A brick schoolhouse that once educated generations of Pacific Junction kids has reopened this month as Psycho Schoolhouse, a three-story haunted attraction built inside the 112-year-old building at 301 5th Street. The attraction now features a maze-like layout, animatronics, and a three-story slide dropping visitors from the upper floors toward the basement.
The attraction was created by Shaun Rosen under the Scare Iowa banner, according to Grow Omaha. Rosen's attraction combines the former schoolhouse setting with a haunted maze. The building served Pacific Junction students for decades before the local school system consolidated with Glenwood following the 1961-62 school year, and it continued operating as an elementary school until the 1985-86 term, per the same account.
From Flood Recovery to Horror Attraction
Pacific Junction was among the communities hardest hit by severe 2019 flooding and had to be evacuated, according to The Gazette. The town's population fell from roughly 475 residents to fewer than 100 by the 2020 Census. Scare Iowa transformed the schoolhouse into a multi-floor haunt.
It's a striking turnaround for a town with deep roots as a railroad junction established in 1871, which once saw its population climb above 700 before long-term railroad cutbacks and natural disasters whittled it down, according to Wikipedia. Visitors navigate Psycho Schoolhouse's maze-like interior.
Mystery Manor's Legacy Lives On
Omaha's Mystery Manor was open for nearly 40 years, and founder Wayne Sealy died at age 74 in November 2022, per The Reader. Creighton University subsequently bought the property for $425,000 to use as part of its campus expansion, per Omaha Exploration. Mystery Manor featured a three-story interior slide, a spinning tunnel, and Haunted Theatre storytelling.
Celebrity Guests and a Regional Haunt Network
Amelie McLain appeared at the attraction's opening.
The Pacific Junction haunt is one piece of a larger regional network. Scare Iowa also runs Hillside House of Hell in Glenwood, a 50,000-square-foot venue built in 1964 that previously served as an assisted-living facility. The company's original flagship, Bloodrush Forest of Terror in Elkhorn, Nebraska, launched in 2015 and features trails through a multi-acre forest, per NP Dodge.
Visitors can cross all three venues with a Triple Threat Combo Pass, which grants admission to the Pacific Junction, Glenwood, and Elkhorn locations throughout the 2026 Halloween season, per Hillside House of Hell's site. The company also keeps its permanent venues active year-round through off-season events like Cupid's Killer Valentine's and A Very Scary Christmas, reflecting a broader industry shift toward experiential haunts that operate beyond October.
Tickets and Schedule
Psycho Schoolhouse recommends buying tickets online in advance at scareiowa.com; visitors can consult the attraction's calendar for operating hours.
The schoolhouse's maze-like layout and theatrical darkness give the attraction an immersive feel. For a town still rebuilding from the 2019 flood, the schoolhouse's new chapter offers an unusual form of revival, one built on screams rather than textbooks.
