Surprise, it's a dead
guy
Today
photos by STEVE SNYDER
A pit of fire
is only part of the frightful show at the Reindeer Manor
haunted house in Red Oak. Other ghoulish scenes (like the
less-than appetizing dining room, below) make this one of the
scariest places around to visit for a good (or bad) scare this
Halloween season.
Page 2
Thrill of
the Haunt
Reindeer Manor
Scarier than ever, Reindeer Manor has new frights to kick off
its 30th year of operation.
 The
haunted house and grounds, a Best Southwest tradition, has
changed and added spots to the tour of the manor, packed more
into the pre-tour courtyard shows, and added a gut-wrenching
finish to the tour.
That new finale at Reindeer Manor this year is two 24-foot
vortex tunnels, back-to-back, with one spinning clockwise and
the other counter-clockwise. Combined with tilting sidewalks
going through the two tunnels, after coming out of the dark
yard behind the manor, can provide a deliciously unsettling
finale to an evening of chills and frights.
The Reindeer Manor evening starts with a hayride from the
parking area to the manor. But no hayride to a haunted house
should be too bland, and the Reindeer staff have made sure
this ride won’t be.
A fiery derrick (we won’t say exactly where it is) has enough
candlepower to make any area pyromaniac envious, along with
enough heat to provide a marshmallow roast for a whole night’s
visitors.
The hay wagon then reaches the gates of Reindeer Manor.
Flaming gate posts add a nice touch to start the evening.
Visitors then buy their tickets, and wait for the next tour to
enter the mansion.
For people who are hungry or thirsty, a snack bar with
reasonable prices stands just inside the gates. On nights
where the thermometer dips, hot coffee, hot chocolate or a
Frito pie can warm the bones while waiting for the next tour,
or afterward, during the wait for a hayride back to the
parking lot. Of course, in keeping with the season, the snack
bar also offers such tasty items as Green Meat Special,
straight from the morgue.
There’s also plenty of outdoor entertainment for visitors
waiting for the next group to be admitted to the mansion.
One of the main attractions of Reindeer Manor is its graveyard
skits in the tombstoned front yard, while people wait in line
to enter the manor.
Graveyard and rooftop entertainment is a long tradition at
Reindeer Manor. This year, Dr. Irvin von Hacknslash, complete
with chainsaw, leads the fun on the roof. In the graveyard,
traditional skits like “Thriller” and “The Cheerleader” are
back again this year.
The entire playlist of outdoor music is computer-controlled.
And the rooftop torches have their fire jets coordinated with
the music for a nice additional touch.
Reindeer has a nightly schedule of skits posted on one of the
bulletin boards just past the snack bar, so visitors with
extra free time can check out the full range of programs.
Having a timed schedule of events keeps things hopping in the
graveyard and on the rooftop — and if that doesn’t, the flames
shooting from the top of the roof will. Reindeer’s good music
selection adds to the fun.
Then, after the entertainment is done, it’s time to get ready
for thrills and chills with a tour of the manor. And the manor
and grounds have some scary history lying behind them.
Reindeer Manor is a real, abandoned, turn of the century manor
house with a tragic history. Situated in the very spot where a
fatal fire destroyed a previous house, its flint brick and
tile roof construction has withstood nearly a century of
hailstorms, prairie fires and tornadoes. Originally designed
by James Sharp, he inexplicably committed suicide before the
manor’s completion. Choosing to believe that the previous
deaths were mere coincidence, Sharp’s son, Matt, completed the
house and moved in with his family. A total of 13 buildings
were constructed, the last one being completed in the summer
of 1929.
But further tragedies loomed. The Great Depression struck in
October of 1929 and thrust the family into poverty. As
financial disaster neared, Sharp began to act strangely. One
fateful day, his wife was found mysteriously poisoned! A
search of the grounds revealed Sharp’s body hanging from the
rafters in the barn. Was it a murder-suicide? Perhaps a double
murder? Or something else?
Later generations of residents in the area claimed to have
seen mysterious lights emanating from the mansion for the many
years the mansion stood vacant. Staff claims to have heard
noises around the barn.
The manor and grounds were abandoned by 1950 and lay largely
unused until the first year of Reindeer Manor in 1974.
The tour of Reindeer Manor begins with a free hayride from the
parking areas to the manor. At the manor gates, fire makes an
indelible impression. It sprouts regularly from the walls of
the entrance and from the top of the manor’s roof.
Inside the manor itself, the tour winds through several rooms,
beginning with Nosferatu, known to the general public as Count
Dracula, and his hauntingly beautiful bride, with a few
changes from last year. Next is the library, a new room for
visitors to Reindeer in the past few years, last used about 15
years ago. A spook room, cadaver rooms, the pirate ship and
other chilling areas follow.
The dining room and the mad scientist room have both been
tweaked to make visitors feel more involved with the action.
But not all the scares are indoors. At the back of the manor,
a haunted trail, with a new path this year, offers more
scares. This includes werewolf noises and other haunting
backgrounds, bubbling haunted waters and more.
One of the new events this year is a frightening appearance by
James Sharp himself. Again, we won’t tell exactly where he
pops out, so as not to spoil all the fun, but it’s a great
addition to this year’s tour.
After the backyard wanderings, the path ends with the two
vortex tunnels, billed as the longest in the state.
Reindeer Manor is well-suited for families with children — it
has a family atmosphere with picnic tables, snack bar, no
alcohol and a general fright level pitched to this level. It
may be a little intense for younger children.
Reindeer Manor is located in Red Oak in Ellis County, just
south of the Lancaster city limits. It is on Houston School
Road between Bear Creek and Ovilla roads. Take I-35 to either
exit, then go east to Houston School Road. Signs on the road
readily point out where it is.
Admission is $14 for adults or $10 for children under age 10.
A coupon good for $2 off adult or child tickets is on the
website,
www.reindeermanor.com.
Or bring canned goods for Reindeer Manor’s food drive and save
$2.
Groups of 10 or more victims will be admitted for the special
rate of $10 per person. You must make reservations in advance
via e-mail to grouprates@reindeermanor.com or call
972-218-RATS (7287) to get this rate.
Many people have been involved with either production or
acting roles for several years — an ongoing volunteer effort.
Richard Kinney, now serving as PR director for Reindeer, spent
more than a decade as an actor there. The manor benefits Boy
Scouts of America Troop One and other charitable
organizations, including BSA Troop 520, the Red Oak Hawkettes
and Maypearl High School. About 35 actors are involved with
putting on the shows.
Rating — 4 SKULLS
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