You can check out pinpedia or bostonpinball for an idea of average sales prices:
http://www.bostonpinball.biz/eBay052910.htm
http://www.pinpedia.com/statistics
Looks like TFTC has been selling at around $1200-1500. That sounds about right to me -- I've seen a few posted on craigslist for $1100 to $1500. You might be able to find one for around a grand (or even a little less), but you'd probably have to act quickly to get it.
I personally like TFTC a lot. I think it is a pretty fun game with several fun shots, and for the price, I think you get a lot of value.
If you are into the horror theme, you are in luck, as it was a pretty common theme. Some other pins you might want to check out in the sub-$1500 range are Elvira and the Party Monsters (a fun machine but no DMD), Haunted House (also no DMD but multiple playfield levels), Bram Stoker's Dracula, Mary Shelley's Frankenstein and Freddy. All of these pins can usually be found for well under $1500.
And if you are willing to pay $3K+, then you've got a few more options with machines that are usually ranked around the top 10 of all time: Addams Family, Monster Bash, Creature from the Black Lagoon (which you might be able to land for around $2K if you are lucky), and Scared Stiff.
If you don't have any games to play on location nearby, I'd recommend downloading virtual pinball and checking out the games on your computer before buying anything to see if you generally like the game before making a purchase.
And if you are looking for a value pin outside the horror theme realm, pinside.com has a list of games that give you the most bang for the buck (aka affordable yet fun pins):
http://pinside.com/pinball/top-100/bangforbuck
I just noticed TFTC is no. 14 on that list, so it looks like my impressions of the machine are pretty typical.
Anyway, good luck with the search. Once you get that machine, you will probably be hooked.