Pittsburgh's ScareHouse: Safely Keeping Halloween Alive

While COVID-19 has threatened Halloween one way or another this year, it hasn’t successfully taken away the spirit of spooky season. At least in Pittsburgh, many community attractions, pumpkin patches and other holiday-affiliated activities are finding ways to abide by new regulations and social distancing measures so that people can still enjoy all their Halloween haunts, tricks and treats. 

Recently, I visited what has been dubbed “One of America’s Scariest Haunted Houses” for almost a decade: Pittsburgh’s ScareHouse. For the majority of its operation, ScareHouse––in collaboration with film production and mass media company Legendary Entertainment––was located just outside of Downtown Pittsburgh in Etna, Pennsylvania. However, this year, officials moved the iconic ScareHouse to an even more ironic city location: the Pittsburgh Mills Mall. 

Pittsburgh’s ScareHouse

The location pulled on my George A. Romero heartstrings as I thought of the Living Dead films. I felt the move wasn’t just a solution for prior parking issues, but grounded the Pittsburgh-born zombie horror archetype in a common survival outbreak setting. It really just couldn’t be more perfect than that.

Aesthetics and history aside, I went ahead and bought ScareHouse’s RIP tickets (front-of-the-line access, valid any time on any open night). Some might argue that it was overpriced  or that they were missing out on the pre-jump scares made by lingering ScareHouse characters, but honestly, going inside and being able to walk right up to the front was exhilarating. Did I feel like everyone hated me like at an amusement park when someone has a fast pass? Yes. But, was I also so geeked about getting in, also frightened by a giant clown and also given no time to calm down before entering the attraction? Yes, yes and yes again. Worth it.

Upon entering, I was given a small flashlight and a run-down of the rules, including common regulations, sanitizer re-up stations and the kind reminder that no one will touch you, unless you touch them. (To be honest, this one always gives me a sigh of relief, coronavirus or not.)

While I felt like I was sometimes running through scenes or fighting to keep my eyes open while entering a pitch-black room, timewise, the whole trip still took me a little over a half-hour to get through. It’s like being in your own miniature horror movie; between the different types of surroundings, challenges and creatures, you’re constantly stuck in the unknown, wondering what lurks around the next corner. While I won’t spoil all the attraction’s crafty jumpscares or spooky characters, I will say the set up was spectacular, disorienting and often daunting. Whatever preys on your fears, gives you goosebumps or makes you scream, you’ll be sure to find throughout the maze of horrors. 

At the end, the surprises didn't cease, and what I found was completely unexpected: On the countertops of the ScareHouse gift shop were scary business cards with “A Creepy Christmas” and the ScareHouse website printed on them. While I haven’t been able to find anything online about the holiday spinner, it certainly feels like something to look forward to in the winter season!

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Article written by Destiny Johnson

Destiny writes about true crime and thrillers. She likes movies and stories that make you question the world around you, more so than what makes you jump.