Scarehouse Podcast

Road trip! The ScareHouse design team pays a visit to our friends at The Dent Schoolhouse in Cincinnati - which is ranked as one of the nation's best haunted attractions by USA Today, Forbes, Fangoria, Haunted Attraction Magazine, Hauntworld, HauntedHouseRatings.com, Citybeat, and many others. It was also seen on the Travel Channel show, Halloween Crazy! The Dent Schoolhouse takes place in a schoolhouse that was built back in 1896 and contains a gruesome legend...The Janitor of the school, Charlie McFree is said to have killed a large number of the student body over a period of 10-20 years. Hiding their bodies within the basement, the smell became too much and alerted the town of Dent... discovery of the hellish scene has made a permanent residence in the basement. The owners and designers of both Dent and ScareHouse come together for an extended conversation about design, operation, and the challenges of creating, promoting, and operating a high-tech haunted attraction that can meet the high level of expecta

100,000 water ballons, four teams led by Pittsburgh celebs, and a truly EPIC battle in downtown Pittsburgh to help raise money in the fight against global poverty. It's the Great American Water Balloon Fight! Ian Rosenberger and Vivien Luk from Team Tassy join ScareHouse's Laura Kelly and Margee Kerr at a local filling party to preview this year's event on Saturday, July 13th - and to talk about the creation of Team Tassy, the challenges of filling 100 thousand water balloons, and the many local celebrities who plan to join the fight! And yes, there will be ScareHouse zombies on the field... What's the goal of the fight? The mission is to unleash the inherent power in every person to eliminate global poverty. We do this with Team Tassy by working with poor families in Haiti, and giving them the tools they need to help themselves. It may sound silly, but helping us raise money by having fun and throwing water balloons will positively change peoples’ lives forever. Please visit www.teamtassy.org/waterballoon to

Encore episode! This extended episode of our podcast (which was originally recorded and posted in 2012) features a rare and guided tour behind the scenes of Anthrocon, the World's largest Furry convention, which takes place in Pittsburgh every summer. What is Anthrocon? It is the world's largest convention for those fascinated with anthropomorphics, which are humanlike animal characters. It is a collection of nearly 5,000 artists, animators, writers, costumers, puppeteers, and just everyday fans who enjoy cartoon animals and their kin. Approximately 20% of attendees don specialized animal costumes, often based on original characters, and enjoy role-playing and interacting with both fellow attendees and bystanders. So what really happens at Anthrcon? What kind of people are performing underneath all of that fur? And why is Pittsburgh the perfect home for thousands of Furries? Programming director John "Kuddlepup" Cole takes Katie "Dudders," Margee Kerr, and ScareHouse Creative Director Scott Simmons on a guide

Dudders takes you to the annual "ScareHouse Family Picnic" - our annual gathering of veteran cast and crew members every June. In between eating and random attacks with water balloons, our actors and actresses talk about about new friends, scaring people every October, and the freaky customers we sometimes encounter during haunt season. Keep watching scarehouse.com and our fan page on facebook for details about 2013 auditions and interviews! We're filling over 100 paid positions starting in August! ScareHouse, Pittsburgh's Ultimate Haunted House, has been ranked as one of “America’s Scariest Halloween Attractions” by Travel Channel and featured in multiple online and print publications including USA TODAY, Forbes, AOL News, Yahoo, Funworld, and Money magazine. Subscribe today for new episodes of our ScareHouse podcast. Help us reach new listeners when you leave positive reviews and feedback on iTunes. THANK YOU for your support! Like ScareHouse on Facebook.Follow ScareHouse on Twitter.Watch ScareHouse on YouT

ScareHouse is proud to support Pittsburgh Pride Awareness March and PrideFest - presented by the Delta Foundation of Pittsburgh (their mission is to increase awareness and understanding of and improve the quality of life for the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender (LGBT) community in Western Pennsylvania.) ScareHouse guest podcast host "Dudders" engages in some "Zombie on the Street" interviews with a few of our fellow parade marchers: drag queens, activists, and leather club members. You should be in no way surprised that a haunted house podcast features a brief summary of the history, community, and charitable contributions of national leather clubs and pagents. Visit www.pittsburghpride.org for more information about Pittsburgh Pride 2014. Note: Due to rough weather conditions and absent-minded creative directors, the audio quality of this episode is not as clean as usual. Sorry about that. ScareHouse, Pittsburgh's Ultimate Haunted House, has been ranked as one of “America’s Scariest Halloween Attractio

ScareHouse Creative Director Scott Simmons and "Scare Specialist" Dr. Margee Kerr hang out and talk about wild weekends at both The Midwest Haunters Convention and the West Coast Haunters Convention, offer advice to new haunters and Halloween enthusiasts, and try to convey just what happens inside THE HAUNTED HOOCHIE. Normally, we would write much more text here, but we're still recovering from two long nights on the Fear Fair Party Bus. Check out the ScareHouse YouTube page for our video from the truly EPIC costume party and body painting show at the Midwest Haunters Convention. ScareHouse, Pittsburgh's Ultimate Haunted House, has been ranked as one of “America’s Scariest Halloween Attractions” by Travel Channel and featured in multiple online and print publications including USA TODAY, Forbes, AOL News, Yahoo, Funworld, and Money magazine. Subscribe today for new episodes of our ScareHouse podcast. Help us reach new listeners when you leave positive reviews and feedback on iTunes. THANK YOU for your support

Cydney Neil is the Producer and Creative Director of the legendary Rocky Point Haunted House, one of the most iconic and successful haunted attractions in history. Under her direction Rocky Point went from 100 guests and $500 in income to nearly 70,000 and over $1,500,000 in their final season - while also influencing and inspiring legions of haunted attraction designers. Apart from these successes, Cydney maintains that her greatest achievement and what she is most proud of is the youth program she created that changed the lives of thousands of “misfit” kids she will always consider her own. Michael Krausert, Director of Spookyworld/Nightmare New England, began designing and building attractions over two decades ago at the age of 18. Throughout his career he has designed and built for numerous charitable organizations such as the Jaycees, non-profit arts programs, the Optimist Club and he helped these groups raise millions of dollars in the process. The producers of ABC’s Extreme Makeover Home Edition invite

Terror Behind the Walls, America’s largest haunted house, is located inside the massive castle-like walls of Eastern State Penitentiary in Philadelphia, PA. Now in its 22nd year, Terror Behind the Walls attracts over 100,000 visitors from around the world and is consistently ranked among the top 10 haunted attractions in the country. Eastern State Penitentiary, which opened in 1829, was once the most famous and expensive prison in the world - but stands today in ruin, a haunting world of crumbling cellblocks and empty guard towers. Known for its grand architecture and strict discipline, this was the world’s first true “penitentiary,” a prison designed to inspire penitence, or true regret, in the hearts of convicts. It also has a well documented history of ghostly activity and strange phenomenon, and has been repeatedly featured on GHOST HUNTERS and other parnanormal programs. So what's it like working in one of the world's creepiest places? Creative Director Amy Holloman joins ScareHouse's Margee Kerr for an

The annual Midwest Haunters Convention, held in Columbus Ohio, is one of the largest Halloween shows of its kind in the US for Haunted Attraction Producers, Actors, Artists and Home Haunters. Kelly Collins joins ScareHouse Creative Director Scott Simmons to preview the action-packed schedule, featuring the world’s largest haunted attraction bus tour as well as a Monster Masquerade costume party featuring the Body Art Fashion Show and other contests including: Ms Midwest Scary Pageant & the Scariest Character Contest and their signature Bloody Mary Monster Make Up Wars... not to mention seminars, workshops, and more than 100 vendors offering masks, props, costumes, effects, and anything a professional and/or home haunter could need! The Midwest Haunters Convention returns to Columbus, Ohio June 7-9, 2013 at the Greater Columbus Convention Center and Hyatt Regency Hotel for its 10th year. Visit www.midwestshow.com for more information ScareHouse, Pittsburgh's Ultimate Haunted House, has been ranked as one of “A

Ed Roberts started working at haunted houses in the 1970s, with no idea that he would one day be featured on a national TV show alongside Rob Zombie, or become the mastermind behind a annual convention for the haunted attraction industry. The Nightmare Factory haunted attraction in Salem, Oregon has been extracting screams from its guests for decades. It is housed at the Oregon School for the Deaf (OSD) and serves to raise money for the school and its students. In 2010, OSD and Nightmare Factory received some national recognition and help when the ABC series, Extreme Makeover: Home Edition, showed up in town (along with special guest Rob Zombie) and pitched in to revamp the haunt. Thanks to Extreme Makeover: Home Edition, Scare Factory, and the many businesses and volunteers (many of which returned to get involved in the haunt), Nightmare Factory now features the latest in cutting-edge haunted house technology and scares. Ed joins ScareHouse Creative Director Scott Simmons to look back at his decades of haunt

The gang's back together! Laura Kelly, Rob Johnston, Margee Kerr, and Scott Simmons hang out and talk about recent adventures involving New York City, gothic burlesque, claymation, singing nuns, and bathtubs filled with french fries. Plus, an extended conversation about marketing on social media, new tools for creativity, and Rob's bone-breaking commitment to the new VINE app. ScareHouse, Pittsburgh's Ultimate Haunted House, has been ranked as one of “America’s Scariest Halloween Attractions” by Travel Channel and featured in multiple online and print publications including USA TODAY, Forbes, AOL News, Yahoo, Funworld, and Money magazine. Subscribe today for new episodes of our ScareHouse podcast. Help us reach new listeners when you leave positive reviews and feedback on iTunes. THANK YOU for your support! Like ScareHouse on Facebook.Follow ScareHouse on Twitter.Watch ScareHouse on YouTube.

Pittsburgh's Macabre Noir is a body modification sideshow performer, burlesque dancer, and creator of neo-Victorian horror-inspired works of art for “Dr. Morose & Miss Macabre’s House of Oddities." How does one start walking on glass? Why was she named as 2012's Freak of the Year? And why is Pittsburgh such a fantastic community for artists and "weird kids?" Macabre joins ScareHouse podcast hosts Laura Kelly and Dr. Margee Kerr to talk about her history, her vision, and the upcoming Atrocity Exhibition of fellow dark artists and entertainers. Experience Morose & Macabre's annual cavalcade of the beautiful and grotesque, brought to life by a cabaret of bizarre entertainers, artists, and artisans. Tickets are on sale now for Morose & Macabre's Atrocity Exhibition 2013: Commedia Dell'Morte : Carnivale - Saturday, May 4th at the Rex Theater. Visit www.moroseandmacabre.com for tickets and more information (note: The Atrocity Exhibition is only intended for an adult audiences. No one under 21 will be admitted). Sca

Did you know that Pittsburgh has been named as one of the friendliest, hippest, and most affordable cities in America? Ever wonder why? Annie Clough, the programming and membership development manager of Pittsburgh Urban Magnet Project (PUMP), joins Laura Kelly and Margee Kerr to talk about living in Pittsburgh, the many ways that local young people continue to connect and improve our community, and the growth and future of PUMP! PUMP makes Pittsburgh a more dynamic and diverse place to live by giving young and young-thinking people a voice and inspiring them to affect change in our community through civic engagement, professional development, recreation, and social networking. Visit www.pump.org for more information. ScareHouse, Pittsburgh's Ultimate Haunted House, has been ranked as one of “America’s Scariest Halloween Attractions” by Travel Channel and featured in multiple online and print publications including USA TODAY, Forbes, AOL News, Yahoo, Funworld, and Money magazine. Subscribe today for new episo

He's created a haunted attraction in Ukraine, floating buildings, and high-tech animations and effects for haunted houses and Halloween events all across the world. Kip Polley, owner of Pale Night Productions, talks with ScareHouse Creative Director Scott Simmons about his decades of innovation and engineering within the haunted attraction industry. How did a neighborhood haunted house for trick or treaters lead to a career of creating elaborate special effects? How does he feel about the companies that attempt to copy his innovative video effects? And what did it take to create and install an entirely new style of haunted attraction in Eastern Europe? ScareHouse, Pittsburgh's Ultimate Haunted House, has been ranked as one of “America’s Scariest Halloween Attractions” by Travel Channel and featured in multiple online and print publications including USA TODAY, Forbes, AOL News, Yahoo, Funworld, and Money magazine. Subscribe today for new episodes of our ScareHouse podcast. Help us reach new listeners when you

Frank Macinsky is a young, healthy, and athletic community leader in Pittsburgh... who was diagnosed with cancer one year ago. This is the story of a guy who was both one of the luckiest and unluckiest 25 year olds in the entire country. This story has nothing to do with haunted houses, but it has everything to do with friendship, positivity, and a truly life-changing experience. Clowns and zombies are not nearly as scary as chemo and mortality, but this story does have a happy ending. Frank joins Laura Kelly and Margee Kerr for a look back at his "one year bout with cancer" in this episode of the ScareHouse podcast. Frank Macinsky is the Director of Marketing for Thread, transforming waste in desperately poor countries into the most innovative products possible. For more information visit www.threadinternational.com. ScareHouse, Pittsburgh's Ultimate Haunted House, has been ranked as one of “America’s Scariest Halloween Attractions” by Travel Channel and featured in multiple online and print publications inc

Kevin Alvey is the owner of Gore Galore, a company that provides creatures, costumes, and corpses of all shapes and sizes to haunted attractions and theme parks all over the world! He joins ScareHouse Creative Director Scott Simmons for an extended conversation about his creative process, the explosive growth of the industry, and more than 35 years of experience in the haunted house industry. How did a boyhood love of scary monsters and Edgar Allen Poe lead to one of the world's most recognized suppliers of giant monsters and high impact effects? How does Kevin find the time to stay creative while managing a growing business and staff? And just how did he manage to anger the Bee Gees? All is revealed in the latest episode of the FREE ScareHouse podcast. NOTE: We apologize for the audio quality of Scott's microphone - which is a bit over modulated. We're taking steps to correct the issue for future episodes. ScareHouse, Pittsburgh's Ultimate Haunted House, has been ranked as one of “America’s Scariest Hallowee

ScareHouse Creative Director Scott Simmons first attended the Transworld Halloween & Attractions trade show in 1997, while our Scare Specialist, Dr. Margee Kerr, attended the show for the very first time just last week! So what really happens inside the world's largest trade show for haunted attractions and Halloween events? Rob Johnston talks to Scott and Margee about their wild experiences amongst hundreds of vendors selling everything from axes to dragons, networking with thousands of fellow haunted house owners, and catching up with cast members from Syfy's hit series FACE OFF! ScareHouse, Pittsburgh's Ultimate Haunted House, has been ranked as one of “America’s Scariest Halloween Attractions” by Travel Channel and featured in multiple online and print publications including USA TODAY, Forbes, AOL News, Yahoo, Funworld, and Money magazine. Subscribe today for new episodes of our ScareHouse podcast. Help us reach new listeners when you leave positive reviews and feedback on iTunes. THANK YOU for your suppo

Actor Doug Bradley is known by legions of horror fans across the world for his iconic performance as Pinhead in the Hellraiser film series. He is one of only three actors to play the same horror character at least six consecutive times, the others being Robert Englund (Freddy Krueger in eight consecutive Nightmare on Elm Street films) and Tobin Bell (Jigsaw in all seven Saw films.) In this extended and encore edition of our podcast, Doug sits down with ScareHouse Creative Director Scott Simmons for a fun, frank, and fast-moving conversation about horror, acting, and the international legacy of the Hellraiser film series. Doug shares stories from his early years with Clive Barker, offers advice for other actors, and reveals why he left London for a new home in ... well, you'll just need to listen to the podcast. ScareHouse, Pittsburgh's Ultimate Haunted House, has been ranked as one of “America’s Scariest Halloween Attractions” by Travel Channel and featured in multiple online and print publications including

For this episode of the ScareHouse podcast, we’re paying tribute to the low-budget film that set the groundwork for just about every zombie movie, tv show, comic, or video game released in the last 45 years.... Night of the Living Dead. ScareHouse Creative Director Scott Simmons and Scare Specialist Dr. Margee Kerr examine the lasting impact of the first modern day zombie movie. How did one little movie, shot near Pittsburgh 45 years ago, not only create an entirely new genre of scary movies, but help revolutionize modern horror and independent filmmaking? And how did George Romero and other Pittsburgh filmmakers inspire the creation of ScareHouse? Check out this week's special episode of the ScareHouse podcast! And if you live in Pittsburgh, please join us for a celebration of Romero's Living Dead Legacy at the History Center on Friday, February 22 with a rare screening of Night of the Living Dead admission to the museum, cash bar, and the search for Pittsburgh's Best Zombie! Tickets are just $15. ScareHouse

Why was 2012 such a challenging year for the haunted house industry? What does the future hold for our original online content such as Scare U, YouTube videos, and this podcast? How did time spent working with killer clowns and derby girls lead to a career in broadcasting? And who goes first when entering a revolving door? It's a weird episode. ScareHouse podcast Co-Hosts Rob Johnston and Laura Kelly join Creative Director Scott Simmons for a fun and loose conversation about the haunted house industry, building a solid team, and the inevitable musical episode of The ScareHouse Podcast. ScareHouse, Pittsburgh's Ultimate Haunted House, has been ranked as one of “America’s Scariest Halloween Attractions” by Travel Channel and featured in multiple online and print publications including USA TODAY, Forbes, AOL News, Yahoo, Funworld, and Money magazine. Subscribe today for new episodes of our ScareHouse podcast. Help us reach new listeners when you leave positive reviews and feedback on iTunes. THANK YOU for your s