Behind The Screams

Since 1999 a team of primarily Pittsburgh-based artists and actors have worked tirelessly to create highly elaborate and immersive haunted attractions based on original concepts and characters. This commitment to creativity extends to the highly elaborate trailers, teasers, and online videos that have been posted online to a worldwide audience of fans for nearly 20 years! ScareHouse currently remains on hiatus, but our team hopes to bring the attraction back to life in a new form and new location soon. ScareHouse is forever! Few haunted attractions have garnered as much attention as ScareHouse. Every year, the Pittsburgh Halloween staple has lured crowds with high-quality frights executed by dedicated, professional scare actors and crew members. Oscar-winning horror filmmaker Guillermo del Toro and actor Elijah Wood gave ScareHouse their approval and, in 2023, it earned the title of Top Haunt by the…

Over the last week our friends from Pittsburgh Today Live have taken viewers inside both THE BASEMENT and THE CHIPPED FANG.  ScareHouse Creative Director Scott Simmons offered up a preview of The Basement while our make-up manager Sue Weill transformed actress Jennifer Dallas into her iconic demon character LIVE: Katie isn’t a big fan of…

It’s time for some retro haunted history with this collection of vintage haunted house commercials from the 70s, 80s, and 90s! Featuring classic attractions like The Haunted Mansion at Long Branch, Brigantine Castle, Rocky Point Haunted House, and the USS Nightmare, this video showcases the chilling nostalgia of Halloween’s past. Watch these retro ads and…

Elijah Wood called it “an invasive experience” when asked about it by Seth Meyers. In their recent review, The Haunted Housewives called it an “absorbing piece of theater.” And CBS News called it “an extreme haunted house experience!” If you’re reading this post you’ve probably already read or heard some of the specifics: you have…

Fans of Western Pennsylvania haunted houses, hayrides, and events know and trust the annual reviews and reports from The Haunted Housewives (Tish and Lilly.). A professional writer and occasional costumer with a deep understanding of what scares people and and even deeper interest in finding out why. These esteemed experts in Pittsburgh’s best halloween events…

The Chipped Fang is our NEW immersive mocktail experience for this fall, held within the special event space at Bold Escape Rooms in the Strip District. You’re invited to enter a secret lair in the Strip District for vampires of all kinds and times starting on Friday, September 13th. But what is a mocktail experience…

Remember the ScareHouse podcast?  Starting in 2010 we produced nearly 150 episodes of an audio podcast taking fans behind the screams of ScareHouse, but also offering insights and conversations from the rapidly expanding industries of haunted attractions, immersive entertainment, and location-based attractions. (Plus more than a few episodes that were just about weird stuff that…

For as long as she can remember, Sue Weil has loved makeup. In fact, her earliest memory involves this passion. “I was probably about four years old and got into my mom’s lipstick and put it on,” says Weil, ScareHouse’s Assistant Manager in the Makeup Department. “I had red all over my face, and after…

We invited Jordan the Grey Witch to take an exclusive, lights on look at ScareHouse! Thanks to Jordan and every one who has provided such overwhelming support to ScareHouse this year! October is almost over, don’t miss your chance to check us aht! Guarantee admission when you buy tickets online. Happy Halloween yinz guys! 💀…

We LOVE watching people get scared in Pittsburgh’s Ultimate Haunted House. How about you? 💀   THANK YOU for supporting Pittsburgh artists, actors and business! Your purchases support a growing family of designers, actors, builders, make-up artists, managers, vendors, customer service associates and security staff who work all year long getting ready to scare yinz…

ScareHouse Zombies infest the KDKA-TV studios! Check out the fun video of our team terrorizing Heather Abraham and David Highfield … Thanks to everyone at KDKA for letting us run amok! October is almost over, don’t miss your chance to visit Pittsburgh’s Favorite Haunted House.

Just like TV shows can have guest actors, so can haunted attractions! If you come to ScareHouse Friday, October 13 or Saturday, October 14, you might see a new scary face for one weekend only — actress Katie Lane, who’s been working in the haunt industry for nearly 30 years. “I believe I first met…

As one of the new faces to the ScareHouse team this season, Alex Vogelsong just celebrated her Pittsburghaversy. “It was a year ago this August that I came to Pittsburgh for the first time,” says Vogelsong. “I worked as a casting assistant and background actor on a film production [Ethan Coen’s Drive-Away Dolls], and relocation…

The Haunted Attraction Association has certified ScareHouse as one of the Top Haunts in America based on our continuing commit to safety, customer satisfaction, and ongoing elevation and education within the industry! It’s a huge thrill for us to be recognized by a worldwide network of professionals who own, operate and/or design Haunted Attractions, Haunted…

Our tall friend from 96.1 KISS & 94.5 3WS radio faced her fears inside Pittsburgh’s Ultimate Haunted House! Check out the hilarious video … ScareHouse is Open this Weekend! Save $ when you buy online – lower prices in September.  Thanks to our friend Tall Cathy and to all of yinz who have already come…

Hey there weirdos! This is ScareHouse Creative Director and co-owner Scott Simmons and I just wanted to say THANK YOU for all the enthusiasm and support for the new episodes of “Chiller Theater!” Many years before ScareHouse I worked as a writer/producer for WPXI-TV (1990) which means I not only worked within the same studios…

“ScareHouse excels at world-building; it also excels at creating iconic characters, creatures whose mere appearance supplies nightmare fuel – a girl with bleeding, bandaged eyes and needle-sharp teeth, a white-eyed madman on the verge of turning into something no longer human. The world that the hauntrunners create is both gritty and gorgeous. The scares are…

After she graduated from Tom Savini’s Special Make-up Effects Program, Christalee Lema knew exactly what she wanted to do next. “Right out of the gate, I knew I wanted to work at ScareHouse,” says Lema. “That was the only place. When I was 12 or 13, I had gone for the first time, and it…

Calling all thrill-seekers, theater aficionados, and Halloween enthusiasts! Are you ready to dive into a world where fear becomes fun and the eerie becomes exhilarating? Look no further – your gateway to an unforgettable experience awaits at ScareHouse! Whether you’re an actor, a makeup maestro, a security pro, or a customer service wizard, we’ve got…

George Romero and Sam Raimi are two of the most influential horror filmmakers of all time. While they may have come from different backgrounds and had their own unique styles, there are many connections between the two that have helped shape the horror genre as we know it today. Both filmmakers created their own creative…

Before any group of visitors enters ScareHouse, they are told the rules. These include reminders such as keeping cell phones away and “touch no thing and no thing will touch you.”  Those actors portraying the zombies and demons still see, hear and experience some visitors who need even more reminders, however. When asked what ScareHouse…