Jump to content

The ScareHouse

Add links
Coordinates: 40°29′57″N 79°56′38″W / 40.499211°N 79.944018°W / 40.499211; -79.944018
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

This is an old revision of this page, as edited by Margee Kerr (talk | contribs) at 13:21, 10 September 2012. The present address (URL) is a permanent link to this revision, which may differ significantly from the current revision.

The ScareHouse
File:Broken Doll.jpg
The "Broken Doll" at The ScareHouse
Etna, PA
Coordinates40°29′57″N 79°56′38″W / 40.499067°N 79.943994°W / 40.499067; -79.943994
StatusOpen Yearly on Select Dates September through November
Ride statistics
Attraction typeHaunted attraction

The ScareHouse is a haunted attraction located at 118 Locust Street in Etna, PA. It is located in a historic building that has been home to the Etna First National Bank, the Spang and Chalfont Company,[1] and the Etna Elks Order No. 932.[2] The ScareHouse is open on select dates each year September through November. The ScareHouse was ranked as one of "America’s Scariest Halloween Attractions" by Travel Channel and has been featured in multiple online and print publications including USA TODAY,[3] Forbes,[4] AOL News,[5] Yahoo,[6] Funworld, and Money magazine. The ScareHouse offers three heavily themed attractions or “haunts” which are significantly revised on a yearly basis.[7]

ScareHouse History

The first production of The ScareHouse was presented in 1999. It is owned by Scott, Barb, and Wayne Simmons. Creative Director Scott Simmons has been in the haunt industry for more than 20 years, having started with local non-profit haunts and various fundraisers. In 1985 he volunteered at a YMCA haunted house while in high school. Over the years Scott worked within a few non-profit events and his father Wayne created and constructed the more elaborate sets and projects. Scott met his wife Barb while working on a haunted house for the Pittsburgh firefighters and MADD in 1990.[8]

History of the Building

The ScareHouse is located at 118 Locust Street in Etna, PA. The ScareHouse has embraced and integrated the historical foundations and fabrics of this unique building into the haunt design. The building was first constructed in 1915 to house the First National Bank of Etna. While the first floor of the building was home to First National Bank, with an entrance on Butler Street, the second and third floors were dedicated to employees of Spang and Chalfont, one of the town's primary employers. Employees had available, through the entrance on Locust St, a swimming pool, a full gymnasium, restaurant, kitchen, library and all purpose meeting room. Utilization of these facilities was minimal and by the late 1920s Spang and Chalfont was prepared to abandon the building. This provided the opportunity for the Elks, who first incorporated Etna Lodge No. 932 in 1904 on 319 Butler Street, to move into the First National Bank Building in September 1929.[2]

Etna Lodge No. 932 spent over 75 years at 436 Locust St . Their membership grew quickly during the first half of the 20th century, in part because of Pennsylvania's 'dry' heritage which forbade the sale of alcoholic beverages in public facilities past midnight on Saturday or Sunday. The Elks lodge No. 932 survived through the challenging times of World War I, the Depression of the 30's, the flood of 1936, and World War II. The lodge provided a critical source of support, comradery, and community engagement for the citizens of Etna.[2]

In 1947 with membership continuing to grow, the facility was expanded to include 8 bowling alleys, grill and games room, and improvements to their meeting rooms and library. The lodge participated in many charities and scholarship programs. They also received national honors from the Elks national order, including winning the state Ritual Contest twice (1957, 1965), and having one of their own members appointed to the high office of Grand Secretary of the Benevolent and Protective order of Elks in 1954.[2][9]

The Elks lodge No. 932 hosted a special group called 'The Last Man's Club'. This club, founded in 1947, was only open to WWII veterans. The mission of the club was to host a space for veterans to come together once a year for a meeting, dinner, and night of entertainment. The group invited a number of famed guests in for their entertainment. In 1962 they hosted the ex-welter weight champion of the world, Fritzie Zivic in addition to a wide variety of ventriloquists, comedians, and speakers on a variety of topics. The group also provided integral support for families of lost members of the Last Man's Club.[2]

The Last Man's Club also including the sharing of a 'Trophy' or 'Treasure'. The Trophy was a decanter of aged bourbon. This trophy was entrusted to one member of the club each year, at which time that member would have their name engraved on the decanter. At the final meeting of the Last Man's Club in 1996, their 50th anniversary, the bottle was opened and each surviving member (nine present) toasted to their legacy.[2][10]

The group enjoyed many evenings in what is now the upstairs wardrobe and make up area for The ScareHouse. There are still many reminders of the Elks Lodge No. 932 and the Last Man's Club throughout the building.[11]

Haunts

Retired Haunts

Buttercup

Hall of Nightmares 2007-2009

The Hall of Nightmares was an assortment of highly-detailed scenes and characters that was primarily influenced by EC comics such as Tales From The Crypt, Italian horror movies such as Suspiria, the Haunted mansion at Disney and traditional haunted house situations and scenarios. The designers utilized vibrant colors and stylized scenic design to create a series of thinly connected and surreal scenes involving creatures, clowns, and cloaked figures.[12]

Screamatorium 2007-2008

Screamatorium opened in 2007 and was much darker, realistic, and intense then Hall of Nightmares. This attraction was set inside an abandoned research facility dating back to the early 1900s, which was filled with mutated creatures and their helpless victims. The design team took heavy influence from films such as Silent Hill to create a series of medically themed labs, offices, and holding cells lit by flickering incandescent bulbs.[12]

Delirium 3-D 2008-2011

Delirium 3-D first opened in 2008. Guests were given 3-D glasses at the entrance of the haunt to experience the many 3-D effects of the sets. Delirium 3-D took guests into the deranged and demented world of the main character "Delirium" which was filled with florescent colors, loud music, puppets, and twisted creatures. The general theme was inspired by a mix of psyho/punk/pop/rave culture. The characters in this haunt were known for their random, confusing, though entertaining sayings and antics. In 2012 the ScareHouse hosted musical artist Delirium Dog [13] who heavily inspired and took inspiration from the Delirium haunt. Delirium Dog preformed live in the haunt during the 2011 season.[14][15]

File:ScareHouse Bunny.jpg
ScareHouse Bunny

Rampage! 2009-2010

Rampage! was heavily influenced by Steampunk a sub-genre of fantasy and science-fiction that attracted a growing fan base of alternative artists. The term denotes works set in an alternative Victorian era of culture and technology where steam power is still the prominent form of energy. The ScareHouse designers studied reference photos and technical drawings to find inspiration for new costumes, sets, and other production elements.[12]

Rampage! took customers into a world divided by war, on the one side were the 'rebels' who were fighting against the evil 'Die-Rector' and 'Daphnie'. These two characters were featured heavily in ScareHouse ads and promotions. The Die-Rector gained further recognition in 2010 when he was invited to participate in 'Dancing with the Celebrities of Pittsburgh .'[12]

Current Haunts (2012)

Creepo the Clown

The Forsaken 2009-2012

The Forsaken opened in 2009 to replace 'Hall of NightMares.' The Forsaken is set in a mythical town of citizens that have lost their souls and are condemned to stalk and haunt the town. Sets include a broken down and haunted Carnival, complete with demented clowns, roustabouts, and fairway barkers. Other notable sets include a highly detailed and realistic 'game' room and 'butcher' shop complete with stuffed prey and animal carcasses.[16]

The Forsaken introduced the character of 'Creepo,' a murderous clown that became known for taunting and interacting with customers. This character proved so popular that the ScareHouse developed a new haunt, Creepo's Christmas in 3-D, around him as a clown turned Santa Claus.[16]

Infected Zombie

Pittsburgh Zombies 2011-2012

Pittsburgh Zombies opened as the third haunt within The ScareHouse in 2011.[17] The Pittsburgh Zombies attraction features elaborate and Hollywood-quality recreations of iconic Pittsburgh landmarks, while actors portray legions of the walking dead. An experienced team of set designers and scenic artists worked to create a real-life version of the zombie apocalypse that has been so memorably and frighteningly portrayed by the series of Night of the Living Dead films shot in and around the Pittsburgh area over the last 40 years. Notable Pittsburgh Zombies sets include a crashed incline cable car, a recreation of Primanti's Brothers restaurant, and a lab where the outbreak started named 'UPEC'.[18]

Creepo's Christmas in 3D 2012

Creepo's Christmas debuts in 2012 as the newest 3-D haunt. This haunt is built around the character of Creepo, the demented clown from The Forsaken. This experience places guests in a 'creepy' and twisted Christmas town where Creepo has taken over and chaos reigns. According to Scott Simmons, owner and creative director of The ScareHouse, part of the inspiration for this genre came from the ever earlier appearance of Christmas wares in retail stores. Simmons states: “Once the retail stores started displaying Christmas decorations in October, Creepo the Clown decided it was time to take a stand for Halloween.” [19]

Community Involvement

While The ScareHouse is a for-profit, commercial venture it is still heavily involved in the Pittsburgh community. The ScareHouse contributes to multiple charitable organizations, and frequently collaborates with socially active bloggers, businesses, and causes. The Crazy Scary event, held in both 2010 and 2011, contributed more than $12,000 local kids in need. The Crazy Scary fundraiser benefits two local fundraising drives, Make Room for Kids and Christmas Crazy for Kids.[20]

Make Room For Kids is a social media-driven fundraising effort originated by local blogger Virginia Montanez from That's Church (also known as "PittGirl" ) designed to bring gaming and laptops to sick children at Children’s Hospital of Pittsburgh, in association with The Mario Lemieux Foundation.[21] Christmas Crazy for Kids was created by local blogger Michelle Hammons of the blog Burgh Baby. Donated funds are used to purchase and deliver toys to Toys for Tots and HOPE center [22] The ScareHouse has also partnered with St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, Etna Economic Development Corporation, Haitian Families First, and the Delta Foundation.[23]

ScareHouse PodCast

The ScareHouse podcast [24] started broadcasting on Itunes in May 2011. While many of the podcasts are related to haunted houses and the haunted industry, they also cover topics like social media and marketing, dating in Pittsburgh, Anthrocon, sound and design, and paranormal activity. The podcasts are heavily focused on personal narrative and investigating the intersections of the haunted industry and society at large.[25]

ScareHouse and The Ghost Hunters

The ScareHouse has brought the members of the Ghost Hunters team Amy Bruni, Steve Gonsalves, Kris Williams, Dave Tango, and Adam Berry to Pittsburgh five times, 2007, 2008, 2009, and 2010, 2011. The ScareHouse Podcast from March 27, 2012 features an in-depth interview with Ghost Hunter Ami Bruni.[26]

References

  1. ^ "Etna, PA History 2". Freepages.genealogy.rootsweb.ancestry.com. Retrieved 2012-08-26.
  2. ^ a b c d e f Centennial: The Borough of Etna, Allegheny Co., Pa., 1869-1969
  3. ^ with Kitty Bean Yancey, Laura Bly and Jayne Clark (2011-10-18). "The scariest haunted houses in America - USATODAY.com". Travel.usatoday.com. Retrieved 2012-08-26.
  4. ^ null (2010-09-30). "In Pictures: The 10 Wickedest Haunted Houses In America". Forbes.com. Retrieved 2012-08-26.
  5. ^ Tony Deconinck Contributor (2010-10-06). "Behind the Screams: The Weird World of Haunted House Operators". Aolnews.com. Retrieved 2012-08-26. {{cite web}}: |author= has generic name (help)
  6. ^ "Haunted America: The ScareHouse, Pittsburgh's Scariest Haunted Halloween Attraction - Yahoo! Voices". voices.yahoo.com. 2009-10-31. Retrieved 2012-08-26.
  7. ^ "Rampage, Delirium and The Forgotten - 3 Terrifying Haunts at Pittsburgh's Ultimate Halloween Haunt". ScareHouse. Retrieved 2012-09-09.
  8. ^ "The Internet's #1 Halloween and Haunt Site!". The Halloween Database. Retrieved 2012-08-26.
  9. ^ "Historical Media". Elks.org. Retrieved 2012-08-26.
  10. ^ "Etna Elks Last Man's Club" Meeting Minutes 1947-1996 Archived at the Heinz History Library 1997.0140
  11. ^ "Go Behind the Screams of Pittsburgh's Ultimate Haunted House". ScareHouse. Retrieved 2012-09-09.
  12. ^ a b c d "Videos of Pittsburgh's Ultimate Haunted House". ScareHouse. Retrieved 2012-09-09.
  13. ^ "Delirium Dog - Live at The ScareHouse 2011 Vol 01 by deliriumdog on SoundCloud - Create, record and share your sounds for free". Soundcloud.com. Retrieved 2012-08-26.
  14. ^ July 27, 2011 (2011-07-27). ""Scorehouse": Scoring "The Scarehouse" with Delirium Dog - Rotting Flesh Radio". Rfrpodcast.com. Retrieved 2012-08-26.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  15. ^ "The ScareHouse Is One of America's Best Haunted Houses - PITTSBURGH, Sept. 28, 2011 /PRNewswire/". Pennsylvania: Prnewswire.com. Retrieved 2012-08-26.
  16. ^ a b "The ScareHouse is One of America's Best Haunted Houses - Sept. 28, 2011". Scarehouse.com. 2011-09-28. Retrieved 2012-09-09.
  17. ^ "The ScareHouse Presents Pittsburgh Zombies: A New Haunted Attraction Based on Pittsburgh's Living Dead Legacy - Pittsburgh Business Times". Bizjournals.com. 2011-07-27. Retrieved 2012-08-26.
  18. ^ "The ScareHouse Presents Pittsburgh Zombies: A New Haunted Attraction Based on Pittsburgh's Living Dead Legacy - July 27, 2011". Scarehouse.com. 2011-07-27. Retrieved 2012-09-09.
  19. ^ "The ScareHouse Presents Creepo's Christmas in 3-D - PITTSBURGH, June 28, 2012 /PRNewswire/". pennsylvania: Prnewswire.com. Retrieved 2012-08-26.
  20. ^ "ScareHouse : ScareHouse helps raise more than $6,000 for local kids in need". Scarehouse.typepad.com. 2010-10-07. Retrieved 2012-08-26.
  21. ^ "MR4K | That's Church". Thatschurch.com. Retrieved 2012-08-26.
  22. ^ "Christmas Crazy". burgh baby. Retrieved 2012-08-26.
  23. ^ "ScareHouse". Scarehouse.typepad.com. Retrieved 2012-09-09.
  24. ^ "One of America's Best Haunted Houses". ScareHouse Podcast. Retrieved 2012-08-26.
  25. ^ "One of America's Best Haunted Houses". ScareHouse Podcast. Retrieved 2012-09-09.
  26. ^ "ScareHouse". Scarehouse.typepad.com. Retrieved 2012-09-09.
Wikimedia Commons has media related to ScareHouse.

40°29′57″N 79°56′38″W / 40.499211°N 79.944018°W / 40.499211; -79.944018

Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=The_ScareHouse&oldid=511687336"