Haunted Attraction Network

Carnage Haunted House in Columbus Ohio started in 2017, and things were going well. So well, the team decided to get a larger building. They found an old bowling alley and began converting it, but turns out that’s a little tougher than it seemed at first. Then the pandemic came along, and slowed everything to a crawl. So finally, after two seasons of delays, Carnage Haunted House is previewing their new space next weekend. Coming up on today’s show- now that their reopening is so close, Mia and Jason discuss what they have planned and what the last two years was like. http://carnagehauntedhouse.com/

David Fachman, owner of The Scarefactory, Inc. plead guity to one count of willful failure to pay over tax to the Internal Revenue Service (IRS). According to court documents, for at least four years, Fachman withheld and collected the trust fund portion of the employment taxes from his employees’ paychecks but failed to file timely and to remit the payment to the IRS. In total, Fachman failed to pay over employee and employer federal employment taxes totaling $547,854.73.

Black Orchard Haunted House has teamed up with Sindicate Haunted House Group, The Scare Factor, Team Zombillies Haunt Reviews, and DJ Fear to present the Pre-Season Summer Monster Bash on July 23rd-24th. Kick off the Halloween season with food, games, music, and a visit to Black Orchard Haunted House. Tickets are now on sale starting at $25 for a single-night ticket or $40 for both nights.

For the first time ever, Howl-O-Scream heads to SeaWorld San Diego on select nights from September 17th - October 31st. The event will feature 3 haunted houses - The Asylum, The Slaughterhouse, and Death Water Bayou - 7 scare zones, 4 roaming haunts, a high-energy dance show, DJs, and more. Guests who are 21+ can toast the terror with creepy cocktails at uniquely themed haunted bars around the park.

SeaWorld San Diego's family-friendly SeaWorld Spooktacular will also return this year on weekends from September 18th - October 31st. Guests of all ages can enjoy spooky stories, a Halloween dance party, a trick-or-treat trail, and moments with their favorite Sesame Street friends.

Spirit Halloween is counting down to the start of their Halloween shopping season with a new web page and teaser video. Based on the countdown, we can expect Spirit Halloween announcements to begin around July 14th.

The dates and location for Son of Monsterpalooza 2021 have been announced: October 8th - 10th at the Los Angeles Marriott Burbank Hotel & Convention Center. With a focus on special effects makeup, masks, and creature designs, this autumn offshoot of the popular Monsterpalooza Spring convention features over 150 vendors, special exhibits, celebrity guests, makeup demos, and more.

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This week: American cancels hundreds of flights; Knoebels and Seaworld Orlando add incentive programs for new hires; Disney resumes college program in time for 50th anniversary; Royal Caribbean discourages unvaccinated guests from sailing.

This week we’re following up on trends impacting the day to day and the near future. Stories covered: California is reopen; prices for travel services are surging; Universal opened sales for HHN30; the Boo Bash is selling out; Midsummer Scream’s Awaken the Spirits; Dorney reduces summer days due to staffing shortage; and Universal hints at the future of Epic Universe.

In celebration of the event's 30th anniversary, Jack the Clown is returning to Orlando's Universal Studios Halloween Horror Nights. The iconic character will be featured throughout the event - from the streets to the haunted houses and more. Visitors will also be able to get a closer look at Jack's past HHN appearances at a limited-time "Jack'd Up" experience, which will take place at Universal's Cabana Bay Beach Resort. Along with this character announcement, Universal released an in-depth interview with Senior Director of Creative Development Michael Aiello and James Keaton, the performer who has embodied Jack since the start.

The House of Horrors and Haunted Catacombs has decided to bring its 35-year reign of horror in Buffalo, New York to an abrupt end after losing its location. Fans are invited to experience the event a final time at their "One Last Scare" event June 25th - 26th. Tickets range from $29.99 - $59.99 and are on sale now.

Due to the popularity of Walt Disney World's Boo Bash after hours event, five additional Sundays from September 5th - October 17th have been added. Halloween night sold out before the event even opened to the general public and two more nights broke the 80% sold out threshold as of Thursday, June 17th.

In the fall of 2022 families will be able to celebrate Halloween at sea with the Disney Cruise Line's Halloween on the High Seas. The spooky seafaring jubilee will include Mickey's Mouse-querade costume party, Tim Burton's The Nightmare Before Christmas Sing and Scream, Halloween treats, themed decor, and other Halloween activities. Cruises depart from Florida, New York, Texas, and California. Bookings open to the public on June 24th, 2021.

The producers of Midsummer Scream have announced a surprise pop-up event at the Pasadena Convention Center taking place the weekend of August 14th – 15th, 2021. Awaken the Spirits! will feature over 200 spooky vendors, live entertainment, and a presentation stage where fans will get sneak peaks of what’s in store for Halloween 2021 from LA Haunted Hayride, Delusion, Six Flags Magic Mountain, Winchester Mystery House, and more. Tickets are now on sale.

Members of the Derry and Strabane District Council voted on Tuesday to approve the overall budget and procurement arrangements for the annual Halloween festival, Awakening the Walled City. The festival will take place on October 29th - 31st in a revised format subject to COVID regulations at the time of the event. As the traditional carnival parade has been deemed "too high risk" to take place in 2021, this year's event will feature an illuminated trail with installations, inflatables, displays, and animations highlighted in themed zones. New for 2021 - one themed zone is planned to be located across the border in the Republic of Ireland.
SoCal event listings provided by Josh at SoCalloween909.
This episode is sponsored by Gantom Lighting & Controls. Register for a free demo and designer consultation at: http://gantom.com/demo
Want more haunt goodness? Try out our partner station podcasts: Hauntopic Radio, ScareTrack, and A Scott in the Dark.

The Dent Schoolhouse in Cincinnati Ohio is celebrating their 25th anniversary this Halloween. But after pivoting to open during the pandemic, the team is busy deciding what’s going to go and what’s going to stay. These are the conversations happening all around the country as haunts begin auditioning, and they’re big decisions even without a 25th anniversary.
Lucky for you, we have an insider at this haunt. Coming up on today’s show, Max takes a break from building the haunt to discuss the upcoming season plans with one of the owners – Bud Stross.
The Dent Schoolhouse is online at: https://frightsite.com/
This episode is sponsored by Gantom Lighting & Controls. Register for a free demo and designer consultation at: http://gantom.com/demo
Want more haunt goodness? Try out our partner station podcasts: Hauntopic Radio, ScareTrack, and A Scott in the Dark.

Haunted Calgary has launched a creative service to celebrate Father's Day, "Creepy Character Deliveries". Surprise your dad with a signature Haunted Calgary creepy character delivering a gift directly to his front door. Packages range from $50 - $100 - with a basic package offering a dozen donuts, a card, and a "disturbing diddy" sung by a scareactor. With the VIP package, your creepy character will even show up in a real Cadillac hearse. This opportunity is currently only open to residents in the Canadian cities of Calgary or Airdrie.

A new terror has surfaced at SeaWorld Orlando with Howl-O-Scream coming to the park for 27 select nights between September 10th - October 31st. This separately ticketed event will feature haunted houses, scare zones, a musical dance show, and other spooky activities. The event mirrors the name of the popular Busch Gardens event, also operated by SeaWorld Parks & Entertainment. Guests will be able to buy a combo ticket to visit both Howl-O-Scream events. SeaWorld Orlando will also retain the daytime, family-friendly Spooktacular event, which starts on September 18th.

Lionsgate has once again partnered with Egan Escape Productions in Las Vegas for "Escape the Blair Witch". This summer, brave souls will be able to immerse themselves in the terrifying world of The Blair Witch Project franchise in this theatrical-quality escape room. The attraction will be co-located with the teams' other joint production, The Official SAW Escape: Las Vegas.

Alton Towers Resort has confirmed the return of Scarefest for the upcoming Halloween season. Scarefest features multiple scare mazes, rides in the dark, a family-friendly "Freaky Fun Zone", The Alton Towers Dungeon, and more. The event will run October 8th-10th & 15th -31st; day passes start at £38 per person.

Elvira is celebrating Pride Month in style with her new Pride collection. The Elvira x Pride exclusives feature t-shirts, mugs, magnets, and more. She has also teamed up with Kreepsville 666 to create a new Pride-themed t-shirt, enamel pin, tank top, and fan. 13% of all proceeds will be donated to the Los Angeles LGBT Center.

Three organizers from The Hidden Haunted Attraction in East Liverpool, Ohio are giving back to the Tri-State area through the Tri-State Trillium Foundation (T.S.T.F.) Scholarship Awards. In 2020, Christopher Pritt, Dawne Bednarek, and Debra Smith, founded the T.S.T.F. to recognize students in Ohio, West Virginia, or Pennsylvania who have impacted their communities through volunteering. The foundation has just awarded its first three recipients and applications for Class of 2022 seniors will be available soon. The Hidden Haunted Attraction is the T.S.T.F's main fundraiser. It had a record season in 2020 with close to 3,000 attendees during the haunt season.

Get ready to peak beyond the magic of Disney Parks around the world in the new Disney+ series Behind the Attraction. Each episode will feature the creative process behind different Disney Park favorites - including how Imagineers filled the Haunted Mansion with 999 happy haunts and the ups and downs of creating the gravity-defying Twilight Zone Tower of Terror. All 10 episodes will be available to stream on July 16th.

Quick Hits, a roundup of some of the new experiences catching our attention, and a discussion on app extensions.

Stories: Spain reopens borders to vaccinated tourists; Walt Disney World makes masks optional for guests effective June 15; Fantawild opens new Glorious Orient park in Ganzhou; Cedar Point opens Snake River Expedition; Hasbro unveils new Monopoly experience set to open in London; Musion delivers world's first hologram dining experience; Maya Hawke’s ‘Stranger Things’ Character Robin is Getting a Scripted Podcast and Novel Prequel; Youseum opens TikTok museum at Westfield in the Netherlands

The Haunted Attraction Association Online Auction kicks off on Wednesday, June 9th. Like the annual in-person auction at Transworld's Halloween & Attractions show, this online auction will feature a variety of fantastic products from HAA preferred vendors. The auction will raise money for the HAA to provide members with an array of benefits.

The next Haunt Master Masterclass is “Music, Sound, & Story” with renowned composer Chris Thomas. The class will be held live on June 15th from 7:30-9. Learn "How to use all 3 elements in your attraction to create a memorable atmosphere." This masterclass is included in your Haunt Master membership, with recordings available after the session.

Funko, the company known for their collectible vinyl pop figures, is now branching out into Halloween costumes. These new masks are modeled after their signature vinyl figures. Designs include Pennywise, Batman, Stay Puff (from Ghostbusters), and more.

More details have been announced for Walt Disney World's Disney After Hours Boo Bash. This new Halloween event will feature special character cavalcades throughout the evening including "Mickey’s Happy Halloween Cavalcade", "Disney Villains Halloween Cavalcade", "Jack's Nightmare Cavalcade" (The Nightmare Before Christmas), and Maleficent as a fire-breathing dragon. Guests can visit some of their favorite characters dressed in their Halloween finest and spot some rare characters like Miss Carlotta at the Haunted Mansion. The Cadaver Dans will also make an appearance. Tickets will go on sale June 15th.

Busch Gardens announced that Howl-O-Scream will return for 2021 with eight scare zones and five haunted houses - including two new houses. Killer entertainment can be found on stage with “Fiends!” returning to the Festival Field and “The Rolling Bones” performing electrifying rock covers at Dragon Fire Grill. Attendees can also ride their favorite Busch Gardens rides in the dark. Howl-O-Scream is a separately ticketed event taking place on select nights from September 10th - October 31st. Tickets are on sale now.

Terror on the Coast will host its first casting call of the season on Saturday, June 5th. They are looking for people with unique talents that have a passion for scaring others. First-time scareactors through seasoned performers are welcome to audition.

With COVID restrictions lessening, Halloweentown at St. Helens, Oregon plans to return in full force for 2021. The event will feature four new attractions this year - Whispers in the Woods (a scavenger hunt for hidden painted faces within trees around the city), The Art of Wade Lapp’s “Walk With Pumpkins” (a shuttle out to Sand Island for another Halloween themed scavenger hunt), the Pumpkin King Tunnel (a laser light show tunnel leading to a 20 foot Pumpkin King statue), and the Dark Market (a Halloween-themed shop that opened in May). Returning favorites include the Haunted Hotel Haunted House, Museum Of Peculiarities And Oddities, and more. Tickets are currently on sale and the event runs September 18th - October 31st.

Scott is joined by special guest Spencer Terry, the president of the Haunted Attraction Association, to discuss the changes planned for the HAA in the future.