Fort Worth Weekly // October 18-24, 2023

October 18-24, 2023 FREE fwweekly.com

North Texas is home to several popular haunted houses, including the shining 34-year-old Cutting Edge.

S T O R Y B Y E D W A R D B R O W N P H O T O S B Y J A S O N B R I M M E R

FO R T WO R T H W E E K LY

OCTOBER 18-24, 2023

fwweekly.com

D

ressed in black with skeleton masks and Victorian-era top hats, the two dozen members of the Cutting Edge Drumline launched into a tightknit performance the other night as around 100 customers waited in line outside Cutting Edge Haunted House just southeast of downtown.

Watching over the explosion of snare drum rolls and cymbal crashes was Todd James, owner of the 34-year-old labyrinthine attraction that holds several world records for largest haunted house. James opened the first Cutting Edge on 6th Street in Austin in 1989 to capitalize on the foot traffic. Once the model proved popular, he returned to his hometown of Fort Worth to open what is now the lone Cutting Edge (1701 E. Lancaster Ave., 817-348-8444).

“These performers come from all over the country to audition for this group,” he said.

The owner’s pride was apparent as he took in the display of musical virtuosity. Nearby, a long, meandering line moved briskly as staffers shuttled the unsuspecting victims, er, customers into narrow halls echoing with a cacophony of high-pitched screeches and screams.

“We lean heavily on timing and teamwork, being able to stay in character,” James said of the extensive training and preparation that go into presenting roughly five weeks of weekend performances every October. “We don’t vocalize. We are big on letting our actors develop their own character through appearing and disappearing. If you love vampires or zombies, you can make that your character. We don’t handcuff you to any one style. We provide the atmosphere and sets. Then we get to scaring people.”

Inside, alternating rooms offer hiding spots for chainsaw-wielding ghouls to lunge at terrified patrons. One group of teenage girls formed a conga line, vainly seeking comfort through proximity as the headlights of an oncoming train and blaring horn sent the troupe sprinting down the hall. Being utterly terrified, as it turns out, is pretty fun, and not just for the ticket holders. Just as comedians live to hear laughs, Cutting Edge’s actors thrive on a good scream.

“We fill up our scream tanks,” actor Sabrina said, referring to the genuine pleasure

6

The last part of the show — a long walk through claustrophobia-inducing foam — is arguably the scariest.

Cutting Edge ensures that customers are entertained at every point during the show.

she and her colleagues receive from delivering a good scare. “Sitting behind something and waiting to scare someone brings out the adrenaline. You get hyped up.”

In the actors’ break room, the performers traded stories about this or that customer who took an early exit from the show (a “scare-out” in Cutting Edge parlance) or fainted. The actors quipped about one woman at a past event who was literally scared into labor, which technically counts as two scare-outs.

Safety is a priority at Cutting Edge. The halls are regularly checked to ensure they’re clean and dry, and a security team often working out of sight keeps tabs on patrons.

Saturday’s tours featured heightened security due to worldwide terrorism concerns over the war in Israel.

North Texas is home to several popu-

lar haunted houses, including another Fort Worth fave, Hangman’s House of Horrors, plus Waxahachie’s Screams, Plano’s Dark Hour, The Parker House in Denton, and Dallas’ House of Spirits. While some of them are older than Cutting Edge, few have gained the national notoriety of James’ terror-inducing creation.

Driving his team’s decades-long success, he said, are his employees. Many of them have worked with James for a decade or more, and it’s their passion for the art of inducing blood-curdling screams that keeps Cutting Edge a consistently top-ranked haunted house, based on USA Today polls.

Ghouls Wanted

“I’ve done everything in here except work as the cashier,” actor A-Train said with a laugh.

Allowing actors to take breaks and cool down is part of Cutting Edge’s commitment to safety.

The 34-year Cutting Edge veteran added that his top jobs include training, property management, and acting. Actors performing as zombies, vampires, and demonic clowns are required to re-audition every year — no exceptions. First-time hires go through an interview and screening process before advancing to live tryouts during two October shows.

“If they are scaring the living daylights out of people, they’re in,” he said. “Everyone is a number when they come to the audition.

We have no idea who they are.”

To help newbies prepare for auditions, Cutting Edge veterans lead the Boo U training course in September that teaches the rudiments of slashing and stalking. Before Saturday’s show, A-Train led a chainsaw class.

Not everyone can … hack it. continued on page 7

FO R T WO R T H W E E K LY

OCTOBER 18-24, 2023

fwweekly.com

VISIT ONE OF THE BEST HAUNTED ATTRACTIONS THIS SEASON!

16

“More than just a haunted house, Cutting Edge Haunted House begins its entertainment the moment guests enter the parking lot. Located in a historic area of Fort Worth, Texas, known as Hell’s Half Acre, this 100-year-old abandoned meatpacking plant takes visitors on a 55-minute haunted experience with its twisting corridors and multiple stories of live actors and special effects.”

This Halloween season, visit the 10 best haunted houses in the US! “Halloween is about fun costumes, scary movies, and celebrating all things spooky — and that includes having a live haunted experience. These 10 haunted houses / attractions have been voted by our readers as the best in the country for the quality of their actors, set designs, and special effects, as well as value for money.” Congratulations to all the winning haunted attractions!

10Best.USAtoday.com/awards/travel/best-haunted-house-attraction-2023/

fwweekly.com OCTOBER 18-24, 2023

1701 E LANCASTER AVE, FORT WORTH, TX 76102

FO R T WO R T H W E E K LY

TICkETS START AT $49.95

17