ScareHouse finds new home at Pittsburgh Mills

ScareHouse, a major haunted attraction in Pittsburgh, will rise from the dead this year at an unlikely new location, the confines of the Pittsburgh Mills mall.

The ScareHouse team announced the move on social media, along with details about its reopening in September.

“You know that Pittsburgh Zombies love shopping malls — and we think you will love our new, larger, and permanent home inside The Pittsburgh Mills,” says a ScareHouse Facebook post, referring to the major role Monroeville Mall played in George A. Romero's 1978 film Dawn of the Dead.

With its new home, ScareHouse, which was formerly located in Etna, promises to be a larger experience compared to previous years, with added perks like plenty of parking and no long lines.

The announcement comes a year after the attempt at moving ScareHouse into the Strip District, which was plagued with unforeseen permit and renovation issues. After multiple delays, ScareHouse ended up not opening in time for the Halloween season, leading to financial losses for what many consider one of the country's leading horror attractions.

The Pittsburgh Mills website says ScareHouse will be located in "Space 461 - by play area/across from Bath & Body Works."

The new addition may provide a boost to Pittsburgh Mills, as the Tarentum shopping center has, like many malls nationwide, struggled to stay afloat. Opened in 2005, the mall, known more formally as The Galleria at Pittsburgh Mills, has lost nearly all of its storefronts and filed for bankruptcy in 2019. This was after years of financial strife, including foreclosure and being acquired by a New York-based real estate firm, as reported by multiple local media outlets.

While the main ScareHouse attraction will soon return, its more extreme counterpart, The Basement, is closed until 2021 for reasons related to the coronavirus.

“Those of you who have entered this immersive experience in previous seasons know that it is a highly tactile and intimate experience involving close physical encounters with intense performers and situations — none of which is advisable during this unprecedented pandemic,” reads a post on The Basement Facebook page.
ScareHouse's reopening also comes with a list of COVID-19 precautions to prevent the spread of the virus among guests and staff. ScareHouse will limit ticket sales, only allow small, private groups, and operate at 50% of its normal occupancy. Face masks are required and guests are to maintain six feet of distance from other groups and ScareHouse staff. Anyone who fails to comply with the precautions will be asked to leave.

Tickets for ScareHouse at Pittsburgh Mills are now available at scarehouse.com.