“Final Cut: No lights. No cameras. All Action!”At Hangman’s House of Horrors, one of the top-ranked attractions in Tarrant County, new scares can be found.
Hangman’s doesn’t claim to be the scariest, but instead, the most fun, said Aryn Young, production assistant for La-De-Da Productions, the theatrical production company that sponsors Hangman’s.
“We’re definitely the most entertaining,” Young said. “And I think that’s why we’ve been so successful.”
As far as scaring people goes, Fred Patterson, who has been acting at Hangman’s for 11 years, said it is interesting to see the people that practically “suspend reality” and think the experience is real.
Patterson, 43, said he is an “in-your-face” type actor.
“I pick out the ones that look real confused or perturbed,” he said. “Then, I let ’em have it.”
Patterson said the scares are nice, but he really just likes to see that the people are entertained.
The house has entertained more than 422,000 patrons, according to a press release.
This past Saturday, the house put about 2,400 people through, and the producers expect similar numbers for Halloween weekend. Young said in an average season they have about 20,000 people visit the house.
This year something that further sets Hangman’s apart is the Saw Madness attraction. This 3,000-square-foot additional haunted house is presented by Lion Gate Films, the distributor of the movies “Saw” and “Saw II,” Young said.
The house includes scenes from “Saw II,” which opens in theaters today.
Movies included in this year’s theme are “The Village,” “Sleepy Hollow,” “Nightmare Before Christmas,” “The Adam’s Family,” “Night of the Living Dead,” “The Ring,” “The Munsters,” “Ghostbusters” and “13 Ghosts” (where a piece of the Plexiglas in the room was broken by a scared visitor).
A number of rooms in the house offer great scares and states of dizziness and confusion.
Features worthy of note are the disorientation maze, the famous sheet maze, the fog room, a spider maze that was crafted by one volunteer and the two spinning tunnels, one at 25 feet and one at 50 feet.
Also on the grounds are the Funhouse, karaoke, live bands, a carnival ride and concessions.
Young said they want the money you spend to guarantee you a fun night out.
What else sets this haunted house apart?
“We’re not gory, we’re not gross,” Young said. “We scare by jumping out at you when you least expect it.”
White said he employs method acting, utilizing the same characteristics that send shivers down your spine when you watch a movie. White seems quite the aficionado on movies, as he works at a movie theater and said he has always been interested in the horror genre.
White plays the role of Michael Myers in the main house and said a couple of men have nearly torn down the sheet room in fear.
“The ultimate is when I can make the big burly men break down,” White said.