Halloween haunted houses horrify Houstonians

By Sakhr Al-Sehaimi

For anyone 15 and older, dressing up as a vampire or an angel of darkness and trick-or-treating through neighborhood streets does not fully capture the spirit of Halloween unless it is combined with a visit to a haunted house. Whether you are the I'm-so-scared type or the nothing-can-scare-me type, Houston has plenty of spooktacular haunted houses to choose from. No matter which haunted house you choose, you are sure to be greeted by sinister music and hair-raising personalities such as psycho clowns and creepy ghosts. Most of the haunted houses in Houston combine the element of surprise with the most horrific scenes. The Castle of Doom, located at 11150 Gulf Freeway, is as terrifying as a scary-looking skull hanging on the wall and an executioner chasing after you can make it. As you enter through the sinister spider web, a killer clown appears through the fog to scare the wits out of you. As you stop screaming to catch your breath, a frightening figure in a coffin appears next to the fireplace. In the fireplace is a boiling bowl filled with human parts. A few feet away, a skull, a hand and a head float in dirty water underneath a shaky bridge. Along the way, you encounter skeletons and other spooky figures. Just before the exit sign comes into view, an executioner holding a bloody sword pops up out of nowhere. "It was so scary, especially the executioner," said Dave Parker, a fifth-grader from Franklin Elementary. "He scared the hell out of me." "I felt a little bit scared, but it was not the ultimate experience I was expecting," said James Williams, a high school student. The Castle of Doom is open Fridays and Saturdays from 8 p.m to midnight. Nov. 2 is the last night it is open. Tickets cost $13. Scream World, located at 2225 North Sam Houston Parkway, is a crumbling building full of intimidating scenes more frightening than your worst nightmare. Divided into three parts: The Haunted Hotel, The Edge of Darkness and Project X in 3-D, Scream World takes you through an eerie experience with each phase scarier than the previous one. When you enter the first part, the Haunted Hotel, resident vampires, werewolves, mummies and creepy characters scream at you, indicating the beginning of a nightmare that will last more than 20 minutes. Creepy characters follow you all the way through the movable tunnel leading you to the Edge of Darkness, where nothing can be seen save the faces of terrifying characters coming much too close to you from all sides as they scream loudly. The final phase is the new Project X in 3-D, where guests go through an alien experimentation lab wearing 3-D glasses. "The Haunted Hotel and the Edge of Darkness are intimidating," said Kevin Young, a Houston police officer. "You do not know what to expect. My favorite is the last part, the 3-D." Scream World is open Thursday from 7:30 p.m. to 12:30 a.m.; Fridays from 7 p.m. to midnight and Sundays 7 p.m.- 12:30 a.m. Nov. 2 is the last night it is open. Tickets cost $17 for adults and $10 for children with $3 off coupons and available at the following locations: Blockbuster Video, Diamond Shamrock, Subway and Woodforest National Bank.