a $3.75 fee

Coupon Promo codes here.

Parking is $15-$20. Parking is now across the street. Credit cards are accepted for parking.

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. Now you can get something to eat and spend some time outside the haunt, before or after you go in.

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. 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.

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

Cutting Edge began changing it’s outside two years ago. What used to be their main parking lot is now used for music, concessions, and space for people to move around. Figures on horseback line the area around the haunted house entrance, and the giant skull that you walk through to enter the house is shrouded in mist. 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. Mist in this area was a nice touch.

There is a nice wasteland zone, with actors jumping around, and props that look like something out of a zombie movie. Shortly after the wasteland, 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 very 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 some areas.

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. There is a area that transitions from the cemetery to the funeral home that looked great, with reddish lighting and interesting props.

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.

A clown area replaces the old blackout maze. 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.

There is a heavily misted area close the end of the house that I mistook for the beginning of the bubble tunnel. At the end, I decided to take the bypass before the tunnel filled with bubbles. The bypass is in plain site this year, just go left instead of right.

Final Thoughts

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, or entertainment on screens, 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. Some sort of clown programming was in the third break area, before the clown house. 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. The price of parking has gone up, but the extra convenience is worth it.

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. This is probably the best year ever for Cutting Edge, so make sure you it at least once!

October 12, 2019

Score-9

Site here

Facebook here

Online tickets here

Dates and hours open-Open every Friday and Saturday in October, plus Halloween and November 1 and 2. 7pm-midnight.

Price-$20, group rates and combo ghost hunting tickets are available. Ghost hunting tickets, without haunted house tickets are also available, and are $20. Text 817 819 6773 for details about group rates. Bring a can of food and get $5 off the regular haunted house admission price.

Phone-817-819-6773

Address-314 NW 4th Street Mineral Wells TX 76067

Parking-Free. A lot for Texas Scaregrounds is available at Hwy 281 and 4th street, and there is plenty of parking on the streets around the Scaregrounds.

Number of attractions-One, although a ghost hunting trip can be purchased to go with the haunted house.

Walk through time-12-15 minutes. Possibly longer if you aren’t good at mazes.

Review

The setting for Texas Scaregrounds is one of the best I’ve seen. Scaregrounds is located in Mineral Wells, a small town west of Ft Worth, in an old multistory building called Nazarene Hospital. The hospital itself is allegedly haunted, and Baker Hotel, only a few blocks from the Scaregrounds, is on all of the paranormal sites. Nazarene Hospital is a big, creepy looking building, and it’s at the western edge of downtown Mineral Wells. When you drive down the street to the Scaregrounds, it looks like you’re driving off into the country, which helps set the mood for a haunted house. The front of the hospital building is brightly lit with what look like LED lights shining onto it, and the hospital lobby, now the ticket booth, is nicely decorated. The decor in the lobby reminds me of old school 90’s haunted houses, and it’s appropriate for the look Texas Scaregrounds is going for.

So far, Scaregrounds hasn’t used much of the huge hospital building. They are only on the first floor, but they have made the of the most of that area. Greeters begin your experience with a talk about rules and expectations within the haunt. They’re in costume and in character, so the usual bit about house rules is turned into something fun.

Most of the rooms in the Scaregrounds are like mini mazes. They don’t have obvious exits, so you have to feel along the walls and push on doors to find a way out. There are actual mazes in the haunt, which are difficult enough that one group of girls accidentally exited the house and had to be let back in to finish their trip through. Lighting is dim or dark, for the most part, which makes the mazes and mini mazes even more difficult. Actors are allowed to touch in the Scaregrounds, and they usually went for my ankles, while they were under a bed, or behind a door. When you combine very dim lighting with difficult to navigate rooms, and actors grabbing at your legs, you end up with very startled guests. There was a great deal of screaming inside the Scaregrounds. Much of it came from guests, but a fair amount came from the actors. There were several actors who screamed loudly and frequently, and I have to admit that it was unnerving. There were also lots of actors in every area and room. I use a voice recording app on my phone to make notes while I walk through haunted houses, and I like to speak into the phone when there are no actors around. In the entire haunt, I was only alone twice, so I ended up making notes with actors around me, screaming quite a bit of the time.

Props and decor inside the haunt do their job, which is to set you up to be scared by the actors. I like the creative use of space to break the place up and increase the walk through time. Being as dark as it is, some of the guests were frightened enough to panic and back up, and, as I mentioned, one group backed up all the way out of the place. It’s an intense experience, so you might want to avoid bringing very young kids, unless they are very difficult to frighten. I was nervous most of the way through, and I’m pretty desensitized to haunted houses, so most guests will end up jumping around at least a few times.

The price at Scaregrounds ($20) is great, and you can get another $5 off by bringing a can of food to donate. I wish that I had scheduled a ghost hunt to go along with my visit to the Scaregrounds, and I suggest that you do just that. You can do both for $35 (with a donation of a can of food) and, if you have the time, you can also go by the Baker Hotel for a ghost walk. That has to be scheduled as well, but you can do it all if you plan a few days in advance. If you are from out of town, highways 180 and 281 have lots of dining options, fast food and restaurants. I suggest that you plan ahead and make a night of your visit to Mineral Wells. I live in middle of DFW, and it took less than an hour and half to get to Mineral Wells. People in Fort Worth and the rest of the western side of DFW can get there in much less time. Ghost hunting at Nazarene Hospital and the Baker Hotel, in addition to Texas Scaregrounds, will make your trip more than worthwhile.

October 11, 2019

Score-9

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. Saturday, October 12, from 8:30-10:30pm, Friday, October 18, from 8:30pm-10pm. Saturday, October 19, from 8:30pm-11pm. Friday, October 25, from 8:30pm-10:30pm, and Saturday, October 26, from 8:30pm-11:30pm.

Price-General admission tickets are $32.99, plus tax. Speedpass tickets are 52.99, plus tax. A $3.75 is charged for online ticket purchases. 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. There is a second concessions stand just inside the park, but it only has snacks and soft drinks. Go to the concessions stands and see Verdun and Cassandra’s before you enter the trail. The trail leads to the park exit, and you will not be able to reenter the park after the trail. 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

Improvements have been made in all three main attractions at Thrillvania, and there were far more people in the park than last year when we reviewed. All animatronics were working, though there seemed to be fewer of them than in the past. It would be nice to see more merchants in the midway in coming years, since 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. Food concessions are still in place, with the main concession close to Verdun Manor, and a smaller concession close to the park entrance. When you’re at Thrillvania, you need to get at least one corn dog. Your visit won’t be complete without it. The main concession stand has great corn dogs, plus frito pies, funnel cakes, and other carnival food. The smaller concession stand has candy and soft drinks only. 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.

This year, a park employee greets you as soon as you enter, and lets you know that you won’t be able to reenter the park after you’ve exited Sam Hain’s trail, and suggests that you see everything before entering the trail. You can start with Verdun Manor, but I think it’s best to begin with Cassandra’s House of Clowns. It’s right in front of the park entrance, and the line won’t be long if you arrive early, so 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 climbing the fences. High energy, club music plays loudly, which is disorienting, and makes it more of a challenge to get through the house. The actors are the best part of Cassandra’s. 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. They make good use of hiding places and sometimes circle back to scare you again.

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. The lamps around the trail and entrance to Verdun were great looking, with about six lights per lamp. The graveyard in front of Verdun was heavily fogged, which got customers in the mood for the Manor.

Once you get into Verdun, you walk through the parlor, dining room and library. They look good, much as they did 20 years ago. Attention to detail in decor has always been a strong point for Verdun. The actors blend in well with life sized figures, and have good enough timing to frighten guests regularly . The stairwells aren’t as well decorated as in the past, but this isn’t a big deal. I like the upgrades to the laboratory, the catacombs are as good as ever, and the evisceration area is still cool looking. The residential area upstairs is probably the best part of Verdun now. It didn’t seem like Verdun took as long to go through as usual, but it’s still fun and the props and decor are great.

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. There are three shacks that are large enough for actors and scenes, including one that has fog some fog in it. There are lots of hanging figures in the trees, and the lighting is effective in creating an eerie atmosphere through the trail. The actors do a pretty good job of frightening the guests, for the most part, but it would be nice if the actors in the very good looking jack o’lantern display would either let people just enjoy the display, or jump out and scare people, instead of standing there trying to carry on a conversation.

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 if you’ve seen it many times in the past.

Full Moon Cafe is the full bar and full service cafe at Screams, on the west end of the Food Court area. Cheltsey and Michael are excellent bartenders, and Rachael looks after the dining area. This is the only place in Screams where you can eat, drink and pay with a credit card. Full Moon has plenty of seating and is well decorated. It’s dimly lit, with a cozy Halloween feel to it, and the bartenders and servers dress up in Halloween costumes. I spoke with a few people who said that this is their favorite place to go in Screams. The food was excellent on our visit (we had bacon and cheese fries, plus cheeseburgers) and I love the Dracula’s Kiss drink. It’s refreshing, and has a kick since it’s vodka based. Cheltsey has come up with a peanut butter and banana flavored drink that tastes like ice cream, that was very welcome on the incredibly hot night of our review. Other Halloween specialty drinks are available, and Michael and Cheltsey can take requests. Full Moon is a great place to begin, or end your night at Screams.

October 5, 2019

Score-10

Site here

Facebook here

Tickets here

Phone-972-938-3247

Location-2511 FM 66 Waxahachie, TX 75167

Directions-from Dallas: Take I-35E South to Exit 399A, Go west on FM66 1.6 miles

From Ft Worth: Take Hwy 287 South to I-35E South, Take I-35E South to Exit 399A, Go west on FM66 1.6 miles

From Waco:Due to I-35E construction, the exit for Screams has temporarily changed to exit 397 on northbound I-35E. Proceed to FM66, go west 1.6 miles

Attractions-Five major haunted attractions, plus a cemetery trail, food court, multiple taverns, a great full service bar and cafe (Full Moon Cafe) games of skill, a climbing tower, live music, Scaryoke, Halloween related merchants, a psychic, Henna tattoos, wax hands, palm readings, and more!

Full Moon Cafe is the full bar and full service cafe at Screams, on the west end of the Food Court area. Cheltsea and Michael are excellent bartenders, and Rachael looks after the dining area. This is the only place in Screams where you can eat, drink and pay with a credit card. Full Moon has plenty of seating and is well decorated. It’s dimly lit, with a cozy Halloween feel to it, and the bartenders and servers dress up in Halloween costumes. I spoke with a few people who said that this is their favorite place to go in Screams. The food was excellent on our visit (we had bacon and cheese fries, plus cheeseburgers) and I love the Dracula’s Kiss drink. It’s refreshing, and has a kick since it’s vodka based. Cheltsea has come up with a peanut butter and banana flavored drink that tastes like ice cream, that was very welcome on the incredibly hot night of our review. Other Halloween specialty drinks are available, and Michael and Cheltsea can take requests. Full Moon is a great place to begin, or end your night at Screams.

Dates open-Fridays and Saturdays in October, from 7:30pm-1:30am. Ticket sales end at midnight.

Tickets-General admission is $35 at the box office, $32 online (plus a $1 service fee) while group tickets are $30 for groups of 15 or more. Group tickets have to be purchased in advance and are not available at the gate. Fast passes are $20 each, and are highly advisable later in the season. $4 off coupons are available at participating T-Mobile stores.

Parking -Parking is free

Miscellaneous info-Always wear comfortable shoes or boots at Screams. You will have problems in high heels. This is a park, and the terrain is natural. On warm nights, dress in your coolest clothing, but on colder nights, remember that Screams is in the country, so it’s going to be several degrees cooler than DFW or Austin. Remember to not wear costumes or masks. For security reasons, guests can’t wear either at Screams.

Walk through time-Around an hour for all of the attractions combined. Please keep in mind that this is a haunted park, not just a haunted house. A great deal of the fun at Screams is being able to walk around, checking out merchants, music, and eating and drinking. It’s best to allow a good part of the night to spend at Screams. You can go through the attractions as many times as you want, although having a fast pass really helps if you want to see the attractions multiple times. On our review, we arrived before the park opened, and left around midnight. We could easily have spent more time in the park. This is a place to take your time, have fun, and relax.

Review:

Screams is the largest Halloween park I’ve been to, and it helps to have a plan for seeing the main attractions. I always advise people to see the attractions first, and eat and drink afterward. I save checking out the games and merchants for after dinner and drinks. It’s also fun to mix it up and alternate between roaming around the park and visiting the food court and Full Moon Cafe, but see the attractions first. On busy nights, Screams can be kind of hectic, so below is the schedule that I follow when I review Screams. It’s worked well for me for many years. If you need to orient yourself, a map of the park is located next to the entrance to the cemetery trail, in front of the park entrance. A signpost pointing out the direction of the attractions and services is in front of the souvenir shop, also close to the park entrance. Reviews of the individual attractions follow my guide.

As tempting as it is to go through the cemetery trail in front of the park entrance, it’s always best to start with the Witches of Terra Mythica Castle. The line for the Castle becomes long early in the evening, and even the fast pass wait can eat heavily into your evening. See the Castle first, then go to your right after exiting the Castle, walk uphill to the trail from the food court to the park entrance, and take a right. That will take you to Hotel D’Feers, which will be on your right. After the Hotel, head straight across the park to Blood Harbour, the 3D pirate themed funhouse. When you exit Blood Harbour, take a right and go to Carnival of Chaos, a clown themed maze. Zombie Wasteland is the main trail at Screams and is located behind the food court. From the Carnival exit, head straight across the park to the food court, wrap around the food court, and you will find Zombie Wasteland. The lines at Zombie Wasteland are usually not as long as at the other big attractions, so I save it for last.

Once you have been through the main attractions, you’ll have worked up an appetite, and the food court is next to the exit for Zombie Wasteland. For food, you have a choice of the full service Full Moon Cafe, located on the west side of the food court, or a wide variety of carnival food at the court itself. Fajitas, pizza, turkey legs, barbecue sandwiches, chicken or sausage on a stick are some of the offerings at the food court. 21 and over can find alcohol at Taboo Tavern, Spider Web Bar, and the Morgue Tavern. All are located in the food court area. Full Moon Cafe is the only place in Screams with a full bar.

After you’ve eaten and visited the taverns, you can turn your attention to playing and shopping. Across from the food court, by the exit for the Castle, are the games, and a well decorated kettle corn stand. Henna Tattoos is now located catty-corner from the food court. Nightly Scaryoke is held at the stage under the pavilion by Taboo Tavern (it’s the King’s Pub Stage during Scarborough) and the main stage (at the back of the park, Crown Meadow Stage during Scarborough) features live musical acts. If you want to rock climb, or just watch people climb, a climbing tower is located close to the Carnival of Chaos.

For shopping, head to Merchant’s Row, located close to the park entrance. Waxed hands, Glo items, jewelry, tombstones, glass pipes, feather extensions, a psychic, tarot card readings, and palm readings are all on Merchant’s Row. Screams also has a souvenir shop located between Merchant’s Row and the park entrance. Before you leave, don’t forget the cemetery trail, with some of the coolest lighting and props in the park. It’s located directly across from the park entrance. There is no line for this trail, you just walk in. It’s a nice way to wind up the evening, and you can get some good pictures without using a flash.

Main Attractions:

Cursed: The Witches of Terra Mythica Castle

The Castle has a great setting. You can see pictures taken from the trail leading to the castle in the gallery below. I love the lighting of the Castle walls and the flames shooting out, near the Castle entrance. You walk over a little bridge to get into the Castle, passing under a gate. Action comes as soon as you are inside, with actors all around you while you’re surrounded by undead armored knights. Dark hallways lead into the dungeon, illuminated by dim lighting, alternating between red, blue, and green. A swampy area follows after a bridge, with heavy fog and orange lighting. Look for the library in this area, it has some of the best decor in Screams. The sound effects are creepy, with werewolves and bats seemingly around you as you descend into the catacombs. This is my favorite part of the Castle. It could be my imagination, but the walkway seems to narrow in this area, and the lighting is perfectly adjusted to unnerve you. An extra long vibrating bridge frightened the group in front of us, and actors kept popping in and out of the hall. A group of angry witches follow the catacombs, giving you a proper send off, although there is more to be seen just outside the Castle.

Throughout the Castle, halls are narrow and well decorated, with actors blending in with the scenery. There are two actors who are so well camouflaged that they can’t be detected until they jump out at you. If you want to try to look for them, they are in the swamp and catacombs. I thought that the one in the catacombs was part of the wall. This is the largest and best decorated attraction at Screams, and it’s probably the most intense, though Hotel D’Feers gives it strong competition in that department. I’ve mentioned this before, but be sure to see the Castle first.

Hotel D’Feers

Actors in the Hotel waste no time. Two or three are there to “greet” guests just past the entrance, with quite a bit of movement and screaming. The screaming girl must use a bag of lozenges a night because she didn’t stop until we were well past the front room. Playing elevator music after the front room was an interesting choice, it made for a sharp contrast with the chaos at the entrance to the Hotel. Heavy fog follows and guests move very slowly in this area, due to limited visibility, so slow down too and avoid forming a conga line for the rest of the Hotel. In addition to heavy fog, there are lots of twists and turns in the hallway, plus animatronic props popping out. The actors interact with you, asking for a donation of body parts from time to time. A foggy swamp changed the mood of the Hotel, apparently the place has fallen into such disrepair that heavy vegetation has taken over. Try to find the camouflaged actor in the swamp. You won’t be able to, but you’ll have fun trying. White strobes and more fog are disorienting just past the swamp, with wooden fencing keeping you from wandering off the path. The residential part of the Hotel that follows has a run down, Texas Chainsaw look and feel to it, with energetic actors making almost as much noise as the screaming girl at the front.

The Hotel is loud, foggy, and designed to keep you on edge. It’s not as long as the Castle, but it’s close to being as intense. The actors are the main attraction of this haunt. I’m not sure how many there were, but they didn’t let up on the guests at any point.

Capt’n Barbarossa’s Blood Harbour

This year all of Blood Harbour is 3D. The outside of the haunt is dark, with the exception of the area around the sign, but the inside is covered in bright neon paint, with props appropriate for a pirate ship.  The vortex tunnel and the hallway of crabs are my favorites, but the shaking hallway is fun too. 3D glasses make it difficult to see the doors the actors use to pop in and out, so they nearly always surprised me. The laser and smoke effect that makes it look like you’re waist deep in water worked much better this year. All animatronics were in good working order, sound effects were loud enough to be distracting, which helped the actors sneak up on our group. This is one of the last dedicated 3D houses around, so be sure to check it out after the Hotel. Everyone in Blood Harbour seemed to have a good time, including the actors.

PT Harmum’s Carnival of Chaos

This is a clown heavy maze, with chain link fencing, and lots of strobes to disorient you. The clowns give terrible directions and harass throughout the maze. Loud carnival music also makes it difficult to concentrate. For the first time ever, my group found the exit quickly, and with no outside help. Randell, a member of the review team, has a freakish ability to navigate mazes. He heads for the middle of the maze, somehow pictures the layout from there, and finds the exit quickly. We did see an interesting circus scene made of dinosaur bones and clowns, and a four clown animatronic with Pennywise that moved like a train. If not for Randell, the strobes and clowns would have kept me in the maze for a long time and would have forced me to do what I usually do, which is to use an emergency exit to get out. Try Randell’s strategy and get to middle of the maze, then try to go straight ahead from there.

Zombie Wasteland…Apocalypse

The location of the zombie trail is important. Being at the back of Screams allows the trail to seem isolated once you enter, and the surrounding Scarborough buildings add to the eerie atmosphere. The terrain does look like a wasteland, with overturned cars, burnt out electronics, and ruined buildings around the trail. Creepy sound effects block out sound from the rest of the park, and set the mood for the entire trail. Props are perfectly lit, and the zombie computer room is probably the first of it’s kind. Strobes are well placed, and alternating between red, blue and orange lighting in different areas works well. I love this part of Scarborough (Holly Field) and I had thought that it would make a great haunted trail during Screams. I would like for the trail to go deeper into Holly Field, but it’s winding layout does give actors plenty of opportunities to scare guests. Speaking of the actors, they really get into their roles. They deserve a lot of credit for going all out on an incredibly hot and humid night. Their level of intensity makes me wonder how great they will be on colder nights, when people and makeup aren’t melting. I heard more screams from guests in Zombie Wasteland than in any other attraction at Screams. The actors were so in character that the guests were freaked out by the end. This is an attraction to go through more than once, especially if you have a fast pass.

2018 was a season that featured major upgrades at Screams. 2019 continues the park wide upgrades. New props and decorations by the ticket booth and front gate get people in the mood to be scared, the main attractions have all improved, and the cemetery trail is a full length trail again. New merchants and games have been added, while the park is even better decorated than before, with great attention to detail from the outside of the park, all the way back to Zombie Wasteland. Screams has never looked better, and it’s still the best overall value in North Texas. It is possible to see the attractions pretty quickly, if you arrive early or get a fast pass, but Screams is so much more fun if you take your time and make a night of it. This is the greatest Halloween festival close to DFW, and the weather is finally going to feel like Fall this coming weekend, so see Screams while the cool weather lasts!

This is a listing of pumpkin patches, festivals, and other Halloween related activities that aren’t haunted attractions, in the DFW area. Halloween parties will be added soon, so check back for updates.

Boo at the Zoo runs from October 25-27, 10am-5pm,  at the Fort Worth Zoo. It’s a daytime event, free with zoo admission or membership. It’s basically a carnival at the zoo. Boo at the Zoo has the same hours as the zoo. Check the zoo’s site for hours, prices, and directions.

Halloweekend at the Dallas Zoo. The Dallas Zoo has a Halloween festival on the final weekend of October, the 26th and 27th, from 9am-5pm. It features trick or treat stations, mazes, a bounce house, face painting, snakes, toads, and newts, plus craft beer for adults. It’s free with a zoo ticket, or zoo membership.

Dallas Arboretum has Autumn at the Arboretum from now through Halloween. They have a spectacular Pumpkin Village, with more than 90,000 pumpkins. They are open from 9am until 5pm. Parking is difficult to find in the area, due to it’s location by White Rock Lake, so your only option is usually to park in their paid lot at their front entrance, or in their new parking garage, two blocks north. Admission is $15 for adults, $12 for seniors, $10 for children 2-12, children under 2 are admitted for free. Parking is $15, but you can buy your parking online for $9. Parking can be bought here  The street address for the Arboretum is 8525 Garland Road Dallas, Texas 75218.

Pumpkin Patches-DFW

Royal Lane Baptist Church pumpkin patch-Opens by October 5. This church has a large selection of large, medium, and small pumpkins, plus various sizes of gourds. The pumpkin patch is nicely decorated, and has hay on the ground.  The patch is just west of Hillcrest on westbound Royal Lane, in North Dallas.

Flower Mound Pumpkin Patch Open now through Halloween, 9am-7pm. They have pumpkins, cornstalks, hay bales, and refreshments. There are activities for children, and local vendors provide food for purchase. Parking is $5 M-F, $10 on weekends. Activities are free, purchases are optional.

Halls Pumpkin Farm in Grapevine. Open daily through Halloween. Hayrides are available Wednesday, Friday, Saturday, and Sunday. $5 during the day, $3 after dark. Cash only. Corn maze-$5. Everything at Hall’s is cash only. 3pm-8pm Monday-Thursday. 3pm-8pm Friday. 10am-10pm Saturday. 1pm-8pm Sunday.

Preston Trail Farms in Gunter has a pumpkin patch, open from 8am-8pm daily through Halloween. They also have a cafe and allow dogs on a leash. Gunter is north of Frisco, on Preston Road.

More pumpkin patches listed on this page

Ghost Tours- This site has a full list of Ghost Tours in DFW and elsewhere in Texas.

Costume Shops DFW

Incognito Costume World-Dallas, on Inwood, close to the Galleria.

Norcostco Dallas, on Wycliff, south of I-35, in the Design District.

Dallas Vintage Costume Shop-Plano, off of 75, just north of Collin Creek Mall.

Rose Costumes-Denton, off of I-35 (northbound side) at 288.

Dallas Costume Shoppe-in east Dallas, on Main. Old shop, never open later than 5:30.

Magic Etc. In Ft Worth, on Forest Park Blvd, just north of I-30, west of downtown Ft Worth.

Syfy’s 31 Days of Halloween. Starting October 1, running through Halloween. 31 Days has a mixture of SYFY originals, reruns of genre TV shows, and mainstream horror movies. Their full schedule is here

UPDATE: The Cinemark 8 in Lewisville and the Cinemark Hollywood in Garland will be showing the original Nightmare on Elm St nightly through the end of the month, beginning Friday, October 25. Cinemark 8 will show at 7:15pm each night, and at 9:40 on Tuesday and Halloween, Cinemark Hollywood will show at 9:45pm.

Alamo North Richland Hills

September 28, 2019

Score 9.5

Site here

Facebook here

Phone 254 826 7473

Location 14656 I-35 N Elm Mott, Texas 76640

Directions- On the northbound access road for I-35, about 10 minutes north of Waco, in Elm Mott. Take exit 345, you will see red lights on the buildings.

Facilities-Two haunted houses (Dead Zone, Chainsaw Nightmare) and a gift shop. Music is played through a large tower. There is a karaoke stage and an ATM.

Dates open October 5-6, 12-13, 19-20. Nightly October 26-Halloween. November 1 and 2. Open 8pm-midnight.

Admission-$22 for adults and $13 for under 10.

Promotions-Grand opening weekend October 5-6, featuring a free t-shirt with four paid admissions. Heart of Texas Pro Wrestling Food Drive October 12-13, with $2 off with 2 cans of food. October 19 is the Carter Blood Drive, with a free t-shirt and free admission for one pint of blood. The Carter Blood Drive is not to be confused with the Dracula Blood Drive, which features the far less generous offer of one free admission for all of your blood. October 25 and 26 is Zombie Karaoke weekend, with a free t-shirt for singing. October 30 and Halloween is the Halloween celebration. November 1 and 2 is the Day of the Dead weekend.

Parking-Parking is free

Miscellaneous-Wear shoes or boots with good traction since the floor in the Chainsaw Nightmare really is ground, and is uneven in some areas. Wear something cool since it looks like a pretty warm October is coming. If it does cool down, remember that this is in the country, so it will be cooler than in DFW or Austin. A nice gift shop is on the grounds. It has costumes, props, decor, t-shirts, and Halloween music CDs. The gift shop is cash only. There is an ATM by the music tower.

Walk through time-Varies, depending on your group. There is a large lobby (Museum of Horrors) before the Dead Zone haunted house. A guide leads you through the Museum, and gives information about local urban legends. Generally, the two haunted houses take around 20-25 minutes to go through, combined.

Review

Waco Haunted Houses is a haunt park in Central Texas, in the village of Elm Mott, just north of Waco. It features two haunted houses (Dead Zone and Chainsaw Nightmare) as well as a gift shop and karaoke stage. Museum of Horrors, in the lobby of Dead Zone, has a large collection of life sized characters from horror movies, and macabre art. I like the gift shop because it has a wide range of props, decorations, costumes, souvenirs, t-shirts, and Halloween CDs. I’m probably forgetting some items they have. The gift shop is definitely worth a look. They have some things I haven’t seen before, and I go to Halloween shops all the time. Just make sure to bring cash, or go to the ATM by the music tower. The gift shop is cash only. Speaking of the music tower, it really is a tower. It’s two stories high and plays Halloweenish music all night. The karaoke stage is next to the line for the Dead Zone, and roaming actors entertain guests in line. One of the great things about this park is that you’re never bored. Even on busy nights, you’ll have plenty to occupy you while you’re in line.

Before you enter Dead Zone, a guide leads you through the Museum, with stories of local urban legends, then hands you off to the executioner, who explains methods of execution, before frying an unfortunate soul in the Museum’s electric chair. After that, you begin the Dead Zone.

Dead Zone is a dark haunt, with dim, moody lighting and occasional bursts of light from props, which never failed to startle the group I was with. Like Chainsaw Nightmare, there isn’t much space in the walkways, so there is also a claustrophobic effect. Speaking of claustrophobic, they have a huge prop called a claustrophobe, which you have to squeeze through. While in it, you’re surrounded by it’s walls, and they put some pressure on your body. If you start to freak out, turn sideways and walk through. That always makes getting out of a claustrophobe faster and easier.

Dead Zone has an eclectic array of scenes and props. There are no empty areas in Dead Zone. There are props or actors everywhere. The attention to detail in the decor is also first rate. This house has been around for a long time, and I’m guessing that it’s added onto year after year. I don’t like to give away too many details, but I will say that I really enjoyed the school bus, and the poor guy chained to a wall gave a great performance. Movie characters from 80’s slasher films and clowns are probably the staples of Dead Zone. The clowns are both irritating and frightening. They got my group to scream a few times, and they would not stop coming after us until we were well clear of their area. My favorite part was the horror movie zone. The actors do a good job of blending in with the life sized characters, so you never know what is real, until it jumps out at you.

Actors in Dead Zone and Chainsaw Nightmare seem to be sensitive to the age of guests. They will pull back with younger guests, and older ones who are having a difficult time. The tour guide in the Museum spoke with one member of our group who didn’t really want to go through, due to fear, and then pointed out the exit for her. These are high intensity haunted houses, but they are safe to bring younger kids to.

After exiting the Dead Zone, you go to Chainsaw Nightmare. This haunt is a little different from most places. The floor is dirt. It’s uneven. You won’t fall down, but it’s natural and adds to the theme of the place. Imagine if Texas Chainsaw Nightmare (the original, not the remake) had been set in the late 1800’s and you’ll understand this haunted house. I’m tempted to describe the decor as Old West Gothic, but it’s more rustic than that. It really feels like you’re in a different century when you walk through. Again, I don’t like to give away too many details, but I have to mention the scenes at the entrance. With dim reddish lighting around you, you see fire and a demonic creature on a raised area, looking down at you. That really set the mood for the rest of the house. This is also a very dark haunt, and the wooden fencing is narrow at times. There is a difference in elevation in parts of Chainsaw Nightmare, which adds to the fun. Creepy doesn’t begin to describe the atmosphere here. I’ve been through haunted houses all over Texas, and this placed unnerved me.

The actors in Chainsaw Nightmare really get into their roles. They have great costumes and make the most of the terrain when they sneak up on you. I usually don’t like chainsaws (they tend to be used as a means of getting you to exit the house quickly) but the actor with the chainsaw did a fantastic job! He came so close to me that I thought he was going to hit me with the chainsaw, and pulled back at the last second. The actors won’t touch, but they manage to get so close that they may as well be touching you. Second haunted houses are sometimes an afterthought, but Chainsaw Nightmare is fun from beginning to end, and is something that you will remember long after you drive away from the park.

In addition to great haunted houses, Waco Haunted Houses also has great prices. $22 for 10 and over, and $13 for under 10 is a bargain today. There are also discount weekends (see above in Promotions) and each weekend has a theme or promotion. It’s great for people living in Waco and Temple, and I didn’t mind the drive from Dallas, considering how much fun I had. Austin is well within range too. This haunt park has a real Halloween festival feel to it. I hadn’t visited since 2011, and I’m definitely going back next year. I’m sure you will have a great time here, so check the list of remaining dates and promotions above, and come out to see Waco Haunted Houses!

These are a few of the photos that I took on my visit. I took over 100 pics, but as I mentioned, these are dark, atmospheric haunted houses, and the park itself is kept pretty dark in most areas. That makes for a haunt park that feels like Halloween, but it’s not great if you’re taking pictures without flash photography. You can check out their Facebook page for hundreds of much better pics.

I visited Screams on opening night, Friday September 27. I thought I would share some of the photos that I took. The review will be on October 5. This visit was just for fun, and photos.

Screams^® 2019 Opens This Friday, September 27th!

Dallas/Fort Worth, TX (September 23, 2019):  Screams^® Halloween Theme Park, presented by Metro^® by T-Mobile, will open its doors for its 24^th season this Friday, September 27, 2019 at 7:30 pm.

Screams^®, presented by Metro^® by T-Mobile, is 5 Haunted Houses and a whole lot more!  After being transformed over the last several years, Screams^® has been further enhanced for the 2019 season to provide the scariest Screams^® experience ever! There are 5 haunted houses, each with a different theme along with a haunted graveyard and Strigoi (evil souls) roaming throughout the site – they are sure to find what terrifies you! The haunted houses include:

• Cursed… the witches of TerraMythica Castle – A terrifying trip in the Medieval Myths surrounding the Magdena Sisters and their evil!
• PT Harmum’s Carnival of Chaos – Get lost and hopefully not found in this Carnival of Clowns and Freaks
• Captain Barbarosa’s Blood Harbour – Looting, murder & magic await as you enter a cursed pirate village and encounter the evil that encompasses it!
• Hotel D’Feers – Frozen in time after a brutal mass murder, meet the ones who STAYED for eternity!
• Zombie Wasteland… Apocalypse – Fight to the finish: survivors think you’re zombies, Zombies think you’re food… Good Luck!

       “If you’ve never been to Screams^® before or it’s been a while since you’ve been back, make sure this is the year you come!” says Coy Sevier, Screams^® General Manager. “With the enhancements we’ve made to all 5 of the haunted houses, the spooky haunted graveyard, and the great cast of creepy new characters, the 2019 season of Screams^® is sure to be the scariest Screams^® ever. You don’t want to miss it!”

Plus, there’s a whole lot more! When you’re ready to take a break from being scared, Screams^® has a DJ spinning music on the Screams^® stage, Scary-Oke, games of skill, shops, face painting, waxed hands, Henna tattoos, Palm Readers, Psychic readings and more.

Screams^® also has a food court and full-service restaurant. For those over 21, there is a full bar and 3 different pubs featuring a great selection of seasonal and craft beers such as ZiegenBock, Spaten Oktoberfest, Bishop Crackberry Cider, Spaten Lager, Belhaven Black Scottish Stout, Bishop Apple Pineapple Cider, Deep Ellum Blind Lemon, White Claw Black Cherry Hard Seltzer, Elysian Night Owl Pumpkin Ale, Bon & Viv Cranberry Spiked Seltzer and Ace Pear Cider along with Bud Light Platinum, Michelob Ultra and Lime & Cherry Jell-O Shots.

Screams^® Halloween Theme Park, presented by Metro^® by T-Mobile, is the ultimate Halloween experience running every Friday and Saturday night September 27 through October 26, 2019 from 7:30 PM and open late until 1:30 AM.  The single admission price is $35 at the gate and includes all 5 haunted houses, music and Scary-Oke.  $4 off discount coupons are available at North Texas Metro^® by T-Mobile stores and discount tickets can be purchased on-line at ScreamsPark.com. Visitors can go through the haunted houses as many times as they like (as the crowds will allow). To cut the wait times in half, you can also purchase a VIP Fast Pass for $20 on-line or at the event. Screams^® is designed for ages 16+ and is not recommended for small children. Costumes and masks are NOT allowed at Screams^®.

Screams^® is located in Waxahachie, just 30 minutes south of the downtowns of Dallas and Fort Worth off I-35E at exit 399A on the Scarborough Faire^® site.  Just 60 minutes from Waco.  Due to I-35E construction, the exit for Screams^® has temporarily changed to exit 397 on northbound I-35E.  Parking is free compliments of Waxahachie Nissan.  Screams^® is presented by Metro^® by T-Mobile and is sponsored by Dr Pepper and Waxahachie Nissan.

For more information visit ScreamsPark.com, or ScreamsPark on FaceBook, Twitter or Instagram.

The world famous Cutting Edge Haunted House opens this weekend, on Saturday! Hours are from 8-10 pm. To avoid lines, arrive around 7:30, get tickets, and get in line. Even better, buy your tickets online here. Remember that this is a huge haunted house, so wear comfortable shoes and clothes. Visiting Cutting Edge is always a highlight of my Halloween season, and I’m sure you will have a great time too!

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

Ripley’s Haunted Adventure

Haunted Mayfield Manor

Opening September 13

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

Purgatory Scream Park 8pm-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.

Parker House 8pm-11pm

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 8pm-11pm

Moxley Manor 8pm-11pm

Haunted Trails 8pm-Midnight

3Haunts 8pm-11pm

Nightmare on 19th Street 7:30pm-11:30pm

The Sanctuary 8pm-11pm

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

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

Fright Night Haunted House 7pm-Midnight

Van Buren Frightmare   7pm to Midnight

Terror Trail Haunted House 7:30pm-11:45pm

Old Midland Trail of Horrors 8:30pm-11:30pm

Afterlife Haunted Attraction 8pm-11pm

Van Buren Frightmare 7pm-Midnight

Evil Visions Haunted House 7pm-midnight

Texas Maze of Terror 8pm-10pm, be in line by 9:30pm

The Asylum Haunted House 8pm-11pm

Opening October 5

Thrillvania 8:30pm-10pm

Nightmare in the Country 8pm-11pm

Opening October 11

Def Con 1 and Circus of the Dead 7pm-Midnight

Silo of Screams Hours TBA

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

Silo of Screams Temple

Houston area

Screamworld  Houston

Phobia  Houston

Houston TerrorDome  Houston

Houston Screamfest  Houston

Purgatory Scream Park Kingwood

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

Haunted Mayfield Manor

San Antonio

Ripley’s Haunted Adventure

13th Floor

East Texas

Graystone Manor  Longview

World of Khaos Tyler

Doc Wilkes House of Horrors  Longview

Terror Trails  Yantis

Afterlife  Blossom

Texas Maze of Terror Vidor

The Asylum Haunted House Talco

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

Old Midland Trail of Horrors Midland

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

Fright Night Haunted House 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.com/

http://www.halloweencity.com/

http://www.partycity.com/

http://www.halloweenexpress.com/

http://www.costumeworld.com/

http://www.norcostco.com/

http://rosecostumes.com/

http://www.halloweencostumes.com/

http://www.costumeexpress.com

http://www.buycostumes.com

http://www.wholesalehalloweencostumes.com/

http://www.extremehalloween.com/

http://www.costumekingdom.com

Halloween Decorations

https://athome.com/halloween

http://www.michaels.com/

http://lemax-spookytown.com/

http://www.hauntedprops.com/

http://www.thehorrordome.com

http://www.frightprops.com/

http://www.poisonprops.com/

http://creepycollection.com/

http://www.mostlydead.com

http://www.dappercadaver.com/

http://www.darksidedisplays.com/

Haunted House Listings

http://www.hauntedhouse.com/

http://www.hauntworld.com

“Real” Haunted Site Listings

http://theshadowlands.net/places/texas1.htm

http://www.texasescapes.com/FEATURES/Texas_ghosts.htm

http://forgottenusa.com/haunts/TX/

http://ghosttourstexas.com

http://www.jeffersonghostwalk.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!