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ENTERTAINMENT PULSE Haunted house in Midlothian has a lot of boo for your buck
ENTERTAINMENT PULSE Haunted house in Midlothian has a lot of boo for your buck | Haunted house in Midlothian has a lot of boo for your buck |
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| Written by Kegan Sandoval, The Shorthorn senior staff | ||||
| Wednesday, 28 October 2009 02:32 PM | ||||
  Fourteen year old Kylie Park reacts to two costumed actors on the Haunted Hayride on Friday evening at the Tayman Graveyard. Other attractions include the Funeral Home, the Mineshaft and the Sinister Swamp. (The Shorthorn: Stephanie Goddard) The claustrophobic walls of the Mystical Mineshaft, shotgun blasts along the Sinister Swamp and the Haunted Hayride’s authenticity make Tayman Graveyard a killer experience. Set in the outskirts of Midlothian, a rural town about 30 minutes south of Arlington, Tayman Graveyard inhibits an atmosphere that most haunted houses fail to achieve. “The location, atmosphere and country setting is our strongest point,” owner Dennis Wills said. “A lot of places cannot create the atmosphere we have.” The haunted house, which is run by local Midlothian Boy Scout Troop 202, takes on four different forms- a Funeral Home, Mystical Mineshaft, Haunted Hayride and Sinister Swamp. Each attraction adds a new angle of scare for customers looking for the ultimate night of terror. The Sinister Swamp, which becomes swampy after a rainy day, takes customers along a dark and eerie trail that includes a shotgun-toting moonshiner, a bridge over quicksand and ghouls that sneak along the trail with guests. The trail ends in a junkyard that has guests running toward the exit as grinders shoot sparks and gun blasts warn customers to leave. Gas/Pass: Gas itHaunted House: Tayman GraveyardHours: 7:30 - 10 p.m. Thursday through Saturday Admission: Combo Pass $30, Tayman Funeral Home $12, Mystical Mineshaft $7, The Haunted Hayride $7, The Sinister Swamp $7, Under 48” Combo Pass $15 The funeral director greets people as they filter through the door, warning them about the dangers lurking inside. An illuminating smoke filled room with hanging bodies sets the stage for the trail following the house. Customers will definitely fall for the black widow trap that awaits them outside. Iron gates close off the entrance to the Mystical Mineshaft. The narrow walls, low ceilings and constant banging throughout the maze amps up the intensity. Neon-painted arrows light the path at the beginning, but people may go in a circle more than once before finding their way out. The farther people make their way through the maze, the darker it becomes, completely blacking out at one point. The mineshaft gives the funeral home a run for the money. Tayman Graveyard has something many attractions don’t — a hayride. Wills plays the drunken tractor driver of the hayride, as he stumbles around looking for people that want to go on his haunted adventure through the woods. The trailer is equipped with a strobe light and neon lights that illuminate the painted wooden bars that surround the trailer.  Attendees line up outside the Funeral Home on Friday evening at the Tayman Graveyard. All proceeds from the attractions benefit Boy Scout troop 202. (The Shorthorn: Stephanie Goddard) Along the hayride’s path, characters lay hidden in the dense woods. The trailer’s blacklight allows characters to swoop in and rattle the trailer without being seen, poking their head through the bars and into customers’ faces. Characters frequently run onto the trailer, tormenting guests with chainsaws, bats and boards. The last stop is the haunted barn that comes alive with swinging props from the ceiling and a barrage of ear-deafening noises. Kylie Park, a 14-year-old haunted house customer, visited the haunted house because she had a friend that was working there and brought along two friends. “This place scares the crap out of me,” she said. “I was scared the whole time.” For a low-budgeted haunted house run by a boy scout troop and their fathers, Tayman Graveyard is surprisingly well laid out. The atmosphere alone is worth the drive to experience the scares at this country thriller. Views: 783 | E-mail
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| Last Updated ( Thursday, 28 January 2010 01:42 PM ) | ||||
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