By Ranger Danny Haberman 

Haunted houses have long captivated the human imagination. From eerie ancient legends to today’s high-tech horror attractions, they reflect our enduring fascination with the supernatural and the thrill of being scared. I have always been fascinated by haunted houses and scary movies. Growing up, my friends and I would create a haunted house every year for the neighborhood families to visit, but it got me wondering: when did the idea of haunted houses for entertainment even begin? 

History of the Haunt 

The idea of haunted dwellings stretches back thousands of years to Ancient Greece and Rome. Stories of restless spirits haunting homes were common. The Roman author Pliny the Younger wrote a famous tale of a house in Athens plagued by a ghost in chains. This is one of the earliest written accounts of a haunted house. 

In medieval Europe, haunted castles and cursed estates became part of local folklore, often tied to tragic or violent histories. These stories gained popularity through Gothic novels of the 18th and 19th centuries, like The Castle of Otranto and Frankenstein, which helped define the haunted house as a symbol of decay, mystery, and the unknown. 

Modern Day Haunts 

By the early 20th century, haunted house-style attractions appeared in carnivals, sideshows, and traveling fairs. These simple and effective pop-ups used dark tunnels, scary sounds, and actors in costume designed to jump out and scare visitors. 

In 1969, Disney unveiled the Haunted Mansion — a groundbreaking attraction that blended storytelling, animatronics, and special effects. It marked a turning point, showing how haunted houses could be immersive, artistic, and commercially successful. 

By the 1970s and 1980s, haunted houses had become a staple of Halloween traditions. Communities, charities, and businesses began opening seasonal haunted attractions, ranging from family-friendly walk-throughs to professional horror experiences. 

Local Haunted House Fun at Ravenswood in Livermore, October 17th & 18th 

This Halloween season, I will lead our annual Sycamore Scares program, along with our wonderful volunteers, at Ravenswood Historic Site on Friday, October 17, and Saturday, October 18.  After the sun goes down, we’ll tour the grounds in ways you will never experience in the light of day!

Register below to enjoy this wonderful, fun, spooky tradition with family and friends (ages 8+)! We also need volunteers for this event. Sign up now!