Deep Ellum News

Latest crazy new thing for Deep Ellum: a horror museum-chocolate bar

The museum will feature memorabilia from classic horror flicks like Halloween.

Courtesy photo

UPDATE 9/30/2019: The Horror Museum's Facebook page has been reinstated.

UPDATE 9/29/2019: The Horror Museum's Facebook page was removed and the facility appears to be closed.

UPDATE 9/27/2019: According to spokesperson Jessica "Javi" Nelson, The Horror Museum celebrates its grand opening on September 27. The museum will be open on weekends only, Friday-Sunday, from 5 pm-2 am. Tickets are $23 and can be purchased online, under "Horror Museum," at Ticketleap.

NOTE: On opening weekend, the museum does not have an anger room nor a chocolate snack bar as described in the story below.

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Deep Ellum's ever-expanding lineup of things to do and places to go is about to get something it does not already have: the Horror Museum & Chocolate Bar, a museum dedicated to horror, with a serving of chocolate on the side.

The museum will open at 3408 Main St., where it will combine horror memorabilia with a chocolate bar.

Spokesperson Jessica Nelson says that the museum's founder, whom she identifies as Jay Walker, has a passion for horror movies and wanted to create a place dedicated to his favorite flicks.

"We'll spotlight horror movie classics like Halloween and Texas Chainsaw Massacre," Nelson says. "We'll have memorabilia and collectibles, as well as objects and characters that have been fabricated, like Hannibal Lecter."

It'll take some of the interactive elements that have been popularized in recent pop-up exhibits like Sweet Tooth Hotel, but will be a permanent installation, and with the horror theme — sort of a Silence of the Lambs-meets-Candytopia.

The idea is not unprecedented; a horror-themed pop-up exhibit called I Like Scary Movies popped up in Los Angeles in the spring.

~~For the Dallas version, a horror museum on its own just isn't enough, and the museum will also have a snack bar with an all-chocolate theme.~~

~~"There'll be a chocolate bar that's entirely chocolate desserts," she says. "Chocolate cakes, ice cream, milkshakes, chocolate fondue, and they'll have spooky names like Death By Chocolate."~~

A chocolate bar serves as a way to round out the experience, she says.

"We just thought, 'Why don't we have chocolate desserts where people can go in and enjoy the moment?'" she says.

If you think that a horror museum combined with a chocolate bar would be enough, you would be wrong. ~~There's yet one more element to this concept: The space will also house an anger room.~~

~~"We'll provide plates and you can throw them," Nelson says. "Throwing plates is a surprisingly good way to take out your anger."~~

They're doing construction now and aim to be open in September, maybe even by Labor Day, but definitely by Halloween.

So to recap: a horror museum-combination chocolate bar-combination-anger room. "We want people to enjoy the interactivity but also to offer something that no one else has," she says.

deep-ellum

Big Tex Wrap-Up

State Fair of Texas bounces back with 2.1 million attendees in 2026

Crowds around Big Tex at 2026 State Fair of Texas

Photo courtesy of State Fair of Texas

Almost 2.1 people attended the 2026 State Fair of Texas, up from 2025.

After experiencing its lowest total attendance numbers in seven years in 2025, the State Fair of Texas bounced back in 2026, welcoming nearly 2.1 million visitors, according to an official release.

That represents a slight bump up from the 2,020,064 that came through the gates in 2025. Both numbers are still down significantly from the highs of 2019 and 2022, when more than 2.5 million people attended the State Fair.

The uptick in attendance could be attributed to the concerted effort to make the Fair more affordable this year, including lowering ticket prices, making games and rides cheaper, expanding days for free student tickets, and offering a free day of parking.

As usual, the busiest day of the State Fair was Saturday, October 10, the date of the annual Texas-Oklahoma football game, with more than 203,000 fairgoers in attendance, including the 92,100 fans in the Cotton Bowl.

The average attendance for the other 23 days of the fair was around 82,500.

“We are grateful to every fairgoer who joined us this year, as well as the team members, vendors, and volunteers who worked tirelessly to make this season possible," said State Fair of Texas President Mitchell Glieber in a statement. "As a nonprofit organization, a successful Fair helps fuel our work throughout the year, and we are proud of the impact we continue to make through agriculture, education, and community.”

Other notable numbers from the 2026 State Fair of Texas include:

An all-new look for Big Tex, standing 55 feet tall, sporting a 95-gallon Resistol cowboy hat, a Cavender’s shirt measuring 245 by 192 inches, Levi’s 501 jeans measuring 380 inches wide by 290 inches long, size 96 Lucchese boots, and a Shiner belt buckle.
The unveiling of an official State of Texas Historical Marker from the Texas Historical Commission for Big Tex, honoring his enduring legacy as a beloved Texas icon and symbol of State Fair tradition.
An estimated 110,655 pounds of food were collected and donated to the North Texas Food Bank.
More than 28,600 members of the military and their families visited the Fair over 24 days, utilizing the special discount offer in gratitude for their service.
Approximately 500,000 prizes, valued at an estimated $1.8 million, were won at the State Fair Midway, enough stuffed animals and prizes to fill approximately 90 semi-trucks.
Approximately 450,000 Fletcher’s Original Corny Dogs were enjoyed by fairgoers.
The State Fair of Texas is estimated to generate more than $600 million in economic activity each year, serving as one of the most impactful annual events in the Dallas-Fort Worth region.

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