[Haunted Attractions]/The ScareHouse

The ScareHouse, considered one of the top haunts in the entire country and it's extremely easy to see why. Not only is it a haunt that's been featured on the Travel Channel, but also local news and several other news sources such as Forbes, USA Today and others. For us it's hard to pass up an invitation to go and check it out, even more so when you consider it's only about 45miles away. So once again Carrie (from Insanity Lurks Inside) and myself headed out into the darkness to check things out.

Rating: Extremely Good (So close to Excellent you can smell it)
Set Design: Excellent
Acting: Above Average/Very Good
Recommendation: If you're within 3 hours, just make the trip already...even if you're not, it's probably worth it for ya!
Price: $14.99 (Weds, Thurs), $16.99 (Sun), $19.99 (Fri and Sat), $35 to skip the line!

Full Disclosure: Carrie and I were invited down by Scott Simmons, the creative director and co-owner, so that we could write our reviews. I should also state that I've worked for The ScareHouse in the past as well. That said, I'll be doing my best to give an accurate and objective take on what I saw. To be fair, this was also a Weds night and early in the night as well.

Located just north of Pittsburgh in Etna PA, in a building that's nearly 100 years old, what they manage to do with the limited space is mind boggling. Literally every inch of this space is filled with something. If there's anything that The ScareHouse does well it's attention to detail and thoughtfulness as far as using space goes. Everything is planned out to the very last detail. Since they don't have room for expansion they really do have to be as creative as humanly possible and I'm sure it keeps them up at night trying to figure it all out.

This year they once again have managed to cram three different themed areas into the space they have, The Forsaken, Creepo's Christmas in 3D and Pittsburgh Zombies. How they managed to to this is still a mystery and I stated above, mind boggling is the only way I can describe it. I've even seen it with the lights on in the past and still am amazed. While most would consider this one haunt, since there are not three separate entrances, it's not quite so easy with this one. The Forsaken and Pittsburgh Zombies seem so large that they could easily be 2-3 haunts at a theme park attraction and you find yourself in a state of disbelief that it's only one floor in a building. The use of set design, audio and other creative visuals really makes it seem like you're in an extremely larger space. The fact that they rely on the actors, extremely well done make up and sets to tell the story rather than animatronics is also extremely nice to see, they have faith in their own creativity and so do the actors which really shows. This is a show that not only emphasizes their own prowess in design, but the actors abilities as well.

Also, I highly encourage you to visit their website. The level of detail there goes even further and is full of interactive bits that are amusing, freaky and just down right well done. So yes, click this right here and see what I'm talking about!

Anyway...on with the review!
(Warning: There may be spoilers below, though I've tried to avoid them)

While lines can be long, (get there early, they can hit 2+ hours) they do their best to get people through as fast as possible and when possible, they do pulse the lines so that there is maximum enjoyment for everyone and it also lets actors reset themselves. It may not seem like a good idea, you're probably thinking "push as many people through!", but it is a good thing. While it doesn't always work since you never know how fast or slow people are going to go, The ScareHouse crew does it's very best to make sure that everyone gets the very best show for the money.

Once you get inside the building you find yourself in an old theater style lobby. Velvet ropes line the "rat maze" leading up to the entrance and the walls are done in old movie posters, some you may recognize and some probably not, as they're made in house. On one wall you have scenes from old movies and other things that have been edited in house being projected. These kind of touches are just something you don't see every day.

Photo credit: Scarehouse.com

After waiting inside you find yourself face to face with an attendant telling you to walk single file and not to touch anything. Pretty much the typical spiel we've heard hundreds of times over, but a fully costumed and in character actor is always appreciated. Once passing through the curtains you find yourself in the world of The Forsaken, a multiple themed maze that not only disorients but has that slow, building creepy factor that really just hits home on many levels.

Instantly you're transported to a nightmarish world, starting off with a dilapidated carnival. This isn't some hokey 3D clown house, no this had realism that was dirty and gritty. If you're going to clowns...this is the way to do it and was quite refreshing to see. Once through you find yourself in an "outdoor" cemetery before leading up to entering into a house. At this point, you've made so many twists and turns that you really can't remember which direction you're going anymore. Once inside the house you're treated to everything from off kilter cooks to possessed little girls and even a living doll...that really wants you to play with it. I mean _really_ wants you too. The actors so far have been great, but perhaps a bit too quick to reset themselves and tended to focus on the middle of groups a bit too much instead of the old group. Not that this is a bad or wrong way to do things, it's just not something that I personally tend to like to see. Is it effective? Hell yes, but sometimes it's nice to see a bit more intensity.

Photo Credit: Scarehouse.com

Moving on, we make a quick exit past the bedroom (with that doll...god that was great to see) and you find yourself in the closet. I can't say how much I really love that this scene has stuck around to be honest, it's silly and not that huge but everyone swears it's bigger than it is and really is a creative way to transition out of the house and into a whole new area of things. Once past that we found ourselves seeing stairs leading upwards, a great illusion amongst many that really made you feel as if you were in a larger space. This new area was more "creepy old shed and barn" like. Complete with some unexpected scares from above, chains and an overall slow creepy feeling that something just wasn't right here. This is a great transition to yet another area within this section of the haunt, this time we find ourselves in hillbilly hell. Where this used to have a whole house that you'd walk through they've gone away from that and lead you through more impossible twists and turns with actors every which way that are looking for you to join them in a bit of evil redneck fun.

As we had a moment to regroup ourselves, due to a slight back up entering the next area, the only thing that really was bugging was the lack of intensity from the actors. While they had been great so far it just seemed like many were going for the quick startle, like earlier in the haunt. They're great at it, but some of the scares seemed too short so far despite being thoughtful and skillfully executed.

Photo Credit: Scarehouse.com

Once we got moving again after a short little wait, we were handed 3D glasses. What? You think you'd get away from it here? Nope, a 3D area has been a mainstay with The ScareHouse and this year it's Creepo's Christmas. Housed in the old section that used to be the boiler room (one place that I dearly loved and many a prop were broken when I was working back there), it uses a space which really isn't that big in an astounding way. Once again you're in an area that really isn't big but seems that it is due to the layout. Inside you're greeted with all manner of creepy elves, insane gingerbread man artwork everywhere (and I do mean everywhere...definitely look up) and ticked off snowman. This place was filled me with the feeling that these folks were really pushed over the edge, Christmas pressures had finally gotten to them and they'd kill rather than deal with another complaint. While the actor who usually plays Creepo wasn't there (and there's really no substitute for the guy...he's just that good) it was still executed well and for a 3D house it wasn't overly garish or hokey. I'll say it again, if you're gonna do it...this is how to do it. This place was the loathed holiday fruit cake gone horribly wrong...and I liked it.

Photo Credit: Scarehouse.com

After a quick drop off of our glasses to a splendidly rude elf, we found ourselves entering Pittsburgh. Well, yeah...we're already close to the city but the final section of the haunt is Pittsburgh Zombies. This area definitely had been expanded and in the past housed such fast paced areas such as The Screamatorium and Rampage, it's the perfect way to end things here as well. How can you pass up something so iconic with the Pittsburgh region? You can't. There were so many things going on in here that just screamed "Hey! You're in Pittsburgh!" that it was hard not to notice, even the little safety signs were a riff on local things. You find yourself surrounded by the things that make the city known but something has gone horribly, horribly wrong. A plague of zombies has made the place a wasteland strewn with survivors and the undead as you move through various bits of the city as well as safe houses and stores. Again, the use of space is ingenious. At one point I thought we actually were about to walk outside...which confused the living hell out of me. I should've known better, but the illusion is so great that you really do think you're going outside of the building.

Photo Credit: Scarehouse.com

There's an interesting twist here though, the zombies aren't your "Rage" type of zombies from 28 Days Later. No, these are the slow...creeping, inescapable kind. The classic Romero Zombie and iconic to Pittsburgh as well in the genre. The ones that are relentless on their quest for human flesh and the actors really nailed it. Just the way that they moved and sounded had the group on edge for the moment where they'd lunge and it's game over for you. Of course there are survivors too...desperate for help or gone a bit insane from isolation. They interacted with us to a great degree as well, which is always fun to see. At point one even said that it was good that my head was covered "so they couldn't smell my brain". Which, definitely amused me at the time. I love that kind of thing and glad to see it still being pushed by the actors and creative team. The level of detail here was on par if not even more over the top than in The Forsaken. I mean everything was thought of and little humorous signage and other such things are all over the place. I won't go into too much detail about that, you'll just have to find them yourselves.

That said this section of the house, being the end and all, kind of was a bit anticlimactic. It feels as if you're going through a movie and while the acting, set design and special effects are amazingly well done, it just left something to be desired. With every twist and turn I expected to see some huge insane scare but it never materialized. While that's great for keeping tensions up (and a likely goal given the vibe of the whole place)...it just seemed to be missing that element for me personally.

However, I do say this with a bit of a caveat. You see, at the end there is a set of stairs you have to go down, in the past they had a huge climax that sent people running. I'm sure you see where this is going...running+stairs=fall down go boom. Yes, it happened and it happened a lot in the past. So I can understand why they've done things as they have. However, perhaps something a little before the end that's rather big could be the way to go...I'm not sure since the whole vibe of the haunt this year is that slow, determined and inescapable creepy feeling that things aren't going to end well.

Overall I can't really say enough about what ScareHouse has cooked up this year. Granted, I've said a lot and I could probably go on for quite a long while more with every detail imaginable. However, I won't...something has to be left to the imagination and I've probably given enough away as it is. Once again The ScareHouse delivers and it delivers big. It's not an "in your face, extreme" kind of haunt. No, it's more the thought provoking, slow and deliberate feeling that you've just entered a tormented place kind of thing. On that it delivers in spades. While some of the acting could be a bit more energetic in a few areas, it's still great overall and you can tell that the actors really have settled into their roles and locations. Nothing feels out of place or forced anywhere inside this twisted labyrinth. The balance that they achieve with the pacing and themes for all three areas within the haunt really hits home. What Scott, Barb and the rest of the team bring is on another level from your typical independent haunt and you really shouldn't miss it...zombies, construction or distance be damned. I personally can't wait to see what they do that's new next year...