Anna Camp is putting on her hosting shoes for HGTV’s spooky new series A Very Haunted Renovation. The show features six designers tasked with renovating the haunted Bihl Manor while living in it for 31 days.
“I’ve been approached to host other things and do other reality TV projects, but I just never felt like it was something that I really wanted to watch,” Camp told TV Insider. “And then when HGTV came to me with this, I was like, ”I’m so in. I’m so down.’ I love anything spooky, scary. I believe in ghosts, own multiple Ouija boards.”
It didn’t take long for Camp and the contestants to really get a taste of what goes down at Bihl Manor. The actress revealed that she had a possible ghost encounter on the very first day of filming.
“Every time I mentioned the word ‘ghosts’ or ‘haunting,’ the power would go out in the control room,” she dished. “Every single time. And the director would come up to me and she’d be like, ‘It’s every time you say the word ‘ghosts,’ we lose power.’ So [the ghosts] were totally messing with us.”
Below (and in the video above), Anna shares more about her time on A Very Haunted Renovation and breaks down what to expect from the show.
Talk a little bit about the premise of the show. Why does this house need such a major renovation?
Anna Camp: So this is Bihl Manor. It is a very old, beautiful home in a very tiny town called Fremont, Ohio, known for its paranormal activity. So ghost hunters have been there before. It was an Airbnb that you could rent out so you could just stay there and get scared. I wouldn’t want to do that, but there are certain people that would. So it’s been known to be just a very incredibly haunted place. And these designers have to renovate each room by room in teams, and they also have to keep the lore of the house and the history of the house. They’re not making it a brand new, modern home by any means. They’re respecting the history of the home and the stories and the ghosts that possibly still haunt. So it’s just a really cool and creative and scary and spooky and very funny show.
HGTV
What is your history with design and renovation? Do you have any kind of ties to that?
I’ve always been a fan of architecture. I actually live in Palm Springs and I own a mid-century modern home. So I’ve always been excited to learn about the history of a home. I’m not the biggest fan of modern architecture. I love things that are old and have character and history behind them. I grew up in South Carolina. Charleston, South Carolina, one of the most haunted cities in all of America, which I hope A Very Haunted Renovation goes to next. I think that that would be fantastic. But yeah, I’ve always just had a very respect for design and a curiosity about it. I haven’t done any of the work, but I’ve renovated a couple rooms and homes before. And just the attention to detail that designers have to have to make things special, I think that’s something that I’m really drawn to.
Were you more drawn to the renovation part or the spooky part? What do you think really drew you in the most?
Both. That’s the thing. I was just in awe of the time crunch that these designers are under and the things that they had to do. I mean, they’re working on the ceiling, the floor, they had to make a speakeasy in the attic. I mean, the outdoor … the porch is huge. And just the amount of things that they had to do in the time and also make it beautiful and elegant. All of it was great. And just the fact that they were being scared every single night trying to sleep there. They were always teasing me. They were like, “Don’t you want to spend the night with us, Anna? Don’t you want to come hang out with us, Anna? Come on.” And I would be like, “No, I’m going to go back to, actually, my haunted Airbnb in Port Clinton, Ohio.” So … no. It was really, really, really fun and I just am thrilled to have been a part of it.
What can you tease about some of the things they experienced in the house?
I would see footage from the night before where they would come in and show me and I’d be like, “You guys rigged that. I know you rigged that.” And they’re like, “No, we didn’t rig anything.” And the designers are screaming and it gives me chills because when you walk into that home, you really do feel like someone is watching you and you feel the history of it. And there’s so many people that had died there. I think it used to be an orphanage back in the day for children. I mean, the stories about this place are pretty creepy and crazy.
What can you say about the guest judges that came in and what they brought to the table?
Oh my gosh. I mean, just every time each one walked in, they would have the same experience that we did when we walked in. Billy Porter was one of my favorite judges. Eli Roth, we love the horror director. Elvira herself was also a judge and felt everything. They just felt everything and it was so fun and crazy to see how they got chills too.
You mentioned before you’re hoping that the show would go to Charleston if it comes back for another season. So would you be interested in coming back to host again?
Yeah, I would love to. I love learning about haunted homes and towns and just seeing these … I mean, these designers are so talented, so it’s really exciting to see the transformation of a home that really, really needs it. And I hope the ghosts approve.
What is the goal for the finished product now? Is it just meant for people to come visit? Is someone going to live there?
I don’t know. The owner has to decide what they want to do with it. I hope that they keep it an Airbnb. I think it would be much more posh now. People could sleep there 1789498730, because it kind of smelled pretty bad when you walked in [before]. So now I think it would be great for people to come rent it out and stay there for a night or two and experience the ghosts that haunt Bihl Manor.
HGTV
What was it like stepping into the hosting role? It’s a little bit different from what you’re used to in acting.
It’s weird, I’m not going to lie. I’ve never done it before, but it was really, really fun. I think I had to get used to the earwig and them telling me what to do, and then I just want to talk to people and say things and they’d be like, “Anna, Anna, hold back, hold back.” And so I’d have to stop myself. But it was really fun because the director, Sarah, is incredible and we became such a team together. And so I got to really relax into it. And by the end, I really enjoyed it. So, I hope that we get picked up for a second season.
Do you have any other HGTV shows that you watch? Any guilty pleasures?
I love Rock the Block. And Michel Smith Boyd, who is our mentor and guest judge, he’s phenomenal. And so I just learned so much from watching him and how he talked to the designers and Love It or List It. I love that one, too. Yeah.
Well, with the theme of the show being haunted houses, Halloween’s coming up, what are your plans?
I think I’m working. I’m going to be a character on stage in a play in New York, but it’s also a thriller. So, it’s a ghost play. It’s called 2:22 at the Lucille Lortel Theatre, and we have our first preview October 20, and it’s very spooky and very scary. So, that’s what I’ll be doing on Halloween night.
A Very Haunted Renovation, Series Premiere, Tuesday, September 15, 8/7c, HGTV
This story originally appeared on TV Insider
