The ScareHouse Terrifies Pittsburgh
If you know horror, you know Pittsburgh.
Come on, Romero? Zombies? Mr. Rogers?
These horror icons permeate everything we know and love. It’s in our DNA. Papa George is one of our founding fathers.
It should come as no surprise that one of the best haunts in the nation is right there in Pittsburgh. And…isn’t it just ironic justice that it’s in a mall?
The ScareHouse has been a Pittsburgh staple for almost 25 years now. Back in 1999, it started out in Etna in a warehouse, but grew into the historic Etna Elks Lodge where it blew up into national view. People like Guillermo Del Toro praised it. Yeah, it’s that good.
Unfortunately, they ran into some major issues with their longtime home and had to move in 2020. They found a new home in the Pittsburgh Mills Mall! Look at that year…yep, right when the pandemic hit.
I’m here to tell you they’re BACK, and they’re better than ever. They’ve settled into their new digs at the mall, and the apocalypse is upon us.
The ScareHouse has always specialized in the weird. More than having a single theme, they do whatever strikes them, whatever will scare people, whatever they find funny, kind of Evil Dead 2: The Haunt in spirit. Serious scares plus a major sense of twisted humor. They’ll scare you to death while also being really bizarre, much like Papa George would work in zombie jokes while unleashing the hordes.
This year? The future of the mall is unknown. Creative Director and Co-Founder Scott Simmons isn’t sure where ScareHouse will be located next year. Because of that, it’s the end of the world as they know it and NOBODY is fine!
“From the second guests enter they are confronted by zombies and carnage…but that’s just the start of the end of days,” he said. From there, things get really messy, ending in a completely apocalyptic climax that…well, that would be telling.
This isn’t the end of The ScareHouse no matter where they wind up next season. They will remain Pittsburgh’s ultimate haunt. Scott said, “We have no idea if this will be our last year in the mall or not, so let’s just make it extra weird and extra scary and have a good time this October. How often do you get to visit a dead shopping mall full of undead creatures?”
My sentiments exactly. Just…watch out for the Bride. Especially if she has her chainsaw.
Visit The ScareHouse for more information!
