The Blood Center on Canal Street announced a partnership with The Mortuary Haunted House to encourage locals to donate blood. Just in time for Halloween season, blood donors who make donations at the haunted house – also on Canal Street – will receive a free express admission pass that covers the donor’s entry to the haunted house and allows up the three guests to cut the line with them.

Running until October 31, this offer is a great chance for lovers of all things bloody to do something good while also basking in the downright terrifying. Located at 4800 Canal St., The Mortuary Haunted House is Louisiana’s only real haunted house that has been verified as being actually haunted, according to the Blood Center. Over 100 actors and set designers spend upwards of six weeks getting the 19th century mansion and former funeral home up and running for Halloween season, and the work has paid off. The History Channel, Fuse, and Discovery Channel have all run special segments on the New Orleans’ haunt.

The Blood Center serves over 40 hospitals in the region and relies in part on donations made at the haunted house as a supply for emergencies. In order to be a donor, you must be in good health, weigh a minimum of 110 pounds and be at least 17. However, 16-year-olds can donate if they weigh over 130 and have a signed consent form from a parent or legal guardian. According to the Center, between 300-350 pints of blood must be collected daily to maintain a healthy and stable community blood supply, and the process is safe and simple. Just one pint of donated blood can save up to three lives.

For more information, folks can visit www.thebloodcenter.org or call (800) 86-BLOOD. Happy haunting!