Our Story
Background
The Haunt in Atascadero is the longest-running and most famous haunted house in San Luis Obispo County. It originated as a young man’s garage dream and grew into its current location. The doors have been open in Atascadero since 2014, serving thousands annually.
The Haunt was formed in 2015 by merging two local haunts: TNT Terrors and Mid State Scare.
TNT Terrors, founded by Chris Towers, was initially created in his parents’ garage in San Diego, California. Neighborhood kids did the building, acting and scaring. Towers moved up to the San Luis Obispo area during his college days. After university, the idea of a haunted house grew as a passion.
Mid State Scare, founded by Randy Russom and three friends in Arroyo Grande, California, was open for six years before the merge.
As Founder and Owner, Chris Towers is the main man. He is assisted by dedicated volunteers, including building crews, actors, and makeup artists.
Annually, we begin building in March and continue through September, when The Haunt is up and scaring through Halloween.
Meet The Team
Chris Towers
Chris brings a wealth of technical and engineering expertise to his leadership role. With a Bachelor of Science in General Engineering from California Polytechnic State University, Chris combines his background in electrical, mechanical, and civil systems with a passion for immersive storytelling. Outside of his work in the energy sector, he has dedicated over a decade to crafting unforgettable haunted experiences, leading The Haunt as a community-driven and creatively innovative attraction.
Sean O’Donnell
Sean O’Donnell brings decades of hands-on experience in haunted attractions, technical production, and systems design to The Haunt in Atascadero. His work in the haunt world began in 1995, when he co-founded a garage haunt in San Jose, California, and later built props for established attractions including Pirates of Emerson in Fremont.
After moving to Paso Robles in 2020, Sean found his way to The Haunt and quickly became part of its core creative and operational team. In 2021, he stepped in to lead operations during a critical moment, helping stabilize and advance the attraction through a period of rapid growth and increasing complexity.
At The Haunt, Sean oversees production operations and the technical systems that support the show end-to-end. His role spans animatronics, prop development, automation, and show control, as well as the underlying infrastructure that keeps everything functioning—from networks, cameras, computers, DMX, AV, and control systems to digital platforms and shared operational tools. He supports all show technology and control architecture, ensuring that creative ideas survive contact with reality.
In recent years, Sean has focused on building and empowering a highly capable technical team to take these systems further. Working alongside skilled volunteers with deep backgrounds in programming, digital AV, and emerging AI-driven media technologies, he coordinates efforts across cameras, control systems, and custom-built applications while ensuring that ownership and expertise are distributed where they belong. This approach allows The Haunt to evolve its technical capabilities while remaining resilient, scalable, and volunteer-driven.
In addition to technical operations, Sean manages core business and organizational systems, including business analytics, governance documentation, and internal policy alignment. He also maintains the official Haunt RUN Calendar and Haunt Pay Ticket Matrix across all seasons, events, and special engagements, coordinating closely with Sales, Marketing, Volunteer Management, and Executive leadership to ensure schedules, staffing, and post-show data remain aligned and accurate.
Grounded in the belief that strong systems enable better storytelling, Sean strives to build structures—and teams—that let the Haunt continually evolve its scares, ensuring returning guests never get comfortable.
