Enter the Scarehouse If you Dare

If you’ve ever dreamed of living through the horror of slasher film – then the Scarehouse basement is just the ticket.

Breaking from the norm of haunted attractions where you walk through and people jump out, the newest Scarehouse’s feature promises to be more in your face, quite literally.

It starts with a waiver you must sign allowing the actors to touch you and restrain you. The Basement is not for the faint of heart or easily frightened – as shown by the “Bunny Board” that already had seven names just after opening.

Prior to entering the basement, an “officer” gives you the run-down of the rules. You can’t touch the actors but they will touch you, well actually it’s more like manhandle. As I stood there with my mother (yes, I took my mother), I was very excited to finally find a haunted house that might just scare me after years of mediocre haunts. 

Upon entering the basement, it’s dark (well, what would you expect). One of the first noticeable differences is you spend a considerable amount of time with each character in the basement – rather than walking straight through. They keep you around a little longer to “play.”

Now, as I mentioned – you’ll sign a waiver to enter the basement because these actors will pretty much manhandle you throughout the trip. No one actually hurts you, but it’s definitely more than a little grab on the shoulder and certainly more in-your-face.

While I don’t want to give away all the secrets of the basement, I will say it’s very much like a slasher film. Strange, bizarre and somewhat predictable if you’ve seen the likes of “Texas Chainsaw Massacre” or “Saw.” It will certainly get your heart racing a bit, but not with ghosts and goblins. Oh and don’t wear any of your favorite outfits, you might just end up with some grease make up on them.

Overall, the Scarehouse is definitely heading in the right direction for new haunted attractions. It’s breaking the norm – which is a welcomed event. However, it’s not without flaws, but there’s room to grow.

For this avid haunted house fan, I wished the attraction was a bit longer and told more of a story. None of the scenes really blended together with a purpose. They were more an assortment of random rooms designed to dig into fears. It lacked a certain continuity or theme. Perhaps that’s something they can try next year.

Additionally, the slasher-film style is really overdone these days. I would love to see the Scarehouse dive headfirst into a true horror event. With an attraction like the basement the possibilities are endless. Give me some demons, ghouls, goblins or a great run with the devil.

A word of warning to anyone entering the basement – the sexual content is over the top and in some instances, just a little too much. Extreme sexual language isn’t really “scary” to me – but I’m sure many felt extremely uncomfortable. 

As for the main three haunts of the Scarehouse – they are truly an awesome walkthrough attracting. Featuring a variety of ghouls, Creepo’s 3D Christmas and Pittsburgh Zombies – it’s a great night out for any lover of horror.

For more information on the Scarehouse, visit www.scarehouse.com.