North Texas Haunted Houses and Pop-Ups for Every Degree of Scare Tolerance

Scary scenes aren’t hard to find around here. Of course, there are also plenty of Halloween haunts and Day of the Dead celebrations if you’re looking to turn the party out.

But for those who seek something a little more true to the season’s spookiness, interactive experiences are the move. Whether you’re into extreme haunts or want to grab some pumpkin spice spirit, there’s an array of activities for all chill levels for Halloween.

This year, we’ve gone beyond the conventional haunted house (although there are a couple of those below, too) for a spooky season that will please scaredy cats, thrill seekers and everyone in between.  

Monster Mini Golf
2595 Preston Road, Suite 500, Frisco & 1500 Keller Parkway, Suite 50c. | 2 p.m. – 9 p.m. Mondays through Wednesday, noon – 9 p.m. Thursday, noon– 10 p.m Friday and Saturday, noon – 8 p.m Sunday. 
Even the smallest monsters in the fam won’t be scared to play a round of 18 holes at Monster Mini Golf. A Keller outpost has recently joined the original attraction (which opened in Frisco in 2020) with a completely different layout. Once you pick up your club and choose a Day-Glo ball, work your way through a winding course that features amusing blacklight artwork (the Frisco outlet has tributes to Kiss and Chuck Norris) juxtaposed with animatronics like Frankenstein and a talking tree that come alive when you’re trying to sink a hole in one. Each spot also has an arcade, candlepin bowling and party rooms in case you’re lucky enough to be born in October. Tickets range from $11 to $13 per person.
(Spooky scale: One spook👻)

I See Dallas Ghost and History Tour
6448 E. Mockingbird Lane. | Oct. 23 – Nov. 1
If history makes your heartbeat faster, book a ticket for Cari Weinberg and Mark Roberts’ Dallas Ghost and History Tour. The founders of a popular school bus holiday light tour have added a comfy, air-conditioned Ford Passenger Van to their fleet, all the better to ferry ghost hunters in comfort and style. Participants meet outside the Lakewood Growler and grab a bevvy to go before embarking on a whirlwind two-hour jaunt to sites including White Rock Lake, Sons of Hermann Hall and the Adolphus Hotel. Sordid stories about Nazi soldiers, drowned girls and Bonnie and Clyde are just a few of the tales Weinberg tells, as visitors can get out of the van periodically to soak up some creepy vibes. We can’t guarantee you’ll see the Lady of the Lake, but you might. Tickets start at $44.52 per person, and those under 18 can attend with a parent or legal guardian.
(Spooky Scale: One spook👻 )

Fleischer Halloween Party
Alamo Drafthouse, various locations, Oct. 25 – 26 
Those of us lucky enough to grow up during the golden age of cartoons might recall Max Fleischer’s energetic animations — from the dawn of the industry, he produced iconic characters like Betty Boop and Popeye. In recent years, the Fleischer Foundation has been painstakingly restoring these 100-year-old clips through a Patreon campaign. To further support this initiative, there’s a tour of classic Halloween toons making its way across the country, with local stops at Alamo Drafthouse in the Cedars, Denton, Los Colinas, Lake Highlands and Richardson. The program features 11 different 4k shorts, including Betty Boop’s Hallowe’en Party. The mix of amazing animation and hot jazz might make this one activity kids will love to share with their grandparents.
(Spooky scale: One spook👻)

The BooMont Hotel
13350 Dallas Pkwy | 10 a.m. – 8 p.m. Mondays through Saturdays
Straight from the imagination of the Redmans and their partners in the beloved holiday experience, Snowday, comes the new BooMont Hotel. Designed with an intriguing backstory of turn-of-the-century oil tycoon Rupert BooMont and his disappearing wife, the experience draws more inspiration from the Meow Wolfs of the world than your average jump-scare haunted house. Visitors check in to receive a photo-op-prompting room key, then take an “elevator” deep into the hotel to investigate 13 public spaces, including a graveyard, tiki bar and upside-down room. Together, they tell a loose backstory drawn from elements of sci-fi and haunted houses. As always, the attention to detail is unparalleled, from phones that allow you to eavesdrop on conversations to secret letters tossed across Mr. BooMont’s desk. And, with a single jump scare, the Boo is appropriate for even the most nervous trick-or-treater. If you don’t make it before October 31, don’t fret — the owners anticipate the hotel will remain open for check-ins through the holiday season as a mildly creepy companion to Snowday. Tickets start at $15 for kids 12 and under, and $25 for ages 13 and up.
(Spooky scale: Two spooks👻👻)

Forest of Shadows 
1800 Dowdy Ferry Road | Oct. 23-26 and 29-31 
A chilling one-mile night walk through the Trinity Forest Adventure Park, this immersive light and sound experience from Moment Factory offers fears for the whole family. Telling the story of “a forest reclaimed by a sinister force,” the plot feels a little unformed, like a Netflix horror series where you accidentally skipped one episode. But the creepy videos, menacing statues and dazzling light displays are enough to conjure an uneasy mood, with or without specific plot points. We’re still having nightmares about that crying baby carriage. Kids will freak out watching strange sculptures dangling from the trees, while mom and dad might get a flashback to that time they went to a rave in a field and couldn’t find their car. Tickets start at $22.90.
(Spooky scale: Three spooks👻👻👻)

Junkyard Haunted House
2700 Sylvan Avenue, Fort Worth & 2423 Chester Street, Dallas | 8 p.m. – 12 a.m. every weekend through November 1  
If you have any hoarders in the family, you know just how scary other people’s junk can be. Junkyard Haunted House has taken that phobia, put it in a blender of classic horror movie tropes, and decked out a duo of warehouses to make your real-life nightmares come true. Founded by a family of junk removal experts, the owners have taken trash and transformed it into spooky treasure in the guise of these dual, maze-like experiences. Visitors in Fort Worth wander their way through a tunnel of used mattresses (the horror!) before traversing smoke-filled rooms full of freaks and ghouls shooting water guns. In Dallas, you’ll get a room devoted to, um, Diddy, among other frights. Admission is $25 per person with free parking.
(Spooky scale: Four spooks👻👻👻👻)

Dark Hour Haunted House
701 Taylor Drive, Plano | 6:30-11:30 pm October 23-26 and 30-31
Dallas’ most highly rated haunt doesn’t earn that status without a lot of effort. And Dark Hour owner Allan Hopps brings a lifetime of studying scares to his role operating this local favorite. Each year, he adds onto an intricate backstory, devising characters and cryptids to take over elaborate sets in his 40,000-square-foot space. You’ll have spooks popping up all over, behind walls, ceilings and corridors, but if you can stop running (or screaming), take a moment to soak in your surroundings, as Hopps and his team spare no terrifying detail. Although Dark Hour opens for different events throughout the year, Halloween is the peak, so pick up tickets on the Fever app, as tickets ($50 per person) are often sold out at the door.
(Spooky scale: All five spooks👻👻👻👻👻)