Cutting Edge Haunted House (CEHH), located at 1701 E. Lancaster Ave. in Fort Worth, is one of the most popular attractions in the DFW area during the Halloween season, and for good reason! The Haunted House is amazing, but for people who are in line, or are just not comfy with the idea of going through the actual House (weenies!), there are so many things to do and see.
CEHH was named in the Guinness Book of World Records in 2015 as the longest haunted house in the nation and was voted “Best Haunted House” AND “Scariest Haunted House” this year by USA Today. They have also received a plethora of other awards.
CEHH offers a drumline (or Drum Corps if you are a band geek like me), concessions, a pumpkin patch with hay bales to sit on (but don’t be too surprised if a zombie comes by to eat your brain), and plenty of other displays that are excellent for pictures, such as an old hearse, giant spiders and a giant rat.
The actors in the attraction are not allowed to touch or speak to customers, so you need not worry about being accosted during your trek through this amazing maze. However, if you fall or hold up the line, an actor may signal you to move to the side so that other patrons can enjoy the House without waiting behind you. I write this from experience…and no, for once, it wasn’t me who fell! My weenie friends who fell were immediately attended to by actors to make sure they were okay. It is a very safe attraction, thankfully.
I got to speak to some customers that were in line to get into the attraction.
A young gentleman, who gave his name as, “Mason,” (maybe he knows Cher or Madonna?) said that this was his third time at CEHH in the last three years.
“Oh yeah, I’m ready to go in!” he said. “I’ve actually done this twice before two years ago! It was scary last time but I’m ready!”
His companion, known only as “Justine,” said that this was her first time at CEHH and that she was feeling nervous; however, when she came out, she was all smiles and said, “Let’s do it again!”
As people exited the House, expressions on their faces ran the gamut from giant smiles to tired smiles. No one came out looking terrified or traumatized. CEHH takes almost an hour to get through, so it can be tiring. If the trek inside is too much for you for any reason, exits are all over the place, allowing you to leave if you need to. But try to hang on…they use similar illusion techniques to Disney’s “Tower of Terror” and “Haunted Mansion” in addition to great actors, excellent subject rooms, and great music!
As she exited the attraction, another singularly named person called “Emily” said, “At first I didn’t think it was gonna be scary, but once I went through the second phase and the third phase, I started screaming more.”
Her companion, Billy Baker, added, “It wasn’t that scary for me, but I enjoyed it because they scared [Emily] a lot!”
Theresa Brewer braved CEHH for the first time with her companions, Kevin and Dan Brewer.
“This is our first time here and I loved it!” Theresa said. “I don’t like clowns. They are too creepy! But yes, I would definitely do it again.”
Co-owners Todd James and Jesse Beck have learned how to streamline the queue over the 30 years that they have been in the Haunted House industry, reducing wait times for customers. “Regular” tickets provide a 30-minute window to come get in line, and the typical wait on a busy night is 30-45 minutes.
“We had our time slot, and we waited there for maybe 15 minutes. It was really easy and really quick,” said Kevin.
Dan explained what his favorite parts of the House were.
“So, there’s a couple different times where some of the performers were elevated. I’m walking and they’re looking around me and they stick their hand down from above or something like that. Those caught me off guard several times. That was awesome!
“There was this one guy I could hear. He was dragging his claws on the wall. So, I could hear that coming and getting closer and closer. I turned around, but as I turned around, he had those claws right in front of my eyes. His timing was perfect!” Dan said.
If you’d like to experience the thrills of CEHH, learn more and buy tickets at CuttingEdgeHauntedHouse.com. Don’t be a weenie…just GO!
[This story is Part 2 of 2. To read Part 1, click HERE]
Some folks come dressed up! 
Foam spilling out of Foam Room 
Makeshift Hearse 
Scarecrow making friends 
(L-R): Sam and Jasmine Merchant, Todd James, Semina Merchant and Moi
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