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Wells Township Haunted House 2009 News, Reviews, Interviews and more
WWVA radio interview with our director
Wells Township Haunted House on WTRF Channel 7 News
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Wells Township Haunted House Named One Of Scariest In Ohio
A local haunted house has been named one of the scariest in Ohio.
The group Haunt Raters of Ohio recently ranked the Wells
Township Haunted House in Brilliant as the second-best haunted attraction in the state.
This is the final weekend for the haunted house this season. It will be open Friday and Saturday starting at 7 p.m.
For more about Haunt Raters, click here.
Scare up some fun this season!
If your Halloween experience is just not complete without a fear-filled trip to a completely creepy and sensationally scary haunted house, then the now legendary Wells Township Haunted House in Brilliant is the place to go. Open at 7 p.m. to the public on any Friday or Saturday in the month of October, the event venue is located at 101 Market Street in Brilliant, in what looks at first glance to be a painfully plain commercial stone building built in the 1800s. General admission is $10 and tickets can be purchased at the venue on the evening of your tour, or online at wells-township-haunted-house.ticketleap.com. The tour is not recommended for children ages 12 and under. Fans of this season of fright come to the local haunted house in Brilliant for one overriding reason year after year: to experience the fear generated adrenalin rush virtually guaranteed to accompany any who dare enter the outwardly unremarkable looking stone building. "We have, at least, three tours in the house at the same time. Mathematically, you would wait 15-20 minutes for each tour to begin once three tours are in the house. If you are in group five, for example, your wait could be over one hour. We can and will put four tours in the house at the same time but can only do so for a short period of time as not to over exert our actors. We are not permitted more than four tours in the house at one time due to fire code," explained Wells township Police Department Captain Sean Norman, who is also the director of the haunted house project. The local project, got its start in 2002 at another location in the community and now more than a decade old, The Wells Township Haunted House program is being held for the second consecutive year in its permanent home at the north end of Brilliant, in a stone building built in the late 1800s which comes complete with its own, almost tangible, haunting spirits. In the blink of an eye a typical visitor to the legendary haunted house finds they are no longer in a plain stone building at the heart of a small riverfront community, but have stepped through a portal into the unknown, unexpected and at times even terrifying. "They love it," is the evaluation given by Norman when asked to describe a typical guest's first impression of the hauntingly inviting house. "We designed the rooms to play on all the universal, yet personal fears we all face as we go through life. Judging from reactions we got from early visitors, we have been pretty successful in meeting that goal. "When you ask people to wait a little while before taking them on a tour of the haunted house you really need to be able to offer them a true quality scare that will have been worth the wait," he offered. The local project's basic design is not meant to put one room's popularity ahead of another, according to organizers. "We want guests to come away having enjoyed our haunted house tour so much it is hard to pick out one or two things that stood out to them above everything else," shared Norman. "Even people who thought they knew what they were going to see on the tour come running out of the back of the house and are at a complete loss to tell us exactly what was the best part of the tour, or even what needs more work," offered Dave Crawford of Brilliant, the project's construction director, and long-time Wells Township Haunted House volunteer. This sort of breathless and wide-eyed response to the haunted house tour is exactly the type of reaction the project's more than 100 member volunteer team works diligently for nearly year round. "We want to give our customers the intense scare they have come to expect from the Wells township Haunted House year after year," said Crawford. Once inside the building any thoughts the event would offer something less than a seriously scary production disappears immediately. There is nothing plain or ordinary about the complex production carefully crafted by the diverse and dedicated group of volunteers drawn to the haunted house event from communities up and down the riverfront. The two-story stone building now home to the widely known event offers organizers and designers almost 6,400 square feet of space in which to shape and share their always original dark and seriously scary Halloween tales with visitors every Friday and Saturday evening throughout the month's end. As is often the case with older homes: more than meets the eye is to be found there. The custom-designed and generally horrific decor in each of the nearly 20 haunted "rooms" keeps fear response levels heightened throughout the entire tour experience. A goal that has been very real to those working behind the scenes to develop, create and install all the thousands of elements needed in order to create a professional quality haunted house, according to key organizers. "We change things every season. We know some of the rooms have been really popular, but we like to give guests a whole new 'scare' to enjoy when they visit the Wells township Haunted House year after year," offered Norman. "Each room has been painstakingly crafted by a volunteer team working hard over the summer months to complete the design and get the new "scares" constructed and functioning smoothly." The haunted house itself, is packed with a dizzying array of what the veteran volunteer Haunted House designers and crafters describe as "an old school style haunt", and guests simply describe as "awesome scares". The now legendary event recently garnered unsolicited attention and recognition from leaders in the nationwide "hauntings" industry as being one of the top three events in the country when it comes to overall quality. Professionals in the haunting industry recently named The Wells Township Haunted House annual event as being the third highest quality venue of any size in the industry with the comparison done on a on a nationwide scale. "One of the largest Haunted House Conventions in the world, the Midwest Haunters Convention recently brought people from all over the United States, Canada and New Zealand to see our 'Old School' style haunt. We have become a desired location for multiple paranormal investigation companies, have been featured on the Global Paranormal Network as a result of the findings," said Norman. But the surprises the project holds are not limited to the event production or even the truly haunted status of the building. "A lot of people still find it surprising officers from several local departments enjoy taking active roles in the entire process," noted Norman. "Currently we have Officers from the Wells Township Police Department and the Jefferson County Sheriff's Department and the Tiltonsville Police Department working inside the house. "All these officers volunteer their time to work with the youth volunteers and get involved in the house. Each one is in character and working in the various rooms, and they also provide interior and exterior security for the Haunted House events," said Norman. "This is a great way to build positive relationships with the youth involved on this project from communities all across the valley." It is also a wonderful example to the teens about giving back to the community around you, said Norman. The program is so well thought of by local community leaders that many of the teen volunteers have been given awards and school-based credit for the thousands of volunteer hours they have invested, many of which have been accepted toward fulfilling school-based community service graduation requirements. Norman is particularly proud that several of the haunted house volunteer members have noted the effort on their National Honor Society applications and even on college applications. The local haunted house effort has a massive fan base, reaching well outside the boarders of the United States. As a result, organizers have had a top quality webpage crafted through which the public can easily find event schedule details, reviews and can purchase tickets. To reach event officials at the Wells Township Haunted House for more information, including driving directions, visit www.wellstownshiphauntedhouse.com Proceeds from the professional quality production are directed straight back to the coffers of the haunted house operation, as it is a 501- c3 not for profit organization.
www.hsconnect.com and www.weirtondailytimes.com
BRILLIANT - The ghost hunters had departed and Mark Miller and a friend were cleaning up when they heard footsteps on the second floor of the Wells Township Haunted House. "Then I heard the sound of glass breaking but when we looked there wasn't any broken glass. I asked my friend if there was anyone else still in the building and he said 'no,' it was just the two of us," said Miller. Miller was one of several volunteers at the commercial haunted house who joined the Ohio Paranormal Seekers during a recent search for ghosts or spirits at the 115-year-old building. "I probably won't go into the house alone. Well it would depend on where I have to go in there. If I have to go upstairs I probably won't go alone," noted the 26-year-old Miller. "It was about 3 a.m. when the T.O.P.S. group and three of our volunteers went to a hot spot on the second floor. The leaders were asking questions and trying to provoke whatever was there in order to get a response. That's when I heard someone walking down the hallway toward us. I could hear something dragging down the hallway but there wasn't anyone there. That's when I started feeling uncomfortable," according to Miller. "I never saw anything but we have had cases where doors will open and close by themselves and we have heard footsteps and noises from the attic area," added Miller. Sean Norman, a captain with the Wells Township Police Department and organizer of the annual haunted house event, laughed off the idea of ghosts earlier this year. "We once had a paranormal society from Columbus visit the building. They stayed for several hours and determined there was an intelligent haunt here. I don't believe in ghosts for a second but there have been people who insist they have seen someone appear in the rooms who were later gone," Norman said with a smile during a July tour of the building. But after the most recent visit by the Columbus-based ghost hunters and the Paranormal Haven of the Ohio Valley, the 14-year police veteran has a different opinion. "When we are here we see things that make you wonder. In my line of work I need evidence. But seeing what I have seen, I have no other way to explain it," remarked Norman. What Norman heard was those same footsteps approaching him on the second floor. "I pulled my flashlight out and was pointing it like my gun. But there was nothing there. But I could still hear those footsteps coming toward me. Yeah, it scared me," admitted Norman. Chad Houghes, owner and lead investigator for the ghost hunters, said he wasn't surprised by the most recent visit to the building at the north end of Brilliant. "It was right around 3 a.m. First we heard walking in the hallway and it was a repetitive type of footsteps. Then we could see something in the doorway of the room we were in. It was a smoky black mass that just stayed in the doorway. It finally went away around 3:30 a.m. We couldn't have asked for a better end to the night. Everyone was excited by the events but exhausted," stated Houghes. He added he is not sure if an incident occurred in the building that left the structure haunted or it is the property. "The West Virginia group will do some local research and try to determine what else was on that property," said Houghes. "We have made three visits to this site and there has been some pretty interesting activity each time. We have had flashlights turn off and on upon our commands and our recording devices have picked up voices on the tape that we can't hear normal. We can hear a man and a woman talking and a little girl saying over and over again, 'Help her. Help her,'" explained Houghes. "I have been doing this work for close to 10 years, and nothing surprises me anymore," said Houghes. "It will be interesting how this affects our customers when we open the haunted house in October. "I have seen people literally pee their pants. We do our best to scare our visitors. The fact there may actually be spirits in this building brings something new to the haunted house experience," cited Norman. The Wells Township Haunted House is open every Friday and Saturday during October. "All I know is this whole experience has scared me. I wasn't expecting this to be real," Norman added.
The Wells Township Haunted House was located in a large 125 year old stone building, which was once a general store. After filing off the bus and listening to a brief introduction in the waiting room, we all went on a fully operational, self-guided tour, complete with show lighting and a full staff of actors. Most of the actors had speaking roles, with very theatrical performances. As patrons entered each scene, a vignette was acted out, with a surprise scare at the end. During the tour, most of the actors were very interactive with the patrons, which made the experience that much more interesting. The attraction had some great scenes, a fun maze and some nice scares.
The Midwest Haunters Convention Haunted Attraction Bus Tour was a great time. We got to see some good haunts, some great haunts and some amazing scenes. Wells Township Haunted House, Demon House and Hundred Acres Manor on Day one gave everyone a great show. Day two we went to Kennywood Amusement Park to get a behind the scenes tour of their Dark Ride Ghostwood Estate. Halloween Productions helped build and install this ride and it really looks fantastic (nice job Larry!). My only complaint with the ride was that I was so busy trying to shoot stuff, I couldn't enjoy all the great sets. Thanks to the behind the scenes walk through, I was able to take my time and see everything at my pace. And for the record, everyone in the Ben Armstrong family beat my score I think... Last night we went to West Virginia State Penitentiary. We got a tour through the facility and then got to go through their haunt. It was very fun throughout, but my favorite part was the beginning and especially the delivery method to take visitors to the heart of the haunt. I don't want to give it away but I really like it. Great job guys! I'd like to thank everyone and every haunted house and attraction who helped make the trip a success. Crazy Bob Turner of Haunted Hydro was our bus captain and kept the energy level up - THANKS BOB! And the folks at MHC had things organized (love the staggered bus setup). Looking forward to next year!
This Halloween haunted attraction is located in Brilliant, Ohio, just west of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Although in operation prior to 2002, things really took off when Captain Sean Norman of the Wells Township Police Department took over direction duties of that year. Norman's plan was to transform the annual haunt into a community service project that partnered the local youth with law enforcement officials to provide the best possible Halloween haunted attraction for the local community. Originally staged at an unused building in the community, Norman's dreams were almost derailed in 2004 when the structure was slated for demolition, due to a series of required repairs that would prove costly. Norman turned to the local youth and fellow police officers once again who had worked the previous season in order to devise a plan. The end result was over 70 young members of the community, between the ages of 10-18, which volunteered to assist with the repairs, in exchange for the building to once again be used as the Wells Township Haunted House in the Halloween season. Needless to say, the town officials were impressed and quickly canceled plans for the demolition. The building remained in use until 2008 when the group relocated to the current structure that dates back to 1883, which expanded the operation to 6,300 square feet and allowed for dramatic expansion. Annually, the Wells Township Haunted House now attracts over one hundred volunteers, composed of the local youth, parents, and officers from three nearby departments. In 2008 alone, the group clocked over 11,480 volunteer hours to bring the haunt to life. Recently the Wells Township Haunted House had the distinct of honor of being added to the pre-convention bus tour of the Midwest Haunters Convention, which brought in further outside awareness. Through 2008, the haunt boasted an annual average attendance of around 2,000 guests per season with the earnings being reinvested for the next season, but that number is slated to grow substantially in the coming seasons. In addition to the exposure from the convention, the haunt has added several more actors that had previously worked at another nearby haunt, as well as ratcheted up their marketing campaign beyond the surrounding community. Guests who visit the haunted attraction are in for a variety of different surprises. In keeping with the collaboration with the local youth, Norman allowed volunteers to pick and design their own rooms for each season and most rely on crowd participation. This opens the door for unpredictably for returning guests each season and prevents the haunt from ever becoming stale. While animatronics, special effects, and sound effects are deployed within, the haunt relies heavily on the live actors to provide the good majority of the scares. As an interesting bonus, the haunt also features a slide from the second floor back to the first. The walk through the Wells Township Haunted House can last anywhere between 30-40 minutes on a given night. During special events, concessions are available for waiting guests. The interaction begins the moment the lines form, as the haunt's denizens have been known to prowl the crowd outside.
STEUBENVILLE - Five area organizations that work with youth of various ages were financially aided Tuesday by the Youth Advisory Committee of the Community Foundation of Jefferson County. Amanda Sestito, president of the YAC, handed out checks totaling $3,100 to Jefferson Behavioral Health, Big Brothers/Big Sisters of Jefferson County, the Jefferson County Farm Bureau, Grace Lutheran Church and the Wells Township Haunted House sponsored by the Wells Township Police Department. "This will allow us to work with approximately 20 young people to help build their esteem," said Robin Moran of Jefferson Behavioral Health. Moran said participants in the eight-week camp will be involved in various craft activities made possible by the $700 donation. Janet Mayle, director of Big Brothers/Big Sisters of Jefferson County, said the $700 donation from YAC will allow her organization "to expand our school mentoring program into the Buckeye Local and Toronto City school districts." "We already have mentoring programs in the Edison Local and Indian Creek school districts and have been wanting to offer more mentoring efforts. This donation will help us reach out to more kids in the area," added Mayle. According to Sherry Finney of the Jefferson County Farm Bureau, the $500 donation from YAC will aid her organization to bring "agri-venture labs from the Center of Science and Industry in Columbus to the Jefferson County Fair." "This innovative program will provide children the opportunity to develop a new appreciation for farming and how food is produced from the farm to the table," said Finney. Grace Lutheran Church was awarded $200 that will be used for its Wednesday evening program, Grace's Place. "We offer crafts, music and plays to the children who attend the weekly program. We will be working with Hutton House to expand our services to include a nutritious meal and a snack the children can take with them," explained the Rev. Terry Mohr of Grace Lutheran Church. The largest donation went to Capt. Sean Norman of the Wells Township Police Department, which sponsors the Wells Township Haunted House. "This is totally awesome. We take kids from 14 years and older and match them with adults to work on our haunted house all summer to get ready to scare the heck out of people in October when we operate our haunted house," said Norman. Terry Antill, executive director of the Community Foundation of Jefferson County, applauded the YAC members for their active work in raising funds. "The YAC holds walkathon's as well as other fundraiser's, but most of their money comes from the pink flamingo campaign in the late spring. And these youth work very hard at raising money to be donated to organizations that help area youth," said Antill. "The YAC members also study the applications submitted each year to determine which organization will benefit from the fundraising efforts," noted Antill. According to Community Foundation Chairperson Christine Hargrave, "everyone benefits from our pink flamingo fundraising campaign. We tell area residents they can avoid a flamingo flocking by buying flamingo insurance in advance. Unfortunately one of our board members this year forgot to buy that insurance on time, and their yard was flocked by the flamingos. But it is for a good cause." The YAC is made up of students from every high school in Jefferson County. HELPING LOCAL CAUSES — Representatives of five local organizations received monetary donations Tuesday from the Youth Advisory Committee of the Community Foundation of Jefferson County. Taking part in the donation ceremony were, seated, from left, Sherry Finney of the Jefferson County Farm Bureau; and Robin Moran and Cathy Plittman of Jefferson Behavioral Health: and standing, Patrick Yost, a YAC member; Amanda Sestito, president of the YAC; Janet Mayle, director of Big Brothers/Big Sisters of Jefferson County; Wells Township Police Capt. Sean Norman representing the Wells Township Haunted House; and the Rev. Terry Mohr of Grace Lutheran Church. -- Dave Gossett
A group of young people has once again stepped forward to help others in our area while learning skills that will help them become tomorrow’s leaders. The Youth Advisory Committee of the Community Foundation of Jefferson County recently presented $3,100 in grants to five organizations that work with young people in our area. The presentation allowed the organization to continue its mission of improving the lives of the county’s young people through the development of educational and career opportunities. Grant money awarded this year will help many local organizations in many ways. Jefferson Behavioral Health will use its $700 to provide activities that will help build self-esteem in area children. Big Brothers Big Sisters will use its $700 to expand its mentoring program. The Jefferson County Farm Bureau will use its $500 to help it bring a traveling exhibit from the Center of Science and Industry in Columbus to the Jefferson County Fair. The $200 that was awarded to Grace Lutheran Church will help its Wednesday evening program for children. The $1,000 that was awarded to the Wells Township Haunted House will help a favorite Halloween haunt continue to operate. Members of YAC, who come from the high schools in Jefferson County, also benefit from the process. They raise the money that is awarded in the grants through a variety of fundraiser's, the largest of which is the annual pink flamingo flocking that is conducted each spring. Once the money is raised, YAC members advertise for grant applications, review the applications and meet with officials from groups which have applied for money before determining which groups will receive money. It’s a powerful learning experience for the YAC members. It’s also a process that has been successful — the YAC has awarded more than $34,000 in grants to area organizations in the last eight years. Foundation leadership, including Executive Director Terri Antill and board President Christine Hargrave, and YAC membership, under President Amanda Sestito of Indian Creek High School, deserve to be recognized for their efforts. Their work helps to improve the lives of young people throughout our area.
We're Number 3! We're Number 3! The chant for our bus could be heard at every haunt we stopped at. And, we stopped at many! Unfortunately, at our very first stop, many folks walked away injured. The actors were just a little to energetic with the touchy and the feely. My Halloween partner in crime, Patti, ended up at a medical care facility for a boo-boo leg that, fortunately, turned out to be a deep muscle bruise. But, she did get sidelined for the rest of the night. Injuries aside, the haunt, Wells Township Haunted House, had some really cool rooms in it. My personal favorite part was when they asked me to comfort a girl in front of a closet wall. (Thus begun the infamous "woo-woo, woo-woo-woo") You totally expect the closet door to open and some one to startle you. That happened with a bit of a twist. They grab the girl, who grabbed the door frame and my leg (I guess to keep me in place) and then the wall completely falls down towards you. It was amazing, unexpected and completely original. Another room that was unlike other things I've seen before, had a girl quietly reading on a log. She sees us and tells us a story about her perfect sister and how she'd finally had enough and pushed her down the well in the corner. On cue, the strobe starts up, she starts freaking out and a soaking wet girl zombie comes crawling out of the well. The guide took a real interest in singling me out for torture from our group, so I was put in the middle of many scenes. Another that I got to play the lead in was a tea party. The room was a scary little girl's room and she was having a tea party with her pet zombie. She was such a typical sweet girl all excited for visitors and the zombie was all chained up trying to steal my cup of tea. I think this room had the best effects off all because it was so simple. After that it was on to the hotel to check in and get a little beer and food. We were running late so our time was cut from an hour and a half to a half hour. So, after power drinking a beer and taking a few more for the road, it was back on the bus.
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