Fall is officially here, and I’m giving you permission to enjoy it.
I’ve been off my feet this week recovering from a gout attack, and it made me realize something: this is it- we’re only 35 days away from Halloween.
By this weekend, every major theme park Halloween event in the U.S. is open; Alton Towers, Movie Park Germany, and Disneyland Paris are open in Europe, and our tracker shows more than 30 haunts opening tonight and tomorrow alone.
I know you have so many things to finish that it feels overwhelming. If you’re like me, you’re waking up in the middle of the night remembering yet another thing for the to-do list.
So, I’m giving you permission: take care of yourself, and enjoy some of it.
This industry isn’t about the money. There’s a lot of passion behind it, and while everyone who runs a haunt is an entertainer, most of us also just like Fall as a time of year. If you spend all of it working to entertain everyone else, you never get to enjoy the season yourself. That’s part of why we’ve put so much effort into the guides: the fall food and grocery finds, the TV specials, the streaming list. Watch something. Eat something with pumpkin in it. You’re allowed. If anyone disagrees, tell them I said it was OK.
Speaking of food, Hidden Valley released its first-ever seasonal product this week: a black, glow-in-the-dark Spooky Ranch. Cup Noodles launched Vampire Noodles that turn blood red in hot water. Both are Walmart-only, and both are out the same day. These brands are larger than any haunted house, and the more of them doing something for Halloween, the better for our industry. But it works both ways. If a guest can walk into Walmart and buy black ranch dressing, a plain corn dog at your haunt doesn’t cut it anymore. Your food has to be something ‘spookier.’
I spent opening weekend at Knott’s Scary Farm and Six Flags Magic Mountain. The most striking takeaway is that, rather than competing on maze quality, Six Flags is following the Hersheypark model by building for passholders. Annual passes include the seven scare zones, four shows, night rides, and parking; The mazes are a $25 add-on, only if you want them. For a multigenerational family of passholders, this makes it the most affordable option in SoCal. That’s why the maze quality matters less to them, and why the two new mazes are fine for the situation, even if they aren’t great. It’s the direction the CEO has been describing since he arrived. At Knott’s, the two new mazes are the reason to go: Inked is delightful, original, and very well done, and Unearthed is a classic horror premise executed cleanly.
The Haunted Attraction Association certified a record 74 Top Haunts this year, up from 67. After publishing this story, I received a lot of pushback, and it strikes me that people misunderstand the purpose of this list. While I’m not on the association’s board, to me the difference is that this list isn’t about creatively ranking haunted attractions. It’s about pushing a counter-narrative that attractions are safe.
Every haunt listed has completed the C.H.A.O.S. safety program, carries at least $1 million in liability insurance, and is inspected by state and local authorities. That list counters the stories we cover every season about haunts that weren’t safe or professional, and a record class is good news for everyone, as it shows the mainstream the effort we’re making to keep guests safe.
In sadder news, Woods of Terror is mourning Laurie, a longtime member of its team who died on opening night after a medical emergency at the event. The haunt is building a permanent memorial on its midway this season. Our thoughts are with her family and the Woods of Terror crew.
Also this week: Erebus debuted Primordium, the origin story of its time-travel mythology; Tulleys’ Shocktober Fest turns 30 with four new experiences; St. Louis’ Lemp Mansion is for sale after nearly 50 years but stays open through 2027; A24’s next horror film is set inside a working haunted attraction; Angry Orchard is opening a free Scream video-store pop-up in Manhattan with Skeet Ulrich, and monsters swept the dark-attraction categories at the Golden Ticket Awards.
