In the suburbs of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania lurks a desolate manor. home to the most savage creatures of the undead - Hundred Acres Manor haunted attraction. It’s Pittsburgh largest and most extreme attraction spanning over 45,000 square feet.

This intense run for your life, scream bloody murder HAUNT PAIRS SOME OF THE MOST DETAILED SET DESIGN and WITH SOME OF THE HAUNT INDUSTRIES MOST TALENTED ACTORS TO LEAVE it’s patrons TERRIFIED and screaming.

Located just on the outskirts of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania lurks Hundred Acres Manor. The manor itself is a looming castle lit with state of the art show lighting, amped up by hardcore haunt rock produced by Haunt Rocker Jerry Vayne. Signature characters that can only be described as over the top terrifying such as Alexander McWiggins and Willie Makeit roam the queue area greeting guests with an onslaught of terror creating an interactive haunt experience as soon as guests enter the property. The tour of the manor compound begins when guests board a century old elevator, “Dead Lift” destined to plunge guests into a heart stopping free fall style ride to the deepest depths of the manors basement. When the dust settles, guests then are free to explore the manor at their own pace beginning with Damnation, our signature zombie infested manor, and continues with South Valley Hospital, The Family, The Insanity Maze, and ends with one of our bloodiest, brain-bashing attractions yet, the Brine Slaughterhouse. Each attraction has its own unique feel but all have one common goal, to scare the living hell out of our guests. Hundred Acres Manor is one of the most acclaimed, largest and most extreme haunted attractions in the nation. We now invite you to experience our tenth year of terror.

How did Hundred Acres Manor get its start?

Hundred Acres Manor was founded in 2004. Our goal from the beginning was to create a haunted attraction experience that was unlike any other attraction that had been seen in our market. Not only was it absolutely essential from the beginning to create an over the top haunt experience as far as detail, set design, and scares. We also strive to make Hundred Acres a valuable experience that will leave patrons screaming in terror for well over 45 minutes. Our 2013 season marks our tenth year of terror and it is still hard to believe how far we have grown as a team, an attraction, and a part of the haunt community and we look forward to continuing our growth each and every future haunt season.

What inspires your set designs?

Hundred Acres Manor is 100% original designs created from the mind of one of the industries most talented set designers, Ethan Turon. Turon explains that “Hundred Acres Manor is conceptualized on several key elements; individual creativity, haunt industry trends, and most of all what our patrons have come to expect from us: a high startle sensory overdose of terror. When designing a set, I set forth to immerse our patrons in the environment so each and every detail counts no matter how small. The ultimate goal is to create sets that make each victim feel like they are actually walking through a horror film. I also keep in mind that our number one priority is to scare the living hell out of our patrons through unique and intense actor driven scares that sends our patrons screaming out the door each and every time.”

We noticed that your sets are extremely detail oriented; can you explain how this effects your show and what it takes to complete one of your sets?

Our sets begin on the drawing board during the operating season so that we may evaluate how our current sets are working in practice so that we may make adjustments to improve year to year, boost set pieces that people love, and eliminate sets that may not have had the impact that we desired. After the set is on paper Ethan organizes the rooms based on how they fit and make sense in the haunt. Turon strives to have a flow to the event that seems natural. I then search for key set pieces at shows such as Transworld and the Midwest Haunters convention to put at least one memorable animatronic with each set to create motion in the room and bring it to life. Next thrift stores, garage sales, and estate sales to acquire all of the materials that truly round out the room incorporating color pallets, set dress and detail, character development, lighting and audio to pull together a cohesive product that leaves our patrons insides bleeding and their underwear soiled.

What is your most popular effect that guests always leave talking about?

“Each and every year we strive to create an original “shock scene” that leaves guests in a state of panic and dismay. Last season we creates a murder scenario where the brine slaughterhouse victim was bound and gagged to a chair, has her head blown off by a cattle gun. It truly was quite the disturbing effect to watch, not to mention that you leave the room covered in what feels like the brains of the victim lying motionless in front of you. I don’t think there was one person that left our haunt last year unaffected by that scene, it was just down and dirty hardcore haunting like we love to do”, explains Ethan Turon, attraction designer.

How important is branding and marketing to your success?

Hundred Acres released a new logo for the 2012 season. Tyler Kozar and Brandon Paul Donnelly took branding to another level. They created unique logos for each attraction. While going through the haunt you will find the logos on posters within the attractions giving a unique feeling that takes the patrons of Hundred Acres to its own world. The unique branding for each attraction allows Hundred Acres to create individual videos, posters and merchandise to take our patrons to the next level of full-fledged fear.

What makes Hundred Acres Manor different from other haunted attractions across the country?

Hundred acres Manor is unique in many ways starting from our location. Our haunt requires you to traverse an altering topography so you are always up and down left to right, in doors then out doors. It is very unique and adds a lot to our show. Also I would say our attention to immersing our patrons in an environment rather than having them walk by a set, we put patrons directly into the environments. We also stand out as an intense high startle event that is very much in your face haunting at its best driven by our over the top actors.

As far as attraction growth over your ten year run, can you tell us what items pushed your event forward over the years and how growth has affected your event?

The event, though a charity haunt, is run as a business with all appropriate structures in place. Hundred Acres Manor is incorporated as a 501c3 corporation that acts as a fire-wall between the event and the charities. Over the ten year period our event has grown by 150% in attendance and 400% in gross revenue. The growth fits well in the business plan allowing to continually improve the event which in turn increases attendance and revenue. As the old adage goes you have to spend money to make money.

How many actors do you staff your event with each night and how do you go about preparing for a night of haunting?

On any given night our event requires 130+ actors to bring the haunt to life. Our haunt, although we do use a large amount of animated effects to enhance the experience, is driven by our dedicated host of actors. Hundred Acres Manor employs 30 staff actors to play key roles within the attraction, these roles require the actor to have intense makeup and costuming as well as dedicated character development. We also pole the addition staff from local drama clubs on a nightly basis to fill our “scare spots” as we are a high startle in you face event. These actors operate our startle scare effects such as pop ups, drop doors, break away doors and slide doors. All of our actors arrive at the haunt at 5pm on any night of operation and begin getting into character. It truly is a daunting task to costume and makeup 130 actors each night in only two hours but we make it happen assembly line style each and every night. We also employ two costumers to tailor and distribute each actors costuming as well as 8 special effects makeup artists to apply some of the most immensely detailed makeup to truly bring the living dead to life. Every night each actor receives custom make-up that reflects their area so the actor can help to deliver our guests the best possible show they will ever experience.

DeadLift
Board a century old elevator to take you to the depths of the Acres family estate and experience a hellish ride to the bowels of the horror within the manor. This first of its kind in Pittsburgh, Dead Lift will send you whipping around and begging for mercy. Discovered during excavation of the estate; the deadlift elevators were originally used to transport guests and staff from the families quarters to the manors deepest secrets hidden within the basement. Going down?

South Valley Hospital
Let us pick your brain in the most intense, in your face, run for your life, scream bloody murder, haunted attraction on the acres family estate. South Valley hospital was opened to the public in 1904 as Pittsburgh’s premier medical research facility. The hospital was closed in December of 1932 and has been abandoned ever since. When the hospital was closed they found the most shocking and brutal display of disregard towards human life. Some say the tortured patients and doctors still reside within the hospitals compounds just waiting for their next patient. Let us cut you open and see if you can withstand the horror and terror of South Valley Hospital.

Damnation
Enter the dilapidated acres family estate and experience the terrifying world of the lost souls buried deep within the manor walls. Traverse the manor room by room and see what makes Hundred Acres Manor Pittsburgh’s Top Haunted Attraction. During your journey you will encounter the most grizzly zombies, bloodthirsty minions of the night, and the restless spirits damned to spend eternity confined within the manor compound. Its only a haunted house right? Prepare for the most relentless, mind-bending journey through hell on earth.

The Family Unearthed
The year was 1945; a time of mass hysteria and shear terror as our country was under constant threat of nuclear attack. A plan was quickly set into motion and a site was chosen on the Acres family estate to construct a Fall Out shelter of mass proportions. The complex lies 650 feet beneath the earths surface. After time they began to do anything to survive. A family that lives together, eats together, and your on the menu!

The Maze
Feel the terror begin to overwhelm your body as you attempt to navigate your way through our all NEW 7,500 square foot maze from hell. Which way to go? Choose your direction and choose it wisely, chainsaw wielding maniacs among other undead creatures roam the premises. The maze will leave you in the dark feeling cold and disoriented! Don’t bother asking our minions for directions, the only thing they wanna do is hear you scream.

Brine Slaughterhouse
Originally opened as a butcher shop for the families of the estate, this slaughterhouse turned into a processing plant for the whole town. Enter the bowels of the Brine Slaughterhouse and witness the unspeakable horrors that await. Your turn of this turn of the century slaughterhouse will unveil torture, gore and more. But beware; legend has it that Mr. Brine still walks the halls of this now-abandoned meat processing plant, with an insatiable appetite for human flesh.

 
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