Carrollton man turns his home into ‘Zombie Labs' for Halloween

A Halloween hobby has grown into a full-fledged neighborhood attraction in Carrollton, where Josh Gruberman has transformed his Coyote Ridge home into “Zombie Labs,” a free, biohazard-themed haunted experience complete with zombies, characters and even a subway car.

“Every year I keep saying, what can I do that’s bigger and better?” Gruberman said.

Visitors encounter a towering 15-foot animatronic outside before heading to the main attraction around the driveway: a real subway car.

“It’s a little hard to acquire, but we got a good deal on it,” Gruberman said.

From there, the attraction moves into the garage, where Gruberman has built a haunted experience around a biohazard theme, complete with characters and a plot.

“It was kind of just a last-minute decision. We just wanted to do something with zombies, and the biohazard just felt like it fit,” Gruberman said.

One of the characters is Doctor Illume.

“Doctor Illume, he’s part of the lab that has blown up and is falling apart now,” Gruberman said.

Gruberman started putting on the attraction as a hobby. There is no admission charge, with the scares intended as some free Halloween fun for neighbors.

“Part of it is to keep busy, part of it is to have fun with everyone. Let people enjoy it,” Gruberman said.

The festivities will include a street closure near his home this weekend, giving families and trick-or-treaters easier access to the attraction.

The growing Halloween tradition has also helped Gruberman get to know people in the neighborhood.

“Yeah, some of them I didn’t know, but I do now,” Gruberman said.

For Gruberman, Halloween is about more than the scares.

“We can have the most fun. It’s a long it’s a very long party,” Gruberman said.

This story was originally reported for broadcast by NBC DFW. AI tools helped convert the story into a digital article, and an NBC DFW journalist edited it again before publication.