Welcome to Texas Haunts, bringing you news and reviews of Texas haunted houses. We are based in the DFW area, but we list haunted attractions from all over Texas and surrounding states. 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!
For the second year in a row, there will be no special openings for Valentine’s Day. Hopefully, there will be some openings during the summer. Remember that Haunted Mayfield Manor in Galveston, and Ripley’s Haunted Adventure in San Antonio are open all year.
2022 has arrived, and hopefully this will be the year that we all get back to normal. The 2021 Halloween season was a good one, and 2022 should be even better. Texas Haunts will keep you up to date on all off season haunted attraction activity, and we will update the site for the 2022 season in July. Have a great year, and remember, it’s never too early to begin looking forward to the Halloween season!
Texas Haunts will be updating through the long off season, bringing you news about haunts opening for Valentine’s Day, Friday the 13ths, and summer shows. For now, Scream Hollow in Smithville (SE of Austin) will have it’s Twisted Christmas show, from 6pm-11pm, on December 3,4,10,11,17, and 18. Haunted Mayfield Manor in Galveston, and Ripley’s Haunted Adventure in San Antonio are open all year.
Lots of haunted attractions are open past Halloween. Remember that Haunted Mayfield Manor in Galveston, and Ripley’s Haunted Adventure in San Antonio are open all year.
November 5
Scream Hollow Pitch Black Show 7pm-Midnight
Tayman Graveyard 8pm-11pm
13th Gate Flashlight Fright Night 6:30pm-11:30pm
Evil Visions Haunted House 7pm-Midnight
Rise Haunted House 7pm-9:30pm
J&F House of Terror Blackout Glow Stick Night 7pm-Midnight
House of Torment 7pm-10pm
Phobia 7:30pm-11pm
Houston Screamfest 8pm-11pm
Purgatory Scream Park 8pm-10pm
Redrum Fear Park 7pm-Midnight
Haunted Trails Houston 8pm-Midnight
Creepy Hollow Haunted House 7:30pm-Midnight
13th Floor 7pm-10pm
Doc Wilkes House of Horrors 7:30pm-Midnight
November 6
Cutting Edge from 8pm-10pm
Scream Hollow Pitch Black Show 7pm-Midnight
13th Gate Flashlight Fright Night 6:30pm-11:30pm
The Mortuary Flashlight Fear Fest 6pm-11pm
Evil Visions Haunted House 7pm-Midnight
Rise Haunted House Light Out Night 7pm-10pm
House of Torment 7pm-10pm
Phobia 7:30pm-11pm
Houston Screamfest 8pm-11pm
Purgatory Scream Park 8pm-10pm
Redrum Fear Park 7pm-Midnight
Haunted Trails Houston 8pm-Midnight
Creepy Hollow Haunted House 7:30pm-Midnight
13th Floor 7pm-10pm
Doc Wilkes House of Horrors 7:30pm-Midnight
Afterlife Haunted Attraction Black Out Night 8pm-10pm
November 12
13th Gate 6:30pm-11:30pm
The Mortuary 6pm-11pm
House of Torment 7pm-10pm
Houston Screamfest 8pm-11pm
November 13
13th Gate 6:30pm-11:30pm
Rise Haunted House 7pm-9pm
House of Torment 6pm-10pm
Houston Screamfest 8pm-11pm
Happy Halloween from Texas Haunts. Check out our listings below for haunted houses, Halloween parties and events, movies and TV shows on Halloween, and other Halloween activities. Have a great Halloween!
Statewide Haunted House Listings
The fall weather will be perfect for a night out at Screams Halloween Theme Park in Waxahachie this Friday and Saturday. This is the final weekend to see Screams in 2021. Remember that Screams will not be open on Halloween.
Screams opens at 7:30pm and closes at 1am, although you will be able to see any attraction you are in line for at 1am. Screams has five main attractions, and you can go through as many times as you want. There is also a graveyard trail, lots to eat and drink, a full service bar and cafe called Full Moon Cafe, Halloween related merchants, a DJ on the main stage, and games of skill. Tickets are here, and check out my review of Screams and the Full Moon Cafe.
October 25
PumpkinFest in Grapevine, from 8am-9pm
Halloween Party at the School of Rock in Southlake, starts at 6pm
Pumpkin Nights DFW in Arlington, from 6-11pm
Frights and Lights in Frisco, from 7-10pm
October 27
PumpkinFest in Grapevine, from 8am-9pm
Trunk r Treat in Denton, from 5-7pm
Spooktacular Halloween Party in Fairview, from 5-7pm
Pumpkin Nights DFW in Arlington, from 6-11pm
Frights and Lights in Frisco, from 7-10pm
October 28
PumpkinFest in Grapevine, from 8am-9pm
3rd Annual Halloween at the Ballpark in Carrollton, starts at 5:30
Halloween Spooktacular in McKinney, starts at 5:30pm
OMalleys Halloween Party in Dallas. Starts at 6pm
Halloween Spirit Walk in the Colony from 6-8pm
Boos and Booze at Lost Oaks Winery in Burleson, from 6-9pm
Pumpkin Nights DFW in Arlington, from 6-11pm
Frights and Lights in Frisco, from 7-10pm
October 29
PumpkinFest in Grapevine, from 8am-9pm
Boo at the Zoo in Ft Worth, from 10am-5pm
Trunk r Treat in Dallas, 3pm-7pm
Halloween Party at Knockouts Sports Bar in Mesquite, starts at 6pm
Dance Champions Elite Halloween Party in Little Elm, from 6-11pm
Lights and Frights Tour on Greenville Ave in Dallas, from 6:30-9:30pm
Layne’s Den Halloween Bash in Lewisville, 4:30-7:30pm
Trunk R Treat in Garland 5:30-7:30pm
Fall Festival 2021 Trunk R Treat in Plano from 4-7pm
Halloween Bash in the Pumpkin Patch in Bedford, from 5-8pm
Pumpkin Nights DFW in Arlington, from 6-11pm
Garland’s Graveyard Haunted House, from 6-8pm
Halloween Costume Game Night, in Ft Worth, starts at 6pm
Frights and Lights in Frisco, from 7-11pm
Screams Halloween Theme Park 7:30pm-1am
Halloweekend at the Rustic in Dallas. Begins Friday at 11am, ends Halloween at 11pm
Dallas (Alice) Cooper Does Halloween at Lee Harvey’s in Dallas 4p-2am
Nightmare Before Halloween at the House of Blues in Dallas, from 10pm-2am
Halloween Costume Contest at Happiest Hour in Dallas, contest starts at 10pm
Angels and Demons Party at the W Dallas, from 9pm-2am
Nightmare at Aloft Hotel in Dallas, from 10pm-2am
October 30
PumpkinFest in Grapevine, from 8am-9pm
Boo at the Zoo in Ft Worth, from 10am-5pm
Halloween at Dallas Farmers Market, pet friendly, from 9am-5pm
Halloween party at Kid’s Play in Richardson 10am-11:45am
Halloween Costume Day in Southlake, from 10am-2pm
Halloween Costume Goat Yoga in Argyle, from 10:30-11:30am
Spooktacular in Ft Worth from 10am-2pm
Truck Yard’s Halloween Party at the Truck Yard in Lower Greenville. Starts at 11am
Toller Halloween Party for people and dogs, all day and night. At Toller, in Dallas, 11am-2am
Rockers, Brews, and Rescues Spooktacular at Legal Draft Beer in Arlington, from noon-6pm
Halloween Bark and Brew Halloween Party, for German Shepherd Rescue, in Ft Worth, from 2-6pm
Dog Costume Contest and Bingo at Flying Saucer in Dallas, starts at 2pm
Halloween Canine Costume Contest at Mutts Cantina in Dallas, from 1-5pm
Brick r Treat in Forney, from noon-5pm
Lakehouse Bar and Grill Doggie Costume Party, starts at 2pm
Trick R Treat at Scheels, from 11am-1pm
Spooktacular Beer Walk in McKinney, from 11am-6pm
Halloween Bash in Dallas from noon-4pm
Trick r Treat the Square in Frisco, from 1-4pm
Brass Tap Halloween Party in Allen, starts at 2pm
HalloweenFest in Grapevine, from noon-6pm
Halloween Celebration at Shops at Highland Village, from 1-4pm
Heritage Halloween in Frisco, from 1-4pm
Halloween Spooktacular Saturday in Arlington, starts at 1pm
Halloween Boo Bash at Cheeky Monkeys in Ft Worth from 11am-2pm
North Texas Performing Arts Trunk r Treat at Willow Bend Mall, from 11am-4pm
Halloween Soiree at Ida Claire’s in Addison, starts at 4pm
Ghost Town in Carrollton, from 4-7pm
Samhain/Halloween Market in Denton, from 4pm-10pm
Candy Lane Free Drive Through Halloween Event in Crowley, from 5-6:30pm
Eerie Irving at the Trinity View Park, from 5-10pm
Family Halloween at Lost Oaks Winery, from 5-8pm
Trunk r Treat and a Movie in Denton, from 5pm-8:30pm
Halloween Lock In at Silver Wheel Skating Rink in White Settlement, from 6pm-2am
Pumpkin Nights DFW in Arlington, from 6-11pm
Boo at the Bookstore in Justin, from 6-8pm
Candy Crawl at Irving Mall, from 6-8pm
Scare on the Square in Cedar Hill, from 6-8pm
Big Wheel Halloween Party in Dallas, starts at 9pm
Nightmare on Lake Lewisville Boat Party, from 7-10pm
Frights and Lights in Frisco, from 7-11pm
Screams Halloween Theme Park 7:30pm-1am
Top Ten Halloween at Top Ten Records in Dallas, from 7:30pm-11pm
Trunk r Treating in the Park in Dallas, from 5-7pm
Halloween in the Park in Farmers Branch, from 5-10pm
Trunk r Treat in Mesquite from 4-8pm
Haunt the Lot in Mansfield from 5pm-11pm
Halloween Bar Crawl in Ft Worth, from 4pm-midnight
Halloween Party at the Gingerman in Irving, starts at 5.
4th Annual Halloween Bar Crawl 4pm-midnight at the Playground Bar in Uptown.
Ol Skool Halloween Party in Dallas, starts at 5
Spinderella Boo Bash in the Colony 4pm-midnight
Halloween Fest in Arlington, starts at 7pm
Deep O Ween at the Deep Ellum Brewing Company, starts at 7pm
Halloween Metal Massacre Costume Contest at Reno’s Chop Shop in Dallas, starts at 8pm
Double Wide Halloween Bash in Dallas, starts at 8pm
Halloween Bar Crawl and Marvel vs DC Party at Off the Cuff in Dallas, from 8pm-2am
Halloween Party at the Canvas Hotel in Dallas, on the rooftop, from 8pm-2am
Nightmare at the One Eyed Penguin in Dallas, starts at 9pm
Halloween at Easy Slider in Dallas, from 9pm-1am
Haunted W Dallas Rooftop Party from 9pm-2am
Space Cowboy Halloween Party at Virgin Hotels Dallas, from 9pm-2am
Halloween Costume Party at the Dojo in Dallas, from 9pm-2am
A Baddie Halloween Bash, in Dallas, from 9pm-1am
Heaven and Hell Party at the Clover Club in Dallas, from 9pm-2am
RBC Presents Wub o Ween, in Dallas from 9pm-2am
Haunted House of Blues Mega-Halloween Bash in Dallas, from 10pm-2am
Halloween Weekend at Theory Nightclub in Uptown, starts at 10pm
Red Crab’s Halloween Spooky Bash, in Addison, from 10pm-2am
Halloween
PumpkinFest in Grapevine, from 8am-9pm
Boo at the Zoo in Ft Worth, from 10am-5pm
Halloween at Dallas Farmers Market, pet friendly, from 10am-5pm
Halloween Costume Goat Yoga in Plano from 9:30-10:30am
Cars and Cocktails: Halloween Edition in Dallas, from 11am-2pm
Halloween Costume Day in Plano, starts at noon
Halloween Sunday at Homegrown Hounds Dog Deli and Bakery in Irving, from 2-4pm
Music City Malloween at Music City Mall in Lewisville, from 3-6pm
Trick r Treat at Cabella’s in Allen, from 3-7pm
Halloween on Houston Street in Kaufman, begins at 5pm
Halloween at MDMA Studios in Dallas, 4-11:30pm
Halloween Party at Peter Piper Pizza locations in DFW from 5-8pm
Pumpkin Nights DFW in Arlington, from 6-11pm
South Main Spooktacular in Ft Worth, from -9pm
Street n Treat in Grand Prairie from 6-8pm
Good Ol Boys Halloween Party in Haltom City, starts at 6pm
Halloween Party For the Tweens in Waxahachie from 5-8pm
Historic Downtown Trick r Treat in Terrell, from 5-7:30pm
Halloween Costume Party at Sambuca 360 in Plano, from 6pm-11pm
Three Links Halloween in Dallas, starts at 7pm
Frights and Lights in Frisco, from 7-11pm
Candlelight Halloween Classical Compositions at Edison’s In Dallas, from 7-8pm
The Church Presents Halloween on Halloween, from 8pm-2am
W Dallas Masquerade Halloween at the W, from 9pm-2am
We’re getting to the part of the season where there will be quite a few posts every week. Some posts get buried, so here are the most important links, as you plan your Halloween season.
Statewide Haunted House Listings
Halloween Merchandise and Costume Links
Horror Movies and TV Shows October 2021
Paranormal Places and Ghost Tours in Texas
Score-10
Site here
Facebook here
Tickets here. Box office ticket sales end at midnight.
Phone: 972 938 3247
Attractions-Five main attractions: Cursed: The Witches of Terra Mythica Castle, Hotel D’Feers, Klownz in 3D, Zombie Wasteland Apocalypse, and the Time’s Up Maze. There is an additional trail through Rottingwood Cemetery.
Additional attractions-Full Moon Cafe, Taboo Tavern, Morgue Tavern, Spider’s Web Bar, a large food court, a donut stand with butter beer, Henna tattoos, waxed hands, various games of skill, a psychic and tarot card readings, Scaryoke, a DJ on the main stage, a climbing tower, several Halloween related shops, face painting, and the Screams souvenir shop.
Walk through time-10-15 minutes per main attraction, except for the maze, which can take over 20 minutes. The combined total walk through time for all five main attractions is over an hour.
Prices: General admission tickets are $42 in person, $41 online. Fast passes are $30. Group discounts are for parties of 15 or more, if purchased at the same time, online. Group ticket prices are $38. Active military personnel and up to four people in their party receive $3 off of their tickets, after showing valid military ID at the Screams ticket booth. Screams accepts credit cards at their ticket booth, at their souvenir shop, and at the Full Moon Cafe. ATMs are onsite. Aside from the Full Moon Cafe, all food and drinks at Screams are cash only.
Parking is free.
Location: In the southern part of Waxahachie, at 2511 FM 66, about a mile and a half west of I-35.
Map directions here. Screams is about 30 minutes south of downtown Dallas.
Directions-from Dallas: Take I-35E South to Exit 399A, Go west (right) 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 (right) on FM66 1.6 miles
From Waco: Exit 399, proceed to FM66, go west (left) 1.6 miles
Dates, and hours of operation. Fridays and Saturdays in October. The park opens at 7:30, the ticket booth is open at 7. The park closes at 1am, but you will be able to see any attraction you are in line for at 1am. Arrive as early as possible. It’s a big park, with five main attractions, plus shops, games, an additional trail, and lots to eat and drink.
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.
Please note that Screams does not allow customers to wear costumes. This applies to decorative face masks. Screams does encourage (but doesn’t require) customers to wear protective, non-decorative face masks. All Screams employees will wear protective face masks.
Make sure to stop by the Full Moon Cafe, the only full service cafe and bar at Screams. It’s well decorated, has two great bartenders, a friendly staff, and accepts credit cards. Full Moon has several signature drinks this year, including Medusa’s Kiss, The Werewolf, Hairy Snakes, Hot Seamen, and my favorite, The Stoneman. Full Moon offers a menu that includes bacon and cheese fries, pretzel bites, chicken tacos, and cheeseburgers. Alcohol sales end at 11:30. See the review of Full Moon Cafe for more info.
Check out the Screams Gallery post below.
Review
Screams is a massive haunted park, and the lines for the main attractions can become very long after 9, so it helps to have a plan for seeing the park. First, I strongly advise you to arrive between 7 and 7:20 so that you can get into line for the park entrance. I would order tickets online, but if you want to buy in person, the ticket booth opens at 7. Once you enter the park, pass the cemetery trail in front of you, take a left, go through Merchant’s Row, take a right at the end of Merchant’s Row, and look for the entrance to the Witches of Terra Mythica Castle on your left. This should always be your first stop. When you exit the Castle, take a right, walk to the end of the food court area, take another right, and look for the entrance to Hotel D’Feers on your right. After exiting the Hotel, take a left, walk behind the food court, and look for the entrance to the Zombie Wasteland Trail. After Zombie Wasteland, go to the left, wrap around Taboo Tavern and the Spiderweb Bar, pass Full Moon Cafe, pass the food court, and cut across the center of the park to get to the Klownz in 3D funhouse. Klownz is to the right of the Maze. Make sure that you don’t go into the Maze first. Their entrances are close to each other. Once you’ve exited Klownz, take a right, and look for entrance to the Time’s Up Maze on your right. Allow some extra time for the Maze. I spent around 20 minutes in it.
I’ve tested this pattern, and it’s the fastest way to see the big attractions. Unless you have a fast pass, wait until after you’ve seen all five main attractions to eat and shop. Even if you have a fast pass, I would still see the main haunts first, and eat, drink, and shop later.
After the main attractions, it’s time for food and drinks. For food, you have a choice of the full service Full Moon Cafe, located on the far side of the food court, or a wide variety of carnival food at the food court. Fajitas, pizza, turkey legs, barbecue sandwiches, nachos, Frito pies, hot dogs, and baked potatoes are some of the offerings at the food court. Soft drinks, slushies, and bottled water are also available at food court. A new stand called Lil Orbits Donuts has donuts, non alcoholic butter beer, and chocolate milk. A kettle corn stand is located behind the food court and taverns, close to the exit for the Castle.
21 and over can find alcohol at Taboo Tavern, Spider’s Web Bar, and the Morgue Tavern. All are located in the food court area. Full Moon Cafe is the only full bar at Screams. A beer stand is located next to the entrance to the Castle. Remember that the food court, and all stands and taverns are cash only. Only Full Moon accepts credit cards.
After you’ve eaten, the games are located across from the food court and taverns. Games include dart, knife, and star throwing, paintball, Heads and Hoops, Skull Toss, ball toss, and a strength test. A climbing tower is located in the back of the park, close to the Maze.
For shopping, head to Merchant’s Row, located close to the park entrance. Waxed hands, jewelry, hand made Halloween decorations, glass decorations, crystals, face painting, a psychic, tarot card readings, and palm readings are all on Merchant’s Row. Scaryoke is now located at the end of Merchant’s Row, close to the Castle. Screams also has a souvenir shop located between Merchant’s Row and the park entrance. Henna Tattoos is located across from the food court. Their tattoos last from a week to four weeks. Before you leave Screams, don’t forget the Rottingwood Cemetery trail. 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.
As far as the facilities go, there are port o pottys located close to the exit for the Castle, near the food court, and more in the back of the park, close to the Maze. Do yourself a favor and use the Privies, with flush toilets and sinks, located near the end of Merchant’s Row and the Castle.
Main Attractions
Cursed: The Witches of Terra Mythica Castle
The Castle has a story this year. The King had three daughters, who became witches. He grew to realize that they were evil, and expelled them from the Castle. The witches were not happy about their banishment, and what you see in the castle is the result of the King’s decision.
This is the largest attraction at Screams, and usually has the longest line. The Castle looks great as you approach it. This is a Scarborough building, but it works just as well for Screams. Cross over the bridge, enter the Castle, and you’ll meet the King, such as he is. There is great detail in the entry room, and a very good actor who surprised me every time I went through. Attention to detail is consistent throughout the Castle. There are no blank spaces, everything is well decorated. The paintings of the witches that are found through the Castle were probably my favorites, but the evil little creatures in the halls were a close second. Lighting and sound effects are used to set the mood in each room and area. Lighting is dim, but there is enough light to read the printed story of the King and witches, which is found in various parts of the Castle. It may not be easy, but try to take the time to read the story. It explains what is going on in each part of your journey.
As you descend deeper into the Castle, you’ll pass through a library, and a room with wine casks, before entering the haunted forest. I loved the decor along the bridge leading to the forest. The bridge is full of webbed creatures, so you know the forest will be fun. It seemed like actors were everywhere in this part of the haunt. I’m not easy to surprise me, but actors in each of the Screams attractions did a great job of finding good hiding places, and had their timing down perfectly. The swamp creature in the forest did a great job of scaring the guests since he was able to blend in with the background. The halls in Terra Mythica have hidden doors the actors use to come and go, so they can always find a way to get in front of you, or behind you. The effect is that you feel like someone is watching you the entire time.
Once you get to the dungeon it seems like you are well below ground, the air is thick, and you’re already tense due to actors startling you from the beginning of the path. The dungeon looks great, and the haunt becomes more intense as you pass into the catacombs. It must have taken a lot of work to get the walls and celling of the catacombs to look as old and decrepit as they do. It really looks like decades of dripping water have ruined this area. It’s as creepy as anything you’ll find in a haunted house.
Eventually, you will come across the three witches, close to the end of your trip, but you’ll still have a bonus waiting for you outside the Castle. I love foggers, and it’s a nice way to cool down after a good walk through some narrow halls.
If you have time, it’s worth going through Terra Mythica a second time. There is so much going on that you will miss some details on your first trip through. I went to the Castle five times this weekend and noticed some new things on my fifth trip. Great actors, great art and decor, and genuinely creepy lighting and sound effects make the Terra Mythica Castle a must see!
Hotel D’Feers
This is definitely not a four star hotel, but D’Feers does look like something that Rob Zombie would enjoy staying in. It has a run down, country chainsaw massacre ambience, with cleverly located fog machines on either side of the sign. The greeters at D’Feers add to the fun. It’s always nice when people outside of the haunt are enthusiastic.
The Hotel gets off to a fast start with a great actress who startled me each time I entered the place. I could hear other guests scream as they entered, so she’s consistent. Hotel California plays on a loop, and I think that the tone of the song adds to the weird vibe in this haunt. Strobe lights and fog are a little disorienting, and really set the actors up for big scares. It’s difficult enough, at times, to see where you’re going, and then an actor comes out of nowhere.
The inside of D’Feers is even more rundown than the outside. Decor ranges from decaying corpses in beds, to a strange doll room, with an actress who looks kind of like Little Bo Peep. There is also a laboratory, which could explain some of the corpses in the hotel. The cloakroom has a great actor who pops in and out of the hotel, at various places. The cloakroom is his home, but he kept surprising the guests in other areas.
The most intense part of D’Feers is the area with heavily fogged hallways. Bright lights combine with the fog to make it extremely difficult to find your way through. I had to feel along the walls at one point, and there are actors in the area. I heard other people mention that they were frightened in this area each time I went through.
The Hotel is enough fun to go through more than once. If you don’t have a fast pass, the line can become long during the middle of the evening, so see it when you arrive (after the Castle) and again later at night. The line begins to die down after 11, or 11:30.
Zombie Wasteland Apocalypse
Zombie Wasteland has the coolest exterior of all of the attractions at Screams. It’s located in an out of the way part of the park (behind the food court and taverns) and it has powerful fog machines that must run all the time. The result is a foreboding look that does seem like something out of a movie. The line here can become pretty long between 9 and 11:30, so enter early or late. A fast pass will always help, but the general admission line isn’t bad before 9, or after 11:30.
My favorite greeter works at the wasteland. She has a great costume and really gets into her role. She does a wonderful job of setting the stage for the trail, and keeps things lively, which helps in long lines.
This is an outdoor trail, but it has walls throughout so you can only see the buildings in the background. Because this is in the back of the park, there is very little light from the rest of Screams, making it seem isolated. Fog and lots of noise from sound effects combine with burnt out cars and ruined land to make it a pretty realistic portrayal of what would happen if zombies wiped out society. The trail seemed longer than it has been in the past, and it definitely has more props. I’m not sure whether there were more actors this year, but it seemed like there were quite a few more. It could be that the actors are extremely energetic and were able to scare groups multiple times.
My favorite part of Zombie Wasteland is the helicopter sound effect. It’s loud, and is present in most of the trail. It’s so realistic that one of the managers at Screams thought that a real helicopter was overhead. The noise sounds like it’s following you as you move along the trail, becoming more intense in some areas. Between the helicopter effect and the actors, it seems like you are under surveillance for most of the trail.
In one area, the fog becomes pretty dense and you have to move carefully. Depending on the time of night, it can be so foggy that you will need to feel the walls to move forward. The Wasteland is an intense experience, but it’s so much fun that I heard people talking about going through it again, after I exited.
Klownz in 3D
Klownz in 3D is a new attraction for 2021. It used to be the pirate house, but has been extensively remodeled, and has a new theme. This is a very loud, disorienting attraction. It uses lots of disco like strobe lights, and non stop sound effects, which keep you off balance. These strobe lights are unlike any I’ve seen. They have a wavy pattern that makes them more disorienting than normal strobes. Combine that with 3D glasses and massive amounts of neon paint, and you have an intense experience. There are also loud air guns in Klownz that go off in places where actors pop out, or that have strobe lights. The combination of effects works well. It’s non stop action as soon as you enter this house.
Some of my favorite parts of Klownz are the hall of pumpkins, the wall of eyes, the hall of clowns, and the vortex tunnel. Every part of Klownz is well decorated with 3D paint, and there are some good animatronics as well.
This funhouse would work well enough on it’s own, but the actors make it special. They blend in well with their surroundings to startle you, and manage to scare guests even when it’s crowded and people bunch together. Lots of people are creeped out by clowns, and some have a phobia of them. I’m not afraid of clowns in general, but this group did manage to make me jump a few times. They must have had a lot of practice to get their timing down so well, because they were spot on whenever I had just gone through an area with strobes, loud noises, or fog. The actor who looked sort of like a knight startled me several times on Saturday. Klownz is the best 3D house I’ve been to in over a decade, maybe ever.
Time’s Up Maze
Time’s Up is another brand new attraction at Screams. As I’ve mentioned before, it’s probably best to see Time’s Up after you’ve gone through the other main attractions. Unless you are incredibly good at solving mazes, or are very lucky, you’re going to spend some time in this maze. I went through it twice, and still had trouble finding my way out the second time. The biggest problem with going through Time’s Up is the lighting. There are lots of strobes in the maze, so it’s difficult to get your bearings, much less try to analyze the layout of the maze.
The greeter sets up the maze by telling you it’s backstory. I didn’t realize this until later in the evening, but the story of the maze uses elements of all of the other main attractions, and ties them together. This knowledge probably won’t help you find your way out any faster, but it will make the trip though more interesting. The actors will do what they can to mislead you, so do not take their advice. They are guaranteed to show you the way to a dead end. Something that really threw me off is that the guy with the chainsaw was not at the exit. I kept thinking that if I followed the smell of chainsaw exhaust I would find the exit, but the chainsaw was closer to the middle of the maze than to the exit. It’s a well designed maze and took around 20 minutes to get out of, both times.
There are some well decorated scenes inside the maze which helps to break up the fences, strobes, and darkness. The actors either mess with your group as much as possible, or wait around a dark corner to startle you. Lots of energy from the cast adds to the quality of Time’s Up, and makes it that much more difficult to find the exit.
Summary
Screams is the only real haunted park in North Texas and is the best value around. At other haunted attractions, you drive to the haunt, wait in line, and spend 10-30 minutes inside. Then you leave. Some of the haunted houses in DFW are very good, but Screams is the only place where you can go through each attraction as many times as you want, eat, drink, and shop. It is easy to arrive at 7:30 and stay until after 1am. I was at Screams this Friday and Saturday, arrived at 7 both nights, and left around 1:15am. Another unique feature is that there is something for everyone at Screams. Even if you aren’t into haunted houses, you can have a great time in the park. In fact, I know people who go mostly for the Halloween festival atmosphere. They have dinner at the food court or at Full Moon, drink at Full Moon and at the taverns, listen to music at the main stage, see Scaryoke, and do some shopping.
Screams looks great in 2021, with two new attractions, new vendors and shops, and a great cast of actors, including the roaming actors you’ll see through the night in the park. They went all out in preparation for this season, and their effort shows in the attention to detail in the houses, trails, and in the park grounds. Be sure to see Screams at least once this season, and remember, arrive early, and stay late!
Full Moon Cafe is the full service bar and cafe at Screams, on the far side of the Food Court, by the West Market Arch. This is the only place in Screams where you can eat, drink, and pay with a credit card. Full Moon has two great bartenders, Cheltsey and Michael, and a sweet server named Carolina. Full Moon has a full bar, but I always order the specialty drinks, which are listed below. Medusa’s Kiss is probably my favorite, but The Stoneman is a close second. I tried all of their specialty drinks this weekend and enjoyed each one. The Werewolf may be the strongest, but The Stoneman will give you a buzz pretty quickly too. If you are ballsy enough, go to the bar and say, very loudly, that you would like the Hot Seamen.
There is plenty of seating at Full Moon, and the menu has been improved for 2021. I tried the bacon cheese fries and chicken tacos on Saturday and was happy with both. I spoke with some people who recommended the pretzel bites, loaded BBQ fries, and the chicken taco salad. The cheeseburger is always reliable, and I’m going to save room for the brownie a la mode next time. The portion sizes are pretty good, so make sure to not eat before going to Screams.
As I mentioned in my review of Screams, it’s best to see the main attractions when you arrive, and eat and drink later. I like the food court and taverns, but I always stop at Full Moon after finishing with the haunted houses. Full Moon is very well decorated, so it has a real Halloween feel to it, and it’s nice to be able to sit down and relax after five attractions and lots of walking. You can order the specialty drinks as shots, but I ask for ice so that I can cool down in a hurry. This will probably be a fairly warm October, so keep that in mind. Medusa’s Kiss is the most refreshing drink they make. That will come in handy when it’s in the 80’s and humid. Last call is at 11:30, so be sure to allow enough time to have dinner and drinks. I usually get to Full Moon between 9:30 and 10, but 10:30 would be fine. The drinks, beer, and menu are listed below, along with some pictures of the bar and bartenders. Have a great time at Screams and at Full Moon!
Specialty drinks
Medusa’s Kiss
It
The Stoneman
Hot Seamen
The Werewolf
Hairy Snakes
Beer
Deep Ellum IPA
Octoberfest
Michelob
Bud Light
Ziegenbock
Food
Pretzel Bites
Bacon Cheese Fries
Buffalo Wings
Loaded BBQ Fries
Cheeseburger
Chicken Tacos
Chicken Taco Salad
Brownie a la Mode
Several times each Halloween season I go to a restaurant in Waxahachie called Catfish Plantation. It has Cajun food, but it also offers lots of home cooking items on the menu. It’s in an old Victorian style home (listed on the registry of historic places) and Catfish Plantation decorates for Halloween. In fact, Halloween and the paranormal are big at Catfish, with ghost hunting groups continuing to investigate the house. Prior to Covid, Catfish hosted paranormal after hours investigations that customers could take part in. The paranormal history of Catfish is here.
Aside from being located in a pretty, historic house, with lots of Halloween decorations in October, Catfish has very good food, and large portions. They also have a full bar. The menu is here. I like to start with the meat pies, one of each type, then I get either the regular catfish platter, plantation platter, or the popcorn shrimp. I also like the fried pickles and plantation puppies for appetizers, followed by the country fried steak. I’ve heard that they make a great burger and southern fried chicken. For dessert, I get the pecan cobbler with ice cream. In October, you can order pumpkin and sweet potato fries as well. They usually have a seasonal dessert in October called the Great Pumpkin, but I’m not sure about this year.
Catfish is open Friday- Sunday. Friday is 5-9, Saturday is 11-9, and Sunday is 11-8. The phone number is 972 937-9468. They do not take reservations, so it’s first come, first serve. On Fridays I arrive at 5, although you can probably arrive as late as 5:30 on Fridays without a wait. On Saturdays, I try to get there between 4:30 and 5. If you do have a wait, it’s a picturesque place, so you can wait outside and take pictures. They have several rooms to choose from, if you arrive when there aren’t many people there, plus outside seating. I like to sit in the room with the bar. Aside from having the bar, it also has my favorite decorations. Catfish does offer carry out, check their site for specifics.
Catfish Plantation is at 814 Water St, Waxahachie TX 75165. It’s on Water St, between Gibson and Textile, just north of Business 287 (Main St). To get there from Dallas or Ft Worth, go south on I-35 into Waxahachie and take the Business 287 exit. It is one exit south of the Hwy 287 exit. Follow the access road to Business 287, and take a left. Keep going past the railroad tracks, then begin looking to your left for either Textile or Gibson. I take a left onto Gibson, and then a left onto Water St. If you take Textile, take a right onto Water St. From Waco or Austin, exit for Business 287, and take a right onto Business 287, then follow the same directions. The Facebook for Catfish is here. It has regular updates.
Some photos for your enjoyment:
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
American Scaregrounds Haunted Attraction Elm Mott (Formerly Waco Haunted Houses)
Scream Hollow Halloween Park Smithville
House of Torment Austin
Silo of Screams Temple
Houston area
Phobia Houston
Houston TerrorDome Houston
Houston Screamfest Houston
Purgatory Scream Park Kingwood
3Haunts Haunted House Shepherd Closed in 2021
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
Haunted Drive Cleveland
Galveston
San Antonio
East Texas
Graystone Manor Longview
World of Khaos Thrill Park Tyler
Doc Wilkes House of Horrors Longview
Terror Trails Yantis Closed in 2021, back in 2022
Afterlife Haunted Attraction Blossom
Texas Maze of Terror Vidor Closed in 2021, back in 2022
The Asylum Haunted House Talco
Zip Line with Zombies Diana
Yesterland Fright Farm Spooktacular Nights Canton
West Texas
Terror Trail Canutillo (El Paso area) Closed in 2021, back in 2022
Nightmare on 19th Street Lubbock
Amarillo Scaregrounds Amarillo
6th Street Massacre 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 Closed in 2021, back in 2022
Nightmare in the Country Woodward
Boo at the Zoo October 29-31.
Dallas Arboretum Art of the Pumpkin Now through Halloween. Located next to White Rock Lake. Separate charges for admission and parking.
Pumpkin Patches DFW
Flower Mound Pumpkin Patch Attendance by reservation only. See the site for details.
Halls Pumpkin Farm Opens October 1, check the site for hours, directions, and prices.
Preston Trail Farm Open now, check the site for hours, prices, and directions.
More pumpkin patches and outdoor Halloween activities are listed here.
Costume Shops DFW
Incognito Costume World-Dallas, on Inwood, close to the Galleria. Open for in person business.
Dallas Vintage Costume Shop-Plano, off of 75, just north of Collin Creek Mall. Open for in person business.
Magic Etc. In Ft Worth, on Forest Park Blvd, just north of I-30, west of downtown Ft Worth. Open for in person business, seven days a week.
Norcostco Dallas On Wycliff, south of I-35, in the Design District.
Dallas Costume Shoppe-in east Dallas, on Main. By appointment only, Monday, Wednesday, and Friday.
TV Listings
Syfy 31 Days of Halloween: October 1-Halloween. Their full schedule will be here. The full schedule will be released later in September, or October.
AMC Fear Fest: October 1-Halloween. Their full schedule will be here. The full schedule will be out later in September, or October.
TCM October Horror: From October 2-Halloween. The full schedule will be here.
Travel Channel Ghostober: Travel Channel has only paranormal programming, but their special Ghostober lineup begins on September 13. Check their daily schedule here.
The Food Network has several Halloween related shows, the best known of which is are Halloween Wars and Outrageous Pumpkins. New seasons of it’s Halloween shows premiere during mid September. Read about Halloween Wars here, and the Food Network schedule is here.
Freeform 31 Nights of Halloween: From October 1-Halloween. Full schedule is here.
Disney Channel Monstober: From October 1-Halloween. Partial schedule is here. The full schedule will be out later in September, or October.
I get a lot of my information from a site called Halloween Movies on TV. They are a comprehensive resource, and the site is updated daily. Their home page is here.
Horror Movies in Theaters
Most horror movies shown in theaters in October are shown at dinner and movies places, and at retro theaters. Both types of theaters have been struggling, due to covid, so for the most part, they won’t show as many horror movies as usual this October. Alamo Drafthouse has most of it’s Texas locations open, and the same is true for Studio Movie Grill and Movie Tavern locations. There are so few horror movies listed on their calendars that I’m going to post links to their calendars for now, instead of listing all movies for each theater. At this point, The Inwood Theater in Dallas will not be showing midnight movies, and the Sundown at the Granada (also in Dallas) will not be showing any movies.
New Releases
Halloween Kills will be out on October 15, in wide release. Night Teeth, from Netflix, will be out on October 20, possible only on Netflix. Hypnotic will be out on October 27, and Last Night in Soho will be out on October 29. Antlers will also be out on October 29.
Vintage Horror
The Texas Theater is the only indie theater that shows lots of genre movies, and they have a pretty good lineup for this October. They begin showing horror movies on September 24. Their calendar is here.
You can check each theater in calendar view for the entire month of October.
Search any of their Texas locations by date.
The link takes you to the Spring Valley location in Richardson, but you can use the location drop down to search all of their locations.
Search it’s five Texas locations from the link.
Here is an updated list of stores that sell quality Halloween merchandise and costumes. These links should take you directly to their Halloween departments. Walgreens, Kroger, Tom Thumb, Albertsons, and CVS usually sell a fair amount of Halloween decorations and candy, but they list little to nothing online, so I’m not linking to them. They are worth checking out in person, especially CVS. Many of the costume shops listed also carry decorations.
Merchandise
In Person and online
Online only
Costume Shops
Online
In Person and online
Since it’s looking like at least some haunted attractions in Texas will join Screams in cancelling, we are going to post alternatives to haunted houses this season. Without commenting on whether paranormal activity is real, I will say that investigating paranormal sites can be fun, even if you aren’t a believer. After all, we all know that haunted houses aren’t full of real monsters, but they are great fun anyway. Below are some links to paranormal sites and ghost tours.
Haunted Places
Haunted Places.org The Most Haunted Places In Texas
Backpackerverse 10 Most Haunted Places in Texas
Caller.com 13 Haunted Places in Texas
Mysterious Heartland: 10 Most Haunted Places in Texas
Haunted Rooms: 14 Most Haunted Places in Texas
Haunted Rooms Most Haunted Places in DFW
Texas Escapes Texas Ghosts List
Click2Houston Creepiest Places in Texas
Arlington Tourism 18 Most Haunted Places in DFW
Travel Texas Haunted Places to Visit
Austin Ghosts Top 10 Most Haunted Places in Texas
Shadowlands Haunted Places in Texas
Ghost Tours
Trip Advisor Ghost Tours in Texas
Ghost Tours of Galveston Island
Ft Worth Stockyard Ghost Tours
Screams Halloween Theme Park opens this Friday, October 1. It’s been two years since Screams has been open, and they have taken the time to redo two of their five main attractions. The 3D pirate house is now the Klownz in 3D attraction, and the old maze is now the Time’s Up Maze. The big castle, Cursed: The Witches of Terra Mythica, Hotel D’Feers, and the Zombie Apocalypse trail return in 2021. For opening weekend, Screams has a special on tickets, $5 off tickets for 10/1 and 10/2 only. Buy tickets here.
Screams features the Full Moon Cafe, a full service restaurant and bar, plus four pubs. A large food court is located in the back of the park, close to the main stage and the zombie trail. The main stage hosts live music and DJs nightly, while Scaryoke is held on the end of Merchant’s Row, across from Waxed Hands. Games of skill, such as knife and star throwing, paintball, and Hoops and Heads, can be found across from the food court.
When you enter Screams, remember to walk through Rottingwood Cemetery, and take a look at the shops on Merchants Row. You’ll find tarot and palm readings, wax hands, henna tattoos, face painting and more at the shops in Screams.
Screams is located in Waxahachie, on FM 66, about a mile and a half west of I-35, on the Scarborough Faire grounds. It’s about 30 minutes south of downtown Dallas. Click here for directions. If you find yourself running low on gas, stop at the Scarborough Travel Stop, at the NW corner of I-35 and FM 66.
Park hours are 7:30pm to 1am. I recommend arriving as early as possible. It’s a huge park, with lots to do, and some of the bigger attractions will have longer lines later at night. Remember to wear comfortable clothing, especially comfortable shoes. If you want to cut way down on wait time in line, get a fast pass. I use them, and they will cut your wait time by half, or more.
Since Covid is still a problem, I should go over the precautions Screams is taking this season. Screams employees will be required to wear protective facemasks. Customers are encouraged to wear protective facemasks, but are not required to do so. Please note that decorative facemasks and Halloween masks are not allowed for customers. For more information, check the Screams FAQ page here.
Be sure to take time to walk the park, eat, drink, and shop when you visit Screams. Haunted parks are a very different experience from urban haunted houses, and the best part is the variety of experiences you can have at parks like Screams. I’ve included some pictures from the 2019 season below. Please bear in mind that Screams has updated their park in the last two years. I’ll post new pictures, along with the review, this coming Sunday. To avoid a wait in the ticket line, get your tickets online here.
Screams Front Gate Twilight II
Screams Front Gate Twilight
Food Court
Food Court Twilight
Zombie Wasteland Exterior
Full Moon Interior Sign
Full Moon Bartender Michael
Taboo Tavern
Climbing Tower
Merchant’s Row Waxed Hands
Henna Tattoos
Games
Souvenirs
Open All Year
Opening September 11
Six Flags Fright Fest Park hours are noon-10pm
House of Torment 7pm-10pm
Opening September 17
Scream Hollow 7pm-Midnight
Purgatory Scream Park 8pm-11:30pm
13th Floor 7:30pm-10pm
Opening September 18
The Mortuary 7pm-11pm
Opening September 24
Dark Hour Haunted House 7pm-Midnight
J&F House of Terror 7pm-Midnight
Graystone Haunted Manor 7pm-Midnight
World of Khaos Thrill Park 7pm-Midnight
Doc Wilkes House of Horrors 7:30pm-Midnight
6th Street Massacre 7pm-Midnight
Houston Terrordome 8pm-11pm
Hex House 7pm-11pm
Creepy Hollow Haunted House 7:30pm-Midnight
Haunted Drive 7:30-Midnight.
Opening September 25
Phobia 8pm-11pm
Amarillo Scaregrounds Sneak peak night, ticket booth 7:30pm-9:30pm (7-11:30 regularly)
Dungeon of Doom Sneak peek night, half price, 5pm-10pm
Nightmare on 19th Street 7:30pm-11pm
P-6 Farms 10am-6pm
Opening October 1
Screams 7:30pm-1am
Cutting Edge 8pm-10pm (opens at 7:30pm on October 2)
American Scaregrounds Haunted Attraction (formerly Waco Haunted Houses) 7:30pm-Midnight
13th Gate 6:30pm-11:30pm
Moxley Manor 7:30pm-11:30pm
Texas Scaregrounds 7pm-Midnight
Hangman’s House of Horrors 8pm-Midnight
Haunted Shadows Lake Trail 7:30pm-Midnight
Houston Screamfest 8pm-11pm
Silo of Screams 8pm-11pm
Creekside Manor 7:30-Midnight
Redrum Fear Park 7pm-Midnight
Haunted Trails 8pm-Midnight
Afterlife Haunted Attraction 8pm-11pm
The Asylum Haunted House 7:30pm-11pm
Evil Visions Haunted House 7pm-Midnight
Nightmare in the Country 8pm-11pm
Yesterland Farm Spooktacular Nights Dark until 10pm
Nightmare on Main Street 7:30pm-10pm
Zombie Safari 7pm-10pm
Parker House 8pm-11pm
Zip Line With Zombies Reservations required, day and night reservations available. Call 903 968 6924.
Fright Night Haunted House 7pm-11pm
Redrum Fear Park 7pm-Midnight
Psycho Path Haunted Attraction 8pm-Midnight. Tickets online only.
Tree Farm Massacre 7pm-Midnight
The Blackness Haunted House 7:30pm-11pm
Dark Woods Haunted Attraction Ticket booth opens at 7, park at 7:30, ticket booth closes at 11.
Opening October 2
Rise Haunted House 7pm-10pm
Opening October 8
Thrillvania 8:30 pm-10pm
Haunting on the Blue Ghost 7pm-10:30pm
Opening October 15
Defcon 1 and Circus of the Dead 7pm-Midnight
October 19
Haunts and Houses: Trick or Treating at the Historical Park in Farmer’s Branch 4-6pm
Costume Making at the North Richland Hills Library 5-7pm
Day of the Dead at Miss Angeline’s in Denton 6-8pm
October 21
Boo Bash in Frisco, 2pm-9pm
Costume Party Yappy Hour in North Dallas, at 5pm
Deep Ellum WineWalk: Happy Hallowine 6-9pm
Halloween Pub Run at High Fives in Dallas from 6-9pm
October 22
Family Halloween Party in Austin Ranch in the Colony at 5 pm
Boo Bash Halloween Kid Event in Mansfield at 6pm
Halloween Wine Dinner at Landon Winery in Dallas, 6:30-8:45pm
Halloween Movie in the Park in Frisco 6:30pm-9pm
Catrina Paint Party in downtown Dallas, 6-9pm
Zombie Safari Dallas: The Zombie Hunt 7-10pm
A Night at the Overlook Arcade at Free Play in Richardson, starts at 9pm
The Lake House Halloween Party at the Lake House Bar and Grill in Dallas, 9-midnight
October 23
Halloween Pawty Parade at Barkin Creek Dog Kitchen and Bath in Dallas, at 10 am
Barktoberfest at the Paw Pad in Ft Worth 10am-2pm
5th Annual Pooch Parade in Burleson at 11am
Howl o Ween Ghouls in Wylie, 11am-1130am
Howl o Ween at the Three Dog Bakery in Southlake, 2:30pm
Woof O Ween at Odyssey Pets in North Dallas, 4-6pm
Halloween Costume Goat Yoga in Watauga, 10-11am
Glow in the Dark Pumpkin Decorating in Southlake , 11am-1pm
All Hallows Masquerade in Grapevine, 10am-noon
Halloween Costume Tournament in Coppell at 1pm
Trick or Treat on the Trails in Coppell 11am-1pm
Halloween All Day in Waxahachie noon-8pm
Grand Prairie Halloween Fest 3-6pm
Pumkinfest in Carlton, 5:30-8pm
Epic Campout in Grand Prairie: Haunted Edition, 4pm to 9am
Beware of the Square in Celina, 4-10pm
Trick or Treat Trail in McKinney at 5pm
Halloween Photo Shoot at Spaces in Plano 4-9pm
Candy Trail Costume Contest in Irving, 6-9pm
Nightmare on Main St 5 7pm-1am in Mansfield
Dragons Ball: Wonka’s Rave at the Longhorn Icehouse in Dallas, 8pm-2am
Dallas Block Party, 7-10pm
Beer and Fear in Frisco 7pm-11pm
October 24
Halloween Costume Goat Yoga at the Toyota Music Factory in Irving, 11am-noon
Howl o Ween at the Yard in McKinney 11am-10pm
Howl o Puppy Costume Contest at Sidecar Social in Addison, 3-5pm
Singapore Slingers Halloween Concert at the Pocket Sandwich Theater in Dallas, 2-4pm
Trunk or Treat in Frisco, 4-6pm
Deep N Funk Party at the Canvas Hotel in Dallas 5pm
Scream Hollow Halloween Park opens for the 2021 season this Friday, September 17. They are open Fridays and Saturdays from 7pm-midnight, and on Thursdays and Sundays from 7pm-10pm. They will be open on their opening weekend Friday, Saturday, and Sunday. There will be a Pitch Black event on the weekend following Halloween, November 5 and 6, from 7pm-Midnight.
Scream Hollow features five main attractions, Mansion of Terror, Lost Pines Asylum, Wicked Darkness Maze, The Slaughterhouse 2, and the brand new Hell on Wheels hayride. You can drink alcohol at the Rabid Bat Vampire Bar, and at the Dragon’s Breath Tavern. Food is available at the Cackling Witch Cafe and Bakery. Merchandise can be found at Madame Tinker’s Magic Emporium. Another new attraction for 2021 is the Halloween History Museum, the only international Halloween history museum in the world.
The gates open at 7pm. Scream Hollow does not use time slots, so it’s first come, first serve. Wearing masks is optional this year. Credit cards, Apple Pay, and cash are accepted at all venues. You can buy tickets online here. The prices are very reasonable, and since there isn’t much difference between the cost of admission to one main attraction, and all five, I would get a ticket to see all five. The price for admission to the park, and one main attraction is $21.95 on Thursdays and Fridays, and $31.95 for the same, on Saturdays. The ticket for park admission, and admission to all five main attractions is $32.95 on Thursdays and Fridays, and $39.95 for the same on Saturdays. On Sundays, park admission and all five main attractions is $24.95. A Wolf Pack ticket gives park entry, and entry to the five main attractions to four people, for $119. Tickets for Pitch Black are $29.95 and grant park admission, plus admission to the five main attractions. There is a park admission only ticket, with no main attractions, for $6. Not a bad idea for people who go to the park a lot and want to eat and drink, but have already seen the haunted attractions as much as they want to.
Scream Hollow is one of the highest rated haunted parks in the world, and it’s in a great location, in the country to the southeast of Austin. Directions can be found here. I haven’t reviewed Scream Hollow yet (I hope to make it down there this year) but it looks like the kind of park that will take a full evening to appreciate. I recommend arriving as close to 7pm as possible so that you can see everything without rushing. One of the best things about haunt parks is taking time to look around, eat, drink, and shop.
Due to production and massive supply chain problems, there is about half as much Halloween merchandise at most stores this year. Michael’s and At Home have been hit the hardest, and Party City is just now beginning to stock their shelves. Home Depot is the only store with about the same amount of Halloween items as usual, and they have a great selection this year. Spirit is trying, and has creative themes for 2021, but they haven’t been able to stock as much merchandise as usual, and are especially low on animatronics. Lowe’s and Hallmark have less than normal, but a decent selection, by their standards. Target and Walmart are getting their shelves stocked now, but they probably will have less than in 2020.
Lemax is in incredibly short supply in 2021. Michael’s had very little Lemax this year, and are almost completely sold out of Lemax in stores. If you want any of the 2021 Lemax Spookytown line, you will probably have to order it online.
I had hoped for a return to normal with Halloween merchandise in 2021, but it look like that won’t happen until next year.
October 14
Trunk or Treat at the Denton Animal Shelter. 6pm-8pm
Pumpkin Hollow in Little Elm. 6pm-9pm
October 15
Pumpkin Hollow in Little Elm 6pm-10pm
Trunk or Treat party 3pm-7pm, Children’s Dental and Orthodontics in Dallas
Haunted Hall Bar Crawl from 9pm at Legacy Hall in Plano
Pumpkinfest in Grapevine, 8am-9pm Friday through Sunday, through Halloween.
Cemetery Scavenger Hunt in Farmers Branch, at Keenen Cemetery, 5:30pm-8pm
Adults Only Chocolate Haunted House Build at Yelibelly Chocolates in Addison, 7pm
Big League Screams in Mansfield, at 7:30pm
October 16
Oktoberfest Wiener Dog Race and Costume Contest in Southlake Town Square, 10am-noon.
Halloween Dog Pawty at the Shops at Park Lane, 10am-2pm
Pups and Pumpkins at World of Beer in Ft Worth. 2pm-5pm
Boo Bash at Music City Mall in Lewisville, for kids and dogs. 2pm-4pm
Howl o Ween Brunch and Costume Contest at Ellie’s in Dallas, 11am-2pm
Goat Yoga in Costumes in Addison Circle, 10am-11am. Goats in Costumes!
Ghost Walk in Lake Dallas 7pm-midnight
Halloween at the Heard Natural History Museum and Wildlife Sanctuary, from 6-8pm, McKinney.
Halloween Spooktacular at Bass Hall in Ft Worth, 11am.
Murder at the Skull Manor Costume Ball at Harwood Tavern in Dallas. 1pm-4pm
Pumpkinfest in Mesquite 2pm-5pm
Family Fright Night Campout in the Colony. 4pm Saturday-9am Sunday.
Pumpkin Day at Dallas Farmer’s Market, 9am-5pm
Pet Costume Contest at Atwoods Ranch in Lake Worth. 10am-2pm
Halloween Horror in Addison 7pm-11pm, a showing of the 2018 Halloween begins at 8:30pm.
Fangtacular Family Campout in Flower Mound, from 3pm Saturday to 9am Sunday.
Pumpkin Splash Patch in Allen noon-2:30pm
Kids Halloween Cooking Class at Maggiano’s in Northpark, noon-2pm
October 17
Meadows Museum Trick or Treat 3pm-5pm
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John and Denea at Waco Haunted Houses celebrated the 30 year anniversary of their haunted house in 2020, but sadly that was their last year operating Waco Haunted Houses, which was formerly known as Museum of Horrors. Age and health led to the sale of the property, which thankfully has been purchased by people who will be opening American Scaregrounds Haunted Attraction on the property this October 1.
Texas Haunts has reviewed Museum or Horrors/Waco Haunted Houses many times, and we look forward to seeing American Scaregrounds this year. It’s located on the northbound I-35 service road, in Elm Mott, which is a little north of Waco. It’s not too far of a drive from DFW or Austin, so be sure to check out this new haunted attraction in October!
As of tonight, August 31, Michael’s has only a small amount of Halloween merchandise out, including maybe half of the Lemax Spookytown 2021 line. At Home is also far behind in stocking for Halloween, with maybe a third as much Halloween merchandise on shelves as usual. Spirit is doing a better job, but they are also planning to put out more merchandise throughout September. Some Spirit stores have more than others, but none have their full line of animatronics, or movie related merchandise. Spirit has a lot of Sam Trick r Treat items this year, with more coming in through September. I will stopping by Home Depot and Lowes tomorrow, so I will post another update.
Update 9/2. Home Depot has just begun to put out Halloween merchandise. Lowes has put out most of what they have, which is about a fourth of their normal Halloween merchandise.
Update 9/3 According to employees at Michael’s, Spirit, and At Home, the reason stores are so far behind in stocking Halloween merchandise is the massive supply chain problem in California. Most of all Halloween items are made in China, and reach the US through California ports. Those ports have huge backlogs of container ships waiting to be unloaded. It’s possible that more merchandise will reach stores before Halloween. It’s also possible that what is in stores now will be all we get this year.
If you’re wondering, Party City, Target, and grocery stores don’t have much Halloween out until mid September, in a normal year.
The merchandise delays this year are being caused by slowed production and shipping in the Pacific Rim, due to Covid. Production runs many months ahead of the holidays, so most of the 2020 merchandise had been made by the time Covid hit. That’s why 2020 was a fairly normal year for Halloween shopping. The production delays caused by Covid have begun hitting us this year.
Closed
Screamworld Houston
Van Buren Frightmare Amarillo
House of Thorn Oklahoma
3 Haunts Houston area
The Sanctuary Oklahoma, possibly back in 2022.
Terror Trails Yantis (East Texas) back in 2022
Texas Maze of Terror Vidor Back in 2022
Terror Trails El Paso area, back in 2022
From Screams:
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By this time of year, Michael’s and At Home typically have at least 70% of their Halloween merchandise on shelves. Due to the lingering effects of Covid, stores are running far behind in putting out Halloween merchandise this year. At Home has maybe 10% of their stock out, and Michael’s has put only a few items on their shelves. Home Depot and Lowe’s had not put any Halloween merch out, as of Wednesday, August 4. Spirit has announced their store locations, but opening dates are not listed. It looks like we will need to be patient this year. It seems like a safe bet that stores that stock up early, like Michael’s, At Home, and Home Depot, will have quite a bit of their Halloween stock out by late August.
Screams Halloween Theme Park will open on October 1, for the first time since 2019. No details are available yet, but it’s likely that the park will open at 7:30pm and will remain open to 1:30am, every Friday and Saturday in October. Five major haunted attractions should return, along with several smaller attractions, the Full Moon Cafe, Taboo Tavern, Scaryoke, live music on the main stage, a food court, games, and merchants.
I haven’t seen Screams in two years, so I’ll be there on opening weekend. If we’re lucky, it will be business as usual everywhere by October and we can have a normal Haloween season!
Spirit has announced most of it’s store locations for 2021, although more locations will be added over the next month or so. Click here for the store locater.
Also, Michael’s and At Home (Gardenridge) are beginning to stock Halloween merchandise. I usually wait until the second to the last Saturday of July to check out those stores. By that time, Michael’s has most of it’s Lemax display in place, and Gardenridge has more than half of it’s Halloween displays out. July 24 is the beginning of my Halloween preseason this year.
Update July 24: Michael’s has yet to stock Halloween merchandise. They probably won’t have any out until early August.
It looks like things are returning to normal, so the outlook for the 2021 Halloween season is bright. I was surprised by how many haunted attractions opened last year, and it looks like the rest will reopen this year. I expect that Halloween parties and movie theaters will be back to normal in 2021 as well. The new Halloween movie, which had been scheduled for last year, will be out in October. There may be some mask requirements, but I’m thinking that most places will allow vaccinated people to not wear masks, and will use the honor system for that.
Halloween is on a Sunday this year, which is my favorite night for Halloween. Halloween on Saturday is great, but with Sunday, you get to celebrate all weekend long. Haunted house opening dates and the statewide listings will be updated in late July. The first haunted attractions of the year will be opening in mid September, so hopefully we can all make up for last year’s hamstrung season!
We haven’t had any haunted house news to pass along since the close of last season, due to Covid, but the first haunted house special opening of the year is close! Scream Hollow (southeast of Austin) will be having it’s summer special this June, beginning on June 11. The Summer Monster Bash dates are June 11,12,18,19,25, and the 26th. The hours will be 7pm-midnight on all dates. A new attraction at Scream Hollow this year is the only interactive hayride in Texas, called Hell on Wheels. Hell on Wheels joins four other main attractions: Mansion of Terror: Coven, Lost Pines Asylum, Wicked Darkness: The Maze, and Slaughterhouse 2: Lunatik’s Revenge.
Scream Hollow is a large outdoor Halloween theme park, and has the Rabid Bat Vampire Bar, the Dragon’s Breath Tavern, the Cackling Witch Cafe & Bakery, as well as Madame Tinker’s Magic Emporium gift shop. More detailed info on food and drinks can he found here. Live music will also be a part of the Summer Monster Bash.
Tickets may be purchased here and are $32.95 for admission to the park, and all attractions, or $23.95 for admission to the park and one attraction. A Wolf Pack special is also available; four tickets for all five attractions for $99, which is a $31 savings. There are a limited number of Wolf Pack tickets available.
If you live anywhere close to Austin, or are in the mood for a road trip, Scream Hollow’s Summer Monster Bash sounds like a great night out, or part of a summer vacation!
