Located deep in the heart of Dallas near the Design District, just northwest of downtown, the 23,000 sq. ft. facility at Dallas ScareGrounds™ was established in 1996 and boasts three distinctly themed haunted attractions: The Terrortorium™, The Necrotorium™, and The Hallucinatorium™. One admission price of $16.00 gains entry into all three attractions. The three distinctly different sections of the haunted house are linked seamlessly together.
Scare Factor: 8 out of 10
Every scene, hallway, and turn of a corner held anticipation and anxiety. I was holding my co-reviewer’s hand pretty tightly, and even HE jumped several times. This helped me laugh off my own jumps. We were entertained by the fact that even though very little changed since last year, we STILL got scared by the very same things that we were already expecting. THAT is a good haunt if you can repeat the past and still get people like us to jump. As you move on through the separate areas, the fear factor decreases, but the detailed scenes and entertainment value increases.
Set design / Props / FX: 10 out of 10
The detailed scenes and creative props have always been a plus for this haunt. Although there are several wonderfully creative designs throughout the other attractions, the Hallucinatorium™ sets Dallas Scaregrounds apart from any other haunt in the area. We have seen others try to duplicate this experience, but nothing has ever come close to the impact and absolute artistic quality that went into ensuring the most “trippy” experience possible – dead sober. It is not scary, but it is a great portrayal of how artistic creativity can make paint become a priceless moment. And with Hallucinatorium™… you literally walk THROUGH the art sometimes. This attraction alone is worth seeing, not because it is scary, but because the 3-D effects make you wonder if something was slipped into your drink. But please keep your 3-D glasses on… you will never be able to understand what I mean unless you keep those glasses ON!
Live Actors: 7 out of 10
This is a difficult category to judge. There were some of the BEST actors I have ever seen, and a select few of the worst. A new addition this year was “Freddy”, and he is by far the best we have ever seen, although we think was more than one because he showed up throughout every attraction. If there is only one, he had to be running pretty darned fast to meet us in each scene. We found out much later that he had been playing this particular role for 8 years, and it shows! Although we think that there were some “extra” Freddy actors that were just for show and did not have speaking parts. The actors were still “getting” us with the same tactics, and that shows talent. I was more entertained by Freddy than by any other actor, so this score reflects overall. Freddy gets a 10.
Anamatronics: N/A
We do not recall any animatronics used in Dallas Scaregrounds.
Length: 8 out of 10
30-45 minutes
Summary:
Dallas Scaregrounds continues to be one of our favorites because it has so much variety. There is the classic scary, great theme design, and then an added awe over creativity and environment. This is a haunt worth checking out.
Dallas, TX
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Review Date: Friday, Sept 23
Located deep in the heart of Dallas near the Design District, just northwest of downtown, the 23,000 sq. ft. facility at Dallas ScareGrounds™ was established in 1996 and boasts three distinctly themed haunted attractions: The Terrortorium™, The Necrotorium™, and The Hallucinatorium™. One admission price of $16.00 gains entry into all three attractions. The three distinctly different sections of the haunted house are linked seamlessly together.
Scare Factor: 8 out of 10
Every scene, hallway, and turn of a corner held anticipation and anxiety. I was holding my co-reviewer’s hand pretty tightly, and even HE jumped several times. This helped me laugh off my own jumps. We were entertained by the fact that even though very little changed since last year, we STILL got scared by the very same things that we were already expecting. THAT is a good haunt if you can repeat the past and still get people like us to jump. As you move on through the separate areas, the fear factor decreases, but the detailed scenes and entertainment value increases.
Set design / Props / FX: 10 out of 10
The detailed scenes and creative props have always been a plus for this haunt. Although there are several wonderfully creative designs throughout the other attractions, the Hallucinatorium™ sets Dallas Scaregrounds apart from any other haunt in the area. We have seen others try to duplicate this experience, but nothing has ever come close to the impact and absolute artistic quality that went into ensuring the most “trippy” experience possible – dead sober. It is not scary, but it is a great portrayal of how artistic creativity can make paint become a priceless moment. And with Hallucinatorium™… you literally walk THROUGH the art sometimes. This attraction alone is worth seeing, not because it is scary, but because the 3-D effects make you wonder if something was slipped into your drink. But please keep your 3-D glasses on… you will never be able to understand what I mean unless you keep those glasses ON!
Live Actors: 7 out of 10
This is a difficult category to judge. There were some of the BEST actors I have ever seen, and a select few of the worst. A new addition this year was “Freddy”, and he is by far the best we have ever seen, although we think was more than one because he showed up throughout every attraction. If there is only one, he had to be running pretty darned fast to meet us in each scene. We found out much later that he had been playing this particular role for 8 years, and it shows! Although we think that there were some “extra” Freddy actors that were just for show and did not have speaking parts. The actors were still “getting” us with the same tactics, and that shows talent. I was more entertained by Freddy than by any other actor, so this score reflects overall. Freddy gets a 10.
Anamatronics: N/A
We do not recall any animatronics used in Dallas Scaregrounds.
Length: 8 out of 10
30-45 minutes
Summary:
Dallas Scaregrounds continues to be one of our favorites because it has so much variety. There is the classic scary, great theme design, and then an added awe over creativity and environment. This is a haunt worth checking out.
OVERALL SCORE:
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