Behind The Screams

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…

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…

“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…

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…

One thing to know about working at ScareHouse: If you volunteer to take on a bigger job, they will take you up on it! That’s something Mark Hawley, who’s become a bit of a Mr. Tech Fixit, recently learned. “I don’t think I have an official title,” says Hawley. “Last year I was an actor,…

When terrorized inside the Demon Hour room filled with dolls, watch out for a sound from overhead. How sure can you be that one hasn’t started talking? Sound designer Bengt Alexsander said he included a sample from the band Le Tigre’s song “Decepticon,” that sounds like it originally came from a children’s book. “It’s this…

Mike Richter found his calling as a carpenter because of the haunted house industry—even if he says he was scared of haunted houses growing up. “About nine years ago, my buddy got me to audition for a haunted house up in Erie,” says Richter, “and I just kinda fell in love with it. Then I…

After narrowly missing an alien spaceship’s crash-landing, unsuspecting survivors look up above a crashed car, avoiding zombies lurching toward them, to see: A billboard for cheese?  At ScareHouse, details like what objects go inside a fridge, on a table or become part of a billboard all start with being a part of the overall set…

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,…

There’s a new attraction this year at ScareHouse, and it’s something you can experience without ever entering the haunt: Play a couple of rounds of pinball and other classic arcade games before or after your ScareHouse experience, courtesy of PGH Pinball. “If you enter the mall from the movie theater, ScareHouse is to the right,”…

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,…

Like many ScareHouse employees, Amanda Barnoski is a bit of a Jill of All Trades. “The first year I worked here, I was acting,” says Amanda, “but now I mostly do makeup.” When Barnoski joined ScareHouse in 2017, the Cleveland native brought with her years of experience from other haunts. “I’ve been in the haunt…

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…

The short answer is that we don’t have any specific dates yet but we’re committed to bringing The Basement back as soon as we can. We won’t be offering it this fall during the haunt season at The ScareHouse in Pittsburgh Mills. However if all goes as planned, you won’t need to wait until October…

The father-and-son team of Bert and Adam Zelten go by many titles at ScareHouse: “Lighting/tech,” “saviors,” and most notably “the guys from Wisconsin” who make the long drive to “vacation” in Pittsburgh every summer (even though they’re really helping get ScareHouse off the ground for the season).   “All the people at ScareHouse make the scenes…

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…