The Unholy Schoolhouse 2022 Review
On 10/16/22, the Haunt Review Crew ventured to Harrisburg, PA, for the premier of the Unholy Schoolhouse. This brand new haunt is located in the old Bishop McDevitt High School building, in the heart of Harrisburg city. This haunt contains 2 attractions; The Bridge and The Unholy Schoolhouse.
The Bridge is a short walkthrough in the basement cafeteria of the school. This maze of fog, fences, and darkness is a good beginning to the haunt experience. The fog and lighting were perfect for visual ambiguity. There were very few actors, but they were able to move about the attraction stealthily.
The Unholy Schoolhouse is the larger main attraction, taking up 3 floors in a corner section of this massive building. This attraction took advantage of the old school building creep factor. It reminded us of some of the scenes in old 80’s horror movies. Again, there was perfect use of fog and lighting that played with our vision. Then, add the constant banging of old metal school lockers, and bam, you’ve kicked up the creep factor. The actors were great at using the lighting to their advantage. They would suddenly appear in a dark corner or doorway. This attraction was pretty long and full of unease.
Both attractions focused on actors and atmosphere. There were no animatronics, so they were vintage style haunts. With about 45 volunteer actors, they spread out and optimized their use of space.
Overall, this brand new haunt has made a good start. They have lots of room for growth. They are run by a for-profit organization called The Bridge. The Bridge purchases old abandoned buildings and repurposes them to support the community. All of their actors are from Harrisburg city. This is the first haunt in the city, and it provides the community a positive and fun experience. The Bridge has also repurposed the outside bleachers as an urban garden. During harvest season they open the garden up to the community, free of charge.
The HRC looks forward to seeing this haunt expand and grow. It’s a wonderful addition to Harrisburg.
