Photo by Sam Yu Visitors to Home at Braddock Inn in Braddock Heights will have an opportunity to be scared out of their wits Friday and Saturday from 7 to 10 p.m. during a haunted house event at the restaurant. Admission is free to visit the haunted upper floor of the historic building.

Greg Holson will have about 10 ghosts and goblins of both the child and adult variety working with him this weekend to escort guests upstairs.

Tours are free.

Guests who don't want to stomach the really gruesome tour can take the less scary tour, Holson said Monday.

But, be forewarned.

Braddock Inn hosted a haunted house last year and the adults were actually jumping off the ground, said Frank Fink. He helped Holson decorate the rooms last year and has been a key contributor this year.

"The unexpected is the fun part," Fink said.

Each room has its own special spooky feeling.

A red light casts a soft glow suggesting blood on skulls underneath a sewing machine in the Butcher's bedroom. The Butcher's bed is made of old rusty bedsprings and tree limbs. Driftwood, a tree trunk and smoke billowing from a pot in the fireplace help create a desolate fireplace setting.

"Really creepy music is going to be played in this room," Holson said.

A laughing toy rat straddles the rim of a toilet in the bathroom. A crystal-like ball glows with neon lights in the library.

Cages in the dungeon will be full of the Butcher's next meal, Holson said. "My kids will be in here crawling around on the floor."

Last year, word of the haunted house at Home at Braddock Inn rippled through the neighborhood and as many as 150 people showed up, Holson said. "It was the first time I tried it."

Back by popular demand is Holson's friend Scott Schultz. He'll be dressed as the Inn Keeper, Holson said. Fink will be the Butcher.

"Both of them are characters in the haunted story we'll tell," Holson said.

The story is about an evil master who owned the inn in the early days. The evil master lived high on the hog, yet was unkind to the Inn Keeper and Butcher, Holson said.

The Master continued to live a life of luxury in denial of the Depression.

"He expected great meals and the same great food as before," Holson said.

The Master ordered a feast for his wealthy friends; the Butcher didn't have any meat to serve them.

The Butcher did the best he could with berries and nuts, but the Master didn't like the food. He got mad and beat the Butcher. The Inn Keeper and Butcher devised a plan, Holson said. They hosted tours of the inn on the third floor.

Some guests never left that third floor, Holson recounted with a suggestive pause. The Butcher put meat on the table and the Master was very pleased, he said.

"It's all fictitious," Holson added.

Holson is the caretaker of the building, but on Friday and Saturday, his role will be a mix between the Grim Reaper and a stand-offish vampire.

"My outfit is all black with a hood and black mesh over my face," Holson explained. "You can't see my face, but I can see out."

Look for him on the first flight of steps.

"I'll wait until you get real close," he said, "then I'll suddenly reach out."