Texas Haunts – Haunted House And Halloween News and Reviews

October 5, 2019

Score-10

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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

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

Thrillvania Theme Park will be open on July 20, from 8:30pm-10pm. Tickets will be available here later in the spring.

Dark Hour Haunted House will have it’s annual summer special, Dog Days of Summer, on July 19-20, and 26-27. Show hours are 7pm-11pm. Annabelle’s Asylum will also be open, with the same dates and hours. Individual tickets, combo tickets for Dog Days and Annabelle’s, group tickets, and VIP package tickets are available. A behind the scenes tour is available on Sunday, July 28, from 5pm-8pm. Tickets can be purchased here.

Cutting Edge will be open for their summer special event on July 6th from 8pm to 10pm. Tickets can be purchased here. This will be your only chance to see Cutting Edge before September, so plan ahead and put it on your calender!

Scream Hollow will be having it’s summer special, Wicked Summer Vacation: Clowns of Crystal Lake, on June 14, 15, 21, and 22. The hours are 7pm-midnight. Tickets can be purchased here. The following is from the Scream Hollow site.

The Scream Hollow Wicked Halloween Park is a truly spectacular Halloween experience that you don’t want to miss! For summer we have the all new Wicked Summer Vacation: Clowns of Crystal Lake! 4 Haunted Houses across 18 buildings in the woods. Cackling Witch Café and Bakery with the best brisket sandwiches in Texas. The all NEW Blind Owl Bistro with homemade pizzas and funnel cakes. Three bars: the Rabid Bat bar, The Cottonmouth Cauldron, and the all NEW Dragon’s Breath Bar! . Our steampunk stage for bands and live music. Madame Tinker’s Magic Emporium has keepsakes for everyone. Halloween retail vendors, fortune tellers, witches bonfire and much more! A great evening experience! Rated the #1 Haunted House in the nation by Lions Gate Films! Rated Top 10 in the US by USA Today. Featured on the Travel Channel! Come see what everyone is talking about! Open summer 2019 from June 14 through June 22nd Friday and Saturday nights from 7pm to midnight.

House of Torment will host Zombie Apocalypse on May 3rd and 4th. This is a show that travels around the country, appearing at haunted houses. It’s an interactive laser tag event where customers hunt zombies with realistic looking M4 laser tag guns. There are three packages available, with prices starting at $29.99. Tickets go on sale April 12 at noon. More information on the packages and pricing will be available once the tickets go on sale. You can have an email reminder for the ticket sale set on the Zombie Apocalypse site.

Hangman’s House of Horrors will be open Friday, April 12, and Saturday, April 13 for a live paranormal investigation. The event is called Ghosts & Stuff, and will begin each evening at 8pm. A schedule of events can be viewed here and tickets can be purchased here

Dark Hour Haunted House in Plano will be having it’s annual St Patrick’s Slay on March 15, 16, and 17. Annebelle’s Asylum will also be open, and combo tickets for Slay and the Asylum are available.

Hours are 7pm-11pm, all three nights. A behind the scenes tour is available on the 17th, from 1pm-4pm. A VIP experience is available at 7pm, and 8:30 pm, all three nights. Group tickets are also available. Tickets can be purchased here, and at the box office.

Cutting Edge will have it’s Twisted Love Valentine’s special on February 14 and 16, from 8pm-10pm both nights. Reservations begin February 1st at noon. You can buy your tickets here beginning Friday, February 1 at noon.

Cutting Edge is open on Valentine’s Day and all Friday the 13ths

Dark Hour has several shows in the offseason. Fever in February, St Patrick’s Slay in March, and Dog Days of Summer in July.

Fever and Annabell’s Asylum will be held on February 14, 15, and 16th, from 7pm-11pm. You can buy a combo ticket for Fever and Annabell’s, a ticket for Fever or Annabell’s alone, and a ticket for the Fever VIP experience. You can buy a ticket for the Fever behind the scenes tour on February 17, from 1pm-4pm. Buy tickets here.

House of Torment in Austin has a Valentine’s show called Love Bites on February 15 and 16. You can buy tickets here.

Haunted Mayfield Manor  Open on weekends year round, check site or contact haunt for hours.

Ripley’s Haunted Adventure Ripley’s is open daily, all year. Here are their hours

• September – May
  Sunday – Thursday: 10am – 8pm
  Friday – Saturday: 10am – 11pm
• Memorial Day – Labor Day
  Sunday – Thursday: 10am – 11pm
  Friday – Saturday: 10am – 12am

Halloween is over, but many haunted attractions will be open this Friday and/or Saturday. A few will be open the weekend of the 9th and 10th. Ripley’s Haunted Adventure and Mayfield Manor are open all year. Cutting Edge and Dark Hour open for special nights in the off season. Texas Haunts will be open and updated all year, so check back with us for listings of special events between December and July. Thanks for visiting our site this season, and we hope you had a great Halloween. The 2019 season of Texas Haunts will begin in August of 2019!

Open Daily

Ripley’s Haunted Adventure Ripleys is open daily, all year. Here are their hours

• September – May
  Sunday – Thursday: 10am – 8pm
  Friday – Saturday: 10am – 11pm
• Memorial Day – Labor Day
  Sunday – Thursday: 10am – 11pm
  Friday – Saturday: 10am – 12am

Haunted Mayfield Manor  Open on weekends year round, check site or contact haunt for hours.

Open Friday, November 9

House of Torment from 7:30pm-11pm

Haunted Mayfield Manor Contact haunt for times

Rise Haunted House from 7pm-10:30pm

Open Saturday, November 10

House of Torment from 7:30pm-11pm

Haunted Mayfield Manor Contact haunt for times

Rise Haunted House from 7pm-10:30pm

Beyond November 10

Scream Hollow has family friendly activities in December. They are open on Fridays from 6pm-11pm and Saturdays from 4pm-11pm, Sundays 4pm-8pm.

3Haunts is open December 21,22,28,29

Open Friday, November 2

Scream Hollow from 7pm-midnight

13th Gate from 6:30pm-11:30pm

Haunted Shadows Lake Trail from 7:15-midnight

Fearaphobia from 7pm-midnight

J&F House of Terror from 8:30pm until the line dies down, or midnight

Hangman’s House of Horrors from 8pm-midnight

House of Torment from 7:30pm-11pm

Screamworld 8pm-midnight

Phobia 7:30pm-11pm

Houston Terror Dome 8pm-midnight

3Haunts 8pm-11pm

Fearshire Farms from 7pm-11pm

Haunted Trails from 8pm-midnight

Creepy Hollow Haunted House from 7pm-midnight

Kingswood Asylum from 8pm-11pm

Haunted Mayfield Manor Contact haunt for times

13th Floor 7pm-midnight

Graystone Manor from 7pm-midnight

Doc Wilkes House of Horrors Contact haunt for hours

Yesterland Fright Farm 6pm-10pm

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

The Blackness Haunted House from 7:30pm-11:30pm

The Mortuary opens at dusk

Evil Visions Haunted House from 7pm-midnight

Rise Haunted House 7pm-11:30pm

The Hex House from 7:30pm-11pm

The Sanctuary from 8pm-11pm

Nightmare in the Country 8pm-11pm

Open Saturday, November 3

Cutting Edge 8pm-10pm

Fearaphobia from 7pm-midnight

Scream Hollow from 7pm-midnight

13th Gate from 6:30pm-11:30pm

Hangman’s House of Horrors from 8pm-midnight

Haunted Shadows Lake Trail from 7:15pm-midnight

Screamworld 8pm-midnight

J&F House of Terror from 8:30pm until the line dies down, or midnight

Zombie Safari opens at 7pm

House of Torment from 7:30pm-11pm

Phobia 7:30pm-11pm

Houston Terror Dome 8pm-midnight

3Haunts 8pm-11pm

Fearshire Farms from 7pm-11pm

Redrum Haunted House from 7pm-midnight

Haunted Trails from 8pm-midnight

Creepy Hollow Haunted House from 7pm-midnight

Kingswood Asylum from 8pm-11pm

Haunted Mayfield Manor Contact haunt for times

13th Floor 7pm-midnight

Graystone Manor from 7pm-midnight

Afterlife Haunted Attraction from 8pm-11pm

Doc Wilkes House of Horrors Contact haunt for hours

Yesterland Fright Farm 10am-10pm

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

The Blackness Haunted House from 7:30pm-11:30pm

The Mortuary opens at dusk

Evil Visions Haunted House from 7pm-midnight

Rise Haunted House 7pm-11:30pm

The Hex House from 7:30pm-11pm

The Sanctuary from 8pm-11pm

Nightmare in the Country 8pm-11pm

Happy Halloween from Texas Haunts! We hope you have a great time, and to help with that, here is a rundown of what there is to do on Halloween.

Haunted Houses-Aside from Screams, all haunted attractions are open for Halloween. Check our statewide haunted house listings for times. Generally, haunted houses close earlier on Halloween, usually around 10pm.

Parties/Trick or Treating/Other Events-Check our listing of Halloween events for everything other than haunted houses and movies. Catfish Plantation in Waxahachie has a Halloween buffet at 5 and 7. The big costume party is at the Church, and you will want to arrive early, or have a hell of a time finding parking. There are some big trick or treat events happening in DFW, and there are some other events, like murder mystery theater, a boat party, and face painting.

Movies-Alamo Drafthouses, Angelika Dallas and Plano, Texas Theater, The Granada, all Movie Taverns and Studio Movie Grills have vintage horror movies playing on Halloween. The new Halloween is in wide release. Check our horror movie listings for showtimes and links to each theater. Check the theater’s site to verify the showtime late morning or early afternoon. I can’t stress this enough because theaters sometimes make last minute changes to showtimes. Alamo Drafthouse locations are playing an advance screening of the new Suspiria, and a showing of the original Halloween. Angelika Dallas and Plano are showing Psycho, Texas Theater is showing the original Suspiria, Granada is showing Hocus Pocus, Movie Taverns are showing The Shining, and Studio Movie Grills are showing the original Nightmare on Elm Street and Hell Fest.

For at home entertaiment, AMC has Fearfest, TCM has vintage horror movies, SYFY has the final day of 31 Days of Halloween, Travel Channel has Ghostober, Freeform has 31 Nights of Halloween, Food Channel and Disney Channel have Halloween shows, and most other networks and channels will have some genre programming on Halloween. Check our listing of horror movies and shows for more information.

The weekend is almost over, but remember that, with the exception of Screams, all haunted attractions will be open on Halloween, and many will be open Monday, and/or Tuesday. Check my haunted attractions listings for haunted houses in your area. Click on the link and go to the haunt’s site to check for hours, as haunted houses have hours this week that differ from their regular hours.

There are some Halloween parties Sunday night, the Church has the largest, and there are a few Halloween events on Monday and Tuesday, but most of the remaining Halloween parties and events will be on Halloween day and night. Check my Halloween events listing for more information. It’s in chronological order, to make it easier to search.

The new Halloween is in theaters now, and it’s pretty good, though not as good as the original. Speaking of the original Halloween, Alamo Drafthouse has it playing on Halloween night at it’s locations. There are lots of classic horror movies playing at Alamo, Movie Tavern, Studio Movie Grill, Angelika, and the Granada this week, plus lots of movies and shows on television, so take a look at my movie and TV listing for showtimes and horror marathons on TV.

The weather will be nice this week, so get out and do something while the season lasts!

While there are parties on Halloween, and most haunted attractions will be open on Halloween, this weekend has the best parties, and is the best time to see haunted houses and theme parks. Check out my Other Halloween Activities post for information about everything offered from now through Halloween.

Remember that Screams will not be open on Halloween, so this Friday and Saturday are your last chances to see Screams this season. Most haunted houses will be open late this Friday and Saturday. Be sure to check out Cutting Edge, Thrillvania, Parker House, and Halls of Horror!

There are lots of vintage horror movies being shown at local theaters, marathons of horror and scifi movies and shows on TV, plus several new horror movies in theaters. Check out my listing of horror movies and shows to find something to watch in your area, or on TV.

Nearly every club and bar will have a Halloween party over the next week, and there are lots of other types of fun Halloween activities between now and Halloween. Check out my listing of the best parties and other events for more information.