11/06/2025
Very sad news from the weekend. Erebus is a legendary regional haunt. Our thoughts are with his family and friends.
We share with deep sadness and profound loss the passing of Ed Terebus.
Edward Terebus was bigger than life. He was an innovator, a showman, a storyteller, a visionary, an icon, a friend to all, a loving family man, and a prolific businessman.
Nearly 26 years ago, Ed and his brother Jim took a four-story abandoned building in Pontiac, Michigan, and created Erebus Haunted Attraction, one of the most renowned haunted attractions in the world. For close to a decade, Erebus held the Guinness World Record for the longest walk-through haunted attraction. And, for over twenty years, it has consistently been ranked and listed as one of the top thirteen haunted attractions in the world.
Ed and Jim led the way in elevating the experience of visiting a haunted attraction. He and Jim worked on Erebus year-round to create and constantly reinvent the ultimate spine-tingling experience for over a million guests – some of whom have wimped out, peed their pants, lost their shoes and teeth and car keys and wallets and paychecks and eyeglasses and wigs and nearly anything else one can imagine, and those brave enough to traverse all four floors and make it out on the other side. They would spend months mapping and planning out every detail, new experiences, sections, and innovations at Erebus, raising the bar with elaborate set designs, innovative special effects, animatronics, the costume and makeup design, the scare school they developed for their actors, and their innate talent of dissecting and delving into the psychology of the scare. His and Jim’s vision and work, and that of the hundreds of individuals who annually and year-round helped bring those visions to life, creating a multi-sensory technological and immersive experience viewed as some of the finest in the industry.
For many in the haunt industry, Ed and Jim created a haunt that could scare the haunters. Many in the industry from around the world traveled to Pontiac, Michigan, to experience Erebus and consult with Ed and Jim. The four-story building that houses Erebus has been documented by paranormal investigators, scientific studies related to fear, featured in books, docuseries, and legend for the unexplained paranormal experiences that occur year-round in nearly every square inch of the building.
From the start, it was important to Ed to give back and share. He founded the annual seasonal magazine Fear Finder not only to promote Erebus but also the other haunted attractions that helped cement Southeast Michigan as the haunted attraction capital of the world. Ed and Jim have been integral in elevating the haunt industry through America Haunts, of which Erebus is a founding member.
Erebus is more than two brothers with a vision. It was and is a family affair from its extended family of employees, and a next generation of Terebus family members working in the business. In addition to Erebus, Ed and Jim, with Jim’s sons and the extended Erebus family, built out and opened Erebus Escape, a multi-floor and multi-room escape room complex. Ed had also spent years with his close friend and key member of the Erebus family and team, Steve Shipp, to recently open Mythos Museum of Oddities and Curiosities, which Steve curates and chronicles Steve’s life-long eclectic discoveries and collections, as well as many collections Ed amassed during his lifetime.
Starting at the beginning of each haunt season, residents of Southeast Michigan see the night sky lit up with spotlights and know that all paths lead to Erebus. As we honor Ed, and all that he, Jim, the Terebus and Erebus family have built, the night skies will fill with light, and all paths will lead to Erebus for our 26th season.
