Year-round haunted house opens in Plano
Kevin Cummings
Staff writer, Star Local Media
In an unassuming warehouse building in Plano there exists a world completely separate from the normalcy of the north DFW suburbs, one where witches and all sorts of spooky creatures reign supreme.
Last month, I had the opportunity to visit the Dark Hour Haunted House, 701 Taylor Drive which offers year round shows, based on different season and holidays, each one telling another tale of the witches of the Dark Hour coven. For the Halloween season, the haunted house has created a set that pits witches against voodoo practitioners in the deep swamps of Louisiana. And while walking through the show, it’s no stretch of the imagination to believe you are actually there.
While some of the words I may have said walking through Dark Hour may be a little inappropriate to print, after surviving and being sworn to secrecy about the high-pitched creams that came from some of my colleges, I can say that the experience was both terrifying and amazing.
The actors and staff of Dark Hour have made it their mission to not only scare patron, but to make them feel as if they were the stars of their own horror movie. The atmosphere, dedication to character by the actors and the immensely detailed props only prove more that Dark Hour is one of the scariest haunted houses in the area. And they do it all without a using a single chainsaw, as most other haunted houses seem to rely on. Maybe it’s just me, but any sharp object near my face is uncomfortable and not something I particularly want to pay for.
Another thing that stood, or rather jumped, out at me was the storytelling aspect of Dark Hour. While it may be hard to notice if you’re like my unnamed college who ran through most of the house, but each room is as if you are turning a new page in the book of the Dark Hour coven.
The idea first started with a haunted house that Owner and CEO Lucy Moore created in her house each Halloween, and has now grown largely by word of mouth.
While there, I had the chance to speak with Moore. She told me when done right a haunted house should allow customers to “leave part of their life behind that they don’t want to think about, their taxes, their money, their whatever,” and that her main goal was for “people just to have a good time, just to come and get scared.” In my opinion, Moore and the rest of the Dark Hour staff are doing a great job.
If you are looking for another reason to check it out, did I mention there are dancing zombies who love Michael Jackson there too?