"The art of what makes a good scare." That's what the talent behind Kingwood Asylum have studied and mastered, and it's why their annual frightfest grew from a tiny little Hunter's Ridge "Spook House" into a local institution (no pun intended) that just keeps getting bigger and scarier, year after year.

Kingwood Asylum's creativity springs from the unique mythology behind its terrors. Based on the persona of Dr. Phillip Blackman, a real-life malpracticing monster fond of lobotomizing and torturing mental patients, the house's macabre scenarios rely on real events for inspiration. That element of reality adds an extra dimension to the Asylum's multiple tiers of terror, including the boiler rooms (where a monster named Doom tries to give head cavities to every passerby), the hospital (where Dr. Trauma and Nurse Brown dole out prescriptions for punishment), and the estate (home of Kill Count, the clown, a fine tailor of fleshy fabrics who wants your soul).

On the way to the asylum, the brave can dare to traipse though the latest attraction, Hallowed Grounds, a New Orleans–style graveyard populated by psychopaths. All in all, the pulse-pounding adventure, which continues to draw thousands every year, also draws plenty of critical praise, including a five-star (well, 5 pumpkin) review from TexasHauntedHouses.com and a spot on ABC (KTRK Channel 13) News's list of Houston's Top Ten Haunted Houses.