‘Murder Mystery’ haunts Waxahachie’s famed Munster Mansion

Participants guess who murdered whom in a life-size version of Clue

If you like the boardgame Clue, dressing in costume and spending an evening in an unusual atmosphere, then the owners of the home that put Waxahachie on the the map for vintage TV fans have devised a perfect Saturday evening event for you.

Complete with wine, finger foods and a tour of the home, Munster Mansion Murder Mystery Evenings give players a chance to solve a game of clues and enjoy an occasion with friends and family while guessing which one of them is the murderer and how they perpetrated their crime, all in the backdrop of Waxahachie’s Munster Mansion, a real-life replica of the home in the 1960s TV series, The Munsters.

Built over two decades ago, the Munster Mansion is the always evolving work-in-progress of homeowners Chuck and Sandra McKee, who are undoubtedly the show’s top fans. The home’s gothic style and dimly lit interior present a perfect atmosphere for being shut in for the evening as clues reveal themselves and give players a chance to hone their skills in sleuthing out all the details that will lead them to the ultimate revelation of who killed whom, how and why.

Clues important to unfolding all the details of the event begin as soon as players arrive on scene, Sandra says.

“When they come in the house and they go into the dining room and they look on the chair and they find the three digit codes in there, then they’re allowed to sit down. Then we give a quick little speech about everything and what’s going to happen — the process of the evening — then they leave with me and go do a tour. And when they come back, we start the murder mystery. Everybody introduces themselves; they have bit parts to read out, stand up and read their [details about their] character, what they’re doing,” Sandra says.

Sometimes players break up and go into different rooms to solve riddles that reveal different aspects of the murder mystery: who did it, how they did it and so on. And then when they regroup, more clues come together until the group can finally piece together all the details.

“At the end of it, everybody will read off something which will explain how the process of it happened, how they ended up being murdered or where they were, how each person was connected. So before it’s over with, everybody knows how each one was connected to each other, Sandra says. “Then we go back and then we have the best actor award, the best actress award — ‘I solved the murder’ — ‘I didn’t solve the murder.’ People get gifts, and everybody leaves with some kind of prize,” Sandra says.

Sandra says the murder mysteries draw players from all over the state — from Frisco to Houston — to enjoy a special birthday, anniversary or girls night out.

Sandra says she and her family write the scripts and change up the details and clues for each event, but they keep tight-lipped about what they’ve devised. “We want you to come to the murder mystery and not have a clue about anything.”

She does say, however, players should be aware that the clues begin from the moment they arrive.

The murder mystery evenings are scheduled by appointment only and are open to participants 21 years old and older. The cost is $110 per person. Contact information is available on the Munster Mansion listing.