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…

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…

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! 💀…

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…

“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…

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…

Hilarious video as WTAE anchor Andrew Stockey & meteorologist Jeff Verszyla face their fears at ScareHouse … ScareHouse 2023 starts on September 8th and all General Admission tickets are just $19.99. Thank you Pittsburgh!  

If you’ve been through the haunt this season, or seen any of the promotional materials for ScareHouse, you may have come across this woman with rotten teeth and a bandage over her eyes. She stems from the imagination of another (less scary!) woman—ScareHouse Backstage Assistant Melary Stanko. “Ever since I was a kid, I’ve loved…

After decades of scares, can you believe that Employee 001 still works for ScareHouse? Meet actor Tracy Campbell. Scott Simmons [ScareHouse Creative Director] and I worked together many moons ago in television,” says Tracy. “I worked in news as a writer and producer. Back in the MySpace days, Scott and I were still in touch,…

This season, ScareHouse added a new position to the team: Scare Coach. But what exactly does a Scare Coach do? Let’s ask the Scare Coach herself, Allie Sims. “My job is primarily managing actors a.k.a. herding cats,” says Sims with a laugh. “Managing actors and helping them get everything they need and need to know,…

As his employees chant “Cheese, cheese, cheese!” in unison, ScareHouse founder Scott Simmons says, “I may have accidentally created a cult.” No, it’s not part of a new lactose intolerant haunt—it’s ScareHouse Employee Orientation! Before every ScareHouse season, the employees gather at Pittsburgh Mills to go over the rules for the new year—and of course…

Auditions and interviews for ScareHouse 2022 are coming up this weekend! (Click here for details).  Have you ever wondered what it’s like to scare strangers every night? Or why so many of our staff keep coming back year after year? We asked a few veterans from the ScareHouse cast and crew to tell us in…

James “JJ” Byers laughs when asked what it means to be ScareHouse’s “Haunt Daddy.” “My official title as far as I’m aware is assistant show manager.” The “Haunt Daddy” moniker came about based on behind-the-scenes lingo ScareHouse uses to refer to liaisons between the actors and the management, those who address quick fixes like a…

Tom Smith has been playing ScareHouse’s Creepo the Clown character for so long that he gets recognized even when he’s not in Pittsburgh.  “My wife and I were vacationing in New York state, and I happened to have a ScareHouse shirt on, and one of the guys came over and said, ‘Do you work at…