THE CREATIVE SCARE…HOUSE OF LECTER-THE CATACOMBS

The House of Lecter and The Catacombs are a downtown Evansville Halloween tradition. And artist / designer Phil Wolter has been thinking about, planning and designing those haunted houses since 1980. He never takes a break – as soon as one Halloween season ends, he begins planning next year’s production.

In 1980 Wolter was a starving artist looking for work. At the time, he was employed as a rehab therapist at the Evansville State Hospital. Because of his artistic creativity, he was hired to hold a phantom theater fundraiser that would benefit the patient indigent fund. What started as a single year production went on for 14 years. Wolter even included some clients (patients) as his staff. The highly theatrical productions included props, design, lighting, and sound effects. Wolter holds an art degree from USI, which allowed him to create increasingly elaborate haunted attractions, that he traces back to a passion for the theater.

Over the years he has designed shows for the Evansville Civic Theatre, as well as several area high schools. He relishes in the costumes and lighting, makeup, blocking, and special effects. “Haunted houses are just another form of theater,” he says. Wolter left the State Hospital in 1990, and after a phone call from Faye Gibson of the Old Courthouse Preservation Society, he opened Artwork Unlimited and leased the old Vanderburgh County jail in downtown Evansville. There he operated a haunted house for five years.

In 1995, he moved “13 steps across the street,” to what became known as the Old Courthouse Catacombs. That haunted house operated until 2024, when environmental upgrades moved the Catacombs to their new (temporary) location in the same building as the House of Lecter, at 325 Main Street. He had purchased this 126-year old (at the time) building in 2001, and from that time foreword he operated two haunted houses each year.

Each of Wolter’s haunted houses begins with an original story. He takes current news into account, and sprinkles in some fantasy, creativity, and a smart storyline. He has always focused on old-fashioned Halloween fun, and strives to present a scary, yet safe, fun and family-friendly experience. He has never produced a demonic scene, and always follows a very dedicated plan and purposeful theme. He views the entire production each year as organized chaos, that results in a moving vignette.

In the late summer of every year, Wolter sends out a casting call for the “characters” he will need to put his production together and hires 80 to 90 employees. They range from 16-yearolds to senior adults who have acted in haunted houses for decades. This year, Wolter and staff will put on a show that incorporates the Old Courthouse Creatures with the House of Lecter body snatchers, at 325 Main StreetEvansville’s darkest corner.

Twice the creatures and twice the scare! You can pay at the door, or reserve your tickets online at www.oldcatacombs. com They are even purchasing a $1,000 life insurance policy for all attendees – in case you die!

2025 is the 25th anniversary of the House of Lecter, and the current plan is to premier the Catacombs of Doom back at the old courthouse property.