It’s time to face your fears at Dallas-Fort Worth’s haunted houses

by Shannon Sutlief

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Darkness, zombies, and dolls are just some of the frights awaiting visitors.

DALLAS — If waiting for the season premiere of The Walking Dead has you craving creatures craving braaains, then head to the Mid Cities for two zombie-centric haunted houses. Leave your crossbow at home. Not kinemortophobic (i.e. afraid of zombies)? How about the dark? Or abandoned factories? Roller coasters? Dolls that come alive? Clowns lurking in sewers? (What? There's a reason they're called irrational fears.) Whatever your phobia, a haunted house probably has it covered.

Afraid of haunted houses? A few will have special events when the lights are turned up and the scare factor is dialed down.

Already open:

• Cutting Edge Haunted House - The award-winning dark attraction is in an actual meatpacking plant. Through November 3.
• Dollz Haunted House - Fatal End in the West End and The Necroplex team up for a new attraction set in a fictional abandoned doll shop and factory. Through October 31.
• Hangman's House of Horrors - The main haunt is 30 minutes long, plus there's McDagenville, The Labyrinth and 3-D Wonderland. Through November 3.
• Moxley Manor Haunted House - This Bedford house is very active year round, and a portion of the proceeds benefit local charities. Through October 31.
• Parker House - The Denton attraction includes The Parkers Mortuary haunted house. Through November 3.
• The Terrorplex - The Mansfield complex has a new attraction called The Circus of the Dead and two renovated ones (Midnight Manor and Limbo, an outdoor maze). Through November 3.
• Texas Scaregrounds - The Kennedale grounds hold Chaos Haunted House, Havok's Interactive Hayride, and Panic's Playground haunted festival. Through October 31.
• Theatre of Carnage - This haunt in Lake Dallas' historic Duck Inn is inspired by scenes from horror movies. Through November 2.
• Thrillvania Thrill Park - The Terror of Terrell includes The Verdun Manor, Cassandra's Labyrinth of Terror, Thorn Hall, Granny Lupus' Seance Theatre, VooDoo Bayou, and Sam Hain's Trail of Torment. Through November 3.
• Zombie Manor - The Hollywood-style sets brings the Zombie Apocalypse to Arlington. Through October 31.

Opening September 28-29:

• The Boneyard - This Arlington haunt is a combination of high tech effects, movie-quality sets, and old-fashioned scare tactics. September 28-October 31.
• Fright Fest - Six Flags Over Texas gets a macabre makeover with haunted houses, spooky shows, and renamed rides (Conquistador Orc Chefs and The Titan Witch, for example). September 28-October 28.
• The Haunted Trail of Terror - The Royse City haunt is a quarter-mile walk through the woods. September 29-October 31.
• Reindeer Manor Abusement Park - In addition to Reindeer Manor, this long-running park houses 13th Street Morgue and Dungeon of Doom. September 29-November 3.
• Screams - The Halloween theme park houses Castle of Darkness, 3-D Pirates of Peril Point, The Arcane Asylum, Unkel Koy's Klown Maze, Ghoulish Graveyard, and The Trail of Terror: Blizzard of Beasts. September 28-October 28.
• Slaughter House - This Deep Ellum spot's 16,000 square feet have been redesigned for 2012. September 29-November 1.
• Tayman Graveyard - In addition to the Graveyard, this Midlothian park has Tayman Mines, Uncle Reggie's Haunted Hay Ride, and Tayman Funeral Home, plus two new attractions: Fappy the Clown's Theatre of Wonders and Gravedigger's Hollow. September 28-October 30.

Opening October 5:

• The Festival of Nightmares - Troop 202 hosts this house on the grounds of Our Redeemer Lutheran Church in Grand Prairie. October 5-31.
• Halloween Fright Nights - Mountasia Family Fun Center and Nightmare Studios present two haunted attractions -- Zombie Apocalypse and Van Helsing's Movie Monster Museum -- plus Mountasia's attractions such as miniature golf, go-karts, bumper boats, video arcade, and a rock wall. October 5-31.
• Haunted Shadows Lake Trail - This attraction is a self-guided tour along a half-mile path near the Lake Lewisville shore on the grounds of Blue Sky Sports Center in The Colony. October 5-31.
• Naughtrite Dedical Center - This haunt set in a mental ward has moved from Arlington to a new facility in Bedford. October 5-28.

Opening October 12:

• Fear Factory Insanitarium - Lakeside Community Theatre has planned "some new scares and horrors" for the 2012 season. October 12-November 3.
• Nightmare at the Wax Museum - Louis Tussaud's Palace of Wax and Ripley's Believe It or Not! hosts Lights Out at the Wax Museum and the Mirror Maze. October 12-31.

Opening October 19:

• Kiwanis Haunted House - This attraction at the Castle Hills shopping center has separate entrances -- and frights! -- for kids and teens. October 19-31.

Special events:

• Scare for a Cure - Proceeds from Moxley Manor's ticket sales on October 11 will be donated to the Susan G. Komen Foundation.
• Holiday in the Dark - Reindeer Manor turns the lights out on its three houses, which visitors tour armed with one glow stick per group. October 21 and October 28.
• Scaredy Cat Night - Hangman's House of Horrors turns the lights on so families can enjoy "half the price, half the scare." October 28.
• Flashlight Night - Hangman's House of Horrors goes completely dark for a flashlight-lit night. October 28.
• Lights Out Nights - Visitors get a glow stick to tour the darkened Tayman Mineshaft and Tayman Funeral Home at Tayman Graveyard. October 29-30.

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