CLEVELAND — A popular Akron haunted house attraction will have to find a new house to haunt.
Ghoul Brothers Haunted House, located at 3235 Manchester Road, has announced that it has lost its lease at the Portage Lakes Acme Plaza after eight years.
"No reason was given as to why this lease was terminated by Akron's Albrecht Inc. with just 2 weeks notice prior to opening this year," Ghoul Brothers owner David Barton said in a statement.
In a social media post that included the hashtag #relocation in the caption, Ghoul Brothers broke the news via a rhyming poem. Its last night of business in the Portage Lakes Acme Plaza will be Nov. 2.
"Our lease it failed to renew, so fresh beginnings we must pursue," the business wrote. "Sad we are, just six more nights, to give you all a ghoulish fright."
While Ghoul Bros. has been a popular spot for Northeast Ohio scare-seekers, it has even welcomed some Hollywood stars to take in the frights. "Spider-Man" star Tom Holland visited the haunted house alongside Cleveland-born director Joe Russo and co-star Ciara Bravo in 2019 while the three were in town filming a scene from their Apple TV+ film "Cherry."
Barton is a longtime Hollywood special effects artist who returned home to Northeast Ohio and constructed Ghoul Brothers over a 13-year period.
“I wanted to bring some Hollywood magic back to Ohio. Ghoul Brothers took an underused, empty building and made a world-class attraction. I’ll always be proud of what we built, it breaks my heart to see it go in this manner," he added in the release.
After Nov. 2. Barton will have to dismantle the haunted house in less than 60 days with orders to vacate the property by Dec. 30.
"We created absolute magic, here, it’s devastating to see that go. Wish we had more time to wind down properly," Barton said.
The release says Barton "is looking for a new building and new opportunities to make an even bigger and more amazing attraction to keep that Hollywood magic in Ohio."
