The Georgetown Morgue haunted house has reopened for the season at 5000 E. Marginal Way S. in Seattle's industrial Georgetown district, drawing visitors from around the region into a building with a genuinely grim past. The attraction will run through November 7, and it has operated out of the same building for 19 years, part of an operation that has worked across the Pacific Northwest for 35 years.
Owner Scott Kolling told KIRO 7 News Seattle that the crew has been hard at work readying the show, saying the attraction has a great crew and makeup department preparing for the season. About 30% of the show changes every year, and the haunt brings on more than 100 temporary employees for the Halloween stretch, rotating between 25 and 50 scare actors through the run. Tickets are available online, and the attraction offers free parking for guests.
A Real Mortuary, Not Just a Theme
Unlike haunted houses built around invented backstories, the Georgetown Morgue occupies a building with documented mortuary history stretching back nearly a century. According to Secret Seattle, the site was constructed in 1928 as Kolling Mortuary Services of Seattle before being sold in 1939 to Charles and Henry Broughton, who renamed it Broughton Brothers Funeral Services. The building was used for funeral preparations and cremations, per the KIRO 7 report, and at its mid-century peak the facility expanded to include two 110-foot smokestacks with a processing capacity of up to 100 cremations per day, according to Seattle Haunts.
The property's history took a tragic turn when a 6.7-magnitude earthquake struck. The quake caused one of the mortuary's 110-foot crematorium towers to collapse into the building's west wing, killing co-owner Charles Broughton, Seattle Haunts recounts. The building was later used for animal-carcass processing.
National Recognition and Regional Rivalry
That layered history has helped the attraction build a national reputation. Hauntworld, a national haunted attraction publication, included the Georgetown Morgue among the country's 13 scariest haunted houses, Secret Seattle reports. Closer to home, Hoodline has previously covered the delayed West Seattle Nightfall haunt, which is located near the Georgetown Morgue.
Blood Drives and Food Donations Offer Line-Skipping Perks
Beyond the scares, the Georgetown Morgue has built in community partnerships that double as practical perks for visitors. The haunt holds two or three blood drives during the season, and blood donors can access the front of the line after buying a ticket, according to KIRO 7. The attraction has also partnered with Bloodworks Northwest for blood drives.
The attraction has also partnered with hunger-relief organization Food Lifeline, offering general admission ticket discounts to visitors who bring four non-perishable canned food items, according to footage from the City of Seattle's YouTube channel.
Safety Rules Inside the Haunt
Seattle Haunts bans guest costumes and high heels and describes the venue as having low lighting and rough terrain, according to Seattle Haunts.
