About a week before every Friday the 13th we take a lengthy tour of Thrillvania, home to the most haunted house in Dallas, Texas. We search for anything that might attract or cause bad luck, because if it’s unlucky to have it around every other day of the year, you can bet it’s doubly bad luck to have it around on Friday the 13th. Since we’re exactly one week out, we thought we’d share our checklist so you can be prepared, too.
Mirrors – If they’re nailed to the wall we make sure to cover them with a sheet lest we get a glimpse of the Face of Death. If they’re mirrors that can be picked up, handled and possibly broken, thus ensuring 7 years of doom, we stash them away in a locked closet for the day.
Ladders – All ladders are folded up and stashed in the shed. There’s always one daredevil in the bunch who laughs in the face of Friday the 13th and takes a walk under a ladder if there’s one standing at the ready. One of these days we’re going to rig up a can of paint so it falls on his head!
Black cats – It’s almost impossible to rid the countryside of cats and black cats are especially difficult to catch. They’re sneaky and hard to see and they seem to disappear when you look directly at them. We do our best though, luring them into one of our outbuildings with a tasty feast of fresh tuna and seasoned chicken gizzards and plenty of warm milk.
Umbrellas – All umbrellas are stashed right along with the ladders and mirrors lest some foolhardy idiot decide he wants to open it up indoors and see what happens. We know what will happen – we don’t need proof.
Beds – While most of our cast and crew sleep in their own homes at night we do have a few beds around for… well… let’s just call them “unwary guests.” In order to ensure they have at least a few moments of good luck before they meet their maker the inhabitants of Thrillvania, we arrange all the beds so our “guests” are able to rise and shine on the right side of the bed.
Spiders – Like black cats, there’s very little we can do to eliminate all the spiders in our haunted park. After all, it’s a pretty big place and we specialize in creating the type of creepy environment that just seems to attract these 8-legged creepizoids. Still, though, it’s bad luck for the rest of the day if you see a spider in the morning. On Friday the 13th we try not to peep into any dark, dusty corners until after the clock strikes noon.
The menu – On Friday the 13th we never ever have “the foul fish” on the menu and we never ever serve anything that must be eaten with a knife and fork. Weather permitting we usually fire up the grill and barbecue some… baby back ribs, yes, that’s what we’ll call them, baby back ribs.
This year, we’ll be celebrating the day at Cutting Edge Haunted Park where they promise a Friday the 13th Event too spectacular to miss. Join us there if you dare and remember to mark your calendars for the season opening of Thrillvania Haunted House Park at 2330 County Road 138, in Terrell, Texas.