The Haunted Attraction Association (HAA) is the haunted attraction industry’s only official nonprofit membership organization, open to haunt owners and operators, vendors, home haunters, actors, makeup artists, and enthusiasts. Its mission is “to protect, promote and educate our worldwide network of haunted attractions, vendors, artists and enthusiasts.”
HAA formed in 2011 when the International Association of Haunted Attractions, founded in 1998, merged with the Haunted House Association, founded in 2008. An elected board of directors runs it, led by president Ben Gagne, owner of Thirteenth Hour in Indianapolis, and members meet each spring at TransWorld’s Halloween & Attractions Show in St. Louis.
HAA’s fact sheet estimates nearly 4,300 haunted attractions operate worldwide, from home and charity haunts to theme park events, with about 2-3% of them outside the United States. Nearly 1,800 charge admission, and the rest are home, charity, or nonprofit haunts.
Haunted Attraction Network is an HAA member, and I produce the OSCARES ceremony with HAA.
HAA’s Main Programs
HAA’s programs follow its mission: protect covers safety training and crisis support, promote covers awards and publicity for members, and educate covers seminars, handbooks, and video tutorials on a members-only site.
The OSCARES
HAA presents the OSCARES each spring at TransWorld’s Halloween & Attractions Show in St. Louis, where it “rolls out the black carpet and recognizes attraction owners, vendors, and others who have excelled in our industry.” HAA posted its winners from 2008 to 2022 as images on its website, and I’ve reported the winners since 2023, so every year from 2008 is below. I’ve produced the ceremony with HAA since 2024, and in 2026 I co-produced it with HAA board member Ashley Long.
The 2027 awards are self-nominated, a change HAA’s 2026-2029 strategic plan set out. HAA’s form says judges “rely heavily on video content and written responses,” and managers may nominate people who work for them. The 10 categories:
- Haunted Attraction of the Year
- Vendor of the Year
- Home Haunt of the Year
- Actor of the Year
- Creative Production
- The WOW Factor
- Best Off-Season Event
- Best F&B and/or Merch Experience
- Special Recognition
- Lifetime Achievement
The form asks whether the nominee is an HAA member and C.H.A.O.S. certified, and whether they will attend TransWorld to accept. HAA’s events page has the nomination link.
2026 OSCARES Winners
First-Year Attraction
Imminent Doom Haunted House
Conner Beets’s haunt in Kilgore, Texas, which grew out of the multi-room haunts he built in his grandparents’ boathouse.
Established Attraction
Milltown Haunt
Sarah and GG Gregg’s haunt on nearly 13 acres of working farmland in Lovettsville, Virginia, built starting in 2023.
Legacy Attraction
Markoff’s Haunted Forest
A three-quarter-mile candlelit trail through 26 scenes in Dickerson, Maryland, which started in 1992 as a haunted school bus.
First-Year Vendor
Illumibot
Ross Arroyo’s projection mapping system, which runs from a smartphone app and a standard projector.
Established Vendor
Rib FX
A Seattle prop and effects shop led by Michael “Rib” Ribagin, with every prop built in-house.
Legacy Vendor
Beastcraft
A Columbus, Ohio, maker of animated Halloween characters built on steel-frame animations.
Home Haunter
Nightmare Haunted House
A home haunt in Minooka, Illinois, that raises donations for local charities every night it runs.
Special Recognition
Ricky Dick, Castle Blood
Known as Gravely MacCabre, he has worked in the industry since 1983 and served on the first haunt association board.
Spirit of Leadership
Ed Terebus
Posthumous. He co-founded Erebus Haunted Attraction in Pontiac, Michigan, with his brother Jim, and died in June 2025 at 62.
Lifetime Achievement
Bobbie Weiner
Founder of Bloody Mary makeup, who did the special effects makeup for the frozen actors in James Cameron’s Titanic.
Lifetime Achievement
Ernie Romegialli
He started the Haunted Graveyard in his Middletown, Connecticut, backyard in 1991, and it grew into six haunted houses at Lake Compounce. Sean Morris accepted for him.
2025 OSCARES Winners
- First-Year Vendor (under 5 years): Sithon
- Established Vendor: Cyclone Signs
- Legacy Vendor (20+ years): Distortions Unlimited
- Home Haunter: Rotten Apple 907
- First-Year Haunt: Hera’s Nightmare
- Established Haunt: Traumatica at Europa-Park
- Legacy Haunt: Field of Screams MT
- Special Recognition: TJ Mannarino
- Spirit of Leadership: Spencer Terry
- Lifetime Achievement: Timothy Gavinski
Watch the 2025 ceremony67 minMy 2025 winners story
2024 OSCARES Winners
- New Business Vendor (under 5 years): Savage Silicone
- Vendor, 10+ years: Inferno Effects
- Legacy Vendor (20+ years): Haunted Hills Productions
- Home Haunter: Stanley Haus
- First-Year Haunt: Terror Roulette (South Barrington, Ill.)
- Established Haunt: Terror Vault (San Francisco)
- Legacy Haunt: Fright Kingdom (Nashua, N.H.)
- Special Recognition: Nick and Beverly Pappas, and Canon Beazley
- Lifetime Achievement: Ben Armstrong, Netherworld Haunted House (Stone Mountain, Ga.)
2023 OSCARES Winners
- Vendor Excellence: Toxic FX, Sinister Signs, and When Hinges Creek
- Home Haunt: Dead by Dawn, and Dead & Breakfast
- Attraction Excellence: Exit 13, Banshee Manor, and Abandoned Haunted Complex
- Special Recognition: The Warden’s Widow
- President and Board of Directors Award: Todd Fedyshyn (Reaper’s Revenge)
- Lifetime Achievement: John Burton
Watch the 2023 ceremony67 minMy 2023 OSCARES story
OSCARES Winners, 2008-2022
2022 OSCARES winners
- Vendor Excellence Awards: Battle Company, Nightscream Studios, Studio Tek-FX
- Board of Directors Awards: ENIGMA Haunt (FL), Legends of the Fog (MD), Creepy Hollow (TX), Hundred Acres Manor (PA)
- Special Recognition Award: Paul Lanner (Haunters Against Hate)
- Home Haunt Award: Mucklebones Monster Museum, FL (Rob Cametti)
- President’s Award: Brett Molitor (IN)
- Lifetime Achievement Award: Joe Thaler (TransWorld Productions)
2021 OSCARES winners
- Vendor Excellence Awards: FrightNight Studios (Michael Burnett), Bloody Mary Makeup (Bobbie Weiner), Little Spider Creations (Marc Brawner), Boneyard Productions (John Denley)
- Best New Product Award: Go Ghost Hunting App by Zombie Army Productions
- Board of Directors Awards: Bennett’s Curse (MD), Fear Fair (IN), ScreamWorld (TX), Terror Behind the Walls (PA)
- Home Haunt Award: Rick Romano (Failed Experiments)
- Special Recognition Award: Dan Hower (PA)
- President’s Award: Randy Young
- Lifetime Achievement Award: Bob “Crazy Bob” Turner
2019 OSCARES winners
- Vendor Excellence Awards: RIP City FX, Closed Casket Studios, Dapper Cadaver, European Body Art
- Board of Directors Awards: Fear Factory, UT (Rob & Heidi Dunfield), Hobb’s Grove, CA (Lore Callahan), Trail of Terror, CT (Wayne Barneschi)
- Home Haunt Award: Michael Bachman (39th St. Cemetery, MO)
- President’s Award: Noah Wullkote (City Blood, IN)
- Lifetime Achievement Award: Bill Hollingshead (Knott’s Berry Farm, CA)
2018 OSCARES winners
- Vendor Excellence Awards: Pumpkin Pulp, Poison Props, Immortal Masks, Billy-Bob Teeth
- Board of Directors Awards: Dark Hour Haunted House, TX (Lucy Moore), Saint Lucifer’s Screampark, MI (Kris Werner), Nightmare on Edgewood, IN (Kevin Cook & Paul Cook), Haunted Hotel, KY (Kevin Stich)
- Home Haunt Award: Robert Hulbert (The Haunting at Horse Creek, IL)
- Special Recognition Award: Ed Gannon
- President’s Award: Kyle LaFlamboy (Zombie Army Productions)
- Lifetime Achievement Award: Robbi Lepre
2017 OSCARES winners
- Vendor Excellence Awards: Zombie Skin, Hotwire Foam Factory, Evilusions, Jakprints
- Board of Directors Awards: Scareatorium, OH (Kelly & Neena Collins), Skeleton’s Lair Scream Park, KY (Amy Burge & Sherryl Lockett), Reign Of Terror, CA (Bruce & Mary Stanton), Brighton Asylum, NJ (Rich Gonci)
- President’s Award: Kellie Carter (Haunted Carter Farms, WI)
- Special Recognition Award: Scott Swenson
- Home Haunt Award: Haunted Briargrove, TX (Bob Merril)
- Lifetime Achievement Award: Denise Seisse (The Realm Of Darkness, MI)
2016 OSCARES winners
- Vendor Excellence Awards: Shattered FX (Jeremy Alcala), Creepy Collection (Jerry Dalessandro), Von Charon Productions (Tom & Anita Sowers), Brutal Rust (Shayne Torrans)
- Best New Product Award: Greg Salyers (13th Floor Escape Rooms)
- Board of Directors Awards: Nashville Nightmare, TN (Brad Webb), Pure Terror Scream Park, NY (Bob Nordquist), Night Of Terror, NJ (Ron Ambrusters), House of Torment / 13th Floor Entertainment, TX (Jon Love & Dan McCullough)
- President’s Award: Kevin Alvey (Gore Galore)
- Special Recognition Award: Christopher de Troy
- Home Haunt: Davis Graveyard, OR (Jeff & Chris Davis)
- Lifetime Achievement Award: Cydney Neil (Rocky Point Haunted House, UT)
2015 OSCARES winners
- Vendor Excellence Awards: Nevermore Productions, Haunted Enterprises, GEP Productions, 13th WARD FX
- Best New Product Award: Cross Breed Haunted Productions (Creature Frame)
- Board of Directors Awards: Field of Screams, PA (Jim and Gene Schopf), USS Nightmare, KY (Terri Bernstein), Haunted Overload, NH (Eric Lowther), RISE Haunted House, LA (Davy & Mindi Plaisance, Ricky & Cheryl Laiche, and Nevelle & Shontay Laiche)
- President’s Award: Scott “Tater” Lynd
- Special Recognition Award: Alyssa Schipani
- Lifetime Achievement Award: Joe Leach
2014 OSCARES winners
- Vendor Excellence Awards: HauntBots, Dark Light, Grignard Company, Rogues Hollow
- Best New Product Award: MN8 Foxfire (advanced photoluminescent technology)
- Board of Directors Awards: House of Horrors and Haunted Catacombs, NY (Tim Bunch), Haunted Hotel: 13th Floor, IN (Brett Molitor), Huston’s Haunted Hollow, PA (Mark and Doug Huston), Ruby Falls Haunted Cavern, TN
- President’s Award: Allen Hopps
- Lifetime Achievement Award: D’Ann Dagen
2013 OSCARES winners
- Vendor Excellence Awards: Gilderfluke & Co, Paasche, Sinister Visions, Stuartizm Designs
- Best New Product Award: Pale Night Productions (Fear Frame)
- Board of Directors Awards: The Asylum / 13th Floor Denver, CO (Chris Stafford & Warren Conard), Necropolis, IN (Steve Walls), Ghostly Manor, OH (Bill Criscione), The Dent Schoolhouse, OH (Josh Wells, Chuck Stross, Bud Stross)
- President’s Award: The Wolfe Brothers (Nick and Brian)
2012 OSCARES winners
- Vendor Excellence Awards: Pale Night Productions, FrightProps, Nethercraft, TicketLeap
- Best New Product Award: Deadhouse Designs
- Board of Directors Awards: The House of Shock, LA (Ross Karpelman, Jay Gracianette, Steven Joseph), Scarehouse, PA (Scott, Barb, and Wayne Simmons), Wisconsin Feargrounds, WI (Tim and Ann Marie Gavinski), Talon Falls, KY (Todd Ferren)
- President’s Award: Jim Smith, Jennifer Braverman
- Special Recognition: Peter Karlowicz
- Lifetime Achievement Award: David Bertolino (Spooky World, MA)
2011 OSCARES winners
- Vendor Excellence Awards: Interactive Ticketing, Composite Effects, Edge Designs & Theme Decor, Brainstorm Studios
- Best New Product Award: Slithering Snake (Dark Raven Designs)
- Board of Directors Awards: Midnight Productions, LA (Dwayne Sanburn), Factory of Terror, OH (John Eslich and Richard Eslich), Zombie Army Productions, IL (John LaFlamboy), Nightmare on 13th, UT (Troy Barber and Mike Henrie)
- President’s Award: Mike Krausert (Bad Boy Scenic, Nightmare New England), Brett Bertolino (Terror Behind the Walls / ESP)
- Special Recognition: Phillip Slaggert
2010 OSCARES winners
- Vendor Excellence Awards: Screamline Studio’s, Westland Insurance, Wristband Resources, Digital Sound and Lighting
- Best New Product Award: The Boom Stick (Digital Sound and Lighting)
- Board of Directors Awards: Haunted Hoochie, OH (Tim May), Nightmare New England / Spooky World, MA (Wayne Caufield and Michael Accomando), Farmaggedon, United Kingdom (Mark Edwards), Shanghai Nightmare, China (Quan Gan)
- President’s Award: Timothy Gavinski, Dan Faupel
- Special Recognition: Steve Kopelman (Hauntedhouse.com), Randy Young
2009 OSCARES winners
- Vendor Excellence Awards: Ghost Ride Productions, Unit 70 Studios, Midnight Syndicate, Minispotlight.com, Froggy’s Fog
- Best New Product Awards: Skulltonixs, Nightscream Studios
- Board of Directors Awards: Jason’s Woods, PA (Bob Hershey), Erebus Haunted House, MI (Ed and James Terebus), Headless Horseman Hayride, NY (Michael and Nancy Jubie), Pirates of Emerson, CA (Karl Fields)
- President’s Award: Bloody Mary, Rex Hamilton
- Lifetime Achievement Award: Leonard Pickel
2008 OSCARES winners
- Vendor Excellence Awards: Creative Visions, Distortions Unlimited, Gore Galore, Oak Island Entertainment Company, Haunted Media DVD Magazine
- Best New Product Award: Spookywoods (F/X Zombie Costume)
- Board of Directors Awards: The Haunted Hydro (Bob Turner), Netherworld, GA (Ben Armstrong), Bates Motel & Haunted Hayride, PA (Randy Bates), Thrillvania Haunted House, TX (Lance Pope)
- President’s Award: Midwest Haunters Convention (Kelly & Neena Collins, Barry & Kathy Schieferstein)
- Lifetime Achievement Award: Phillip Morris
Top Haunts
HAA certifies member haunts as official Top Haunted Attractions when they meet 10 criteria tied to its mission. Since 2025 the list has three tiers, and the 2026 list has 74 haunts, up from 67 in 2025: 56 Iconic (Platinum), 10 Gold, and 8 Silver. My Top Haunts guide lists all 74 by state.
- Silver: 2+ years in operation and at least 3,000 guests a year
- Gold: 5+ years and at least 5,000 guests
- Iconic: 10+ years and at least 10,000 guests
For scale, HAA’s fact sheet estimates about 70% of haunted attractions draw fewer than 8,000 guests a season, 20% draw 8,000 to 20,000, and 3% or fewer draw 40,000 to 70,000.
The criteria in HAA’s 2027 application include HAA membership, $1 million in general liability insurance plus workers’ comp, a current C.H.A.O.S. graduate on staff, state and local inspection, an employee handbook and emergency action plan, and a fire marshal certificate. Home and charity haunts that don’t charge admission don’t qualify. Certified haunts get their logo on HAA’s website, a national press release, and releases to three local media contacts. Applications for 2027 are open on HAA’s Top Haunts page.
C.H.A.O.S. Safety Certification
C.H.A.O.S., HAA’s Certified Haunted Attraction Operator Safety program, has certified haunt operators since 2008. Certification takes 8 hours: a mandatory 4-hour fire safety seminar plus 4 more hours. It is valid for three years, and recertification is a 5-hour online video course.
- Next class: Thursday to Saturday, Feb. 25-27, 2027, at TransWorld’s Halloween & Attractions Show in St. Louis, $20 for HAA members and $75 for non-members. Register through TransWorld.
- Regional classes: $35 with lunch, posted on HAA’s home page. HAA’s strategic plan calls for regional classes in two locations in its first year and three in its second.
- Topics: inspector advice, flame testing and fireproofing, building fire dynamics, crowd crush, emergency plans, and media response.
- Why haunts take it: a certified staff member is required for Top Haunts, and HAA says several insurance companies offer discounts for certified operators.
Publicity and Crisis Support
HAA runs a $10,000 National PR Campaign that members join for free, and it includes crisis management support that works with national media and helps members during incidents. HAA also promotes members’ attractions, products, and services through national campaigns, press releases, awards, and social media spotlights. HAA says its members have appeared on Good Morning America, The Today Show, The Travel Channel, and NBC Nightly News, and in USA Today, Time, and The Wall Street Journal.
HAA’s fact sheet for the press says over 60% of haunted houses are affiliated with some form of charity work, and that the typical haunt guest is 17 to 30 years old, 52% female and 48% male.
Scholarships
HAA awards three $1,000 scholarships a year to staff and family of member haunts and vendors who are enrolled in an accredited 2- or 4-year program. Applications run May 2 to May 1, and each needs a recommendation letter from the HAA member.
- James K. Smith Memorial Scholarship (sponsored by Froggy’s Fog), named for a founding IAHA member who started at Niles Haunted House in 1988: Hannah Augspurger in 2026, Abigail Birdsall in 2025
- Joe Thaler Scholarship (FearWorm Hauntvertising), named for the trade show producer behind what became TransWorld’s Halloween & Attractions Show: Edyn Sanders-Alcala in 2026, Harrison Gamble in 2025
- Bloody Mary Makeup Scholarship (Bobbie Weiner Enterprises), for an aspiring makeup artist: Rose Rizzo in 2026, Tanya Richter-Barrera in 2025
My 2026 scholarship story has each winner’s haunt and studies.
State of the Industry and Annual Meeting
HAA members meet each year at TransWorld for the annual members’ meeting and the State of the Industry seminar, an open discussion of the past and coming season led by the president. HAA’s fact sheet puts TransWorld at over 12,000 buyers and nearly 500 vendors over four days. At the 2026 meeting, members passed a bylaws change 24-4 that opens a board seat to non-owner-operators, and the board elected Ben Gagne president. My 2026 meeting story has the vote and the new board, and my 2026 seminar recap covers insurance and waivers, AI, and the “weaponization” of online reviews.
HAA also holds a live auction at TransWorld each year to fund member benefits. Vendors donate props, animatronics, and services, and the auction now runs on Thursday evening, which leaves two show days to buy anything you didn’t win.
HAA’s 2026-2029 Strategic Plan
The board presented its 2026-2029 strategic plan, which it calls HAA V2.0, at the State of the Industry seminar on March 27, 2026, after a survey of hundreds of haunts, vendors, and industry professionals. The plan sets up a committee and chair for each part of the mission plus a vendor committee, and every board member serves on one. Its goals over three years include:
- Protect: minimum industry safety standards, a “Certified Safe Haunt” designation and online certification in year two, and work toward an industry-wide insurance program
- Educate: 10+ education offerings a year outside industry shows, more regional C.H.A.O.S. classes, an Actor Safety Certification launching in year two, and sanitation standards and a certification for haunt makeup artists
- Promote: a promotional toolkit for members, a member spotlight program, fall social media campaigns for award-winning haunts and off-season campaigns for top vendors, regional online mixers, and tourism partnerships by year three
- Vendors: an annual vendor survey, a Top Vendors list modeled on Top Haunts, and 5+ new vendor benefits over three years
HAA says it will report progress at each State of the Industry seminar and post the results on its website and social media. The plan is on HAA’s home page.
Find HAA Member Haunts and Vendors
Every haunt HAA certified as a 2026 Top Haunt is in my Top Haunts guide, by state, with its tier. My vendor directory marks HAA members with a badge and can filter to them, and my list of HAA vendor members has all 137 from HAA’s directory.
How to Join HAA: Membership Levels and Prices
Membership is open to haunt owners and operators, vendors, home haunters, conventions, actors, makeup artists, costumers, and enthusiasts. Every level runs one year and renews on March 15.
| Level | Price | Who it’s for |
|---|---|---|
| Individual | $50 | Staff, actors, makeup artists, students, and enthusiasts |
| Home Haunt or Charity Haunt | $75 | Haunts of any size that don’t charge admission |
| Small Haunted Attraction | $200 | Insured, charges admission, and grosses under $100,000. Up to 5 members. |
| Large Haunted Attraction | $300 | Grosses over $100,000. Up to 10 members. |
| Small Business Vendor | $125 | Sales under $100,000. Up to 3 members. |
| Business Vendor | $300 | Up to 3 members. |
| Multi Haunted Attractions, 2 to 4 locations | $400 | Up to 20 members. |
| Multi Haunted Attractions, 5 or more locations | $700 | Up to 50 members. |
Attraction members get one vote per commercial haunt, the right to serve on the board and committees, crisis management support, and the national PR campaign. Vendor members get a free feature in HAA’s monthly ScreamZine newsletter, and my vendor directory marks them with an HAA member badge. Join on HAA’s membership page.
HAA Board of Directors, 2026-2027
As listed on HAA’s website in November 2026. Anthony Barbosa also directs the Top Haunts program, and Brett Molitor, owner of Hysterium, is HAA’s admin.
Director
Lee Jordan
Fear on the Farm (owner), Winfield, W.Va.
Photos: Haunted Attraction Association.
HAA History
- 1990 About 20 haunters met in David Bertolino’s suite at the TransWorld Halloween show in Chicago after a Wall Street Journal article named several of them. Bertolino said “we need an association,” but the idea stalled.
- 1998 Leonard and Jeanne Pickel organized a meeting at TransWorld in Chicago that started the International Association of Haunted Attractions (IAHA). Drew Hunter and Ernie Romegialli co-chaired its first year.
- 1999 IAHA members passed the bylaws at the first annual meeting, March 13, in Rosemont, Illinois.
- 2008 The Haunted House Association formed, and the C.H.A.O.S. safety certification began.
- 2009 President Patrick Konopelski moved the IAHA board to haunt owners and operators only.
- 2011 IAHA and the Haunted House Association merged as the Haunted Attraction Association.
- 2026 Members opened a board seat to non-owner-operators, and the board presented the 2026-2029 strategic plan.
HAA’s website lists every board of directors since 1998.
My HAA Coverage
Sept. 25, 202567 Top Haunts certified for 2025
March 3, 20252025 State of the Industry seminar
March 3, 20252025 annual meeting
March 1, 2025The 2025 OSCARES winnersAll my HAA coverage, newest first.
Haunted Attraction Association FAQ
What is the Haunted Attraction Association?
The haunted attraction industry’s only official nonprofit membership organization. It formed in 2011 from the International Association of Haunted Attractions and the Haunted House Association, and it runs the OSCARES, Top Haunts, and C.H.A.O.S. safety certification.
How much does it cost to join HAA?
From $50 a year for an individual to $700 for a company with five or more haunts. Every level renews on March 15.
What are the OSCARES?
HAA’s awards for haunt owners, vendors, home haunters, and others in the industry, presented at TransWorld’s Halloween & Attractions Show in St. Louis. The 2027 awards are self-nominated across 10 categories.
How does a haunt become an HAA Top Haunt?
It must be an HAA member, apply, and meet 10 criteria, including insurance, a C.H.A.O.S.-certified staff member, inspections, and an emergency action plan. Years in operation and annual attendance set the tier: Silver, Gold, or Iconic.
When is the next C.H.A.O.S. class?
Feb. 25-27, 2027, at TransWorld in St. Louis, $20 for members and $75 for non-members.
Haunted Attraction Association: 2885 Stanford Avenue SW #28015, Grandville, MI 49418 · 616-439-4220 · hauntedattractionassociation.com. Regional haunt clubs and other trade groups are on my haunt associations and groups page.
This page was last updated on November 7, 2026.
