'Spooky symposium' will tell supernatural Pittsburgh stories

You’ve probably heard of “The Amityville Horror,” a book and movie series based on the real-life haunting of a house on Long Island, New York. But did you know that Pittsburgh has its own version of that macabre manse?

That chilling story, “The Demon of Brownsville Road,” will be recounted on Feb. 29 during An Evening With Pittsburgh Scaremasters. Hosted by Haunted Pittsburgh, the evening will be an exploration of things that go bump in the Pittsburgh night, both the man-made and the supernatural.

Doors will open at 6 p.m. for the “spooky symposium” in the Omni William Penn Hotel in downtown Pittsburgh, with the program getting underway at 7 p.m.

Bob Cranmer, a former Allegheny County commissioner, will be on hand to discuss his family’s battle with an evil force inhabiting the home they bought on Brownsville Road in Pittsburgh’s Brentwood neighborhood. The story isthe subject of his 2014 book, “The Demon of Brownsville Road,” co-written with Erica Manfred.

The Cranmer family began to experience supernatural activity soon after moving into the house in 1988. What started as nuisance incidents escalated and eventually had deeply disturbing effects on family members.

Cranmer learned that the property had a long, blood-soaked history, which finally was put to rest with the help of Catholic priests performing a regimen of exorcisms. What Cranmer is doing to capitalize in a positive way on the home’s dark legacy also will be part of the talk.

Scary storytellers

“This is the first program of its kind that we’ve done, although we’ve done programs before with just one speaker,” says Michelle Smith, a co-owner of Haunted Pittsburgh, which offers various walking tours that explore the city’s dark side. “November to May is our downtime, so we’re hoping that this will keep up interest in Pittsburgh’s supernatural side.”

The slate of Scare Masters also includes:

• Kathleen Mullavey, a Haunted Pittsburgh ghost guide, who will share some of Pittsburgh’s best ghost stories.

• Scott Simmons, creative/marketing director and co-owner of ScareHouse, who will talk about what goes into creating the venue’s attractions.

Since 1999, ScareHouse has produced haunted attractions at various area locations. Its current home in Pittsburgh’s Strip District is now offering an immersive, interactive horror experience called The Basement and a Stalked by a Killer Escape Room.

• Thomas White, a historian, archivist, educator and author of books on regional folklore topics including legends, myths and witchcraft.

“Pennsylvania has a great, long tradition of preserving folklore,” White says.“I don’t try to prove or disprove the stories, but rather put them in a historical and cultural context. I look not just at the story itself and whether it’s historically provable, but what the story means and why people like to retell it, how it changes over time and its entertainment value.

“Science has everything figured out — at least, we think it does,” he says. “But for all the explanations we have of the world, we still want something that will impart meaning. People are looking for something beyond the tangible world, something to explain the unknown.”

Smith encourages attendees to arrive when doors open, as some vendors will be present and the speakers will be available for conversation before the program begins.

White will be selling his books, Haunted Pittsburgh will offer T-shirts and some ScareHouse characters will be available for photo opportunities.