LAURENS COUNTY, S.C. (WSPA) – Two friends have combined their passion for haunted houses to bring back an beloved haunt in Laurens County.

“It’s really something we’ve always wanted to do. We like Halloween, the atmosphere and everything that comes from it, having people come through and getting people together to have fun,” said Johnny Wooten who, with Jamies Bailey, proudly reopened the Joanna Haunted Hospital last week.

Located at 212 State Road S-30-139, the haunted hospital isn’t just a name or a theme for a fun haunt – Joanna Haunted Hospital is built inside of a former hospital building.

“Back in the 60’s and 70’s it was a real, running hospital, and the inside still looks like a real hospital,” said Wooten. “And I think that really adds to it. The surgery rooms, the delivery rooms, still look like it did when it was a hospital, and that just sets off the feel for it when you see it.”

The knowledge the place used to be a real medical facility, one where people were saved, but also died, adds an extra “creep factor” to the haunt, Wooten said.

“Pretty much just the atmosphere is one of the biggest creep factors of the whole thing. We’ve built some tunnels and some other eye-catching things in there,” he said. “There’s some spots you’re walking through is pitch black and the only way to get through is touching the wall. That and the aesthetic of it being an old hospital, all of that, it just has a natural creepiness to it.”

The old hospital was previously run as a haunted attraction but shut down in 2011.

The absence of the old favorite has left a void in his community, Wooten said.

 “Our community doesn’t do a lot of big events, so it’s something to get people back together, to know each other and have a good time,” he said.

So far, community response to the haunt has been positive. The first Saturday back open, the hospital stayed packed from the time the doors opened until midnight.

Joanna Haunted Hospital is open every weekend through Halloween. For more information about Joanna Haunted Pyramid, including hours and other information, click here.