I went to Hatch & Kraven’s Slaughterhouse on Friday October 3rd. I attended with Roadkill and Metal-Momma from DFWHauntedHouses.com. The Slaughterhouse is in its second year run, and these guys are doing an amazing job. The haunt is in an actual run down slaughterhouse. The atmosphere is very creepy, even the old dank smell of the slaughterhouse just puts you right into a vibe of fear. The actors at Hatch & Kraven’s Slaughterhouse are one of the most enthusiastic groups I’ve ever seen at a haunt. They never break character, even when outside the haunt scaring people or taking a break. The outside entertainment is a lot of fun, especially Slave. She cracked me up. There are a lot of actors running around engaging the patrons and there is a snack bar where you can get all kinds of food & drink at reasonable prices. One thing to beware…. Flip-flop sandals are lost quite frequently here…. They collect them for the shoe eater…
Once inside, you get to meet the sisters... one sweet… the other not so much. The detail in these first rooms is fantastic. Lots of wrapped “meats”, rustic furniture, and antiques give the place a sense of realism. After meeting the sisters, you are then ushered into the slaughterhouse…. At this point, you are in for a mad, frantic, wild romp through the haunt. The atmosphere is very dark, gritty, and dirty. The first thing you notice is the smell... dank with the scent of blood from years gone by. The slaughterhouse equipment is all around, creating a maze of pathways to explore. The actors seem to be hidden everywhere… constant screaming, banging, jumping out of anywhere and everywhere. It happens so fast and frequently, it’s very hard not be startled, even for avid haunt goers. The maze twists & turns so much, that I got lost several times. You then go outside for a short while, thinking you’ll get a break… Hell no…. You’re in for quite a surprise….
Once you enter the slaughterhouse again, it’s another non-stop barrage of screams and attacks. More twists and turns through opaque walls and refrigerators keep this are very interesting. You are then thrown into total darkness as you walk through a cattle chute, all the while being attack from what seems all around. Once through, you are in an outside area. From here on out, Hatch & Kraven and all their slaughterhouse fiends attack, scream, and chase you through the rest of the haunt. And believe me… it is non-stop.
Hatch & Kraven’s Slaughterhouse is one of the most fun and frightening haunts I’ve been to. A lot of the scenes do not have a lot of detail, but it really isn’t needed because of the sheer darkness that you go through. And with as many scares as there are, it would be difficult to notice a lot of detail anyway. This haunt is extremely actor driven, with each actor scaring you multiple times. These actors really love what they do and are very talented. This is what makes this haunt a real gem. There are some really great stilt walkers as well, one of which made me jump constantly. The price vs. walkthrough time is very fair, especially considering the high scare factor. I’d like to extend a special thanks to Mopsy the Clown and his crew for spending time with us, answering questions, and scaring us to death. It is well worth the drive out to Sherman for this frightening and frantic haunt.
I give this haunt a 9/10 rating
My haunt reviews can also be found at DFWHauntedHouses.com
Monday, October 06, 2008 Haunt Review: The Parker House – Lewisville, TX
I went to The Parker House on Friday October 3rd. I went with Roadkill & Metal-Momma from DFWHH.com. I also got to meet DFWHH member Twinsmom, which was a nice treat. We got there pretty early & waited for the sun to set as we spoke to the owner & staff, who were all very friendly. This is the first year The Parker House has been open. They have a very accessible location and tons of parking. The facade of the haunt is really nice, with faux brickwork, windows, a chandelier, and corpses hanging about. While waiting out front, we could hear screams from patrons coming from the inside… Then all of a sudden, a whole group ran out of a side door… They were so scared that the barely made it through the first 2 rooms before chickening out…. I was anxious to get inside by then.
The Parker House has some really great detail work throughout the haunt. Everything from the wallpaper, art, props, and general decor was very consistent throughout the haunt. The use of space at The Parker House was amazing. It constantly twisted & turned, double backing on itself. This really helped to keep you lost & confused while going through the haunt. One of the great things about this new haunt is their use of some great practical effects that I’ve not seen in any other haunts.
Upon entering the first room, I was struck by the detail & size of the room. There was so much to look at & so much to explore. You are given ample time to look around before a hidden door opens to lead you through a dark hallway then back into the main entry room for additional scares. The endless hallways inside The Parker House are very elaborate. Each scene has great detail & the actors are very good at scaring you especially the guy in the kitchen. He got us twice… Some of my favorite things were the haunted bedroom with the creatures behind the wall, the springboard flooring in one hallways which give you quite the uneasy and wobbly experience, and the crazy guys in the cages, one with the box on his head & the other jumping & screaming…. All very effective. One room in particular that stood out was the foam area. I huge room filled with blocks of foam that you had to walk through. It was much deeper & more difficult to make through than I imagined. This was a fantastic & unique addition to the haunt. The graveyard was a lot of fun as well, with lot of areas to roam & great actors popping out from all over the place. The bush girl was a nice & unexpected surprise. The dark cockroach hallway was done very well, considering this has been used in many haunts. I’ve never seen it used with the lighting in quite this way, so it was indeed a new experience. There is another hallway with foam, torsos, hands, and all kinds of stuff melded together that when combined with the strobes made it look alive and moving. That was very creepy.
For a first year haunt, The Parker House did an amazing job of putting on a scary show and the crew there has some great ideas that other haunts should be checking out. There were a few pneumatics that didn’t work or were off their timing, but not too bad for opening night. There were also a few areas that could have used a few more actors. But as a whole, The Parker House was a very good haunt and well worth the money for the walkthrough time & show that is presented.
I give this haunt an 8.5/10 rating
My haunt reviews can also be found at DFWHauntedHouses.com
The Parker House has some really great detail work throughout the haunt. Everything from the wallpaper, art, props, and general decor was very consistent throughout the haunt. The use of space at The Parker House was amazing. It constantly twisted & turned, double backing on itself. This really helped to keep you lost & confused while going through the haunt. One of the great things about this new haunt is their use of some great practical effects that I’ve not seen in any other haunts.
Upon entering the first room, I was struck by the detail & size of the room. There was so much to look at & so much to explore. You are given ample time to look around before a hidden door opens to lead you through a dark hallway then back into the main entry room for additional scares. The endless hallways inside The Parker House are very elaborate. Each scene has great detail & the actors are very good at scaring you especially the guy in the kitchen. He got us twice… Some of my favorite things were the haunted bedroom with the creatures behind the wall, the springboard flooring in one hallways which give you quite the uneasy and wobbly experience, and the crazy guys in the cages, one with the box on his head & the other jumping & screaming…. All very effective. One room in particular that stood out was the foam area. I huge room filled with blocks of foam that you had to walk through. It was much deeper & more difficult to make through than I imagined. This was a fantastic & unique addition to the haunt. The graveyard was a lot of fun as well, with lot of areas to roam & great actors popping out from all over the place. The bush girl was a nice & unexpected surprise. The dark cockroach hallway was done very well, considering this has been used in many haunts. I’ve never seen it used with the lighting in quite this way, so it was indeed a new experience. There is another hallway with foam, torsos, hands, and all kinds of stuff melded together that when combined with the strobes made it look alive and moving. That was very creepy.
For a first year haunt, The Parker House did an amazing job of putting on a scary show and the crew there has some great ideas that other haunts should be checking out. There were a few pneumatics that didn’t work or were off their timing, but not too bad for opening night. There were also a few areas that could have used a few more actors. But as a whole, The Parker House was a very good haunt and well worth the money for the walkthrough time & show that is presented.
I give this haunt an 8.5/10 rating
My haunt reviews can also be found at DFWHauntedHouses.com
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