Review Date: Saturday, October 10th 2009

Time: 8:00pm



Atmosphere

The free parking is located further away, and you have to ride the hay trailer shuttle before you see the first glimpse of Tayman Graveyard. As soon as you arrive, you should feel the haunting spooky spirit drift into your gut. The graveyard area is visible to all, and it conceals the rest of the grounds located behind the mine shaft – but this is perfect because it makes the rest of the grounds a pleasant surprise once you get further back. The very secluded, rural and wooded area creates a perfect atmosphere and mood for the evening.

Set Design/Detail/Floor Plan

Tayman Graveyard offers four different haunted attractions in one location. A walking trail, a mine shaft, a hay ride, and the main haunt - Tayman Funeral Home. I am not sure if there is a recommended order, but the entrance to the Sinister Swamp and the Mystical Mineshaft are both in the front of the Tayman Graveyard, so I will start with those.

Mystical Mineshaft has made some very clever changes this season that should really make you feel lost. Wood fencing all around and low ceilings gave our guest reviewer (who is claustrophobic) moments of panic when we were not sure how to get out. It was not until we double backed that we realized the walkthrough path changed with the opening and closing of gates – so a hall that was previously closed would suddenly be open the next time you walked around.

Exiting the Mineshaft, you walk through the main graveyard, and you should definitely get a few startles from the actor interaction as you make your way to the back portion of the grounds. Here you can see the Funeral Home, but since this is the main event, I generally like to save those for last.

The entrance to Sinister Swamp is back at the front, next to the ticket booth. You first walk behind the buildings and get glimpses of the rural woods to your left as you walk further into the grim. The scenes are spaced apart enough to have plenty of dim lit hiking in between. There was even a carpet path that made it very easy to see your way. This area has so much room to grow, and it keeps getting better each year.

The Hayride is (as far as we have seen this year) the only hayride haunted attraction left in DFW. Full of actor interaction and creepy scenes, most people should enjoy the relaxed ride around the property. Hayrides are in general, very difficult to make scary since you have the sense of security on the trailer. But the characters do well to jump on and off the trailer, and toward the end they have a chance to completely surround you when stopped in the barn.

The Tayman Funeral Home is definitely a special treat. The scene designs and walk-through path is creative, and the eerie sounds throughout keep you on your toes! There are several unique tactics we have never seen/heard anywhere else, all effectively combined with traditional haunt startles.

Live Actors (Performance/Enthusiasm/Costumes)

Granted, there are several young actors at Tayman (since it is a boy scout haunt) but there are also several talented adult actors, and this year it seems that many of the younger children have sprouted into teen actors, with more experience under their belts, too. There is a good balance of various aged actors, so the overall performances of the crew were executed wonderfully!

Admission Price vs. Length (Entertainment Value)

Using the $5 off coupon, your ticket price is $25 – with all four attractions combined, this is very fair since you should have at least over an hour full of haunt.

Overall Experience/Summary/Misc. Information

We have enjoyed Tayman Graveyard every year, and watching them grow and improve over time has been a nice treat. Tayman offers 4 very different attractions that are sure to get you into the Halloween spirit from the first moment you arrive. Also home to one of the very last haunted hay ride attractions in the metroplex, Tayman has a great balance of all the different sides of fun required to fulfill all your haunting needs.



Previous Reviews

See the 2008 Review

See the 2007 Review

See the 2006 Review

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