The Rambler (Fort Worth, Tex.), Vol. 86, No. 8, Ed. 1 Thursday, October 25, 2001 Page: 4 of 4
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W
4 The Rambler October 25, 2001
Entertainment
Houses of t^e (Mt)s dead
Melanie Manning
EDITOR IN CHIEF
Ballpark in Arlington Haunted House
There's something frightening at the Ballpark in Arlington this
Halloween season; it might even be scarier than the Ranger's 2001 win-loss
record.
The Haunted House at the Ballpark is a short but interesting
labyrinthine trip through the 'tunnels' under the stadium.
Visitors enter through the gate then proceed down a flight of stairs to
the sub-basement of the ballpark. From there, friendly security guards
direct visitors to the entrance to the dark maze.
The almost total blackness made navigating the maze difficult, and
often the only light came from the garrish strobe effects in use throughout
the attraction.
Costumed employees frequently popped out of inconspicuous spots to
frighten guests as they passed by. Nearly every corner was manned by a
well-concealed 'ghoul' of sorts.
The corridors were occasionally broken up by rooms made to look like
various creepy locales, including a crypt, a graveyard, a death row electric
chair and one secret rotunda at the end of the tour.
The major downfall of the Ballpark Haunted House is that it was too
short. The entire trip through the dark maze took less than 15 minutes.
There is no gore or staged violence used in the haunted house. Instead,
the venue relies on the imaginations of the visitors to provide the proper
atmosphere of fright.
The thrills at the Ballpark are mild at best. Unless you have a fear of
the dark, there is nothing truly frightening in the subterranean tunnels
beneath the stadium.
The Haunted House at the Ballpark at Arlington is one of three venues
included on the Halloween TerrorPass ($32, available at the window or
online). The others are the Haunting at Southfork Ranch and the Cutting
Edge.
Cutting Edge
The name 'cutting edge' implies something new and exciting, a thrill-
a-minute frightfest guaranteed to shock and amaze. With that in mind, this
so-called house of horrors would do well to change its name to "The Soup
The Ballpark in Arlington transforms from its 'favorite
pasttime' appeal to a haunting time filled with ghouls.
The Ballpark opens at 7 p.m.
The Cutting Edge lost its horror since the move from its
original downtown location to a closed Kmart store on
Jacksboro Hwy.
Spoon" or perhaps "The Butter Knife," or something equally dull.
The Cutting Edge, located at Loop 820 and Jacksboro Highway, relo-
cated from the downtown area this year. Now housed in a closed depart-
ment store, the venue seems small, cramped and decidedly not frightening.
The lines outside the door stretched into the parking lot on the Saturday
evening I visited. According to the ticket-taker, it was an average sized
crowd.
The line moved quickly, however, because people were shuffled
through the haunted house at breakneck speeds. When smaller groups
attempted to put some distance between themselves and groups ahead of
them, an employee barked at them like a crazed military drill instructor to
"Move, move, move!! Don't linger, don't stop!"
That was one of the attraction's many downfalls—groups of visitors
were not spaced out enough, so anyone behind the first person in line could
see what was coming.
Worse, though, was that in most cases, nothing ever came. The major-
ity of the venture was spent trudging through narrow cardboard and ply-
wood corridors like sullen rats in a maze.
Most often the 20-or-so people who had merged into one oversized
group could see the employees 'hiding' in the not-quite-darkness. Even the
'creatures lurking in the shadows' seemed disenchanted with their seasonal
jobs. One such employee said, "I'd get into it more if it wasn't 100 degrees
in here."
The oppressive heat was yet another problem with The Cutting Edge.
Too many people crammed into such a small (non-air conditioned) space
generated enough body heat to make the brisk October night feel more like
a sweltering August day.
There was some modicum of reprieve from the oven-like maze, but to
describe it would give away the one surprise Cutting Edge has in store. But
be forewarned—don't wear your good shoes.
The Cutting Edge's brochure promised "psychological terrors with no
gore or violence." By 'psychological terror' it apparently meant 'the horror
of knowing you paid too much to be this bored.' Indeed, the scariest thing
about "The Cutting Edge" haunted house is the exorbitant price ($16.64 +
tax) patrons are charged to walk around the pathetic venue.
Thrillvania
If you're looking for a haunted house that is off the beaten path, look
K-Pax inuades theatres
Jose Vai.dez
MANAGING EDITOR
From the very beginning, K-
PAX is the type of film that grabs
the audience and takes them on a
journey. Much like its lead charac-
ter, Prot (Kevin Spacey), the jour-
ney is filled with mystery and possi-
bilities.
Prot is a man who believes he
comes from another world, K-PAX.
Little is known of him except that
he stands out wherever he goes.
It is this difference that lands
him in a psychiatric hospital in
Manhattan. Dr. Mark Poweil (Jeff
Bridges) is assigned to his case.
Powell is a man so dedicated in
his work that he has no time for
relaxation, let alone his own family.
Powell believes Prot is just
another delusional patient, not a
man from the stars.
As Prot undergoes treatment,
Powell and his staff notice things
that are uncommon for normal
human beings. The staff begins to
believe Prot's story; Powell still has
his reservations.
It is during these sessions that
both men begin to forge an under-
standing of each other. It is this
bond that moves the story along.
As each day passes, Prot
exhibits a positive affect on the
institute's residents. They believe
he is someone special.
Dr. Mark Powell ( Jeff Bridges) builds a unique relation-
ship with his patient Prot as he tries to solve the mystery
of Prot's 'delusional' world K-Pax.
Prot (Kevin Spacey) observes activity at Grand
Central Station as he arrives to earth from his own
distant planet K-Pax.
Still not convinced, Powell
uses every means at his disposal to
uncover the truth about Prot.
With each new discovery,
Powell slowly begins to harbor the
notion that Prot may indeed come
from another world.
Right up to the end of the film
the audience is left wondering
where Prot is from. Is he a human
being or is he an alien?
This question would not be
possible if it were not for Spacey's
performance. His portrayal of a
man in his own universe is first-
rate.
His short answers to questions
and his calm demeanor toward even
the most hostile situation allow the
audience to believe he is from
another world.
Bridges' performance is also
first-rate. His portrayal of a man so
dedicated to work while disregard-
ing his family is an issue most of us
can relate to.
Even though K-PAX is a good
film, it is not exceptional. It left this
reviewer longing for more.
Is it worth the price of a ticket?
Yes.
K-PAX is rated PG-13 and
opens Friday, Oct. 26.
no further than Thrillvania: The Realm of Sensational Adventures. Located
70 miles away in Terrell, Thrillvania is the oft-overlooked site of a haunted
house far better than any that local venues have to offer.
Upon arriving at the grounds, visitors are given a pamphlet detailing
the legend of Verdun Manor, the turn-of-the-century plantation home of
mad scientist Baron Michael Verdun and his vampiric wife Lady Cassandra
D'Arque.
For a fee of $10, visitors can explore the manor. The tour starts in the
courtyard, where a blood-smeared sign proclaims "You must be at least this
dead to enter." Eerily realistic corpses and skeletons are propped in the
ghastly garden like gory scarecrows, and a giant animatronic dragon breaths
fire at those who dare to cross the surprising 'bridge of doom.'
Once through the door of the run-down plantation home, guests of the
manor can stop to look at the pictures on the wall, most of which feature
some grisly scene of torture, murder or mutilation.
Chances are, however, that visitors won't linger for too long in any one
spot.
Wolf-like creatures wielding chainsaws and other weapons stalk guests
throughout dimly lit halls while mechanical bodies move and twitch on sur-
gical tables, meat hooks, torture devices and other horrors.
The trip through Verdun Manor is not for children or the faint of
heart—the surrounding scenes are violent and bloody. People suffering
from claustrophobia should also beware, as many of the manor's twists and
turns are very narrow or low.
For those who seek a milder form of entertainment, Thrillvania offers
"Sam Hain's Hayride" and "Cassandra's Labyrinth of Terror" for $7 and $9,
respectively. An 'all-night thrill pass' for all three venues costs $22 per per-
son.
Full of sights and frights, the hayride and labyrinth are slightly less
graphic than the images in the manor. There is also a carnival-like midway,
an hourly magic show and fireworks at dusk. On Halloween Night,
Thrillvania will hold a Masquerade ball with a $500 cash prize for the best
costume.
Thrillvania ranks among the best haunted houses in the area because of
its no-holds-barred approach to terrifying delights, spectacularly detailed
costumes and superb animatronics. The quality of the haunted house makes
the hour-long drive worthwhile.
For more information on Thrillvania, including hours, pictures and dri-
ving directions, visit the website at www.thrillvania.com.
rou MUST
« \ **
m
1 HIS DEN)
<0 EHTEP
Photos by Melanie Manning
Thrillvania show-
cases a variety of
creatures and grue-
some sights in
Terrell. Other
attractions include a
fortune teller,
hourly magic shows
and a chance to 'fry
your friends' with
the in-house electro-
cutioner.
Asylum of Fear
Location: 2020 N. Lamar in Historic
Westend Dallas
Admission: $13.99; under 12 not
permitted
Operations: Contact 972-986-5998
Ballpark in Arlington Haunted
House
Location: 1000 Ball Park Way
Admission: Adults $16.71 + tax;
Children 12 and under $14.93 + tax
Operations: Oct. 21- Oct. 31 open at
7:00 p.m.
Cutting Edge
Location: 6001 Jacksboro Hwy. in
Ft. Worth
Admission: Adults $16.64 + tax;
Children $14.93 + tax
Operations: Oct. 18- Oct. 31 open at
7:00 p.m.
Dungeon of Doom
Location: 201 W. Main Street,
Arlington Museum of Art
Admission: $10.00 regular; $9.(X) +
can food donation
Operations: Oct. 26 and Oct.27.,
Oct. 29- Oct. 31; 7:30 p.m. - 12:00
a.m.
Hangman's House of Horrors
Location: 1-30 and Forest Park
Blvd. in Ft. Worth
Admission: $12.00
Operations: Oct. 26- Oct. 31
Screams
Location: South on I-35E to Exit
399A, West 1.6 miles on FM66,
near Waxahachie
Admission: $17.99
Operations: Contact 972-938-3247
Scaregrounds
Location: 2001 Irving Blvd. in
Dallas
Admissions: $15.(X)
Operations: Oct. 25- Oct. 31 open at
8:00 p.m.
Six Flags Fright Fest
Location: 2201 Road to Six Flags in
Arlington
Admission: $40.99 included in park
admission; $24.99 + tax at Tom
Thumb
Operations: Contact 817-530-6000
Thrillvania
Location: Wilson Rd. in Terrell
Admission: $22.(K) All- Night Thrill
Ticket; Haunted Verdun Manor
Adults $10.00, Children under 12
$8.00; Cassandra's Labyrinth of
Terror Adults $9.00, Children under
12 $7.00
Operations: Oct. 26- Oct. 31 open at
7:00 p.m.
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Manning, Melanie. The Rambler (Fort Worth, Tex.), Vol. 86, No. 8, Ed. 1 Thursday, October 25, 2001, newspaper, October 25, 2001; (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth253261/m1/4/: accessed July 15, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu; crediting Texas Wesleyan University.