Fright is in the house

“The ScareHouse”

118 Locust St.

412-781-5885

Runs through Oct. 28

Creatures,… “The ScareHouse”

118 Locust St.

412-781-5885

Runs through Oct. 28

Creatures, monsters and loud noises were lurking around every corner, and in the ScareHouse, an elaborate haunted house in the former Etna Elks Lodge, there are a lot of corners.

Executive producer Scott Simmons and his team have put months of work into The ScareHouse, which opened Sept. 28 and runs through Oct. 28. Simmons has been in the haunt business for 24 years, and he shows no signs of slowing down. He is planning on making the ScareHouse an annual event.

“We’ve approached this production with the same attention to detail that you would expect for a feature film,” Simmons said. He wasn’t exaggerating. Nearly everything in the ScareHouse was custom made. It is full of intricate and disturbing creatures hanging along the walls and lurking in the shadows, and those are just the special effects. There are also more than 30 actors who inhabit the ScareHouse. They creep around in the shadows waiting for the perfect moment to jump out and make you scream.

There are two parts to the ScareHouse. The first is the Hall of Nightmares, which is more of a traditional haunted house, where customers walk through the halls as the actors try their best to make people scream by jumping out from their dark hiding places.

The Hall is as expansive as it is elaborate, and complete with many twists and turns – there is no straight hallway longer than a few feet. Customers must walk around a hidden corner every couple steps and face what might be on the other side. The second part of the ScareHouse is the Screamatorium, full of detailed sets that depict creepy scenes.

There’s a mad dentist’s office full of disturbing characters, and a chilling bathroom scene complete with a haunted toilet.

The ScareHouse first ran in 1999, and again in 2003. Jennifer Bailey, a makeup artist and corpse bride, worked on the project in 2003, and is excited to be involved again.

“I had been waiting for the phone call since ’03,” Bailey said. “We treat it like a production, we’re not doing it for the profit