Before visiting Zombie Manor tonight I couldn’t decide which I preferred, the physical appearance of the place, or the actors.After my visit, I still can’t decide. It’s a great looking place with Verdun like detail in the Manor rooms, which give off a wonderful rustic, yet Gothic look. I had a slow moving group in front of me so I finally had time to take a good look at the decoration and design of the rooms and hallways. I searched for blank areas and didn’t find one in the entire house. Tremendous attention to detail was clearly paid when decorating and it pays off when everything visitors see looks like it came out of a good horror movie. On the other hand, the actors did a great job of scaring the group I trailed (they got me a few times too) whether they were hidden or not. Their ability to frighten people when in plain sight was impressive. Coming out from a hiding place and scaring a someone is one thing, but getting a reaction from a guest when you’re out in the open takes real talent. Speaking of hiding, the actors are good at that too, especially a swamp creature who seemed to come out of the wall before making the people in front of me run.

As with decor, there are no empty areas as far as actor are concerned. You’ll need to keep moving (the group in front of me didn’t) because the actors will surround you if you aren’t careful. Not to overstate the point, but the group in front of me was so scared that they talked about turning back and leaving twice. Getting people out of their comfort zone and into full blown fear takes work, and the actors did everything possible to achieve that, including crawling after guests and going for their feet, which was a new one for me. I rate the Zombie Manor actors as highly as any I’ve seen in Texas. In addition to being talented, the actors have movie grade costumes and makeup, probably the highest quality I’ve seen.

As to specifics, Zombie Manor is located in Arlington at the Peyco Industrial Park, off of the frontage road for northbound Hwy 287. A truck with flashing lights on top guides you into the entrance. There is plenty of free, well lit parking on site. Tickets are $15 for regular admission and $20 for fast passes. Check the Zombie Manor site for discounts. If you arrive early in the evening you should be ok with a regular ticket, but late arrivals should consider buying fast passes since it gets crowded later in the night. Zombie Manor will be open Saturday, October 16, and will then be open Thursday-Sunday for the last two weekends in October. Hours are 7pm-midnight on Fridays and Saturdays, and from 7pm-10pm on other nights.

After picking up your ticket you’ll enter the lobby, which is well decorated and shows movies to entertain people waiting in line. A concessions and gift shop is also available in the lobby. The entrance to the Manor has some great props which serve to set the mood for your journey. The first part of the haunt are the rooms of the Manor, filled with Southern Gothic furniture and art, as well as cobwebs and zombies! The zombies seem to be everywhere: on beds, behind walls, even on the floor, and they’re always coming after you. The bedroom was favorite part of this area, there was something very creepy about the girl on the floor and the screaming woman on the bed. The animal trophy laden den was another great room, and I’m still not sure whether the bear was stuffed, or a well costumed actor. The crypt follows and has the interesting feature of being multi leveled. It’s a chilling area with extremely well detailed scenes. You would have to numb to not feel at least some fear as you pass by the skulls and graves. Once out of the crypt, a farm and slaughterhouse await, along with a taxidermist. The farm has some nice harvest decorations, and the slaughterhouse is appropriately gruesome. The taxidermist has very realistic looking tools and the body bags are probably not for the animals!

I had a great time at Zombie Manor and I see nearly very haunted attraction in North Texas each year. This is a great looking haunted house filled with wonderful actors, and as a bonus it’s conveniently located in Arlington, and is reasonably priced. This is one of the best haunts I’ve been to and it’s a real bargain as well. There is still time left in October to visit Zombie Manor, so don’t miss this must see haunted house!

For directions, discounts, updates, ticket purchases, and more, please visit ZombieManor.com

DFW Haunted Houses.com ZOMBIE MANOR review
OVERALL SCORE : 9.5
Saturday, September 25th 2010 : 11:30pm

Atmosphere

Yes, they are located in the middle of an industrial park, but you can’t possibly miss the front of their building once you get into the parking lot. Roaming actors are sure to get your attention immediately. As soon as you step foot inside the front door, you should already KNOW that you are about to see something special.

Set Design/Detail/Floor Plan

We’ve said it before, and we will say it again – Zombie Manor is a MUST SEE haunt. If you frequently read our reviews, you might notice how much weight we put on detail and consistency… and Zombie Manor is a perfect example of WHAT WE MEAN about perfect consistent detail. You can easily walk through Zombie Manor multiple times and see more and more intrinsic details each time. For instance, look at all the LAMPS in the rooms – those decapitated heads look amazing!

Zombie Manor truly sticks to their theme and provides a realistic zombie-ridden home inside and out, complete with a trophy room, a private graveyard, crypt, and “secret passage” decorated halls. Some big changes and extensions maximize their limited space beautifully. New special effects demand attention, and OMFG – this place is just freggin’ awesome. Pay attention DFW – Zombie Manor has all the qualities for perfect top 10 measures. Go see it for yourself if you don’t believe us.

Live Actors (Performance/Enthusiasm/Costumes)

Zombie characters do not provide a lot of room for improvisation or spoken roles. But even with limited scripting, everyone at Zombie Manor does well to stick to zombie traits, and everyone delivered GREAT performances. It was refreshing to see almost every actor with a slightly different zombie type, from growling, slithering, crawling, flailing, and even giving a creepy “I want your brain” grin.

Zombie Manor actors stick to the theme, and seasoned characters just keep perfecting their skills every year. We did notice ONE speaking actor – suggested scripting could include “I’m not one of them, I’m not dead yet!” – Because zombies don’t talk. Zombie Manor gets a special treat with visiting actors, too. I think that is because so many people know exactly how awesome the haunt is, and everyone wants to work with this remarkable team of haunters.

Admission Price vs. Length (Entertainment Value)

…the $15 price tag might seem a little bit high for some people, but I promise it is well worth it. The Zombie Manor takes quality to a high standard, so this price is very fair. Even though Zombie Manor is limited on space, they utilize every possible inch for extreme perfection. We want them to secure a larger space to REALLY grow, but they are maxed out and unfortunately do not have the freedom of any more expansion.

Overall Experience/Summary/Misc. Information

This IS the place to see for high quality artistry, design, and attention to detail. We would love for all the haunt owners in DFW to take the Zombie Manor as a prime example of perfectly detailed and consistent design. It simply doesn’t get any better than this. Zombie Manor sets the bar so high that everyone should appreciate every second of this amazing design. We recommend this haunt to everyone, and we have yet to hear anyone disagree with our praise.

Metal Momma, DFWHauntedHouses.com

DFW Haunt World

Sometimes, it’s like beating a dead horse, but I’ve said it every year since Zombie Manor blessed the Metroplex with their presence: Zombie Manor brings something to DFW that is mising: a theme! Yes, there are others that have an overall driving theme, but they tend to sway now and again. Not Zombie Manor. Zombie Manor is the Alpha and Omega of Zombie creepy-ness in DFW! It’s a themed out trip into zombie land. Like, if DreamWorks wanted to do a haunt about Zombies, they would just take over Zombie Manor. It’s that flippin good.

Zombie Manor has complete scene control. They are big, bad, and cool…and they know it. Once you walk in, every step, every move, every corner is calculated. They are the embodiment of the US Navy’s catch phrase: attention to detail. Nothing is half-butt here. They go above, and beyond with everything they do. The lighting is perfect, the actors are seasoned, and the flow of the crowd is perfect. Where some haunts jam as many through as possible, Zombie Manor sticks to their two-at-a-time mantra, for the sake of the integrity of the haunt. How cool is that?

And speaking of cool…they have a new feature, and I dont know what to say other than….dude. See, up until now the coolest single feature I’d ever seen at a haunt was this rope gadget that propelled the actor toward the patron at seemingly breakneck speed…she just seemed to fly across the room. Zombie Manor has upped the ante this year. I’m not going to spoil it for you but….pay close attention to the pictures. One of them in there will absolutely BLOW YOU AWAY! We sat in there for like….a full minute afterwards, hoping it would do it again. Sadly, no such luck. (I would pay the full price of admission just to see this again!!!!)

Zombie Manor is a treat to go out to, as a reviewer. We tell them when we’re coming, they just say “Bring It.” First day of the season, last day of the season, or somewhere in between, they are ready for us. And that’s a result of 3 years of (for the most part) the same actors working together. Haunted houses aren’t so different than college football teams: continuity shows.And what we have here is a bunch of 5th year redshirted-seniors ready to blow your doors off.

Couple of things to point out: talk to these folks afterward. Some of the most friendly accomodating people you will find! Oh! I can’t leave this one out….they have PAVED parking! For any of you who remember last year’s weather fiasco, trust me…this is a big deal. Paved parking rocks!
DFW Haunt World.com

ZOMBIE MANOR – A Kid’s Perspective

Zombie Manor is a very well laid out haunt. They have changed quite a bit since last year, they have a few new rooms, and a couple new toys. I went through, and was amazed at the detail, and especially, the actors. They were all very focused and in character at all times, their owners should be proud to have such a good undead family.

Now, I don’t think that this is really a kid-appropriate haunt, at least not for kids younger than 8 years. But for everyone else, its very enjoyable.

This haunt is truly one-of-a-kind it is full of detail, even if you look up! You’d see blood on the ceiling, grass growing, or brick, which is definitely impressive. There is not much to complain about with this haunt, its very nice, and I’m figuring that they will put on the same show for you as they did for me and my parents.
Overall, Zombie Manor gets my rating of between 8.8 and 9.3
TayMay, DFWHauntedHouses.com

ZOMBIE MANOR 10/9

Oh I love this haunt! We didn’t make it to Zombie Manor last year since we had done it the year before so it was high on our list this year. I am so glad we went back!

We took some of our friends and their kids with us and they all really enjoyed it too. The location is easy to find, you can’t miss the Zombie truck with the flashing lights. We arrived at about 8:00 and there was no line at all. Bought our tickets and decided to go in groups of 3.

We walk in the first room and listen to the host welcome us while the caged zombie snarls and growls up a storm. These actors are so amazing in this haunt. Then we are allowed into the house and it is nonstop fun from there. I have to say that the nursery is my favorite room in the house. The girl in that room is phenomenal!!! Both of them.  When the little girl in the crib reaches out for her mom, it totally freaked me out!

They do a really good job of separating you from your group in this haunt. Very effective tactics. The other thing that really stood out to me was the girl in the hall way.  that was crawling on the wall.

I don’t know how else to describe it, but WOW!!!

We all had a really good time. Again, the actors make this haunt, along with
all the detail, but those actors are phenomenal! Amazing how you go from one haunt where they are screaming in your ear to one where they don’t speak hardly at all and it is the second one that is the scariest. Such a huge difference. We all really love Zombie Manor!!!
Elle8, member, DFWHauntedHouses.com

They were out in force, the ghastly ones. Hordes of stumbling, moaning, bloodied zombies invaded the Paramount Theatre on Friday night for the local premiere of the deliciously funny-sick zombie comedy “Zombieland,” the marquee title for night No. 2 during Fantastic Fest. (“Zombieland” opens in theaters Oct. 2. More about the movie, with trailer, HERE)

Besides the film’s coterie — stars Woody Harrelson, Jesse Eisenberg and Emma Stone and director Ruben Fleischer — droves of the dead wove through the crowd in front of the theater. This was thanks to Zombie Manor, an Arlington-based horror make-up crew that offered free “Zombieland” T-shirts to ticket holders willing to get gussied up as a zombie. They also came with their own minions of professional zombies that harassed and groaned at movie-goers.

It was an only-in-Austin, only-at-Fantastic-Fest scene …

Check out more photos of this event on the Zombie Manor Facebook page!