The Haunt at Sundown in Amarillo Might Be The Real Thing

The Haunt at Sundown outside of Amarillo city limits is a labor of love.

Tony DeAlessio spent years piecing the haunted house attraction together. Every detail, every twist, every jump-scare is carefully laid out by him.

The haunted house, located wayyyyyyy out down S. Washington at 1201 W. Sundown Lane is a newcomer to Amarillo's haunted house scene. It has garnered rave reviews since opening two years ago.

And DeAlessio is nowhere near running out of passion for his pet haunted house. It may still be summer, but fall is just around the corner and teases for the upcoming season has already begun.

But a little scrolling down the page will uncover something a little more spine-tingling.....

Ghostly Investigations at the Haunt at Sundown

A shared post from area paranormal investigations group, Buried Secrets Paranormal, confidently declares that the building out on Sundown is "not just a holiday attraction'.

The post goes on to hint that if visitors to the haunted house this coming season feel something otherworldly nearby....it might not be part of the performance put on by De Alessio and crew.

In the comments of the post, members of the group and DeAlessio comment on astonishing EVP allegedly captured during the investigation--along with other details mentioned in passing.

But how could there be paranormal activity in a warehouse built by De Alessio himself?

The Collection

Rather than pointing towards an 'Indian burial ground' as many are wont to do (and would have ruined any interest I had) in this subject), DeAlessio explains that he may be the culprit.

See, he's a self-professed collector of all antiques odd and unusual. He states that much of the furniture found in the haunted house attraction are from "estate sales of the deceased". One such item includes an authentic Victorian coffin, used for viewing ceremonies.

If one has spent eight years accumulating the things he needed to open his haunted house, like DeAlessio has, there's a probability that a ghostly hitchhiker came along for the ride for one of these items.

The Experiences

DeAlessio explains that over the 8 years he spent assembling the scaregrounds, he experienced activity himself frequently. Whistling sounds, shuffling footsteps, and even an authentic tribal item flying off a shelf among other examples.

And apparently, several of The Haunt's seasonal actors have had a run in or two with the spirits.

DeAlessio is confident that "they mean no harm".

One could easily brush off the statement about spectors flitting about the warehouse as part of a promotion for the upcoming season. But the earnestness of the parties in their discussions of the events they witnessed in a recent investigation is harder to dismiss.

Whatever they saw in The Haunt at Sundown...it's the real thing.

If you go when the season starts up, let me know if you run into anything not of this earth.

A Look Inside the Abandoned St. Anthony's Hospital in Amarillo, Texas

The old St. Anthony's hospital in Amarillo, Texas has sat abandoned--but not forgotten--since the early 2000s. The 100-year-old structure still cuts an imposing and impressive figure against the Amarillo skyline. The building serves as a cornerstone memory for many Amarillo natives--the place where life begun (or came to an end).

But for decades, the old St. Anthony's hospital has remained under careful surveillance, and not many know what now lies within. In July 2021, local artist and photographer, Ian Watson, was granted full access to the abandoned hospital--his photos offer an intimate and stark look at the legendary landmark of St. Anthony's as it stands now.

Gallery Credit: Sarah Clark

Check Out These Photos Of Ghost Towns On The High Plains

Ghost towns dot the landscape of the Texas panhandle, Western Oklahoma, and the Oklahoma panhandle. The best part? They're all within driving distance. Go take a look for yourself.

Gallery Credit: Charlie Hardin

Filed Under: haunted houses