By NEAL WAGNER / City Editor

When Jason Sills saw the vacant former Marvin’s hardware store building on Lee Street in Pelham, he knew he had found the perfect location for his haunted house this year.

“That building fits what we are trying to do perfectly,” Sills said.

Sills and the other employees at the upcoming Warehouse 31 haunted house currently are working to transform the former hardware store and lumber yard into a terrifying treat for locals looking for a good scare this Halloween season. On Sept. 27, the attraction will go live, giving spectators a chance to traverse a couple of haunted attractions tailor-made to the venue.

Warehouse 31 will be the most recent incarnation of haunted houses for Sills and his team. For the past few years, the crew has been operating a seasonal haunted house in St. Augustine, Fla., where they met with great success.

“We spent a lot of money, opened the doors and did great. We did it for three years down there,” said Sills, who has a lengthy background in entertainment production.

But living in Birmingham and traveling to St. Augustine presented high travel expenses for Sills and his team, prompting a big decision after last year’s Halloween season concluded.

“We decided we were either going to take (the haunted house) here or we were going to move to Florida,” Sills said. “One thing led to another, and then we packed up nine tractor trailers and moved the haunted house to Pelham. “

Warehouse 31 will be open from Sept. 27-Nov. 2, and will offer visitors two choices of terror trails: “Rigamortis” and “3D Clown Nightmare.”

Rigamortis will offer a traditional haunted house trail experience, taking visitors through a creepy library, a funeral parlor and an abandoned hospital. The 3D Clown Nightmare will feature a plethora of fear-inducing artwork and maniac clowns on the loose.

While visitors are waiting to enter the building, Warehouse 31 will offer a “Monster Midway” in the former Marvin’s lumber yard, featuring food, beverages and classic horror movies.

“It’s definitely going to be a lot of fun,” Sills said. “Birmingham is definitely a haunted house market.”

For more information, visit Warehouse31.com.