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Like to be scared out of your mind? Austin Halloween Haunted Houses throw open their doors at the end of September and invite you to experience sheer terror at every turn right through Halloween. The House of Torment, Mansion of Terror, and Nightmare Factory Haunted Houses are not generally suitable for very young children - sometimes even the adults can't make it all the way through. Be afraid. Be very afraid.
House of Torment Haunted House
It's been a top-notch Halloween haunted house for a few years now and this year will be no different -- or maybe it is different because it keeps changing. The most outstanding part of the House of Torment is the incredible set. The monsters, ghouls, and psychotic clowns are excellent as well.
Scare For A Cure Haunted House
Scare For A Cure is Austin's only non-profit organization haunted house. In recent years, Scare For A Cure has raised close to $10,000 for breast cancer charities and Elks club sponsored scholarships. All 2008 net proceeds will go to help college-bound students whose lives have been affected by cancer.
Mansion of Terror Haunted House
At the Mansion of Terror Halloween Haunted House they've gone to great pains to set the stage for you. Attend the Mansion of Terror with the idea that it's going to be good, creepy fun and that it's OK to get spooked. We allowed ourselves to suspend belief and had a howling good time. Of course I tried to stay in the middle so the ghouls couldn't get to me.
2007 Halloween Haunted Houses in Austin Texas
The best Halloween Haunted Houses are those where both the set and the actors work hard to make your experience suspense-filled and frightening. These attractions do a great job of delivering just the right mix of creepiness, suspense, and sudden frights.
Austin Haunted Forest Trail of Fears
2007 Review. It may be an Enchanted Forest any other time of the year, but in October it's the Haunted Forest. This is my pick as the Halloween experience of the 2007 season here in Austin.
Creep Zone
2007 Review. It doesn't have the fancy sets or professional actors of more established haunted attractions, but The Creep Zone still delivers its own sort of skin-crawling, heart-pounding excitement. It's housed in a large industrial complex out beyond the Dell Diamond... where nobody can hear you scream...
Gruesome Gardens at The Great Outdoors
2007 Review. For something a little different in haunted houses, take a stroll through The Great Outdoors. This South Congress nursery transforms itself into a chain of three different haunted attractions: Gruesome Gardens, Fun & Freak Show, and Wicked Sensations.
House of Torment
2007 Review. Although the outside of the house looks much like previous years, there are new twists to an old favorite. Take a seat and watch a short movie clip then walk -- even if you want to run -- through a series of creepy rooms that feature not only sights and sounds to make you jump but also smells to freak you out. It's the House of Torment.
House of Torment: Illusion Manor
2007 Review. Packed full of frights and tons of fun. Illusion Manor is one of those amusement park fun houses gone all creepy. This is the "must-see" half of the House of Torment.
Mansion of Terror: Pitch Dark 2
2007 Review. Back for a second year, it's Pitch Dark but with a difference. Not as pitch dark as you might expect but still plenty of thrills in the dark. You'll get a flickering lantern to help you find your way although it doesn't stop you from running into walls and monsters everywhere. Don't tell them your name and don't stop to talk to the ghouls if you can help it! Oh, and watch your step.
Mansion of Terror: Vicious T. Mangle's Slaughter Circus & Freakshow
2007 Review. Lots of ghouls coming at you in the darkness, confusing twists and turns, unexpected noises, things that pop out of walls and other places. Seriously afraid of clowns? You might not want to try this one but if you can handle the frights and only want to do one of the Mansion of Terror attractions -- this is the one.
Halloween Costumes
Costumes aren't required but you can try to scare the monsters in the haunted houses with your own ghoulish look. Look here for your Austin sources of creatively creepy costumes. Be aware that for safety reasons masks and props may not be allowed inside the haunted houses.
Hortons Hear a Boo Haunted House
On October 31 visit 2219 Klattenhoff (78728) with a can of non-perishable food as admission. Benefitting the Capital Area Food Bank, this free family-run haunted house is kid-friendly but open only on Halloween.
Texas Chainsaw Nightmare Haunted House
Was the Texas Chainsaw Massacre truth or fiction? Or, does the answer lie somewhere in between? Visit the Chainsaw Nightmare Haunted House and the Museum of Horrors Haunted House to relive the terror and try to learn the truth. Located North of Waco off I-35 at Exit 345, Ross, Texas. Starts October 8.

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