Happy Monday,
Back in April, when gas first topped $4 a gallon, I wondered whether guests would keep spending on entertainment into the fall, and the latest AMC earnings suggest they’re at least spending locally. AMC posted the highest quarterly revenue in its 106-year history, with attendance up 13.5%, then set its highest-grossing single weekend ever two weeks later. After a summer when parks discounted to hold attendance, people are clearly still paying to go out. They choose cheaper formats when they do, and a haunt ticket sits much closer to a movie ticket than to a theme park vacation. That is one side of the demand curve (the value side), which haunts are positioned to capture this fall. The other side is the premium guest, which we’ve discussed is more willing to spend on exceptional memory-making experiences.
The food trends we’ve been tracking are now also showing up in stores. Cheetos and Blumhouse built a snack that starts sweet, turns hot, and leaves your mouth fizzing, tingling, and numb. Ghost Face has a Fanta flavor, Michael Myers has a beer, and Stranger Things is hiding Funko toys in Kinder eggs. Three weeks ago, Mars reported that 71% of adults want sensory or textural experiences from their treats, and the major brands are following that pattern. Why does it matter for haunts? The national brands are training your guests to expect Halloween food that does something. Fewer than 10% of haunts sell food. What’s the food item guests can only get from you in October?
Also worth noting is how Kennywood and HHN are monetizing assets. Kennywood is opening its Ghostwood Estate dark ride on foot this fall: a lights-on trick-or-treat walk by day, then a flashlight walkthrough with live scare-actors at night. HHN Hollywood added its first daytime Unmasking the Horror tour at $20 for two houses. Many haunts are now offering daytime trick-or-treat events or BTS tours, and as long as your build holds up to the glare of house lights, it’s a great idea to bring in extra revenue.
A follow-up on my predictions about IP costs: Ocean Park dropped from 6 haunted houses to 4 for this season. I assume this means part of the build budget was taken to fund the Jackson Wang licensing, which is the classic IP trap. This month we spent a full episode on whether an IP fee expands the event or reallocates it. Here, the IP zone grew, and the house count shrank. If you’re weighing a license, that’s what reallocation looks like.
Evil Intentions won’t open for 2026. Seven months into Elgin’s permitting process, the haunt says it would rather take a full year than rush a location, targeting a 2027 return to the Chicago area. It’s the third building setback we’ve covered this season, after FrightWorks and the Field of Horrors fire. If a move is in your future, the permit timeline is now part of the season calendar.
Also this week: Disney confirmed Villains Land’s story at D23, built around a corrupted wishing well, Fortnite is at Disney and Universal at the same time this fall, Hotel Transylvania joins SeaWorld Orlando’s Spooktacular, Dark Harbor detailed the season it kills an icon, Six Flags opened 2027 pass sales one day after earnings, and we published five new guides, including Kennywood, Magic Mountain, Alton Towers, Dollywood, and Halloween TV specials.
Here’s what you need to know this week.
Philip Hernandez
Publisher, Haunted Attraction Network
@philip_reports
Theme Park News
Villains Land’s Story Is Confirmed: A Corrupted Wishing Well and a Year-Round Bet on Dark
Disney confirmed the story and both attractions for Villains Land, the dark-themed land coming to Magic Kingdom (Orlando, FL), at its D23 fan-convention showcase in Anaheim, CA. Guests will leave the safe path, enter a dark forest, and find a broken, twisted Wishing Well corrupted by a mysterious figure’s evil wish that poisoned the land. Cruella, the Evil Queen, and Dr. Facilier move in and build lairs. The land gets a Maleficent-inspired coaster, a Magic Mirror dark ride, and dining and shopping, on a scale Disney compares to Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge. No opening date was announced. Read the full story.
The Fortnite Era
Fortnite is having a theme park moment this year. The game will be at both Disney and Universal at the same time. At D23, Disney connected Millennium Falcon: Smugglers Run to Fortnite, live the same day at Disneyland and Disney’s Hollywood Studios, the first link of its kind between a theme park ride and a video game. And Fortnitemares comes to Halloween Horror Nights as the Freaky Fields scare zone, opening August 28 in Orlando and September 3 in Hollywood. So this fall the same game sits inside both major resort companies at once. Read our coverage.
Ocean Park Reveals Its Full 2026 Halloween Fest Lineup, Led by Jackson Wang’s Under the Castle
Ocean Park (Hong Kong) has revealed the full lineup for Halloween Fest 2026, themed The Grave Rave and running September 5 through November 1. The event centers on four ticketed haunted houses, led by Under the Castle, an original fantasy IP created and creatively directed by global music star Jackson Wang. That is down from the six houses Ocean Park ran in 2024 and 2025, with the Under the Castle zone carrying a larger footprint this year. Read the full story.
Hotel Transylvania Brings Drac and Mavis to SeaWorld Orlando’s Spooktacular
For the first time, Sony Pictures Animation’s Hotel Transylvania joins Spooktacular, SeaWorld Orlando’s daytime, family-friendly Halloween event, with character meetups, a dance party, and a separately ticketed monster breakfast. Spooktacular runs on select dates from August 29 through November 1 and is included with regular SeaWorld admission. Read the full story.
Art the Clown Takes Over HHN, Six Flags Opens 2027 Passes
Universal detailed its Halloween Horror Nights Hollywood plans at Midsummer Scream, and the throughline is small IPs moving fast. Art the Clown returns in three controlled deployments, Slash scored the Killceañera house with an original song, and Hollywood adds its first Unmasking the Horror daytime tour at $20 for two houses. Elsewhere, Winchester Mystery House drops the linear haunt for an open festival, and Six Flags Magic Mountain adds Final Destination plus a werewolf maze. Meanwhile, Six Flags opened 2027 pass sales one day after earnings, with all-season Fast Lane pricing that runs $600 at Knott’s and $2,000 at Cedar Point.
Dollywood Harvest Festival 2026: A 40-Foot Pumpkin Tree, LumiNights, and Two New Additions
The Harvest Festival presented by Humana runs September 14 through October 31 at Dollywood (Pigeon Forge, TN), with the award-winning Great Pumpkin LumiNights lighting the nights and two additions new for 2026: Harvey’s Boo Bash, a limited-capacity nighttime celebration, and Candy Corn Country, a sweet takeover of the park’s Country Fair. Read our full guide.
New “Final Exhibit” Maze Comes to Alton Towers’ Scarefest
Scarefest 2026 leads with a brand-new scare maze, Final Exhibit, running select dates September 26 through November 1 at Alton Towers (Alton, Staffordshire, UK). The event splits into two sides: Frightful Nights for scare-seekers and Spooky Days for families, with the park’s headline coasters running into the dark on event nights. Learn more via our full guide.
Kennywood Phantom Fall Fest 2026
Kennywood’s Phantom Fall Fest (West Mifflin, PA) returns on select dates September 12 through November 1. By day the event stays family-friendly; after dark, the Phantom takes over with seven haunts and four scare zones. New this year is the park’s creative use of its year-round interactive dark ride: Trick-or-Treating in Ghostwood Estate by day, and Ghostwood Estate: Open House by flashlight at night. Learn more via our full guide.
Haunt News
Evil Intentions Haunted House Won’t Open for 2026 After Elgin Move Falls Through
Evil Intentions Haunted House (Maple Park, IL) will not open for the 2026 season after its planned return to Elgin fell through over building-permit issues. Owner Mike Fitzpatrick said his team spent seven months on the approval process but could not obtain the permit needed to begin construction. Evil Intentions is now vetting locations to bring the haunt back to the Chicago area in 2027 and says it would rather take a full year than rush a location. Read the full story.
Queen Mary’s Dark Harbor Will Murder One of Its 13 Icons Live This Year
The Queen Mary’s Dark Harbor (Long Beach, CA) is entering its 13th year with 13 icons roaming the ship, and it plans to kill one of them off in front of live audiences this season. The new maze, Shipwrecked, is built on the Queen Mary’s real World War II service. Dark Harbor runs select nights September 18 through November 1. Read the full story, or see our full event guide.
Haunt Guides
The Halloween season is almost upon us and haunts around the country are announcing their dates, new additions, and special events. Bookmark these guides and check back often for updates:
- (NEW) Kennywood Phantom Fall Fest 2026
- (NEW) Fright Fest 2026 at Six Flags Magic Mountain
- (NEW) Alton Towers Scarefest 2026
- (NEW) Halloween TV Specials 2026
- (NEW) Dollywood Harvest Festival 2026
- Cedar Point HalloWeekends 2026
- Spirit Halloween Locations 2026
- Netherworld Haunted House
- When Do Haunted Houses Open in 2026?
- The Best and Scariest Haunted Houses in America
- Halloween Horror Nights 2026: Dates, Tickets, and Lineups
- Disney Halloween 2026: Every Park Worldwide
- Fright Fest 2026: Six Flags at Every Park
- Howl-O-Scream 2026: All Five United Parks Locations
- Orlando Halloween Events: Every Park, Party, and Haunt
- Halloween Time at Disneyland 2026
- Haunted Houses in California 2026
- Halloween Horror Nights 2026: Hours, Costume Policy, and Know Before You Go
- Haunted Houses in Texas 2026
- Halloween Horror Nights Tickets 2026
Retail News
Home Depot’s 7-Foot Plague Doctor Animatronic
Home Depot’s 7 FT Grave & Bones Animated LED Plague Doctor is a $199 animatronic in the retailer’s 2026 Halloween collection, and it has become one of the season’s breakout searches. It stands 7 feet tall, runs four movements, speaks three phrases, and lights up in several places. Read the full story.
Walt Disney World Halloween Popcorn Buckets and Sippers 2026
Walt Disney World’s 2026 Halloween popcorn buckets and sippers add up to six designs across the parks, water parks, and Disney Springs, led by two new products: a Vampire Mickey popcorn bucket ($28) and a Winnie the Pooh Hunny Bee sipper ($22.99). Read the full story.
Fortnite Halloween Costumes Land at Spirit
Spirit Halloween has rolled out a lineup of officially licensed Fortnite costumes for 2026, in adult and kids sizes, including Peely, the walking banana. Spirit is also stocking prop replicas like a Light-Up Boogie Bomb and Peely Pick pickaxe. Read the full story.
West Elm’s 2026 Halloween Collection: Frankenstein Oddities and a Petite Plume Kids Line
West Elm’s 2026 Halloween Shop is live, with an in-house Frankenstein Collection of ceramic and glass oddities and a limited-edition Petite Plume kids collaboration of felt ghosts and glow-in-the-dark bedding. Read the full story.
Target Halloween Decor 2026: Hyde & EEK!
Target has announced its 2026 Halloween assortment, with Hyde & EEK! Boutique decor starting at $5 and the 60-inch Pose-N-Stay skeleton at $25. Target says nearly 70 percent of the collection is new and the lineup is weighted toward families and value. Read the full story.
Food & Beverage News
Hershey’s 2026 Halloween Candy
Hershey has announced its 2026 Halloween lineup, which it calls its largest and most diverse to date, with more than 20 innovations. What’s new includes a Witch shape joining Kit Kat’s returning vampire Count, a Reese’s Sweet & Salty assortment, and Hershey’s first broad push into Halloween salty snacks. The lineup was built around Hershey’s Unwrapping Halloween season report. Read the full story.
IHOP’s Pumpkin Pancakes Return August 24 With New Pancake Tacos and a Pumpkin Spice Milkshake
IHOP brings its pumpkin lineup back to participating locations on August 24 and adds two new items: a Pumpkin Spice Milkshake and Pumpkin Cheesecake Pancake Tacos, which fold small pumpkin pancakes into a taco shape around a cheesecake filling. Read the full story.
Peet’s Coffee Menu Turns Fall on August 19 With Pumpkin Chai and Protein Smoothies
Pumpkin season starts at Peet’s on August 19, when the chain’s fall menu lands nationwide with three new Vitality Protein Smoothies, a pumpkin lineup crowned with Vanilla Dream Top, and three fall food items. Read the full story.
Chick-fil-A Puts Chicken and Waffles on the Menu All Day, With S’mores on the Side
Starting August 24, Chick-fil-A adds Chicken & Waffles Sandwiches in breakfast and entree sizes nationwide, alongside two new campfire-flavored sips, the S’mores Milkshake and S’mores Frosted Coffee, all for a limited time. Read the full story.
Michael Myers Gets His Own Halloween Beer With Voodoo Ranger’s Slasher IPA
New Belgium’s Voodoo Ranger has released the Halloween Hoppy Pack, a limited 12-pack built around Slasher IPA, a new 7.5% ABV beer that puts the masked killer on both the can and the box. Read the story here.
Scream’s Ghost Face Gets His Own Fanta Halloween Flavor: Ghost Face Punch
Fanta Ghost Face Punch, a berry punch flavored soda in a black can with Ghost Face’s mask across the front, has started surfacing in retail listings. Coca-Cola and Fanta have not formally announced the flavor, but H-E-B already carries a live listing for the 12-pack. Read the full story.
Cheetos and Blumhouse’s ‘Flavor of Fear’ Puffs Fizz, Tingle, and Numb Your Mouth
Cheetos teamed with horror studio Blumhouse for Cheetos Sweet Phantom Heat Puffs, “The Flavor of Fear,” which start sweet, turn hot, and leave your mouth fizzing, tingling, and numb. They arrive nationwide August 31. Read the full story.
Stranger Things Candy Comes to Ferrero’s 2026 Halloween Lineup
Ferrero’s 2026 Halloween candy is out, led by a new limited-edition Kinder Joy x Stranger Things egg that hides one of 24 Funko-made toys, for $2.39, alongside Butterfinger Skulls and more than a dozen other treats across Kinder, Butterfinger, Keebler, Mother’s, and CRUNCH. Read the full story.
Movie & TV News
The Original Scream Returns to Theaters for Its 30th Anniversary
Paramount’s horror label, Paramount Scares, will re-release the original Scream (1996) in select theaters starting October 30, ahead of the film’s 30th anniversary in December. Read the full story.
Family Guy’s 2026 Halloween Special Sends Brian and Stewie to Hell, With Kieran Culkin as Satan
Family Guy’s 2026 Halloween special, “Happy Hell-o-ween,” sends Brian and Stewie to the underworld with Succession star Kieran Culkin guest starring as Satan. It streams on Hulu this fall, with an exact date still to be announced. Read the full story.
Clown in a Cornfield 2: Frendo Lives Is Happening
Clown in a Cornfield 2: Frendo Lives, a sequel to last year’s slasher hit, is officially in development at Temple Hill Entertainment, sending the killer clown after final girl Quinn Maybrook once again. It adapts Adam Cesare’s follow-up novel, written by Hudson Morgan and Will Lowell, with production aimed at later this year. Read the full story.
Scareactor Auditions
- The Haunted Forests (Clarence, NY) — August 22
- The Hollow (Redlands, CA) — Ongoing
- The Mortuary Haunted House (New Orleans, LA) — Ongoing
- The Sawmill Haunted House (Covington, LA) — Ongoing
- The Thirteenth Hour Haunted Attraction (Indianapolis, IN) — Ongoing
Upcoming Events: August – October 2026
- September 11–13: Creep It Real OC Expo (Santa Ana, CA)
Also new this week: Randy Bates, owner of The Bates Motel and Haunted Hayride and a haunt-industry leader, dies at 68; the LA Haunted Hayride adds an ’80s rock maze and brings back Elvira; and Slash scored HHN Hollywood’s Killceañera house.
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