Wednesday, October 15, 2008

Haunted House review: Hangman’s House of Horrors

By Laura Evans

This is the 20th year the people of Hangman's House of Horrors have put on this charity-benefitting haunted house. Hangman's has been nationally recognized by MSNBC as one of the top haunted houses in America, while the Travel Channel featured the house in their special "America's Scariest Halloween Attractions".

The Price: You'll have to dish out $20 bucks for this haunting, but that price also includes entrance to three other side attractions and live music. And parking is free, so no hidden fees there! Plus all net proceeds go to charities such as the American Cancer Society, a Wish with Wings, Cenikor Foundation, Rocky Top Therapy Center, and SafeHaven of Tarrant County. So you can get your scare on while being charitable. A win-win for all!

The Line: Hangman's has a pretty efficient number system for entering the House of Horrors. Each ticket has a number assigned to it, and once ours was called we waited in line for about 30 minutes. While in line you can entertain yourself by trying to get Michael to break his vow of silence (ask him if Jamie Lee Curtis ever game him some, come on I dare you!)

The three-acre area has a number of other attractions to keep you busy while you wait for your number to be called. They have everything from live bands, karaoke, body art, concession food and three side houses. I suggest perusing these first to build up your confidence for the House of Horrors. If you can't handle those then you'll definitely want to skip the main house.

The Haunt:

House of Horrors: You'll be herded, literally, into a small room where they make you listen to the lame story of the guy with the noose, ahem... I mean The Legend of the Hangman. Pretty corny stuff, but they cram you in there with 15 other people in the dark, so imaginations run wild with what else happens to be in there with you.

There are several mazes in the house including a room of white sheets and another with plastic coils dangling from the ceiling. God help the person that gets lost in there. It probably took us a good 10 minutes to find our way outta that mess. Tip: try following the wall, seemed to work for us when we finally figured it out.

The room of mirrors and strobes was by far the trippiest room in the House of Horrors. I'll admit I was quite freaked out by it, and I'm not that easily spooked. I DO NOT recommend walking with your hands out in front of you in order to feel your way through the room. This can lead to unintentional fondling of the actors. And no, this was not my personal experience but one of my fellow haunting reviewer Laura S.

Other highlights: The room based on the bazillion Saw movies (I sure hope that guy chained to the tub was really an actor!), the spinning tunnel room (bet you can't stay in there for five minutes without your dinner making another appearance), the checkerboard disorientation room, and the creative ways they hide the actors (you'll just have to experience that on your own for I don't want to ruin the surprise).

3-D Funhouse: It's pretty much what it sounds like. Makes for a good time-killer while you wait for your number to be called. No spooks, just good ol' 3-D stuff.

The Beast: If you like being blinded by strobes lights while finding your way through a maze this is the house for you. It was fun for the first few minutes, then my eyes screamed to get the hell outta there.

Hillbilly Cafe: This one kinda freaked me out, but not in a good way. The actors try to talk to you in a schizophrenic "I'm gonna kill you" sort of way which just seemed really awkward. Plus we had a big guy tailing us the whole way through and trying to block our way from the exit. Laura S so cleverly used me as a scapegoat so she could get through him while leaving me behind to fend for myself. So yeah, not so much a fan of this one.

Wet-Your-Pants factor: While I came out nice and dry, a few more minutes in the room of mirrors woud have sent me back to that time I peed at my desk in the second grade. And yes, it happened, but in my defense the teacher said no potty breaks during reading time! What's a second-grader to do?!

All in all, good fun, nice side attractions, and some pretty creative and fun stuff. Two bloody stumps up.

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