Chills run up your spine as you walk into a dark and treacherous room not expecting what is to come next. Will it be a hair-raising ghoul or an empty hallway? You never will know till you walk the House of Torment.
The House of Torment is back on for their annual scares this Halloween season. According to timenow.com and austinthings.com, House of Torment is known as one of the scariest haunted houses you can find. They open their doors between September 15 through November 4 and have additional events throughout the year
To purchase tickets, you can find them on their website, houseoftorment.com, or at retailers such as Costco that offer package deals for betting savings. Ticket prices vary depending on the time and day you go on, as well as any additional packages you might decide to purchase. Ticket prices are cheaper on weekdays ranging from 25 to 30 dollars and weekends can range from 33 to 35 dollars. If you decide that the three houses aren’t enough, they offer different experiences like Mini escape rooms, Phobia: Sensory overload, Hades Zombie association, and Respawn.
From my experience, it would definitely be beneficial to bring something to carry your belongings in, so you don’t drop anything while maneuvering through the house. On thehouseoftorment.com they ask that all bags be clear, and no larger than 4.5 x 6.5 (inches). However, they did not measure bags at the door, so I would not stress about this rule. Also, wear something that is breathable, because it tends to get stuffy in the house with the mix of adrenaline and running. Additionally, I recommend wearing tennis shoes so it’s easy to get through the houses.
Getting into the House Of Torment was much more simple than I expected. They first scan you in and then you make your way over to the first line. We had an arrival time for 8:30 and we showed up 20 minutes early, but by the time we got through the line it was past our check-in time. At the start of each house they scan your ticket, so have that ready since it tends to move fast. The first line is the one that takes the longest since it’s the most popular house. It took my group of six up to an hour and a half to get through. The second house and third house lines were a breeze to get through, with a maximum wait of 15 minutes, but I think it fluctuates with the time and day of your arrival.
The theme of the first house was “Infestation”, a sudden meteor crash that sparks hysteria and they go into a sudden quarantine. You join the ops team to figure out the truth behind the mysterious events. Rating this house on a scare factor from one being the least scary to ten being the most scary, I would say house one was definitely a 9. This house was probably the scariest out of all them in my opinion. At first I wasn’t as scared but once you get further into the line and towards the front, the fear really starts to kick in. This house contains several different factors as you walk through, a series of hospital-like rooms, unusual infestation rooms, and labs.
The name of house two was called They Returned, where unseen and elusive beings live among us, and you wonder if they live close by with the many news reports of their sightings. On a scare factor from one to ten this house was 5, it was more peculiar then scary, but still had a lot of jump scare effects. There were a lot of illusive effects happening to really comprehend what was happening, leaving you in a state of disillusionment.In this house there were more interactive things such as animatronics, a spinning tunnel, and lots of neon lights.
The third house was called Book of Lost Souls, where you have an uncanny sensation that you are always being watched and you catch a glimpse of someone at the edge of your vision. As you make your way through the house, you are presented with fear imposed on phantom analysis. Rating this house on scare factor from one to ten, this house was a 8. This house was pretty frightening, and it felt like a traditional haunted house with the eerie rooms and flickering lights.
Overall, I really enjoyed the House of Torment. There is so much going on in the background with actors walking around and live music playing while you are waiting in line. It makes the entire experience incredibly fun, despite waiting in line for half the time you are there. Being a first time experience, I would totally recommend it to anyone who loves haunted houses or is in for a good scare.
