Haunted Houses

Facing Your Fears: Getting a Fright at Austin's Premeire Haunted Houses
By Sharon Miller

October 2004

A man with a chainsaw chased Tara and I as we burst through the backdoor into the cool night air. As the heavy door closed behind us, muffling the scream of the other patrons, we both leaned against each other, gasping for breath and laughing hysterically. We had just made it through the House of Torment, the first of two haunted houses we were planning to visit that night, and we had been scared to death.

Located on Anderson Lane, just west of Burnet Road (by the Fuddruckers), the House of Torment claims that sixteen people had to do “the walk of shame” in their first weekend, and I can understand why. After being briefed by an Austin police officer about the rules of the house, patrons barely have ti Clowns and monsters wait to scare you at the entrance to the House of Torment, off Anderson Lane and Burnet Road. me to adjust their eyes to the dark before the first ghoul jumps out at you. After that, the scares just keep coming. I refuse to give you any more details, as it would ruin the haunted house and the fun of getting scared, but I will say that there were moments that I thought I was not going to make it. Despite the fact that one of the rules is “Do not run” (and it is posted several times in the waiting area), Tara and I found ourselves so terrified that we could do nothing else. Creeps and monsters chased us from one room to another, and so many things popped out at unexpected moments that I became physically exhausted trying to scream and run all at the same time. In addition, this haunted house lasted longer than any I have ever been to, so by the time we finally ran screaming out the back door, I thought I was going to collapse.

Luckily, we had quite a drive to the Nightmare Factory, the next haunted house on our list, which gave us time to catch our breath. One disadvantage to this house is its location, which is in Niederwald, just south of Buda. Coming from North Austin, it took us over 20 minutes to get there, a long drive for a haunted house. Nevertheless, we made the trip, and after our first time through, were glad we did. The Nightmare Factory offered a “choose your own adventure” type of house, so Tara and I opted for a two-trip wristband, in order to try out two different options. The first time through was just a terrifying as the House of Torment, although in a different way. Instead of actually walking through rooms, you walk past “scenes” of gory things happening. Nevertheless, do not let the protective fences fool you; this house was just as interactive as the other one. So interactive, in fact, that it caused us to run full speed into a black wall, one of the many reasons they also suggest that you do not run. Once again, after surviving the first trip, we had to catch our breath before having another go. The second trip, however, was disappointing. Expecting to have an entirely new set of ghouls and goblins to face, we were disappointed when we found ourselves facing the same ones. As we chose different directions, we realized that only one scene was new, and as you follow the path, you end up in the same place, destroying the suspense that is vital to a good haunted house.

Nevertheless, Tara and I felt considerably shaken by both haunted houses and would recommend either one. However, you must enter at your own risk and bring with you a sense of fun and excitement, or else no matter how scary the haunted house really is, you will be disappointed.