photo by Rebecca Devereaux
Before entering the first haunt, The Summoning, where visitors begin with a house party scene, walls are covered by literature and photos telling the story of Krampus. 

Christmas isn’t the holiday we usually associate with when things go bump in the night. Yet, The ScareHouse in Etna is bringing a whole new spin to Christmas just in time for the Halloween season. 

Teaming up with Legendary Studios and director Michael Dougherty, the ScareHouse is bringing local horror fans two new attractions – “Krampus: Come All Ye Fearful” and Trick ’r Treat: Hallowed Grounds” along with their own custom designed theme attraction “The Summoning.”

 “I really love them all, for different reasons. I love ‘The Summoning’ and I love the theme- the costuming and the story we’re trying to tell in there.  I love ‘Trick ’r Treat’ because it is ground-breaking. There has been no other haunt like this; that has used black lights and stylized the way we sort of stylized it,” said Point Park alum and director of operations, Crystal Rupp. “And of course ‘Krampus’ is such an amazing opportunity. And we really get to have a lot of fun with sort of destroying Christmas.”

“Krampus: Come All ye Fearful” is an attraction modeled after the upcoming horror film, “Krampus,” due out in theatres Dec. 4. Both the attraction and movie star the Eastern European folk legend, Krampus, aka the evil version of Santa Claus. Unlike his jolly partner who handles all the nice children, Krampus gets to deal with all the ones on the naughty list. And when Krampus visits – well let’s just say no one enjoys the presents he brings with him. 

The set was closely designed and organized with members from Legendary Studios to help recreate stages from the actual movie set and have the haunt resemble the film as much as possible. Haunt fans will actually be able to check out actual stage props from the movie’s original set before entering into the twisted world of Krampus. 

“Trick ’r Treat” is also a Legendary Studios collaboration, but one that was built largely by the ScareHouse crew themselves. It took them over three months as they custom built one of the most unique attractions in horror houses nationwide; focusing heavily on color schemes and black lighting to create an extremely intimidating and terrifying experience. Fans will follow Sam, the morbid character from the film, as they navigate through a pop-up book of twisted horrors.

 “The size and scope of the project(s), we typically take down one haunt a year and re-do the basement every year, but for this we took out Creepo’s Christmas 3D and Pittsburgh Zombies. So we’re moving two haunts and pretty much rebuilding two whole haunts is a lot of work,” Rupp said. 

The most unique part about both movie-inspired sets is their use of smell. Both employ a wide variety of smells throughout their respected attractions that create a new layer of suspense. Walking through “Trick ‘r Treat” and smelling the soothing scent of pumpkin spice before realizing it is too late, or crawling through a dark closet that reeks of moth balls and dusty, dirty old clothes unsure of what demented scheme Krampus has laid out next creates an entirely new facet of fear. 

The sensory attack will entrap fans. The keen addition of scents is just another example of the level of intense detail the ScareHouse crew brings to their attractions and no wonder why they have consistently received national recognition for their haunts. 

“They put a lot of work into it. They’re dedicated. And they work year round, it is a well put together operation,” Point Park senior and ScareHouse actor Neil Curran said.

As unique as the dual Legendary Studios cross promotion is, ScareHouse’s initial haunt, “The Summoning,” may be their best work this year. “The Summoning” takes guests into a 1930s speakeasy that seems just a little bit “off.” Tour goers creep their way through blood-stain bars, ravaged backrooms, and arcane hallways as they search deeper and deeper for the fabled “Great One.”

“’The Summoning’ is definitely my favorite,” Curran said. “The art director worked with the team and did a really god job of putting it together.”

The detail in each area of the amusement is sublime. As they force their way past hanging corpses dripping copious amounts of blood, fans will quickly realize they’re not visiting a traditional bar for an ordinary Halloween party. Scampering past these Dexter-like scenes, the sound of classical jazz plays eerily over head making one feel like they’re trapped in Rapture, the tormented  underwater city from the acclaimed horror game, “BioShock.” 

The “Room of Doors” and the “Backstage” areas will be sure to scare the pants off attendees. As Rupp admits, they are some of the scariest locations on the tour. 

The “Room of Doors” looks like a scene straight out of Amityville Horror, forcing contestants to choose the right door before continuing on their way. Be warned:  each door holds its own unique, twisted, mutated version of fright. 

If “The Summoning,” “Krampus,” and “Trick ’r Treat” wasn’t enough scare for the intrepid and daring soul, fans can register for the “Basement” attraction – ScareHouse’s most terrifying experience. The “Basement” is themed around sleep and the night terrors that can plague even the sanest individuals.

 “It is much smaller and much more confined,” said Rupp. “(The attraction) is much more experience based and actor driven. You’re in the scenes a little bit longer and that is kind of what you’re paying for – that one-on-one fear experience.” 

Unlike the other three main attractions, actors in the Basement are allowed to touch customers that dare take on this hardcore challenge. Contestants are forced to sign a waiver before entering.

 The Basement is an attraction reserved for the most harden Halloween fans. When asked about attempting the Basement test, Point Park freshman and avid horror fan, Sara Mackulin said, “Why not? You’re there for the scare factor.” 

Uniquely enough the mortifying basement is also a part of a fear study The ScareHouse is helping conduct with Dr. Margee Kerr (Kerr has her doctorate in sociology) and the University of Pittsburgh. 

“Not only is it an actual attraction, but you’re also contributing to science which is very cool,” Rupp said. 

Kerr is the attraction’s resident sociologist and recently wrote, “Scream: Chilling Adventures in the Science of Fear,” a non-fictional look at the human reaction and fascinations of fear. Kerr is teaming up with Dr. Greg Siegle and the University of Pittsburgh to conduct the research, which focuses largely on how we react to fear and why fear excites us. The analysis is the first-ever outside of a lab study on fear.

The ScareHouse is quite essentially a one stop-shop for Halloween fanatics this year. For those who love Halloween, haunted houses, and the possibility of having to bring an extra pair of pants – 118 Locust Street is the place to be this October. 

Tickets start at $24.99, $39.99 for RIP packages, and group discount rates for parties of 15 or more. Tickets may be purchased online at scarehouse.com/tickets, and for more information, contact [email protected]. 

photo by Rebecca Devereaux
A room inside the Scarehouse haunt The Summoning, where vistors walk into a room of doors and must decide which door will lead them  to the next room.

photo by Rebecca Devereaux
In addition to the Scarehouse actors, stationary characters add an element of fright in the various scenes throughout the haunt.

photo by Rebecca Devereaux
Inside the theatre room, visitors walking through are welcomed by a spooky figure center staged, and an audience full of surprises.