Vincent, AL — Hellbilly Hollow, a haunted attraction that has run here since roughly 2012, is the shooting location and the namesake of a horror film reaching select U.S. theaters on Friday, September 25. Hell Night runs at the attraction on August 14 and 15, well ahead of the release.
A Commercial Shoot Started the Film
Kevin Wayne was on the property directing a commercial for the attraction when, per the release, he “envisioned a sinister figure hunting victims through the haunt’s eerie backwoods setting.” That image became Hellbilly Hollow, which Wayne directed and which stars Kurt Deimer, a rock musician turned actor and producer.
The story follows a team of paranormal YouTubers who drive into the Alabama backwoods to film at a haunted attraction the night before Halloween. What they find is Tickles, a disfigured, childlike clown played by Wayne, and his manipulative caretaker brother Bull, played by Deimer. One by one, the investigators and a group of local thrill-seekers fall victim to the siblings’ games.
“I’ve wanted to make a horror film for a long time — but not just any horror film,” Wayne said in the press release. “With ‘Hellbilly Hollow,’ I saw a chance to tell a true Southern horror story — one that’s sinister and twisted, atmospheric and character-driven, not just reliant on jump scares and gore.”
The film played as the closing film of the 20th New York City Horror Film Festival in December 2022, running 83 minutes. Atlas Distribution Company is releasing it theatrically nearly four years after that premiere. Roy Mayorga of Ministry composed the score, Deimer performs eight original songs on the soundtrack, and Tom Boykin, who did sound design on John Wick: Chapter 4 and The Last of Us, handled sound.
The Film Uses the Real Barn, Hayride, and Scare Zones
Production shot entirely on location. The release describes the result as a first-ever look at the real haunted barn, hayride, and scare zones, turned into a hunting ground. Executive producer and production designer Mike Denard built practical carnival set pieces for the shoot, including Wack-a-Troll, High Striker, Acid Darts, and a car dunk.
The attraction itself is open about six weeks a year, September 19 through November 2 this season. The film is the version of the property that keeps running after the gates close.
The Haunt’s Founders Are Credited as Executive Producers
The film’s executive producer credits include David Miller, Tim Miller, and James Srygley. Those are the same names behind the attraction. The Shelby County Reporter reported in 2015 that Tim and David Miller had opened Hellbilly Hollow with Vincent police chief James Srygley about three years earlier, and that the haunt was running roughly 30 actors a night.
“A Series of Films Built Around a Place”
“We came up with a slate of outrageous, never-before-seen kills,” Deimer said. “From day one, we knew this would be the start of something bigger — a series of films built around a place, two complex, deranged siblings, and the culture they inhabit.”
Tickles and Bull originated with the shoot on the property rather than arriving as a licensed horror name attached to a maze, and Deimer is describing the attraction as the basis for more films.
Hell Night Runs August 14 and 15
Before the film reaches theaters, the haunt runs Hell Night across two nights in August. It is an 18-and-over event, and the operator is explicit that nobody enters without an ID.
- Dates: August 14 and 15
- Gates: 7:30 p.m.
- Haunt opens: 8:00 p.m.
- Single entry: $20
- Infinite Pass: $35, unlimited trips through the haunt all night
- Age: 18 and over only, ID required
In the operator’s words, “the scares are darker, the atmosphere is wilder, and the night takes on a whole new personality.” Those two August nights land more than a month before the attraction’s season opens, and well before most of the national calendar. HAN tracks the full schedule in our guide to when haunted houses open.
The 2026 Season Runs September 19 Through November 2
The regular season opens September 19 and runs through November 2 at 425 County Road 467, about 25 miles east of Birmingham. Three attractions operate on the property:
- The Hellbilly Hotel, which the operator describes as a maze of darkness and light where psychos stalk the halls
- The Cornfield, a winding labyrinth cut through towering stalks
- The Hayride, built on a premise about a crashed government plane that has left the swamp crawling with the infected
Ticket prices for 2026:
- General admission: $30
- Sundays, Scarecrow, and Friday the 13th dates: $20
- Hell Nights and ROTN Nights: $35
ROTN Nights are tied to the Rule of Three Network, the haunt-media group run by Matt Hall that produces commercials, actor training, and video work for Alabama attractions.
The operator notes this is an outdoor attraction, advises against open-toed shoes, and directs guests to its Facebook page for weather closures. Parking is free. Hellbilly Hollow does not currently appear on HAN’s best haunted houses in America list.
Tickets and the full 2026 calendar are at hellbillyhollow.com.
