Haunted Attraction Network

Read the news here. This week: Creep it Real Festive is this weekend; IAAPA Expo Adds Halloween "Haunting Grounds" area; Fear Expo & HAuNTcon announce closure; OSCARES Nominations close Dec 15th; Denton Celebrates "31 Days of Denton Halloween" initiative; Hysterium Haunted Asylum's Krampusnacht is Dec 5th; After canceling Halloween celebrations, Tokyo’s Shibuya neighborhood has announced they will not hold a New Year's Eve celebration.

Read the news here. This week's news: 85 Haunts Nationwide will open this December; Six Flags considers closing select theme parks; Danse Macabre opens at Efteling; New Villains Land Details; Egan Escape Productions revamps The Official SAW Escape; Doncaster Fear Factory faces opposition from local council; Spirit Christmas stores to open in the Northeast U.S.

Read the news here. Universal Destinations & Experiences announces the first four haunts coming to Universal Horror Unleashed in Las Vegas; Take a sneak peak at the new animatronics for Monsters Unchained: The Frankenstein Experiment at Universal Epic Universe; Transworld's Legendary Haunt Tour takes place this week; The Haunted Attraction Association will host a C.H.A.O.S. certification course before the Legendary Haunt Tour; Everhaunt will host three Behind the Screams Tours on November 16th; Ghoul Brothers Haunted House is being forced to close after losing their long-term venue; Hundred of revelers in Dublin, Ireland lined up on October 31st for a much-anticipated Halloween parade that didn't actually exist. 

Universal promises 2025 will be its biggest year ever, but are those promises genuine or distractions covering up declining park revenue? This week saw two major announcements from Universal. First, Universal’s new experiment in year-round horror, Universal Horror Unleashed, will open in Las Vegas next year – the same year as Universal’s new Epic Universe theme park. Next, Universal released information surrounding the animatronics coming to Monsters Unchained: The Frankenstein Experiment at Universal’s Epic Universe in Orlando. However, Comcast posted a 5.3% decline in theme park revenue for the third quarter, citing lower attendance at domestic parks. This episode discusses what these reveals mean for Universal’s strategy, attendance trends, and how the new Vegas location could attract horror fans year-round. Listen to weekly BONUS episodes on our Patreon. 

Discover how Maan Farms in Abbotsford, Canada, transformed Halloween from a simple corn maze in 2013 into one of Canada’s largest multi-attraction events. In this episode, Farmer Amir Maan shares the family’s journey, diving into the design of their signature attractions—The Slaughterhouse, The Way Down, and Homestead—and how each offers a unique level of terror. We explore the farm’s evolution and different businesses, balancing tradition with innovation and the strategic decisions behind their Halloween event’s explosive growth. Join us to uncover the business and creativity fueling the scariest corn maze in Canada.

This week's headlines: 200+ disruptive teens cause closer of Haunted Hayride; Shanghai police crackdown on Halloween celebrations; University poll says kids should stop trick-or-treating at 13; "Insidious: The Further You Fear" to visit 80 theaters in 2025; "The House on Watch Hill" extends through November 2024; Vendor applications now open for Midsummer Scream; 8 eco-friendly ways to dispose of your pumpkin after Halloween. Read the newsletter here.

We're sharing this special from our sister podcast: Green Tagged. Get Weekly bonus episodes of Green Tagged on our Patreon. We dive into Fun.com’s costume data to see how IP-driven favorites like Ghostbusters, Beetlejuice, and Inside Out define the season, showing Halloween’s unique synergy across homes, media, and theme parks. We then delve into recent haunt visits: Scott’s behind-the-scenes look at Netherworld’s stellar operations and Philip’s trip to Dark at Fort Edmonton, exploring how the event has expanded.

Get an exclusive look into the different offerings from Thirteenth Floor Entertainment Group during this presentation from Midsummer Scream! NOTE: this originally aired during Midsummer Scream, and I forgot to post this earlier!

This week: New Zombie Stunt Experience Debuts at HHN Japan; Halloween Wars: Theme Parks Are Fighting for Bigger Share of Scream Economy from The Hollywood Reporter; A Haunting in Hollis shut down by NYFD; 12-year-old boy passed away after being run over by a hay ride tractor at The Haunted Hilltop; The Sunset Strip's Afterlife Transfer Trolley; ScareHouse returns in 2024 with experiences; TransWorld's Legacy Haunt Tour is Nov 8-9; Tickets are now on sale for TransWorld's Halloween & Attractions Show. Read the stories here.

ScareHouse Windsor in Windsor, Canada, offers guests full-themed dinners before the haunt opens. For an additional charge, guests can arrive 90 mins early and enjoy a three-course themed dinner, complete with live actors, before getting expedited entry into the three haunts at Scarehouse Windsor. Today – I speak with Co-Owners Shawn Lippert and Dario Silvaggi about these dinners and how they fit into the haunted attraction. Watch my walkthrough of the dinner and haunt here.