Dark Night Halloween World Returns to Long Island with More Scares, Mazes, and AI Technology

Dark Night Halloween World (Farmingville, NY), Long Island’s Haunted pop-up event, is returning to the Bald Hill Amphitheater starting on Friday, October 13th. The event will run every Friday – Sunday through Halloween, as well as a family-friendly daytime Fall Fest on Saturdays.

Dark Night Halloween World opened in 2021, providing Long Island with a retro Halloween experience. After substantial investment, the 2023 event will feature more mazes, scareactors, and ‘scare-zones.’ “Even as we expand the event as a whole, we haven’t lost sight of the ‘flesh and bones’ of the event, which are the haunted attractions,” adds Co-Owner & Marketing Director Aidan P. Finnegan. “So not only will visitors get to experience more haunted mazes and special effects than anywhere else in the area, but if visitors want a fun Halloween experience with less emphasis on ‘super scary’ – they’ll get that too. We are excited to bring a large event to Long Island that truly offers something scary – or spooky – for everyone.”

Dark Night Halloween World seeks to collaborate with new creators, performers, artists, vendors, and attractions as they expand their Halloween festival. “We’re opening the doors for artists, brands, and businesses to create their own opportunities at our event; even other haunted attractions in the area can participate!” said Mort Spuccenskrëm, Co-Owner of Dark Night Halloween World. Tickets will go on sale this summer via the event’s official website. 

Dark Night Halloween World is embracing new technology by becoming the first haunted attraction designed and managed by A.I. “Instead of letting [AI] beat us, why not use it as the tool it was intended for?” Said Aidan. “This will not only help us create our marketing and advertising, the experience and design of the event… But also to manage and operate it. Between our top-of-the-line security force, our animatronics, and our staff’s decision to be microchipped to be fully integrated into our A.I system, what could go wrong? This is going to scare the pants off Long Island and the world!” added Mort

After 22 Years, Fear Fair in Indiana will close permanently. In a statement released on Facebook, the haunt announced, “We are unable to secure liability insurance going forward and must cease operations. Last October, an unauthorized climber escaped the notice of Midway staff and fell from our rock climbing wall, sustaining injuries. She has filed suit and despite a 22 year spotless record with not a single insurance claim our carrier dropped us and after applying with numerous carriers we have exhausted all options and are unable to secure coverage that would enable us to reopen.
It has been an honor to be a part of the Halloween traditions of Southern Indiana residents for 22 years and we are proud of our accomplishments within the haunted attraction industry. Current plans are to liquidate the assets of the attraction to create a fund benefitting Jackson County Indiana Fire and Law Enforcement agencies on a continuing basis.  Further announcements soon as we finalize plans to wind up operations.”

The Springfield City Council unanimously voted to repeal the bill declaring the use of eminent domain on The Hotel of Terror (Springfield, MO) after a successful campaign by the haunt’s supporters. Negotiations will continue between Hotel of Terror owner Sterling Mathis and the city, which hopes to purchase the building and demolish it to widen and fix the city’s Main Street Bridge. The city had previously offered Mathis $550,000 for the property. At the May 9th City Council meeting, Mathis said that he expects $1.5-$2 million would be needed to move the haunt to another location. “I have been more than willing to move it. But I can’t go bankrupt to do it,” Mathis told the council. If negotiations break down again, City Council can reintroduce and pass another eminent domain bill. Both sides hope to come to an amicable resolution.

Haunters Against Hate founder Paul Lanner discussed protecting LGBTQ youth in a recent article in Bear World Magazine. Lanner recently won Blurb’s Up in Lights contest with “The Book of Haunters Volume 9”. The grand prize was that he and his book were promoted on a digital billboard in Times Square. In the interview, Lanner discusses the history and future of HAH, as well as the connection between horror/haunt/goth culture and the LGBTQ community. While there will not be a Haunters Against Hate event in 2023, the event will return in 2024and HAH will be represented at Carolina Fear Fest this month, Midwest Haunters Convention in June, and Texas Haunters Convention in July.