Here is the Haunted Attraction Industry News for September 27th.
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Our 61-day Hauntathon brings you to a different haunted house every day from September 1st through October 31st, 2022. Count down to Halloween with daily podcasts and videos from haunted houses worldwide. To top it off, get your adrenaline pumping with six exclusive haunted house experiences in various cities. More info below.
U.S. Haunts & Events
ScareHouse (Pittsburgh, PA) offers fright fans a night of chills and thrills at their new location at the Galleria at Pittsburgh Mills. “Sure, it’s kind of weird to visit a haunted house in a shopping mall,” admits ScareHouse Creative Director Scott Simmons, “but this place has so much room for all our creepy activities! After the challenges of COVID-19 in previous seasons we’re excited to finally bring back the full intensity of ScareHouse that our fans expect but also offer two new attractions to extend their visit to the Pittsburgh Mills Mall.” New for 2022 is the Stop the Invasion Escape Room and Pinheads Arcade – where attendees can enjoy dozens of fantastic pinball and video games, including games based on John Carpenter’s Halloween, The Walking Dead, and many more horror favorites. ScareHouse Tickets, which start at $19.95 for general admission and $41.95 for a front-of-the-line “RIP Ticket,” are now available online. Advance purchases are strongly recommended due to hourly capacity restrictions, as individual nights may sell out. Bookings for Stop the Invasion can also be made online. Up to six guests may play at once, and pricing starts at $40 per person.
Spectacular scares and bone-chilling thrills emerge as Frightworld, America’s Screampark (Buffalo, NY) celebrates 20 Years of Fear. The emerald anniversary totes a nod to years past with the new attraction, Carnival Boneyard. General Manager Rochelle Finkelshtein says fans from over the years will be thrilled with Boneyard, “This new house is very special to us. It is a way for our team and fans to celebrate our 20th year. Throughout the haunt you will find Easter eggs paying tribute to attractions from the past.” There are two ticket options for Halloween enthusiasts this year: $40 General Admission 5 House Pass and $55 VIP Frightpass 5 House Pass. Tickets can be purchased in advance at Frightworld’s official website or at their cash-only onsite box office.
The Bronx Zoo (New York, NY) will offer its first-ever Halloween nighttime event Fridays & Saturdays October 7th – 29th – Dinosaurs in Darkness: The Hatching. Dinosaurs in Darkness will transform the fan-favorite dinosaur safari into “a thrilling nighttime Halloween walk-through experience that gets you up close with prehistoric creatures in a whole new way”. A rare dinosaur egg, found intact after 66 Million Years, is set to hatch this Halloween at the Bronx Zoo. What could possibly go wrong? Get ready for a thrilling night of surprises, scares, and dinos! Guests will also enjoy delicious food and drinks from local food trucks. Tickets are on sale now for $29.95 per person.
Have you ever wondered if you would survive the zombie apocalypse? Now you can find out at Nightmare at Dos Lagos (Corona, CA). In this interactive zombie survival experience, guests find themselves trapped in the zombie-infected zone. Guests will be issued a belt with three flags representing “lives.” They must make their way through the zone as a team while zombies attempt to take those lives from them. Outsmart, outmaneuver, or distract the zombies – or sacrifice one of your team to the horde as you try to make it out alive! Nightmare at Dos Lagos runs select dates September 30th – October 31st. Tickets are available online or at the door, starting at $25 for general admission and $35 for fast passes.
The Dent Schoolhouse (Cincinnati, OH) will hold its 2nd Annual Haunter Night on Thursday, September 29th, from 7:30 p.m. – 10:00 p.m.. The Dent Schoolhouse has been a haunted attraction for 26 seasons, and to celebrate, The Dent Schoolhouse crew is holding a Haunter Night to thank the haunt industry and community for all their support and to have a fun night of haunting. Admission for haunters will be $15 (cash only), including entry to the new Monster Midway. To receive a Haunter Night discount, guests must wear their haunt swag – jackets, beanies, t-shirts, hoodies, etc.
Sometimes you wanna go where everybody shows their fangs! Presented by Cricklewood Immersive, Boston Bar Bloodsuckers is an immersive theatre experience coming to The Roguelike Tavern in Burbank, CA September 26th & 29th and October 3rd. Enjoy an evening with your favorite Boston sitcom vampire barflies. Say “Cheers!” and toss back a Blood Light, virgin daiquiri, or just a house red. You’ve been invited to celebrate the 200th birthday of vampire Queen Lilith, as well as the 30th anniversary of her officially turning everyone at the bar into vampires. As a local vampire yourself, you’ll celebrate with some rounds of speed dating (or “Neckworking”, as they call it), trivia, card games, and karaoke. This scripted immersive murder mystery will involve moments of interaction with actors, including looking for clues, taking notes, and questioning suspects. At the end, everyone will get a chance to vote for the killer, who will then finally be revealed. Attendees are encouraged to come dressed in their vampiric best. Tickets are on sale now starting at $35 for General Admission and $125 for VIP Admission (which includes 2 cocktails, and additional character interactions).
13th Floor Chicago (Schiller Park, IL) is celebrating its 9th season with two new attractions: Outcast Carnival and All Hallows Eve. In a recent Haunted Attractions Network interview, Bryan Kopp, Market Manager for 13th Floor Entertainment Group, discussed the two new themes and expanded midway for this year’s event. Guests can also partake in mini escape games, indulge in on-site local food trucks, and imbibe cocktails and beer from Hala Kahiki & Short Fuse for patrons 21 and over. The event runs on select nights from September 10th – November 5th. General Admission tickets are on sale now, beginning at $19.99.
The Old Joliet Haunted Prison (Joliet, IL) returns select nights September 24th – November 5th. Located inside a real abandoned prison built in 1896, The Old Joliet Prison was a terrifying and awe-inspiring historical landmark long before it became a haunted attraction. This year’s event will feature two haunts (The Abominations and Tormented) as well as escape games, food trucks, and spooky libations (21+), and more. Tickets are on sale now starting at $19.99. Learn more about this year’s event from Bryan Kopp, Market Manager for 13th Floor Entertainment Group in his recent Haunted Attraction Network interview.
13th Floor Haunted House Jacksonville (Jacksonville, FL) celebrates 5 years of fear with fan-favorite and reimagined mazes and attractions. This year’s mazes are Chop House, All Hallows Eve, and Legends of the Deep. The event also features 5-minute mini escape games, axe throwing, and onsite food trucks including the Bearded Chef, Jacksonville’s premier brunch food truck, and SoulFood Smagicians. General Admission tickets are on sale now, beginning at $19.99.
Nashville Nightmare (Madison, TN) returns for 2022 with three new immersive attractions: Midnight Mortuary, Cursed: Legends of The Deep, and Vector Research. Guests can also expect the return of fan favorite mazes including a return to Horror High – which previously featured the return of Roxanne, the cheer captain who went missing, for a bloody vengeance along with her summoned demons as she claimed the halls of Horror High as her playing field. Get in the Halloween spirit with various additional spirit-filled attractions including Bar Nightmare for patrons 21+ to enjoy spooky libations, mini escape games, an Egyptian laser maze, and more. General Admission tickets are on sale now, beginning at $19.99. The event runs select nights through October 31st.
13th Floor Phoenix (Phoenix, AZ) will feature two new attractions for 2022: Midnight Mania and Daywalker. Guests will also have the option to experience Phobia: a highly physical experience that will bring guests into a maze in complete darkness – relying solely on their sense of sound, smell, and touch to make their way through physical challenges. While staff will not touch guests, this interactive experience will require guests to use their hands to guide their way, walk, duck, step over, and squeeze through strange spaces. General Admission tickets are on sale now, beginning at $19.99. The event runs select nights through October 31st.
Thirteenth Floor Entertainment Group (producer of the above 5 haunts) also has a large footprint in Southern California with Delusion, Los Angeles Haunted Hayride, and the all-new SHAQTOBERFEST. Listen to Jon Braver (creator of Delusion), Victor Mathieu (sound designer for Delusion), Ted Dougherty (entertainment director for LA Haunted Hayride), and Chris Stafford (CEO of 13th Floor) discuss these three events in a panel moderated by Greg Beharrell from this year’s Midsummer Scream.
International Haunts & Events
More than 1,000 strangers came together on September 14th in an Ontario community to throw an early Halloween celebration for a 5-year-old boy with terminal cancer. Alexandros Hurdakis of Hamilton, Ontario wanted to visit a haunted house in Niagara Falls with his family for this Halloween, but his doctors discouraged travel. Upon hearing this, family friend Paula Tzouanakis Anderson decided to create a haunted house in Alex’s backyard, so she posted a request for donated decorations in a community group on Facebook. The response was overwhelming, and what started as a small gesture turned into a gigantic block party/Halloween parade with face painters, cotton candy & popcorn vendors, and over 1,000 people. According to his father, Alexandros had the time of his life, “He was really happy, waving and high-fiving everyone even though he was exhausted…We never expected this.”.
Theme Parks
Three individuals were treated for non-life threatening injuries after a shooting occurred at Kennywood Park’s Phantom Fall Fest (West Mifflin, PA) this past Saturday (September 24th). Officials said an argument between two groups of teenagers led one person to pull a gun and start to shoot. One 15-year-old male was shot in the thigh, a 39-year-old male was shot in the leg, and another 15-year-old had a graze wound to the leg. Police say the suspect, who is still on the run, is described as a teenage black male wearing a black hoodie and a ‘COVID-style mask.’ Anyone with information about the shooting or the suspect is asked to call the Allegheny County Police tip line at 1-833-ALL-TIPS. It is unclear how the suspect brought a gun past the park’s security and metal detectors. In a statement released on Sunday, Kennywood Park wrote that they are “closely collaborating with police as they investigate. Our entry security protocols include a state-of-the-art weapons detection system, video scanning, and bag checks at the start of this season. We regularly supplement our park security staff with officers from the Allegheny County Police Department and West Mifflin Police Department, who were contracted to support our teams during operating hours, including Saturday evening. We will continue to cooperate with authorities throughout their investigation.” The park was closed on Sunday, but plans to open as scheduled on Friday, September 30th.
In a partnership with Hypermint by MoonPay, Universal Studios Florida & Universal Studios Hollywood have introduced a Halloween Horror Nights NFT collecting experience. Guests can scan QR codes at participating attractions to unlock digital collectibles featuring unique character art. There are eight NFTs available for HHN Florida and six in Hollywood. Attendees who find and scan all codes will receive a special Gold Medal NFT.
Dollywood (Pigeon Forge, TN) celebrates the wonder of the changing seasons with the return of the Harvest Festival from September 23rd – October 29th. Experience the beauty of a Smoky Mountain fall as the forests come alive with vivid color, the smells of apple and pumpkin treats waft through the streets, and the sounds of thrilling rides fill the air with adventure. Savor Fall flavors with a Harvest Festival Tasting Pass, featuring seasonal foods such as Pulled Pork Sandwiches with Pumpkin BBQ Sauce, Mapple, Bacon, and Walnut Funnel Cakes, and more. After sundown, award-winning Great Pumpkin LumiNights presented by Covenant Health glows even brighter with the debut of the new Hoot Owl Hollow. Discover an enchanting hideaway where a larger-than-life glowing owl and her friendly family have come home to roost among the whimsical warming glow of more than 12,000 illuminated pumpkins and towering pumpkin icons. Tickets are on sale now starting at $55 for an After 5 PM Harvest Ticket or $89 for an all-day pass.
Conventions & Mixers
Celebrate the holidays with chills and thrills as Season’s Screamings returns to the Pasadena Convention Center (Pasadena, CA) December 2nd – 4th, 2022. The quintessential mash-up of Christmastime cheer and Halloween horror, Season’s Screamings offers a winter wonderland of ghoulish experiences for the whole family. From a sprawling show floor featuring more than 200 exhibitors to a festive stage set to feature world-class panel presentations, Season’s Screamings is set to entertain thousands of fans throughout the first weekend in December. Among Season’s Screamings’ cornucopia of entertainment will be Peepshow Menagerie’s “Island of Misfit Tease” burlesque show on Friday night, a Krampus run on Saturday and Sunday led by Krampus LA, and a daily block of holiday horror-themed short films curated by HorrorBuzz. Returning for 2022 is the ominous Hall of Yuletide Spirits, a perpetually darkened space filled with holiday-themed haunts and chilling displays. Beginning with a rotten Candy Land entry experience by Fear Farm, this year’s Hall of Yuletide Spirits will feature spirited attractions from some of Southern California’s hottest home and pro haunts including The Dreich Society, The Haunt With No Name… Yet, Casa Calaveras, Santa Ana Haunt, Ghostwood Manor, Prism Haunted House, the Pizza Planet Truck, and Valley Fright Nights. The Hall of Yuletide Spirits will also feature Barlow’s Tavern, a holiday hangout where guests 21 and older can enjoy specialty drinks and even pose for a picture with “Santa Barlow” – Season’s Screamings’ terrifying version of a Santa meet-and-greet, featuring Mr. Barlow from Salem’s Lot. Tickets are on sale now starting at $30 – $37.50 for One-Day General Admission, $60 for Weekend General Admission, and $95 for VIP Weekend “Naughty List” tickets.
Don’t put all of your skeletons back into the closet after Halloween – at least, not those massive 12’ ones! Season’s Screamings is hosting a “Spooky Scary Skeleton Competition”. Fans are invited to bring their own 12’ skeletons to decorate in the most spooktacular or terrifying way, allowing Season’s Screamings guests to experience these works of art throughout the weekend. At the end of the show, one of the decorated skeletons will be deemed “Holiday Horror Extraordinaire,” and its creator(s) will receive $500.00 in cash – the perfect prize for the Holiday Season! The entry fee is $35.00 with all proceeds being donated to Children’s Hospital Los Angeles – and entrants will receive 2 Weekend Passes to Season’s Screamings. Read the full details and register online. Registration closes November 19th or when all available spaces are filled.
Survey
Make your voice heard – the 2022 Live Arts, Culture and Entertainment (LACE) Survey funded by USITT and The Ohio State University addresses the often hidden labor of individuals employed in the fields of live events. As a companion to USITT’s 2021 workforce demographics survey, the LACE Survey will provide an opportunity to better understand the workforce in the live events industry. Helping to create a more equitable, diverse, inclusive, and accessible industry is the goal of many organizations, but we can’t measure progress without knowing where we are right now. This study does not collect any personally identifying information and all data is maintained securely and anonymously by SMU DataArts, the National Center for Arts Research at Southern Methodist University. The survey will close on Friday, November 4.
Film & TV
The wait is almost over! The highly anticipated Hocus Pocus 2 comes to Disney+ this week on Friday, September 30th. As the final countdown begins, let’s re-visit the original 1993 Hocus Pocus with two of the cast – Vinessa Shaw (who played Alison) and Omri Katz (who played Max). Vinessa and Omri offer behind-the-scenes stories and a discussion of the film’s legacy over the past 29 years. Jeff Depaoli from Dizney Coast to Coast conducted this interview LIVE on stage during Midsummer Scream.
On October 21st, Dark Sky Films will bring SINPHONY: A Clubhouse Horror Anthology to theaters and digital/VOD platform. These nine visions of horror were conceived of and curated entirely on Clubhouse, the audio-based social media platform. The film features a group of international filmmakers each exploring a character dealing with tragedy caused by a supernatural entity. SINPHONY’s shocking stories include: an innkeeper’s growing concern about his secretive new guests; a contractor who inhales mold spores that lead to murder; a couple confronting the fact that one of them is a ghost; a witch protecting her child from a killer; a dance craze that has dire consequences, and much more. Watch the trailer here and learn more on Screen Anthology’s website.
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Upcoming Events: September - November 2022
October 14 – 16: Son of Monsterpalooza (Burbank, California)
November 14 – 18: IAAPA (Orlando, Florida)
November 25 – 26: Creep It Real Festive (Santa Ana, California)
Featured Videos
Hauntathon 2022
Listen
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Watch
See the scariest parts of the country with daily on-location videos. We’ve gathered a gang of ghouls to bring the sights of Halloween to you.
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Experience
Get off the couch and join us for exclusive haunted attraction experiences in various cities. Mingle with the creators, explore with the lights on, and then get a VIP seat when the lights go out. These ultimate fan opportunities are available nowhere else and offer unparalleled access to these select haunted experiences.
Oct 8: Castle Dark, Riverside, CA (Get Tickets Here)
Oct 14: Zombie Joe’s, Hollywood, CA (Get Tickets Here)
Oct 15: Bones Gulch, Santa Clarita, CA (Get Tickets Here)
Oct 29: The Willows, Hollywood, CA (Get tickets here)
Oct 30: Cemetery Lane, Hollywood, CA (Get tickets here)
Podcast Episodes You Might Be Interested In
Day 26: Indy Scream Park 2022 in Anderson Indiana
Indy Scream Park in Anderson, IN has 5 attractions and a midway. Several of the attractions offer interactive elements, which the park is most known for. They’ve recently upgraded their infrastructure, and Tyler went on-location to speak with GM Todd Harmeson about all of it.
Day 25: The Devil’s Attic in Louisville, Kentucky
Tyler and Nora are on-location for the 13th season of The Devil’s Attic in Louisville, Kentucky. They speak with Jason Besemann about this year’s show.
Day 24: Castle Dark 2022 at Castle Park in Riverside CA
In its 14th year, Caste Dark has a new team and approach to Halloween this year. Castle Dark at Castle Park in Riverside runs 18 nights now through the end of October. We’ll hear from the new entertainment director Joseph Ancheta about this year’s event and their future strategy.
Day 23: The House of Frankenstein
The House of Frankenstein is a relatively new visitor attraction in the UK and they’re hosting a Halloween evening event called After Dark: Purgatory.
Day 22: Halloween Nights 2022 at Eastern State Penitentiary
This is the 31st year of Halloween at Eastern State Penitentiary. Listeners will be familiar with Terror Behind the Walls, the predecessor to Halloween Nights. Over the years, the event has transformed from a linear experience to a full Halloween festival – thus the rebranding to Halloween Nights. Coming up, we’ll speak with Brett Bertolino about this season but also about what the transformation from linear haunt to full festival was like.
Day 21: DARK at Fort Edmonton Park in Edmonton Canada
DARK returns to Fort Edmonton Park on October 7th with a new maze and plenty of returning scares. Fort Edmonton Park is a living history museum, and the DARK event raises funds for its normal operations. We’ve been following DARK since its opening 5 years ago, and this conversation with Teresa Ryan is a very candid and wide-ranging one. We’ll hear about the new designs, but also about the event’s challenges and evolutions.
Day 20: Howl-O-Scream 2022 at SeaWorld San Diego
SeaWorld San Diego is celebrating their 2nd year of Howl-O-Scream this season. This year, the event had two new haunted houses, a new stage show, atmospheric areas called ScAREAS, and bars hidden within mazes. This is an event that is changing a lot year after year. We’ll learn more about the event from Tracy Spahr and then I’ll play you a few clips from opening night.
Hauntathon 2022 Archives
Day 1: Previewing Halloween Horror Nights with John Murdy
Day 2: Unhinged: Nightshade’s Curse at The Winchester Mystery House
Day 3: Shaqtoberfest, Delusion, & the Los Angeles Haunted Hayride
Day 4: Reign of Terror Haunted House: A Retrospective
Day 5: The Scare City Experience opens at Camelot Theme Park
Day 6: 4 Hot & New Haunts Coming to SoCal
Day 7: Evil Intentions Haunted House in Elgin, IL
Day 8: The Fear PDX in Portland, OR
Day 9: Massacre Haunted House in Montgomery, IL
Day 10: Santa Ana Haunt
Day 11: Previewing Knott’s Scary Farm 2022
Day 12: Thirteenth Floor Haunted House Chicago
Day 13: Land of Illusion in Middletown Ohio
Day 14: Sir Henry’s Haunted Trail 2022 in Plant City, FL
Day 15: Planet Doom in Idaho Falls, ID
Day 16: Writing Blood Beckoning for Howl-O-Scream at SeaWorld Orlando
Day 17: Haunted Hotel Haunted House in Louisville, KY
Day 18: Nightmares on the Rogue Haunted Mines & Carnival of Chaos
Day 19: The Vault of Souls in Tampa Florida
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