Enter the 'Dungeon': Scarsdale's First Haunted House Still Open Despite Storm Fallout

The Scarsdale Teen Center's Halloween Haunted Dungeon is still open despite myriad closings due to last weekend's surprise snowstorm... and Executive Director Ellen Tiven-Moore wants to make some children cry. 

"If you make a child cry, it's a job well done," joked Tiven-Moore, who has imposed an age minimum of 10 years for entrance into Scarsdale's first-ever haunted house. "They have to accompanied by a parent, and then it's up to the parent if they want to deal with the therapy."

Children and tweens are welcome to the Haunted Dungeon, but Tiven-Moore has ensured that the SCT's basement, transformed into a ghoulish haunt riddled with zombies, decaying bodies and gallons of fake blood, is targeted toward teens — her new approach towards dealing with the pernicious, age-old problem of preventing minors from engaging in mischief on All Hallow's Eve. 

"Halloween is always an issue with teens because it's free reign for them to do nonsense," Tiven-Moore said. "We've tried costume parties, and nothing has been successful. Usually, a handful at best show up. This year, we figured that's not something we'd do." 

Tiven-Moore, an Ardsley resident, had heard about local haunted house planner Joe Delfino of Frightroom Productions after he had constructed a 2,400 square-foot haunted lawn for nonprofit 12 Miles North in Hastings-on-Hudson in 2010. 

"An idea came up about a haunted house for teens, and I said, 'I know just the guy to call,'" Tiven-Moore said. 

Delfino, an ardent horror film fan, is a self-proclaimed "fan of gore." 

"I love the gore," said Delfino, who has spent the last month reconfiguring the STC's homey teen haven into a dank dungeon replete with pneumatic, motion sensor-activated Halloween props designed to pop out at passing attendees. "Blood, gore and the scare factor separates kid haunts from adult haunts." 

If haunted house visitors recognize familiar faces flitting in the dungeon's shadows, they're not the ghosts of a former acquaintance — they're local teens recruited by the STC's Executive Board. Several are theater enthusiasts who will spend the evening contorting their bloody, kohl-rimmed faces and leaping out to frighten unsuspecting passersby. Others will perform manual tasks like hauling bodies or administrative work.

An added bonus? The evening's work counts toward the 20-hour community service credit students need to meet before graduation. Tiven-Moore hopes, however, that the Haunted Dungeon is frightning enough to attract adrenaline-seeking teens on their own volition. 

"We really want to make it clear that this is a gory, scary haunt," Tiven-Moore said. "It's not for little ones!" 

The Scarsdale Teen Center's Haunted Dungeon will be open on Monday, Oct. 31st, 7 -10 p.m.

Admission is only $5 for all ages, and children under 10 must be accompanied by an adult. The Scarsdale Teen Center is located at 862 Scarsdale Avenue. Contact the Scarsdale Teen Center at (914) 722-8358 or visit their website.