READY FOR A SCARE?
Halloween horrors await at area haunted houses
Twenty years ago, Houston had only a handful of haunted houses, and none but Six Flags Astro-World could command a hefty entrance fee. Today, a dozen major attractions conjure up scares in the greater Houston area, and double-digit prices are de rigueur.
The roster ranges from family friendly — more grins than grim for the 12 and older set — such as the one at the National Museum of Funeral History; the outdoor Haunted Trails; the interactive (grab a weapon and hunt the infected) Contagion at Redrum; and the stateof-the-art, year-round Haunted Mayfield Manor in Galveston. Just pick your poison or your chain-saw-wielding madman.
One of the oldest haunted houses, Phobia, moved to a new home 36 miles southeast of its longtime spot on the Northwest Freeway.
Owner Phylo Darke opened Phobia 20 years ago, but it was about 15 years ago “that we started getting serious about it.”
His team, which includes a half-dozen yearround full-time employees, builds everything, including animatronics.
“We build our houses around our props,” Darke said, “and you have to constantly maintain them.”
Phobia has four free-standing attractions, including Genetic Nightmare — think animal hybrids; a meatpacking-themed Darke World; Contagion, a viral disaster; and Dawn of the Machine.
“Expect some disgruntled robots,” Darke said of the latter.
Harold Lacks, the coowner of Creepy Hollow in Rosharon, said he and his team go to work in November working on new thrills for the next Halloween season.
“I have so many ideas. We’re working on it nonstop all year,” Lacks said.
Lacks said they don’t feel pressured to top themselves from year to year; the hard work is more about passion.
“We love what we do. Our entire staff is volunteer,” Lacks said, adding that Creepy Hollow started 10 years ago as a not-for-profit endeavor.
“We’re still focused on giving back to the community,” Lacks said. “We’ve given more than $150,000 to local charities.”
As Creepy Hollow grows, Lacks said he has only one goal: to scare the customers.
“We’re not as much about blood and gore as situational scares,” Lacks said. “We don’t lean on animatronics. We’re focused on putting you in a situation that will mess with your head. From the minute you get out of your car, you’re in our world.”