Haunted School House at Uriah Hill Sure to Be a Fright

UPDATE: The haunted house is closed tonight, Oct. 29, due to the snow storm.

Enter Uriah Hill Elementary School if you dare this weekend.

Rumor has it that the now unused school is haunted. Some say a nurse hanged herself in the school some time in the early 1990s, and custodians have warned the public to stay out after dark.

But a few brave souls took that risk and have spent many hours over the last six weeks setting up an elaborate and ghostly haunted house.

"We have seen doors lock and unlock that shouldn't be doing that," said Doug Curtin, who conceptualized and helped design and build the Haunted House that Peekskill's Parks and Recreation opens today in Uriah Hill.

Complete with 8 main attractions, including a cannibalistic nurse's office, a wooded maze, a terrifying school attendance lady, an electric chair, zombies, clowns, and much more, the Haunted House is not a production for the easily frightened.

Along with Curtin, a retired Peekskill Police Officer, Parks and Rec Director Joyce Cuccia, Department of Public Works employee Chuck Picariello and Cuccia's nephew Matt Sewalk have been designing, building and preparing the spooky maze for the last six weeks.

"It is all thought up in my head," said Curtin, who is volunteering his time. "I would have made it a little more twisted, but they reigned me in."

Curtin has been decorating for Halloween in Peekskill since the 1970s when he decorated his parents house every year. This is the fourth year that Parks and Rec has provided the terrifying treat event and Curtin has helped each year.

Curtin and Picariello built the entire set and Sewalk helped with mostly sound, but set design as well. Cuccia has overseen the whole process and helped with all the final details. They have spent thousands of dollars on the production over the years, this year less as they did not have to buy as many new props and decorations as in years past.

Cuccia says the attraction is open for children ages 5 or older, but strongly cautions parents to use their discretion. (We do too, as this writer shrieked a number of times while walking through the set up).

Fifty-sixty volunteers, mostly high school students, will help each day, playing zombies, ghosts and goblins, making the experience very inter-active.

While the actors may get close to you, Cuccia emphasizes there will be no touching or grabbing. Visitors are asked to respect the same rules.

The Haunted House is located at Uriah Hill Elementary School at 980 Pemart Ave., Peekskill and is open Thursday through Saturday from 6:30 to 9 p.m. It should take about 15 minutes to go through the whole production. $6 at the door.