Haunted Housewives with Tish and Lily

06/18/2025

Castle Blood
Behind the Scenes Tour
Monessen, PA
June 14, 2025

What does it take to build a great haunted house? An atmospheric location? Detailed sets? Polished acting? Cool effects? Sharp writing? Years of dedication and experience?

Castle Blood in Monessen, PA has all these ingredients, plus a dash of magic, an indefinable something that sets this haunted attraction apart. Anyone who follows this page knows a couple of things: 1) Lily and I are longtime fans of the Castle, and 2) the Castle is not a typical haunted house. Years ago, an article in American Airlines’ magazine compared Castle Blood to “playing Clue in the Addams Family house.” That’s because Castle Blood isn’t a simple walkthrough. Instead, the Castle is a combination escape room/ immersive theater piece, where guests wander from room to room, interacting with a creepy, kooky cast of creatures and solving puzzles. The Castle offers a monster mash of Borscht Belt humor, Hammer Grand Guignol, old-school magic tricks, lavish costumes, and elaborate DIY props. It’s not especially gory and it proudly eschews the violence and shock of slasher horror, relying instead on classics and camp to make its impact.

Castle Blood is open for just one month during haunt season, although the haunt also offers a regular calendar of off-season events, including St. Batrick’s Day, Summerween, and Cryptmas. This year, however, the Castle has begun offering behind-the-scenes VIP tours, allowing a small group of guests to peek beneath the lid of the coffin. Because the Castle is housed in a century-old funeral home with small rooms and narrow hallways, the tours are strictly limited…however, if you manage to snag a ticket, the visit is well worth your time.

Ricky Dick, the human alter ego of the Castle’s gruff, imperious caretaker, Gravely MacCabre, leads guests through a behind-the-scenes tour that ranges all over the Castle and combines stories about the Castle’s history, lore about the denizens, glimpses of stage magic, and DIY tips on props and costumes. This is a tour that takes into account every interest. Do you want to learn how to build a cauldron or a shelf of bubbling test tubes? Are you curious about how the denizens became vampires? Would you like to examine the seaming on a costume or take a close-up view of the weaponry? You’ll get that chance. And, because it’s Castle Blood and the Castle thrives on interaction, guests have the opportunity to ask questions. Here, then, are our reasons to do Castle Blood’s behind-the-scenes tour:

1) Eye candy. If you’ve been to the Castle, you know that it looks great, a combination of the Haunted Mansion and 1313 Mockingbird Lane. The Castle is packed with decor and tchotchkes from basement to belfry. Hey, just in the Museum of Crytpospookology, there are nods to “The Goonies,” the original Barnum & Bailey Circus, and a dozen different horror movies.
2) DIY tips. If you’re a haunter or a haunt enthusiast, the tour will give you new ways to use googly eyes and water bottles. The sheer inventiveness behind the Castle’s props and decor will make your jaw drop. And then, it’ll make you grab your paint and your hot glue gun.
3) The stories. Ricky Dick has been a performer for most of his life (among other things, he trained as a clown and hosted his own TV show), which means that he is a comfortable, witty storyteller. He guides guests through the Castle’s long, long life. (Okay, it’s been around for 32 years, but in haunt terms, that’s CENTURIES.) If you take the behind-the-scenes tour, you’ll learn that the Castle began as a home haunt back in 1993…but because that haunt was run by a motley crew of professional magicians, clowns, actors, writers, and costumers, it was no Spirit Halloween special. Like every good monster, Castle Blood took on a life of its own. You’ll learn about the Castle’s lore (did you know that the origin story involves DRAGONS?!) and about the performers. Just as in the regular season, there’s a constant stream of jokes and insights.

The tour ranges across three decades and three stories, inside and outside, into secret dressing rooms and closets. You’ll get a chance to admire the texture of the parlor walls; you may even get to wield a wizard’s staff. This informative, entertaining tour offers terrific bang for the buck, and somehow manages to deepen the magic behind this one-of-a-kind haunt. If you think that you know how something is made, or how something is done, you’re wrong – nothing is quite what it seems. If you love haunted houses and Halloween, this tour is well worth your time.

Cost: $25 gets you the tour and a Castle Blood shirt.

Duration: Well, just as in the regular season, that depends on your group. Our little (blood) clot of haunters, influencers, reviewers, and hard-core fans took well over an hour to go through the building.

06/16/2025

Factory of Terror Haunted House
Slasher Fest
Canton, OH
June 13, 2025

Man, I love that movie. You know the one, right? It’s summer; school’s out; work is over. Someone decides to throw a party. The liquor cabinet is open and one of the rooms has been turned into a dance floor. Everyone is in a good mood and spirits are high. Oh, but there’s something that all the happy partygoers don’t know. There’s a serial killer stalking the party. Correction – several serial killers. Pretty soon, the music and laughter are punctuated with screams and the floors run slick with O-positive.

Wait a minute – that isn’t a movie. That’s Factory of Terror’s Slasher Fest.

Factory of Terror in Canton, Ohio has built a reputation for running a big, bad, highly detailed, high energy haunted attraction that capitalizes on the Rust Belt’s industrial past. Aside from stellar production values, Factory of Terror is an endurance test. Factory of Terror has been recognized repeatedly as the longest haunted house in the world. Whether the Factory currently holds that title or not, it offers a long, intense, dark and dynamic attraction.

Slasher Fest is a special event, a celebration of Friday the 13th that is an all-out party. For Slasher Fest, only two of the Factory’s five regular-season attractions were open as fully staffed haunts. But. BUT! Guests could go through each attraction multiple times, a surprise bonus that Lily and I took full advantage of. A third attraction was open as an unstaffed (but effective) walkthrough. Plus, the Factory’s glittering, devious mirror maze was open to guests too.

Shortly after we arrived, Lily and I checked in at the Forsaken Asylum of Dr. Morbidius.This beautifully detailed attraction combines a traditional haunted house feel with asylum theming. The attraction also has a funhouse vibe – not only do guests have to wind through mazes of medical equipment and gurneys, but they have to brave a very fast slide. (One kind attendant asked if we wanted to bypass the slide. Look, I know that Lily and I are old, but if flying down a slick sheet of aluminum and smashing into a wall is how we go, then that’s how we go.) The Asylum is packed with props and animatronics, as well as highly energetic actors hiding around every corner. It’s shadowy, gothic, grim, and loads of fun.

The Abyss combines a dark maze with watery undersea chambers, horrific creatures and ghostly pirates. Here, the emphasis was on surprise – figures looming up out of the dark or the swirling mist – and interaction. Lily and I were stalked by a pirate who looked like he had escaped from Davy Jones’ crew and witnessed a struggle between a pair of lost souls.

Also, because it’s a dark maze, we got lost.

The Underworld also looked gorgeous, even without any actors lurking in the dark. This attraction is packed with sinister props and perfectly timed animatronics. Lily and I stood in one room for several minutes just to watch one of the most elaborate animatronics go through its chilling sequence repeatedly. Staging this attraction as a walkthrough allowed us to linger and appreciate the brutal beauty of the sets; even without actors, it worked.

Oh, but (here’s something we won’t say often) the haunted attractions were only part of the fun. Slasher Fest was a true festival, a love letter to scary movies. The Factory of Terror filled its sprawling grounds with characters from a wide range of horror films. Sure, they had Michael Myers and Leatherface and Freddy Krueger, but we also ran into Patrick Bateman and Otis P. Driftwood. There were heroes, too – Ash from “The Evil Dead” and Shaun from “Shaun of the Dead.” Part of the fun was spotting the various monsters; fans acted like they were at a celebrity meet-and-greet. This illusion was helped along by great casting and uniformly exceptional performances. Patrick Bateman was a riot, an ambitious, dead-eyed, grinning yuppie who criticized my casual attire while Ash was a h***y, happy hoot. Hail to the king, baby! Otis and Captain Spaulding were profane delights and Shaun was hilarious, wielding his paddle with deadly force. Honestly, there were no weak links in this enormous cast.

Okay, maybe snuggling up to Buffalo Bill and Precious isn’t your thing. (If not, what’s wrong with you?!) Slasher Fest had you covered. There was a light-up dance floor, a karaoke stage, even a charming Burtonesque Halloweentown. And there were three functioning bars, Rocco’s, Forsaken, and One-Eyed Jack’s, serving beer, shots, and signature cocktails. Slasher Fest also offered a food cart with decadent mini pancakes. And it probably goes without saying, but there were photo opportunities absolutely everywhere: gargoyles, coffins, demons…The whole event felt like a summer slasher come to joyful, bloody life.

If you live within a couple of hours of northeast Ohio, Factory of Terror should be on your must-see list during Halloween but an off-season event like this is a truly special treat, a gooey candy apple injected with arsenic. If you love horror movies, if you want to celebrate horror movies, seek out Slasher Fest (or any other off-season party from FOT). Turn up the tunes, ignore the screams, and have a blast.

Cost: $25 for general admission. Your ticket gets you repeated visits to the attractions.

Safety Protocols, Group Size, Etc.: You go through with only your group. Lines were longer at the front of the haunt, but they decreased throughout the evening.

Concessions: Three bars in the haunt, all with beer and signature cocktails, plus another bar at the axe-throwing facility next door. Kim’s was serving up delectable, rich mini pancakes.

Other stuff to do: All the things! Dancing! Karaoke! Photo opps! Actors galore! Plus, there are gift shop areas selling branded merchandise and other fun stuff. Factory of Terror is truly a one-stop shop for horrifying fun.

06/15/2025

Who else would teach us about the proper embalming fluid to use, the optimal depth for a grave, the best way to minimize blood splatter?

Happy Father's Day to all the mentors and mad scientists who have helped their little monsters to grow big and strong.

06/07/2025

Castle Blood
Summerween
Monessen, PA
June 6, 2025

Ah, summer. The weather is warmer, the days are longer, the sun is shining... Let’s face it – for spooky people, it sucks. Those of us who gravitate toward shade and shadow spend three months sweating and complaining, crouched beneath beach umbrellas and hissing at the happy vacationers.

Thankfully, there are some places where it’s always October, where the shadows never lift and the autumn people move freely. Castle Blood is one of those places. The Castle is part traditional haunted house, part escape room, part immersive theater. The setting, a century-old funeral home, is moody, menacing, and beautiful, hung with velvet draperies and wispy cobwebs. The Castle would be worth visiting even if there were no games, actors, or tricks. However, it’s the games, actors, and tricks that make the Castle the Castle.

Castle Blood is home to a menagerie of monsters – vampires, witches, ghosts, ghouls, and mad scientists – who have created a safe haven and found family on the banks of the Monongahela River. They open their home to mere mortals a few times a year, teaching their customs and supporting human-monster detente. They also have their own calendar of holidays, including Cryptmas, St. Batrick’s Day, and Summerween. At Summerween, the emphasis is on travel and adventure as the denizens spin the story of three witchy sisters. Of course, the story also has a moral about fate and free will, but it’s mostly exuberant fun in the sun (or moon).

One of the things that sets the Castle apart from other haunted houses is its emphasis on one-on-one interactions. As you journey through the house, you’ll spend a few minutes face to face with a time traveler, a fortuneteller, a sorceress, several vampires…and possibly a Norse god. It seems like a disservice to call these creatures performers – they all know their characters inside and out, from guts to claws. They’re all funny, menacing, and distinct. Lily and I were greeted at the door by the ghoulish Boris, who has woken up on the wrong side of the coffin for the last 500 years. Honestly, putting him in charge of welcoming guests is a HORRIBLE choice, but freaking hilarious. His introduction is a steady stream of insults. Luckily, he and his solemn little assistant, the rare and radiant Lenore, hand us off to genial Professor Ezra, who is frankly delighted to tell us about a young witch who is fascinated with tales of the South Seas. Oh, but every visit to the Castle involves a quest and we don’t learn our tasks until stern, stunning Whiplash forces us to focus and whips us into shape. Loomis, the Castle’s only sort-of-living butler, is polite but deadpan as he lectures us about the importance of leadership and sacrifice while charming, untrustworthy Loki challenges us. We try to peer into the future with the fabulous, loopy Ivan Seeyou, and engage in some deductive reasoning with longsuffering Annatoli (an eyeroll in ghoulish form). Louche, lovely Morgana gives us a puzzle that completely stumps us and has us doubled over in laughter (at one point, she has to remind us that this is supposed to be a family-friendly show). Commanding Astrid invites us to pay our respects and attempt a seance in the viewing room, and we manage to disappoint serene, severe Madame Nightshade in the Museum of Cryptospookology. Imperious Aunt Stormy holds court in the Castle cemetery while Crow Haven thrives under the guidance of witchy Willow and Raven (who has spectacular timing). There are also a few Things in the Walls that punctuate the journey with jump scares. Every character is fully realized, fully lived in.

Of course, you’re not just talking to these characters. Heavens (and hells), no. You are solving puzzles, taxing your memory and your analytical skills. (In addition to the specific tasks, you have to remember some rhymes, a story, and the three talismans. You’ll need your wits about you, so we do not advise that you pre-game before visiting Castle Blood.) You will also observe a bunch of close-up sleight-of-hand magic tricks, including a rope trick and a bubble illusion so charming that it takes our breath away for a moment.

It’s a long, long way from one October to another, but Castle Blood manages to cast its sheltering shadow even on the brightest days. If you want something magical, meaningful, and just plain fun, you need to celebrate Summerween.

Cost: $25 – you can buy at the ticket booth or schedule an entry time online.

Safety Protocols, Group Size, Etc.: For this special event, it’s just your individual group.

Concessions: Leave the eating to the denizens.

Other stuff to do: The Castle maintains an excellent gift shop with Castle-branded tees and sweatshirts and a huge selection of charming, creepy, handmade Halloween ornaments and wall art. There are also plenty of photo ops scattered around the Castle yard.

Other stuff to know: You have to climb (and descend) stairs in the course of the tour, and part of the haunt is outside. The entire journey lasts 45 minutes to an hour, depending on how long it takes you to solve each puzzle. Lily and I can pretty much count on being there all night.

06/06/2025

Everyone's talking about "AI this" and "generative that" -- but what about supporting some real, live (or real UNDEAD) art?

Castle Blood is hosting their annual Summerween tour June 6 and 7, continuing their epic story of three witchy sisters with a full-scale, full-scare show. You'll interact with the denizens, solving puzzles (and maybe saving your soul) in this immersive adventure.

Factory of Terror Haunted House celebrates Slasher Weekend June 13 and 14 with monster meet-and-greets, creepy cocktails, and two massive haunted houses. It's sure to be a Dead Man's Party.

Duda's Haunted Farm will shower their guests with love and bodily fluids at their messy, scary, super-fun Bloodfest July 12 and July 26. It will be a country fair full of fear!

And if you want something a little different, Wells Township Haunted House promises to wake the dead with the hard-rocking bands at their headbanging Midsummer Metal Fest on July 12.

These attractions and others bring you live, original entertainment and keep the spirit of Halloween alive all year long, so get out there and see what thrills they have in store. And if you know of any other off-season events, drop 'em in the comments!

05/26/2025

Eeriebyss Factory of Terror
Mid-Year Fear
Erie, PA
May 24, 2025

Certain locations are associated with horror: Salem, New Orleans, Savannah. We think of witches, vampires, ghosts, the weight of history baked into the bricks of those cities’ old buildings. But what about Erie? It’s a former industrial powerhouse on the shore of a gray and stormy Great Lake – imagine the accidents! Imagine the shipwrecks! Plus, the horror is right in the name; the puns practically write themselves.

The hauntrunners behind Eeriebyss Factory of Terror lean hard into these possibilities. Eeriebyss, housed in a sprawling 120-year-old factory, includes scenes of industrial horror and underwater terror (I can imagine a theme song – “the seaweed is always meaner/ in the shadow of Erie’s lake”). Over the course of about 32 minutes, Lily and I climbed up and down stairs, ducked, screamed (and, in defiance of the attraction’s clear rules, RAN) as we fled from the factory’s many monsters. In keeping with its industrial history, Eeriebyss has a wide range of animatronics, from tiny skittering things to massive set pieces. One towering monster in the marine menace section stopped Lily and me in our tracks. Of course, the number and scale of Eeriebyss’s animatronics wouldn’t matter if they weren’t also perfectly placed and timed. The designers know exactly where each of their terrifying tricks and toys will have the most impact. Some of these pieces are gory and graphic (like a medieval torture rack and a quivering torso with dangling entrails) while others are more playful (like some of the residents of Eeriebyss’s Clown Town) and still others are creatures of classic horror (like the reanimated monster in the haunt’s science/hospital section).

Eeriebyss also puts a lot of effort into creating detailed environments. Of course, the building itself oozes with atmosphere. You can imagine tears seeping from the bricks and the weathered wood floors. However, Eeriebyss is no bare bones attraction, coasting on its setting. One of our favorite rooms was a Halloween-perfect garden of possessed pumpkins. We also loved a crowded funeral home, a corridor of haunted dolls, a disgusting meat market, and a bloody hospital. There's a sinister surprise around every corner.

None of this would work without a group of extraordinary performers. Eeriebyss’s monsters have exceptional timing. Instead of jumping out and shrieking at the first person to enter the room, these creatures have the patience to hang back, wait, and target just the right person and just the right moment to elicit a huge scream. Eeriebyss also embeds a performer or two among its huge collection of animatronics – and these freaks are exceptionally good at blending in, which allows for some brilliantly layered scares. You enter a room, an animatronic goes off, you jump and scream…and then, the actor pounces. The monsters are incredibly adept at using the environment. There was a startling moment when Lily and I were climbing a ramp and a gigantic monster came bounding up the ramp after us and then disappeared into the darkness ahead of us. Lily and I ended up in a cramped hallway at the end of the ramp. When I turned to Lily and muttered, “Where did that thing go?!”, it loomed out of the darkness behind us. That should clue you in to the style of performance here – Eeriebyss’s monsters are interactive and persistent. One of the creatures, a demonic girl, chased Lily through several rooms, using the haunt’s twisted hallways to corner and surprise her. We also enjoyed (?!) our interactions with a vicious butcher, a twisted porcelain doll, an evil mermaid, a convincing Freddy Krueger, and a circus full of killer clowns.

Speaking of killer clowns: Eeriebyss has several different sections (including Clown Town). While the sections aren’t always clearly marked, each section has a distinct feel. Eeriebyss also does something clever with the idea of a maze. Rather than building a maze, the hauntrunners dump guests into a large room where Michael Myers directs them to different doors. Of course, the doors do NOT lead guests back to the path. It’s confusing, chaotic, and fun – which is a pretty good description for the entire attraction.

Eeriebyss’s Mid-Year Fear event offers guests a tantalizing taste of the terrors on offer during the regular season. Mid-Year Fear also showcases the public’s appetite for terror. On the night that Lily and I attended, the lines were long and the crowds were lively (but the staff keeps the line moving and guests were entertained by a very good Ghostface and a terrifying slider clown). Lily and I recognize that we are the weirdos, mister, but plenty of people are eager for some good, clean scares throughout the year, and Eeriebyss delivers.

So, when fall rolls around, you may want to skip Salem. Read up on your Rust Belt history and add a horrifying new destination to your list of haunts!

Cost: $20 for general admission – and there’s free parking!

Safety Protocols, Group Size, Etc.: You go through with only your group. Also, although the factory has lots of stairs, the attraction is also wheelchair accessible.

Concessions: Nothing at the mid-year event.

Other stuff to do: There’s a small gift shop with branded merchandise, including pins and shirts, plus other fun stuff.

05/22/2025

Happy birthday to the incomparable Lily! This little venture would be nothing without your insight, keen observations, and humor -- not to mention your high startle response and your willingness to try anything. Your wit and kindness are matched only by your taste for the macabre. Wishing you a day filled with bats, pumpkins, jump scares, and happiness.

05/11/2025

Happy Mother's Day to all of you who encourage your little monsters' experiments, who offer your incantations of joy and thanks, who teach your baby bats how to fly.

03/08/2025

Winners have been chosen! Congratulations and enjoy your visit to Unlock the Adventure Escape Experience!! We will message you soon with your tickets!

02/23/2025

If you’re currently going through haunted house withdrawals like we are, we made a video talking about some of the escape rooms in the area that can soothe that itch! To help you get there, we are giving away 2 tickets to Unlock the Adventure Escape Experience to four lucky 🍀 winners! All you have to do is be sure you’re following us and Unlock the Adventure Escape Experience on Facebook and then comment on this post to enter, tagging a friend who will help…or hinder…your chances in the escape room! We will pick the winners on March 8th!

Are you missing Halloween and looking for a scary, immersive alternative to haunted houses? We talk to you about what to expect from an escape room and chat ...

02/15/2025

No one should be alone on Valentine's Day.

And if you go to Haunted Hills Estate Scream Park, you won't be alone. Whether you're looking to swipe right on a pretty patchwork doll or you want to make a love connection with a knife-wielding maniac, Haunted Hills Estate has you covered. Twisted Nightmares 3d has been transformed into a Carn-evil of lovelorn freaks while the House is the scene of vengeful desire...and there are so many creatures lurking in these horrifying halls that you're sure to make a love match.

Atmospheric, funny, terrifying, and packed with great performances, Haunted Hills Estate will make your heart beat a little faster.

12/25/2024

It's not what's under the tree that makes the season fright, it's all the creatures gathered around it!

We wish you a horrifying holiday and a dreadful new year! Thank you for reading, following, and scaring.