Having lots of actors (probably more per square foot than any haunt I’ve been to) is the best thing about Dr Haunt’s. This goes for The Show, (the introductory attraction) Bloody Fun, (the clown house) and the main house, Dr Haunt’s Chamber of Fear. The actors work well as a team, have great timing, and are still respectful of the customers. This is in contrast to some haunted houses I went to last year where the actors seemed be determined to prove they were tough guys. As fun as props and animatronics are, there is no substitute for having plenty of quality actors.
The middle of nowhere, country feel of Dr Haunt’s is another strong point. Although it is by the frontage road for southbound I-35 in Gainesville, Dr Haunt’s has the atmosphere of a classic 80′s haunted house. Dark grounds (you have to walk in dim light between the attractions) and surrounding woods make the setting truly creepy. Roaming actors do a great job of surprising guests as they make their way between buildings.
Though scary, Dr Haunt’s is family friendly, and the staff puts the safety and enjoyment of guests first. Our newbie female reviewer mentioned that she had bad experiences in the past at haunted houses when male actors were rude to her, but at Dr Haunts she was scared, but still felt safe. This is an all volunteer group (staff and actors) and the profits go to charity, so you can have a good time and know that your money is going to good causes.
As far as the houses go, Bloody Fun has been upgraded significantly this year. What was once a fairly brief maze with clowns is now a full fledged haunted house with great actors, clown costumes, and an under the big top circus soundtrack that impressed the review team. The clowns were great at ganging up on customers and I was surprised by how many there were throughout the place.
Dr Haunt’s has an energetic greeter who leads you into the large morgue section, complete with caskets, cadavers, a funeral home, and plenty of actors. The asylum has scenes of experiments and some of the best props in the house, but the dungeon was my favorite part. Not many haunted houses go to the trouble to create a highly detailed dungeon/torture area, but Dr Haunt’s has. While all attractions frightened our group, Dr Haunt’s was clearly the scariest of the three. A developing and consistent medieval theme (the entire house will have it next year) is a welcome change from haunts that appear to be various rooms jumbled together.
With a $20 base price for a combo ticket (weekly discounts reduce the price quite a bit, check the site for details) Dr Haunt’s is a great value. It takes roughly 45 minutes to go through the three attractions, so you get a good dollar to haunt minute ratio. In fact, taking the discounts into consideration, Dr Haunt’s is now the least expensive haunted attraction in North Texas. For great actors and an old fashioned Halloween atmosphere, Dr Haunts is the place to be this October!
For dates open, hours of operation, ticket prices and discounts, location and directions, please visit the Dr Haunt’s site at http://www.drhauntshouse.com
