A walk through the history of scarehouses

You turn to your right and all you can see is that red light at the end of the hallway. As you feel your way through the dark a strong smell of rubber and vinegar fills your nose. This is supposed to be fun?

The first reported haunted house or walk through scarehouse was built by Orton & Spooner around 1915. It was part of the Edwardian fairground attraction and is currently part of the Hollycombe Steam Collection on display in Hampshire, U.K.

Perhaps the most popular scarehouse in the U.S. is currently The Scarehouse, located in Pittsburg. It has been featured on Good Morning America, USA TODAY, CBS news and many other national media outlets. It has been ranked one of “America’s Scariest Halloween Attractions” by Travel Channel.

Put together by college friends back in the late 1960s, The ScareHouse started as kids with sheets jumping out at you. As the years went on the scares became more realistic and eventually they opened up a psychological-based horror exhibit called The Basement inside a separate section of The ScareHouse.

In Windsor and Essex County there are eight haunted attractions. One well-known one is The ScareHouse Windsor. The ScareHouse Windsor is currently located inside Tecumseh mall. The owner and man in charge, Shawn Lippert, has been running the haunted attraction for seven years.

It started as a side project but over the years Lippert has enjoyed every step of the way.

“I don’t know if I have a favourite part because everything from concept to scene, to design, to build, to the production, there is just so much to it,” said Lippert.

The ScareHouse Windsor has more than 30 people working at one time. Lippert himself will jump in when someone is late or hasn’t shown up. So far he said the biggest struggle is finding a steady location. They have moved four times since they first opened.

“It’s so hard to find a property owner who gets what we do and understands the importance of permanent location,” said Lippert.

Lippert admits you never know what you’re going to get on any given weekend. What some might consider crazy is normal everyday operation for Lippert and his team.

“When people are scared they do different things. There are people that have peed their pants and have gotten sick but that’s all normal stuff to us,” said Lippert.

While some love the thrill of being scared, others can’t stand it. Ashleigh Lewis a 21-year-old student, has been to two haunted attractions in her life. One was put together at camp and the other was in a small trailer in the town she used to live in and during both occasions she was forced by her friends.

“A character popped out from behind a dark space or wall and I didn’t expect it at all. I didn’t even see it coming,” said Lewis

Lewis admitted she is scared of everything and has no idea why she let her friends talk her in to it both times.

Next time you enter a haunted house think about all the possibilities but being scared is a thrill and overcoming the thrill is the prize at the end of the ride.