From a converted meat-packing plant in Fort Worth to twenty acres of outdoor terror near Bastrop, Texas has built one of the most competitive haunted house scenes in the country. Bring your nerve, and maybe leave the kids at home.
There’s a certain kind of Texan who spends all summer counting down to fall, not for the football or the cooler weather, but for the moment haunted houses open their doors again. And this state doesn’t do haunted houses halfway. From cinematic, movie-quality sets in the suburbs of Dallas to sprawling outdoor scare parks in the Hill Country, Texas has quietly built one of the most competitive and inventive haunted attraction scenes in the entire country. Fair warning before you read any further: every location below leans genuinely intense, and most operators specifically say their experiences aren’t suited for children 12 and under.
Dark Hour Haunted House — Plano
If you only make it to one haunted house this fall, industry insiders will tell you it should probably be this one. Dark Hour has been consistently ranked among the top haunted attractions in the entire country, and it’s easy to see why once you’re inside. The house trades cheap jump scares for something closer to a walk-through horror film, with movie-quality sets and cinematic storytelling built to immerse you in a genuine narrative rather than just startle you room to room.
The 2026 season runs September 19 through November 13, open Fridays and Saturdays from 7 to 11 p.m., with tickets starting around $33.
Address: 701 Taylor Dr, Plano, TX 75074
Phone: (469) 298-0556
Website: darkhourhauntedhouse.com
Email: [email protected]
Social: Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter/X @DarkHourHauntedHouse
Cutting Edge Haunted House — Fort Worth
Some haunted houses build a set. Cutting Edge inherited one. The attraction operates out of a genuine former meat-packing factory in Fort Worth, a building with enough real history and eerie architecture that it once earned recognition from Guinness World Records for the longest indoor walk-through horror house anywhere. Wandering its corridors, it’s hard not to wonder how much of the atmosphere is design and how much is simply what the building already was.
As of publication, official 2026 dates hadn’t yet been announced, so it’s worth checking the website closer to the season. Ticket prices in past years have run $29.99 to $59.99 depending on the date, with $20 cash parking on-site.
Address: 1701 E. Lancaster Ave, Fort Worth, TX
Website: cuttingedgehauntedhouse.com
13th Floor Haunted House Houston
Houston’s entry into the 13th Floor franchise leans hard into science-fiction horror this year. The headline attraction, “Containment: Sector 9,” follows an extraterrestrial pathogen that’s escaped a research facility, giving the whole experience a claustrophobic, outbreak-movie energy that’s a bit different from the classic haunted-mansion formula.
The season runs September 12 through November 13.
Address: 7075 FM 1960 Road West, Houston, TX
Website: 13thfloorhouston.com
13th Floor San Antonio
San Antonio gets its own standalone 13th Floor location, running a slightly shorter season, September 12 through November 8, for anyone in South Texas looking for the same franchise’s brand of scares closer to home.
Website: 13thfloorsanantonio.com
Howl-O-Scream at SeaWorld San Antonio
This is where theme park scale meets genuine horror. Howl-O-Scream transforms SeaWorld San Antonio into an adults-only nightmare after dark, running September 11 through November 1. This one comes with a hard line: it’s 18 and older only, no exceptions, with multiple haunted houses and roaming scare zones spread across the park once the sun goes down.
Address: 10500 SeaWorld Drive, San Antonio, TX 78251
Website: seaworld.com/san-antonio/events/howl-o-scream
House of Torment — Austin
Austin’s flagship haunt didn’t just survive its move to a new home, it doubled down. House of Torment now sprawls across a newer, permanent 40,000-square-foot facility, running three completely separate haunted house experiences under one roof. It’s grown into the kind of attraction that anchors Austin’s entire Halloween season.
The 2026 run goes September 12 through November 8, open Fridays and Saturdays from 7 to 10 p.m.
Address: 2632 Ridgepoint Dr, Austin, TX 78754
Phone: (512) 407-9449
Website: houseoftorment.com
Email: [email protected]
Social: Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter/X @HouseOfTorment
Scream Hollow Wicked Halloween Park — Smithville
For anyone who wants their scares outdoors and on a genuinely massive scale, Scream Hollow delivers twenty full acres of terror just outside Bastrop. The park is broken into distinct experiences, the Mansion of Terror Coven, Lost Pines Asylum, and the Sinister Circus, each with its own tone and set of frights, and the grounds also include live music, food vendors, and even a small Halloween museum for anyone who wants a breather between haunted houses.
The season runs September 18 through November 1.
Address: 149 Split Rail Lane, Smithville, TX 78957
Phone: (512) 710-8267
Website: screamhollow.com
Email: [email protected]
Plan Ahead, Scream Responsibly
Ticket prices, operating nights, and hours shift from location to location and sometimes week to week, so it’s genuinely worth checking each haunt’s official website before you head out, especially for anything not yet finalized for 2026. And if none of these are within driving distance, don’t count yourself out. Nearly every mid-size Texas city has its own local haunted house scene worth a quick search this time of year. Whichever one you choose, look for a similar event near you, and stay safe out there this Halloween.
