HOUSE ON HAUNTED HILL
Playwright/Director
MICHAEL SUSKO is a New York–based director and playwright (and lifelong William Castle fan) with over 50 professional credits spanning dramatic and musical theater. His notable directing work includes Off-Broadway’s The Bigot (Theatre at St. Clement’s) and acclaimed regional productions at Arkansas Shakespeare Theatre and Casa Mañana. A multiple Moss Hart Memorial Award winner, Michael brings a high-caliber, award-winning vision to every production.
As a writer, Michael is the originating artist and playwright of HOUSE ON HAUNTED HILL, currently in development for an Off-Broadway production. His writing has earned national recognition, including a Top Ten Finalist placement at the ScreenCraft Stage Play Competition and Best Unproduced Feature Screenplay at the New York City Horror Film Festival. Michael holds an MFA in Playwriting from Goddard College and a BFA from The Boston Conservatory.
Member of SDC, Dramatists’ Guild, AEA, and SAG-AFTRA.
William Castle
The King of Gimmicks:
The "Abominable Showman" of horror, William Castle, didn't just direct movies—he engineered theatrical traps. Famous for flying skeletons over audiences in House on Haunted Hill and wiring theater seats to shock patrons, Castle turned every screening into a high-stakes carnival of gimmicks where your life was "insured" against being frightened to death.
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In the tradition of the legendary William Castle, House on Haunted Hill is designed as more than a play—it is a live experience. We are bringing the 'gimmick' back to the stage, updated for a modern audience that craves visceral, high-stakes immersion.
