Halloween 2008 Pics
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Wednesday, October 08, 2008 Haunt Review: Hatch & Kraven’s Slaughterhouse - Sherman, TX
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
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
Wednesday, October 01, 2008 Haunt Review: 13th Street Morgue - Red Oak, TX
I went to the 13th Street Morgue on Saturday September 27th. I have to say I love the Morgue so much; I had to go through twice. It was especially great to be able to go through the haunt by myself and not having to deal with a group. This is truly one of the more frightening haunts I’ve ever been to. The attention to detail is impeccable. Cobwebs everywhere & done so realistically. The prop pieces are perfectly aged & give you a sense of such realism. They took a lot of time with small details, like wallpaper, art, and general knick-knacks that really make the place genuine & believable. The actors in the Morgue are always very professional & consistent. Their timing is perfect & they never lose character. And watch out for BoogiemanConCarne… He is one scary mother fucker….
Right from the start I was giddy with fear. The shadow of the axe raising reminded me of a scene in Friday the 13th. The graveyard was nice and dark & had plenty of great scare moments. Even during my second time through, they got me really good. Especially that damn scarecrow…. He scared the hell out of me more than once. The graveyard girls were nice and creepy… kept trying to sneak up on me. The hearse area is one of my favorite parts. It has such great atmosphere with the trees, lighting and shadows. The gravedigger is one to watch out for! He is so damn scary as he stares you down and scrapes his shovel. The Mortuary then changes your pace for a while. Nice and creepy funeral parlor with great detail. Simple things like the antique paintings on the walls make such a difference for the realism. The elevator and lab rooms had excellent detail as well. Great sparks, bubbling containers, and eerie lighting. The gas mask guy was really effective at getting you through the room. One of my favorite characters is the hide & seek girl… so fun to play with. The bathroom scene is just horrific. So nasty & slimy. Somewhere here, I forgot to mention the new addition of the girl on the rope swinging in the hallway. What an amazing addition this year. It’s very nice and creepy, and makes really great sound.
The attention to detail and the actors at the 13th Street Morgue are what make this haunt stand out above the rest. You can tell that these people really love what they do & put all they have into it. They want their patrons to have the most fun & frightening time possible. The wait time is not bad at all. The price is very fair considering the amount of walkthrough time and atmosphere that you get. The look and feel of the Morgue is consistent from beginning to end, and the frights are endless & relentless. I highly recommend the 13th Street Morgue to anyone who loves haunted houses.
I give this haunt a 10/10 rating.
My haunt reviews can also be found at DFWHauntedHouses.com
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Right from the start I was giddy with fear. The shadow of the axe raising reminded me of a scene in Friday the 13th. The graveyard was nice and dark & had plenty of great scare moments. Even during my second time through, they got me really good. Especially that damn scarecrow…. He scared the hell out of me more than once. The graveyard girls were nice and creepy… kept trying to sneak up on me. The hearse area is one of my favorite parts. It has such great atmosphere with the trees, lighting and shadows. The gravedigger is one to watch out for! He is so damn scary as he stares you down and scrapes his shovel. The Mortuary then changes your pace for a while. Nice and creepy funeral parlor with great detail. Simple things like the antique paintings on the walls make such a difference for the realism. The elevator and lab rooms had excellent detail as well. Great sparks, bubbling containers, and eerie lighting. The gas mask guy was really effective at getting you through the room. One of my favorite characters is the hide & seek girl… so fun to play with. The bathroom scene is just horrific. So nasty & slimy. Somewhere here, I forgot to mention the new addition of the girl on the rope swinging in the hallway. What an amazing addition this year. It’s very nice and creepy, and makes really great sound.
The attention to detail and the actors at the 13th Street Morgue are what make this haunt stand out above the rest. You can tell that these people really love what they do & put all they have into it. They want their patrons to have the most fun & frightening time possible. The wait time is not bad at all. The price is very fair considering the amount of walkthrough time and atmosphere that you get. The look and feel of the Morgue is consistent from beginning to end, and the frights are endless & relentless. I highly recommend the 13th Street Morgue to anyone who loves haunted houses.
I give this haunt a 10/10 rating.
My haunt reviews can also be found at DFWHauntedHouses.com
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Haunt Review: Dungeon of Doom - Red Oak, TX
I went to Dungeon of Doom on Saturday September 27th for their opening night. I’ll start off by saying that I was already a fan of the Dungeon. I was sad to hear it was closing, then overjoyed that it found a new home with Reindeer Manor & 13 Street Morgue. It is a massive improvement over Uncle Stinky’s Playground. I miss the old location in the Arlington museum because of the multi-levels & stairwells. But they have done a great job working with a single level, especially in the short time they had to put the Dungeon back together.
The line was short and I got to go through this haunt alone, which I live for. I love the movie theme of this haunt. The Silent Hill area was so awesome. The nurse was so chaotic & contorted, banging herself into the walls. I was mesmerized by her and had to kind of hang there for a while just to watch her. The Psycho scene was very nice too. I especially loved the strobe effect with the layers of bloody shower curtains. I got lost in that for a bit. The Exorcist bit was fun, especially because the crazy priest trying to save me. I was laughing my ass off at that point. That moveable floor really messed me up. I screamed like a little girl as I was tumbling through that corner.
The decor inside was well done. They put in some time to setup some really good themes. Most of the actors did a fantastic job. There was a little bit of timing being off, but I do know that there were some new actors and it was opening night. For it being the first year in a new location, I found this haunt to be a lot of fun and very worthwhile. The price wasn’t bad either, especially if you buy the combo ticket. The walkthrough time was fair when compared to the price. The atmosphere is very dark has great movie themed scenes. I’m sure each year in the new location will get better & better. Some things I’d like to see in the future would be a little more expansion and a few more recognizable scenes, such as Friday the 13th, Halloween, etc…
All in all, I found Dungeon of Doom to be a lot of fun with some good scares and recognizable characters, and would definitely recommend.
I give this haunt a 7/10 rating.
My haunt reviews can also be found at DFWHauntedHouses.com
The line was short and I got to go through this haunt alone, which I live for. I love the movie theme of this haunt. The Silent Hill area was so awesome. The nurse was so chaotic & contorted, banging herself into the walls. I was mesmerized by her and had to kind of hang there for a while just to watch her. The Psycho scene was very nice too. I especially loved the strobe effect with the layers of bloody shower curtains. I got lost in that for a bit. The Exorcist bit was fun, especially because the crazy priest trying to save me. I was laughing my ass off at that point. That moveable floor really messed me up. I screamed like a little girl as I was tumbling through that corner.
The decor inside was well done. They put in some time to setup some really good themes. Most of the actors did a fantastic job. There was a little bit of timing being off, but I do know that there were some new actors and it was opening night. For it being the first year in a new location, I found this haunt to be a lot of fun and very worthwhile. The price wasn’t bad either, especially if you buy the combo ticket. The walkthrough time was fair when compared to the price. The atmosphere is very dark has great movie themed scenes. I’m sure each year in the new location will get better & better. Some things I’d like to see in the future would be a little more expansion and a few more recognizable scenes, such as Friday the 13th, Halloween, etc…
All in all, I found Dungeon of Doom to be a lot of fun with some good scares and recognizable characters, and would definitely recommend.
I give this haunt a 7/10 rating.
My haunt reviews can also be found at DFWHauntedHouses.com
Reindeer Poop
I went to Reindeer Manor on Saturday Sept 27th & was amazed how busy it was. I should have known better to get in line for Reindeer Manor first, but I went to The Morgue & DoD beforehand. I ended up waiting in line for 2 and a half hours, only to be stuck with the worst group I have ever experienced. These teenagers heckled the actors, called them all kinds of names, and cussed them out the whole way through. They would tell everyone what was going to happen in every room we went into. I ended up yelling at them a couple times. Another person in our group was really pissed about it too. Then Security had to talk to them about it twice during the walkthrough. That didn't even stop the assholes from ruining the experience for everyone. Security followed us most of the rest of the way through. Toward the end the teens were still starting shit with the actors, and a couple of the staff got really agitated and just told them to hurry & get out.
Reindeer Manor is one of my favorite places. Even though I knew what to expect, I hate that these assholes had to ruin my experience, as well as the couple people there that had never been there before. If you're not at the haunt to be scared & have a good time, why the hell are you here? The rest of us spent our hard earned money & waited in line to enjoy what Reindeer has to offer.
To their credit, the actors at Reindeer were very professional & did their best to keep the show rolling. I commend them for that. I would have been so pissed having to put up with that after putting so much work into the haunt. And Security tried their best to get them under control, but the kids just didn't care.
I will be going back to Reindeer Manor later in the season. Hopefully I'll have a better experience next time.
Reindeer Manor is one of my favorite places. Even though I knew what to expect, I hate that these assholes had to ruin my experience, as well as the couple people there that had never been there before. If you're not at the haunt to be scared & have a good time, why the hell are you here? The rest of us spent our hard earned money & waited in line to enjoy what Reindeer has to offer.
To their credit, the actors at Reindeer were very professional & did their best to keep the show rolling. I commend them for that. I would have been so pissed having to put up with that after putting so much work into the haunt. And Security tried their best to get them under control, but the kids just didn't care.
I will be going back to Reindeer Manor later in the season. Hopefully I'll have a better experience next time.
Spooky Scary Skeletons
Halloween is not for a while away yet.... but I'm already getting in the mood...
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