Review Date: Friday, October 13

Length: 6 – 15 minutes each attraction

Location:
Tayman Graveyard is located on the same grounds where the old Tayman Manor once stood at Addamsville Haunted Themepark. They are located in Midlothian, TX near Highway 67 south of I-20, and benefits Boy Scouts Troop 202 out of Grand Prairie, Texas.

Atmosphere: 9 out of 10
This area has a very creepy past… Tayman Graveyard is more than just a graveyard it also contains the haunted Mine Shaft, one the best haunted hayride that the metroplex has to offer, and Tayman Funeral Home. This was the area of the old Addamsville Terror Complex where Tayman Manor once stood. Tayman Manor was a classic haunted house that was burned to the ground about 5 years ago.

When you first arrive, the central graveyard is visible from the front gate. The orange and purple lights along the path and the fountain provide a great ambiance and first impression. Each haunt keeps a consistent atmosphere through-out as well. From the mine shaft that really seems like you are trapped in a mine shaft, to the Tayman Funeral Home that feels creepy in every room and hallway.

Scare Factor: 8.5 out of 10
Taymen has one of the best hayrides we’ve ever been too. The sites and sounds are just the beginning. The actors jump on the trailer to harass and torment the patrons. Just when you think you are safe, you just might be left behind.
Tayman Funeral Home provided great scares not just from actor intervention, but also from the many different surprises. I personally felt a few moments of anxiety battling a minor case of claustrophobia.

Set design / Props / FX / Animatronics: 9 out of 10
The Mine Shaft was not heavily decorated, and this is good since mine shafts generally aren’t. This feels like and looks like a mine shaft, complete with multiple paths the take, and tight quarters to pass through. The random actors and lighting gave a great effect.
Tayman Funeral Home holds some of our favorite set designs this year. One we have always wanted to see, and Taymen delivers, is an upside down room. That’s right, the floor is on the ceiling, and the ceiling is on the floor. Taymen also has a portion where you must select the right door to get to the next room. Then, as we walked down a short hallway that seemed to get darker and darker, we noticed that the walls were also getting closer and closer. At first, our review staff thought we were bumping into actors in costumes, just to discover a furry texture lining the confined space. Small enough for one person at a time, we brushed through this very dark and creepy area. As we got closer to the end, one of the walls actually did start to close in on us, and this was an unnerving feeling to rush through, just to run directly into a mob of monsters.

Live Actors: 8.5 out of 10
Since Tayman Graveyard has no animatronics or huge special effects; Tayman Graveyard is an actor haunt. They do a great job, even though there are a few very young ones from the troop. Child actors can sometimes have trouble scaring adults, but overall there was enough talent, and enough adults, to make the haunts very fun and extremely entertaining for our review staff.

Entertainment Value: 9 out of 10
We recommend the combo ticket for $18 to see all three attractions. The time spent to see all three attractions is well worth $18, and very reasonably priced in comparison to other haunted attractions that have more than one haunt available. Our review staff greatly enjoyed Taymen, and we were entertained through each attraction.

Summary:
Tayman Graveyard is run by Boy Scouts Troop 202 out of Grand Prairie, Texas. 50% of all admission fees and 100% of the concession stand goes directly to the Boy Scout Troop to help fund their outings. The rest of the profits are dumped directly back into the running and rebuilding of the haunted attractions. For anyone that’s been out to the old Addamsville Terror Complex and went into Tayman Manor in the past, the place just doesn’t feel the same. However, the original entrance to Tayman Manor is now the entrance of the Mine Shaft. Our guest reviewer of the evening had seen several other haunts with us this year, and he personally felt that Taymen was the best yet. Several parts of the design make the Taymen Graveyard unique, and the actor performances make this place come alive.

OVERALL SCORE: 9






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