Haunted Housewives with Tish and Lily

05/22/2026

Spooky queen. Mama Munster. Adventurous, observant, hilarious, unfailingly kind. On this day, our very own Lily stepped into this plane of existence and instantly made it a better, quirkier place. Her ideas and enthusiasm have fueled our adventures and her personality makes the shadows brighter. So, rev up your chainsaws, sprinkle your food with pumpkin spice, and scream loudly in her honor.

Happy birthday, Lily!

05/10/2026

Let's terrorize the normal people with Mama.

Whether your children have fur or fangs, whether you're a new mom or you've been at it for a few centuries, we wish you have a spectacularly spooky day, and we hope that your family lets you rest in peace.

05/05/2026

If you follow this page, you know that we are passionate about the arts. We are both theatre moms; one of us was a band mom. The arts are vital to kids (heck, they're vital to everyone). They teach collaboration, cooperation, teamwork, the importance of working together for a larger goal.

And they're fun!

A local high school plans to cut back on its music education program. That will mean fewer opportunities to learn, to create, to grow.

For the sake of these young people who benefit from this program, for the sake of this community, please consider signing this petition.

Save the Connellsville Band program

04/11/2026

The Haunted Attraction Association recently honored Ricky Dick, better known to the daywalkers out there as Gravely MacCabre of Castle Blood, with a Special Achievement Award for his work in the industry, his innovation, and his pursuit of his own dark vision over decades of writing and performing. We sat down with Ricky to chat about the award...and clowns, and Halloween, and working at the White House Easter Egg Roll, and stealing Tom Selleck's chair. You can catch our wide-ranging conversation below.

What do clowns, magicians, circus elephants, and Tom Selleck have in common? They've all worked with multitalented performer, haunt owner, and storyteller, R...

04/09/2026

Demon House Haunted Attraction LLC.
Easter Egg Haunt
Monongahela, PA
April 3, 2026

When you think of Easter, what springs (ha!) to mind? Eggs, probably, and bunnies; soft pastels; the voices of children raised in happy shrieks as they run across the lawn, searching for hidden goodies. You will find all those things and more at Demon House’s inaugural Easter Egg Haunt, but if you listen closely, you might sense that the raised voices are shrieking in fear…

An Easter-themed haunt is a natural fight for the good folks at Demon House. In both their regular season attraction and their excellent Christmas haunt, they’ve proven to be adept at walking the line between whimsy and woe.The hauntrunners can take something cute or cozy and twist it into a thing of nightmares. Their Easter haunt puts their propmaking and makeup skills on full display as they create characters that are both adorable and upsetting, offering up scares while remaining firmly family-friendly.

Because, you see, this charming event is an honest-to-Eostre Easter egg hunt. You’re given a bag and charged with finding Easter eggs throughout the building. Oh, but don’t assume that this is going to be some candy-pink romp through the fields. This is still Demon House, haunted by restless spirits who dog your steps as you poke at the nooks and crannies of the rooms, searching for eggs. Some of the creatures are helpful, pointing out treats you may have missed, while others are distracting (like the hollow-eyed lunatic who hovered at my shoulder, breathing loudly).

The Easter Egg Haunt gives the head demons a chance to showcase their propmaking and makeup skills. There are some truly terrifying bunnies hopping around the halls of the old manor and a cast of characters that includes mediums and madmen. It’s worth taking a break from hunting for eggs to appreciate the creepy, detailed, and consistent airbrush makeup designs and to marvel at the bespoke effects (including a gory pie and a body suspended over a vat of acid).

The haunt also takes place in a genuinely creepy, genuinely old manor house. Demon House revels in an atmosphere that is as darkly authentic as you could wish for – no Spirit Halloween cobwebs here. And while the Easter event is billed (and priced) as a mini-haunt, you have ample opportunity to absorb the house’s sinister beauty.

Concept, props, and setting aside, Demon House also benefits from a host of creepy critters. We are greeted by a stylish fortuneteller who delivers the house rules with aplomb before handing us over to a twitchy but charming white rabbit who seems to have misplaced her eggs. The house is still overrun by ghouls and demons who join us in our egg hunt (and warn us of the consequences of failure). Even the insane asylum that occupies the halls under Demon House has been invaded by the holiday spirit. One inmate prances ahead of us giggling while another trails behind, panting and whispering. We also run afoul of a commanding Mother Bunny who would give Donnie Darko nightmares. Demon House has always attracted extraordinary actors and this event gives some of their standout performers a chance to create characters that are both dire and droll.

Demon House’s Easter Egg Haunt is also deliberately family-friendly. Groups of wide-eyed children wander the halls, gaping at the ghosts and welcoming help from wraiths. There are some jump scares, and the atmosphere is gorgeously gothic, but the monsters aren’t here to steal your soul (or your eggs). It’s a little bit like a romp through one of Tim Burton’s gentler features. Also, the eggs contain treats – from the traditional candy to rubber bugs to discounts on admission to the regular-season haunt.

Okay, maybe Easter makes you think of chicks and chocolate rather than ghosts and ghouls, but if you want something a little different, a little sharper than the usual seasonal fare, Demon House offers a delightful alternative. Demon House’s quirky charm makes this an EGGstra-special holiday event.

COST: $13 – this event is definitely a test balloon for other off-season merriment..

CONCESSIONS: Yes, you can get drinks and other treats at their concessions stand.

OTHER STUFF TO DO: The Demon House shop sells branded merchandise made while you wait. You can also buy amazing hats, ornaments and jewelry. Kryptic Kre8tions is back with their inventive, creepy dolls and other weird goodies. The shops take cash but there is an ATM onsite. There’s also an outdoor theater showing seasonal movies.

03/19/2026

Freddy's Haunts
Friday the 13th
Aliquippa, PA
March 15, 2026

We’re standing beside a massive bonfire, one eye on the flames and one eye on the chainsaw maniac who’s chasing people around the yard. The winds tearing through the woods and scattering sparks force us to pay more attention to the fire, so it’s no surprise when the chainsaw maniac sneaks up behind Lily. After shrieking and laughing (and nearly running into the fire), we end up in a conversation with him. It turns out that he’s pretty nice for a maniac. He tells us that he loves scaring people so much that he returned here, to Freddy’s Haunts, just months after having heart surgery. That’s the kind of place Freddy’s is – it inspires so much loyalty from its fiends and fans that they keep coming back for more.

Freddy’s Haunts is something of a local institution, a place where local teenagers meet friends, hang out, and face their fears in a half-mile of manmade caves. But saying that Freddy’s is an “institution” makes this place sound way more sedate than it is. This attraction is confusing and chaotic, a mix of nostalgia, crazy environments, and aggressive performances.

Freddy’s Haunts doesn’t look or feel like anywhere else. The attraction sprawls over a single massive building that somehow feels like an underground cave system. The trails are narrow and winding. You may have to squeeze between cages full of skeletons or through rustling corn stalks. The floor underfoot is often dirt and rocks, lending to the idea that you’re somewhere far away from humans – at least, you’re far away from living ones. And while one of Freddy’s staffers assures us cheerfully that this isn’t a blackout event, this place is freaking DARK. There are long tense moments when I feel my way through the caverns with my hands on the walls and my head tilted back to catch any glimpse of light.

Freddy’s isn’t just a warren of tunnels. There is a castle dungeon with cells and a crypt. There’s a cornfield. There’s an abandoned factory with lengths of pipe overhead. There’s an abandoned village straight out of Lovecraft where a skeletal family gathers around a co**se that has been chained to a table. There’s also a circus and a Wild West saloon and a gorgeously convincing scrapyard where guests have to crawl through obstacles to avoid the creatures pursuing them. It's defiantly old school with sets and props designed byt the hauntrunners. Every time we visit Freddy’s, we notice some new set dressing or design – we’re pretty sure that the hauntrunners stay busy all year adding to scenes and beefing up scares. Freddy’s doesn’t get enough credit for its smart use of sound and lighting. At one point, I turned to look behind me and saw a beam of light falling perfectly on a coffin. The hauntrunners know how to create a memorable tableau. Also, the narrow halls and sharp angles mean that guests have to turn a corner right into some horrifying set or bloodthirsty creature, and ratchet the tension to unbearable levels. Oh, and did we mention that Freddy’s features TWO mazes? One is a relatively small maze with hanging cloths and tarps while the other is a huge labyrinth of plywood walls and pulsing lights.

Aside from the totally unique setting, Freddy’s Haunts has another huge advantage: the creatures who haunt these halls are just plain nuts. Freddy’s isn’t a touch haunt, strictly speaking, but these maniacs will get so close that it really doesn’t make a difference. They will follow you a long damn way through the tunnels and pop up in unexpected places. We were targeted by a pair of ghostfaced killers in a graveyard and pursued by giant bunnies (we think there were two of them, but it may have been one very persistent rabbit...or a whole horde of them). Also, there are the weapons. These crazies are armed with axes and tasers and other things. At one point, Lily was chased by a deformed clown who followed her, dragging a scythe along the floor and the walls. I swear that it sent up sparks. The monsters are athletic and relentless: one masked, hooded lunatic cornered us in the scrapyard, clambering over objects and hanging upside down to pin me to the floor of an abandoned car.

Between the setting, the sets, and the characters, the whole experience is a rush of adrenaline. Lily and I emerged from the tunnels gasping and giggling, relieved to have survived and sorry that our journey was over.

We should note that this was an off-season event, honoring St. Patrick’s Day and Friday the 13th. Bad luck kept the haunt from opening on the 13th, so we ventured out on a Sunday night. Despite the fact that it was a Sunday and despite the fact that this wasn’t the height of Halloween season, the caves were crawling with monsters and the energy never let up. Freddy’s Haunts isn’t just the sort of attraction that gets your heart racing, (or the sort of place you'll want to return even after heart surgery); it will also find a special place in your heart.

Cost: $20 for general admission.

Safety Protocols, Group Size, Etc.: We started out in a group of about 8. We were quickly separated (some of us are old and slow…and some of us start running if they think they hear a chainsaw) and somehow reunited in the larger maze.

Concessions: Yes. There is a concession stand offering a wide range of snacks.

Other stuff to do: This year, there are several carnival games as well as axe throwing. Enjoy the giant bonfire and music, and try to avoid the chainsaws.

Other stuff to know: You are walking through a damn cave. Plan accordingly.

03/17/2026

Haunted Hills Estate Scream Park
St. Patrick’s Day Massacre
Uniontown, PA
March 14, 2026

The yard at Haunted Hills Estate Scream Park is filled with sound and action. “The Rattlin’ Bog” rings out from the stage; teenagers run back and forth, shrieking and laughing. Colored lights play across the front of the House and Twisted Nightmares 3D. A zombie rabbit in a tunic and chains shuffles from group to group, scratching at his undead fleas and telling jokes. But for all this, something is missing. Lily looks around hopefully. “I don’t see any chainsaws!” she says, “Maybe they won’t have them tonight!” Just then we hear a distant, familiar rumble and Lily’s shoulders sag. Haunted Hills Estate without chainsaws would be like St. Patrick’s Day without leprechauns.

During the year, the gates to Haunted Hills Estate creak open a few times for special events, each with their own distinct character. On St. Paddy’s, guests are invited to brave the House (a crumbling, haunted farmhouse that Rob Zombie would envy) and Twisted Nightmares 3D, a gallery of gory, gorgeous murals. Each attraction has its own distinct character, its own delicious flavor of horror.

The House specializes in atmosphere and slow-burn dread. If this attraction were a movie, it would be something like “Hell House LLC,” a gritty exercise in horror that works its way under your skin. The sets are beautiful in a blood-soaked, decrepit way, from the gore-spattered kitchen to the creepy nursery to the grim, dim basement. The details have been built up over years, from banks of creepy toys to a maze of casks and barrels. The darkness is deepened by carefully placed props and animatronics. The design also disorients guests (you have to crawl through an oven) while allowing the creatures maximum access to you. Many rooms have 3 or 4 hidden entrances that allow monsters to pop up behind or beside you. The House looks great and is set up to make your pulse pound.

Oh, but the House would be just a house without the creatures who call it home. For this special St. Patrick’s Day event, the hauntrunners have done a deep dive into Celtic and British mythology and framed the journey as a quest for lost gold. Lily and I are greeted by Robin Goodfellow, who has taken on the form of a boisterous, strapping man with a taste for banter and treasure. He’s a terrific host, mischievous and sly. But he’s not the only figure from folklore wandering these halls. There’s also a persistent and terrifying leprechaun who materializes – repeatedly – out of nowhere. There are wraiths who appear around corners and at the top of walls, and there is a sinister chef who doesn’t much care if you’re a dinner guest or an ingredient. In the House’s grounds, we run into another hollow-eyed leprechaun, a gardener who seems frustrated with all the fairy-tale creatures (and who wants to play catch with a skull), and our first chainsaw maniac. We also encounter Haunted Hills’ version of a banshee, a disgruntled wife who’s tired of her husband’s failure to help with the laundry. We run into our sassy friend Izzidora, who just wants to drink beer and play darts…and there’s one more leprechaun, who offers us a deceptive choice.

If the House is classic supernatural horror, Twisted Nightmares 3d is a darkly funny version of a Warner Brothers cartoon – particularly a cartoon where the Tasmanian Devil comes whirling in, spitting nonsense and causing chaos. Yes, there’s a memorable setting: two buildings full of vivid, 80s-inspired horror art. Yes, there’s a story line: ringmaster Lucky has lost control of his circus after his clowns were exposed to a cursed emerald. But if there’s a cursed emerald hidden somewhere in these pulsing, blacklight halls, the lunacy here is too persistent and too pervasive for us to see it. There’s approximately a million psychotic clowns in here, including sweet Noid, the long-legged blonde with a sledgehammer, and the unhinged maniacs in the outdoor maze. There’s a big, grinning dude who clambers over the tops of fences; there’s a chainsaw maniac in coveralls, and our old friend Gore (think Jack Torrance on steroids), smiling and evil, pursuing us through the narrow passageways. Honestly, we lost count of the crazies that chased us through Twisted Nightmares. They were everywhere, and they never let up. Even the end offered no relief – we escaped from the clowns only to run smack into a brutal butcher whetting his knives just millimeters from our noses. (The teenage girls behind us gasped, “Oh, my God, I think he hit her!”) We were hoarse from screaming and breathless from running.

Pots of gold and emeralds are nice, but for a truly festive celebration, you might want to check out Haunted Hills Estate. It’s a rough and rowdy tribute to terror at any time of year.

Cost: $25 for The House and Twisted Nightmare, $35 for an RIP Pass.

Safety Protocols, Group Size, Etc.: The attractions are at least partly outdoors. Smaller groups (2-3 people) may be combined.

Concessions: There’s a small snack bar with chips, snacks, and sodas.

Other stuff to do: Multiple photo ops with movie-style props; fire pits; excellent gift shop with t-shirts, jewelry, tumblers, and Halloween décor; music; wandering characters (including the charming Birdman and the undead bunny).

Other stuff to know: Two attractions took us about an hour.

03/15/2026

Castle Blood
St. Batrick’s Day 2026
Monessen, PA
March 14, 2026

If you should encounter the fae, treat them with respect. Don’t make deals with them. Don’t eat or drink anything they offer, and certainly, don’t take what they say at face value. Follow those rules, and you might just make it out alive, with the same number of limbs you started with.

This advice is relevant to the latest version of Castle Blood’s seasonal adventure tours. You see, Castle Blood may be filled with vampires, ghosts, and witches, but it’s under the protection of Clan MacCabre from the Highlands of Scotland and at this time of year, the Clan takes its Celtic roots very seriously. The MacCabres have combined their traditions with the traditions brought to them by the various bloodsuckers and banshees sheltered within their walls to create a hybrid holiday called “St. Batrick’s.” As always, this holiday provides an opportunity for humans to face a series of challenges posed by the Castle denizens, to solve puzzles and collect talismans while traveling through the haunted halls of a century-old funeral home.

Because this tour focuses on the Good Folk of the Emerald Isle, there is a focus on jokes and trickery. We promise that you will make mistakes; we promise that you will trust the wrong people…er, creatures. The Castle denizens are witty, charming, and (with a few exceptions) manipulative. The puzzles this time around lean heavily into Celtic folklore, so you may want to study before your visit. There are riddles and questions and a few magic tricks.

There are also lessons. The Castle has always encouraged humans to understand and even sympathize with the monsters who dwell in the Castle crypts. Monsters – they’re just like us! And while the Castle practices deep research of and reverence for myths and legends, the denizens also delight in turning those myths on their heads. Take the Castle’s resident werewolf, Clawed, for example. He’s not some ravening beast. Instead, he’s a gentle soul and a bit of a dandy, with a taste for vibrant waistcoats and a bright-eyed regard for his human guests . Yes, he may like his meat on the rare side, but I’m sure his table manners are impeccable. Clawed – and all the creatures around him – remind us not to judge by appearances.

Even during an off-season event, the Castle halls ring with the howls and cries of different creatures – gentle, helpful sorceresses like Lady Die and beautiful, dismissive fae like the creature holding court in the graveyard. The Castle staff – like the perpetually bemused caretaker Annatoli and the perpetually unimpressed butler Loomis – are on hand to help guests navigate the treacherous corridors. Vivacious Midnight and patient Italia lead guests through questions about Celtic folklore and a tutorial on phases of the moon. Doctor Stabbigail has turned her attention from slashing to science and needs help with her experiments. Morgana offers a sassy reminder of why the human world and the supernatural world should not mix while charming Varvara sends us on a hunt through the Castle’s museum of curiosities. The adventure ends with a nod to “The Court Jester” and an attempt to help addled wizard Wrathbone. Sweet, motherly Phoebe passes judgment while the Castle’s doors are guarded by dotty, kindly Professor Ezra and Boris, a ghoul whose insults are sharper than a vampire’s fang. All of the denizens are fully realized characters, lively and convincing. This is not a jump-and-say-boo kind of attraction – although there are Things in the Walls who are only too happy to make you leap right out of your shoes. (in fact, one of them startled Lily so badly that she uttered a shriek that would make a banshee jealous.)

The whole tour takes between 45 minutes and an hour (depending on how quickly you solve the puzzles and how much the denizens want to mess with you). But, like the victims of the fae in Irish folklore, you’ll feel like you’ve been transported to another realm. At the end, you’ll emerge with a better understanding of the monsters’ world…and maybe a fuller appreciation of your own.

Cost: $25

Other stuff to do: There are photo ops in the Castle courtyard. The Castle also runs a gift shop with Castle-branded apparel, ornaments, and original art.

Other stuff to know: You go through in a group of 2 to 6. Make some new friends or bring your own!

03/13/2026

How lucky can you get? It's Friday the 13th! It's the weekend before St. Paddy's! AND some local haunted attractions are open to help you find that pot of gold at the end of the rainbow -- or just to get your blood pumping.

Castle Blood is getting back to its roots with an interactive, theatrical adventure tour that promises equal parts Celtic fun and Halloween frights, March 13 and 14.

Freddy's Haunts is going high energy and old school with a Friday the 13th event that's too wild to last just one day. Search for (and run from) lost souls in Freddy's indoor haunted trail, March 13, 14, and 15.

Haunted Hills Estate Scream Park hosts a fun and frightening St. Patrick's Day Massacre with ghouls, goblins, clowns, and chainsaws, March 13 and 14.

And if you feel like a little road trip, Factory of Terror Haunted House is holding an all-ages event March 13 and an over-18 party March 14, inviting guests to experience the Luck of the Dead.

We don't know about you, but we're certainly feeling lucky. Hope to see you out and about! Cheers!

12/24/2025

To everyone who has supported our commitment to friendship and fear, whether you dazzled us with your darkness, chased us with chainsaws, or engaged in beastly banter; whether you followed along on our adventures, read our words, or wondered about our sanity: thank you for inspiring our nightmares. You raise our spirits.

May your days be scary and fright, and we'll see you in 2026!