A Jackson Wang haunted house, "Under the Castle", comes to Halloween Horror Nights 2024 at Universal Studios Singapore; Six Flags Fright Fest Extreme at Six Flags Magic Mountain suffered challenges during opening this past weekend; Eveerland and Netflix collaborate to bring "Stranger Things" and "All of Us Are Dead" to Blood City 8; a new Disney Villains show is coming to Walt Disney World's Hollywood Studios next summer; Blackpool Pleasure Beach announces two new scare zones and triple the rides for Journey to Hell: Freak Nights; a Boston, MA announces new Spooky Streets program to provide grants for Halloween block parties; the Douglas Halloween Parade for Adults seeks donors for its 26th annual event; the Vegas Theater Company will premiere the new Halloween haunt-themed musical "The House on Watch Hill" on September 27th; Ames Haunted Forest to close after 25 years of fears; Niles Scream Park returns for its 51st season; Freakling Bros. Horror Shows returns in a new location for 2024; "Onionhead's Revenge" returns to the Mall of America starting September 27th; Meow Wolf's Halloween experience, "Cosmic Howl" will return to each of its locations this Fall; City officials have halted construction of a popular home haunt display in Ortilla, Ontario; Ghost of Glamis returns to the landmark 650-year-old castle for 2024 with new child-friendly storytelling tours; Freaklings Bros. Horror Shows now hiring scareactors for this season; The Canadian Haunters Association hosted their 10th annual awards ceremony this past weekend.

Halloween Horror Nights at Universal Orlando Resort opened to mixed reviews this past weekend; Halloween Horror Nights at Universal Studios Hollywood announces "Late Night with Chucky" live talk show; Go behind-the-scenes of HHN's "A Quiet Place" and "Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire" with Theme Park Insider and Attractions Magazine; Six Flags Magic Mountain will implement a chaperone policy for Fright Fest Extreme; The Broadway Halloween parade needs a hero sponsor by September 6th or its 2024 event may be cancelled; Coffin Creek cancels their 2024 event; Dinosaur World hosts its first-ever Halloween after-hours event; The Ghost Train is returning to Tweetsie Railroad this Fall; Alton Towers announces two new Scarefest attractions - "Compound" and "Amigos in the Afterlife"; Freeform announces its "31 Nights of Halloween" lineup; American consumers are planning to spend more on Halloween candy, food, and costumes than 2023. Read the news here.

Halloween Horror Nights in Orlando & Hollywood announce their first-ever use of ASL in a maze with their newest IP haunt based on "A Quiet Place" and "A Quiet Place: Part II"; The new stage show "Monster Stomp" comes to Howl-O-Scream at Sea World San Diego; This past weekend's Midwest Haunters Convention has the highest attendance on record; Haunters Against Hate announces new membership subscriptions; Terror in the Corn & Metal X Entertainment collaborate to create a new comic series based on the haunt; The Forbidden Corner announces new Halloween event, "Forbidden Fright Nights"; Epic Entertainment Group begins in-person auditions for Hersheypark Dark Nights. Read the full news here.

Political clashes are shaking up the theme park world: Biden against Resort Fees and Disney versus De Santis. Plus, trends are unfolding in the world of Six Flags expansions. Support for this episode comes from Gantom Lighting and Controls. See what you’re missing with a free demo. Subscribe to everything from the Haunted Attraction Network here.

Allen Hopps owns Stilt Beast Studios and is the Director of Dark Hour Haunted House. During this year’s Transworld, Allen brought several new costumes with an anti-reality theme, and he’s also been experimenting with gamification and off-season events at his haunt. Here’s Allen live at the show with more. Support for this episode comes from Gantom Lighting and Controls. See what you’re missing with a free demo. Subscribe to everything from the Haunted Attraction Network here.

Scott visits the Middle East Film and Comic Convention and draws parallels between horror culture and its impact across countries. The Middle East Film and Comic Con (commonly referred to as MEFCC) is a speculative fiction convention held annually in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, in April. Support for this episode comes from Gantom Lighting and Controls. See what you’re missing with a free demo. Subscribe to everything from the Haunted Attraction Network here.

Read the stories here. Haunts nationwide celebrate St. Patrick's Day with a terrifying twist - including Dark Hour, Hudson Haunted House, Bennett's Curse, Frightmare, Panic Point, Brighton Asylum, Bayville Scream Park, and Field of Screams, and Fright Haven Haunted House; Scream Break comes to Six Flags Over Texas and Six Flags Magic Mountain this weekend; Efteling shares progress on new Danse Macabre and Huyverwoud Haunted Forest area; Haunted Majestic to launch a new charitable giving program for the 2023 haunt season.

Universal announces a rebrand as their expansion in Texas is approved. Meanwhile, Disney is hitting a price ceiling due to a lack of demand for the Galactic Starcruiser. Subscribe: https://linktr.ee/hauntedattractionnetwork

Scott Swenson shares a design hack – incorporating easter eggs (AKA Hidden narrative moments) into your haunt for your best customers to discover. Support for this episode comes from Gantom Lighting and Controls. See what you’re missing with a free demo. Subscribe to everything from the Haunted Attraction Network here.

Should you hire a consultant for your haunt, and how do you begin? Today, Scott Swenson explains what makes a great consultant, things to avoid when hiring the right one, and why you might not even need one. If you want to join the conversation for the next masterclass, join Haunter’s Toolbox. Support for this episode comes from Gantom Lighting and Controls. See what you’re missing with a free demo. Subscribe to everything from the Haunted Attraction Network here.

RibFX, who just celebrated their successful 2nd year at the show, specializes in creating static props with translucent urethane rubber. Today, we’ll learn more about why that matters. Support for this episode comes from Gantom Lighting and Controls. See what you’re missing with a free demo. Subscribe to everything from the Haunted Attraction Network here.

Read the stories here. Tickets are now on sale for Midsummer Scream; The Cleveland Haunt Club will host its 3rd Annual Halfway to Halloween Flea Market; The Ohio Haunters Association announces Halfway to Halloween Character Contest; Springtopia will feature two mazes in Spooky-Land section; Wells Township Haunted House hosts St. Patrick's Day lights out haunt; Castle Blood celebrates St. "Batrick's" Day; Netflix announces new Stranger Things stage play in London; The Haunted Attraction Association seeks volunteers for Home Haunt & Vendor Committees; Fear Factory is hiring General Maintenance & Build Apprentices; Walt Disney Studios releases Haunted Mansion teaser trailer.

We're breaking down the 2022 earnings for Six Flags and SeaWorld this week!
Overall good news, as despite lower attendance, the parks showed more profitability. Support for this episode comes from Gantom Lighting and Controls. See what you’re missing with a free demo. Subscribe to everything from the Haunted Attraction Network here.

Read the news here. Universal Studios Orlando's Halloween Horror Nights have announced another three mazes: "The Museum: Deadly Exhibits," Monstrous: The Monsters of Latin America," and "Triplets of Terror." Take a sneak peak inside Tokyo DisneySea's new Fantasy Springs; Fantasmic returns to Disneyland; Midsummer Scream announces theme park & attraction presentations and 2024 event app; Monsterpalooza celebrates its 15th anniversary this weekend; Early bird prices for Midwest Haunters Convention end on May 29th; FearWorm wins Silvery Telly Award for Scarehouse commercial; Zombie Joe's Underground Theatre Group presents "Enter the Void"; Screamfest presents a screening of "Carrie" on May 31st; Scare City returns to the abandoned Camelot theme park for its 5th season; Deadmonton Haunted House now hiring scareactors, makeup artists, and staff; Warner Bros. Pictures releases new "Beetlejuice Beetlejuice" trailer; Mars Wrigley announces 2024 candy lineup and "Tricks, Treats & Trends" report.

Scott Swenson discusses how he has handled quotes and contracts for goods and services within the Haunt industry and how you should approach them. Support for this episode comes from Gantom Lighting and Controls. See what you’re missing with a free demo. Subscribe to everything from the Haunted Attraction Network here.

Presented by The Haunted Attraction Association during Transworld, the OSCARES are the highest achievement in the Halloween and Haunted Attraction industry. Today, we’re playing the full award presentation for you, including the board nomination remarks and acceptance speeches. Watch the video here. Support for this episode comes from Gantom Lighting and Controls. See what you’re missing with a free demo. Subscribe to everything from the Haunted Attraction Network here.

The City Museum in St Louis hosts haunters for a yearly party during Transworld’s Halloween & Attractions Show. The massive space is about interactive play, where the local team makes everything from recycled materials. The Museum was hit hard by the pandemic, but now that they’ve recovered, what’s the plan? We speak with Rick Erwin, Creative Director of the City Museum, to learn about their design philosophy. Support for this episode comes from Gantom Lighting and Controls. See what you’re missing with a free demo. Subscribe to everything from the Haunted Attraction Network here.

Six Flags Magic Mountain announces Scream Break haunt event; Attendee registration opens for the Midwest Haunters Convention; Ghosts of Summer tickets go on sale; Hotel of Terror deemed as an eminent domain by Springfield City Council; All Saints Lunatic Asylum hosts 8th annual Rotten Egg Hunt; Vendors unite to negotiate a better trade deal with bankrupt Party City; The Recreational Fear Lab at Aarhus University studies the psychology of horror movies; Explore this past year's Transworld's Halloween & Attractions Show with Philip & Elsie. Read more here

Six Flags Magic Mountain is opening its haunts in March! Scream Break is a new after-hours event happening Fridays, Saturdays, and Sundays from March 18 to April 16. Philip and Scott discuss the event and what you can learn from it. Plus, wage raises at Tokyo Disney and Rogers: The Musical. Subscribe: https://linktr.ee/hauntedattractionnetwork

With Transworld in the rear-view mirror, haunts are well into design season. But before you get too deep – it's good to revisit some common design flaws. Today Leonard Pickel from Hauntrepreneurs walks you through the top common haunt design flaws. Leonard is a legend in the haunted attraction space, and his architectural background has been designing haunts for over 40 years. This session was presented live to the haunter’s toolbox haunt master members and is a replay from last year. Support for this episode comes from Gantom Lighting and Controls. See what you’re missing with a free demo. Subscribe to everything from the Haunted Attraction Network here.

Little Spider Creations is a custom fabrication studio based in South Carolina. Since their founding in 1991, they’ve designed and fabricated for everyone, from haunted houses to theme parks, industrial spaces, and retail. Because they sit at the intersection of so many industries, they have a unique perspective on trends. Today, we’ll speak with David Brawner about trends and what you can expect if you’re considering custom fabrication for your attraction. Support for this episode comes from Gantom Lighting and Controls. See what you’re missing with a free demo. Subscribe to everything from the Haunted Attraction Network here.

At this year’s Transworld Show, quite a few listeners stopped by the booth to say hello. Today, we’re going to play messages from two of them. Support for this episode comes from Gantom Lighting and Controls. See what you’re missing with a free demo. Subscribe to HAN here.

The Midwest Haunters Convention announces pre-show bus tour locations; The Hotel of Terror risks being declared eminent domain; HellsGate and Statesville Haunted Prison face a class-action lawsuit over wages; Nightmare Chambers hosts Slaughter Gras haunted house; Haunters Against Hate raised $3,800 at TransWorld's Halloween & Attraction Show raffle; The Haunted Mansion movie sets release date for July 28th, 2023. Read the stories here.

We discuss the impact of Super Nintendo World on the themed entertainment industry and look at the pay raise Universal Orlando is offering.

The creative team from Halloween Horror Nights at Universal Orlando Resort took the stage last weekend at Spooky Empire to discuss details about this year’s event. Today, we’re playing that entire panel for you. Watch the panel here. Support for this episode comes from Gantom Lighting and Controls. See what you’re missing with a free demo. Subscribe to everything from the Haunted Attraction Network here.

Why should you consider opening for an off-season event? Christmas, Valentine's Day, and even Halfway to Halloween – more and more haunts are opening outside the traditional Halloween Season. We’ve heard plenty of examples here on the show. Today, Scott Swenson will walk us through his list of 4 reasons: additional revenue, utilizing assets, expanding your audience, and building loyalty. Subscribe here.

Today’s episode is from one of those partners – ScareTrack. ScareTrack is the UK's first podcast showcasing the Scare Attraction & Haunted House Industry. Today, the team is in the studio discussing Duel: The Haunted House Strikes Back being rethemed to The Curse at Alton Manor and Derren Browns Ghost Train being rethemed to Ghost Train at Thorpe Park. Subscribe to HAN here.

Atascadero is about midway between Los Angeles and the Bay Area. Despite being in this isolated market, The Haunt in Atascadero has been growing steadily. Opening for Valentines' is a tradition for the haunt, and they’re up to 5 show nights plus a lights-on tour, which is the longest-running valentine's show among haunts in California. I stopped by on Valentine’s Day to hear about this year’s from the owner. Support for this episode comes from Gantom Lighting and Controls. See what you’re missing with a free demo. Subscribe to the HAN here. https://linktr.ee/hauntedattractionnetwork

The Haunted Attraction Association held their annual State of the Industry Presentation at TransWorld's Halloween & Attractions Show; Horrorween Con Idaho adds $1,000 in cash prizes to their Costume Contest; Tickets are now on sale for the Spooky Swap Meet; Creep I.E. Con announces new Fall event & 2024 dates; The Immersive Arts Collection presents The Immortal Obscure Art Show with opening reception on March 10th; Send a Scareytine surprise from Madd Hatters Haunt; The Scare Factor is adding to/updating their haunt list for 2023; Utah Senate Lawmakers reject bill to change the dates of Halloween. Read the full stories here

We recap the latest earnings call from Disney and their union challenges. Subscribe to everything from HAN here.

Today’s episode is from one of those partners – A Scott in the Dark, hosted by Scott Swenson. Today, Scott discusses crafting a pitch for new or existing clients. Support for this episode comes from Gantom Lighting and Controls. See what you’re missing with a free demo. Subscribe to everyone we do here.

Today, we’re playing the FULL 2023 State of the Industry Presentation from the Haunted Attraction Association. This was recorded live Friday, February 3rd, at 9 AM during Transworld’s Halloween and Attractions Show. The video version is available here.

Read the stories here. The Haunted Attractions Association OSCARES winners announced; The HAA's Live Auction raises over $40,000; TransWorld's Halloween & Attractions Show announces 2024 dates.

Scott and Philip discuss Key Takeaways from Transworld's Halloween & Attractions Show in St Louis. Subscribe here.

We're busy covering Transworld's Halloween and Attractions Show and will resume our normal schedule Monday. Visit us at booth 2422 to leave a shout out for the show.

This Week's News: Universal Orlando announces first TWO haunted houses; Chris Sarandon & Ken Page of "The Nightmare Before Christmas" coming to Creep it Real; Haunt Tour on Sale for Midwest Haunters Convention; Creepy Hollow Haunted Woods decimated in tornado; and Blumhouse's 2025 horror films. Read everything here.https://mailchi.mp/hauntedattractionnetwork.com/halloween-horror-nights-first-two-house-announcements

After two decades, Scott is unable to attend Transworld this year. However, he put together a guide for those of you who can attend.

Transworld’s Halloween & Attractions show is Feb 2-5, 2023, in St Louis – and it's the largest gathering for the haunted attraction industry worldwide.

Transworld's Halloween & Attractions Show takes place this week - February 2nd - 5th; Visit the Haunted Attractions Network at TransWorld Booth 2422; 9-16 Productions crafts limited edition souvenir keys; CFX holds its biggest sale of the year; Creature Corps offers 10% discount on orders; Haunted Hills Productions announces TransWorld show specials; ProAiir Body/FX Makeup offers free stencils on Friday; Scare Co Creations announces Buy 5 Get 1 Free and Buy 8 Get 2 Free on their custom clown costumes; Say the secret phrase and get a special prize from Scareit Badges; The Scooby-Doo Spooky Coaster at Warner Bros. Movie World closes to receive a $4 million upgrade; Alton Towers teases their new Darkride, The Curse at Alton Manor; Lincoln Mill Haunted House presents "Viktor's Valentine: A 'Dark' Love Story"; Horrorween Haunted Warehouse to host a Valentine's haunt on February 10th & 11th; Evidence of Evil Haunted Attraction will host a murder mystery at Lyman Homestead; Composite Effects sues All Elite Wrestling and Luchasaurus; Little Spider Creations is hiring

Comcast's Q4 earnings show record profit, prompting the company to announce additional investment in theme parks for 2023. Meanwhile, 2022 marked the largest population decrease in China in 60 years. Support for this episode comes from Gantom Lighting and Controls. See what you’re missing with a free demo. Subscribe to the Haunted Attraction Network here.

Next week the largest tradeshow in our industry, Transworld’s Halloween & Attractions Show, will take over St Louis. Today, we’ll replay a show from several years ago that examines Transworld through audio diaries from 3 individuals. Three days in St Louis told via audio diary from three entirely different attendees – a first-timer, a first-time vendor, and a veteran. Featured in this episode: Brian Foreman from Haunter’s Toolbox and ScareIt Badges, Max Bryant, Scott Swenson, Scott Tater Lynd, Doug Schaefer, and Dalton Dale. Support for this episode comes from Gantom Lighting and Controls. See what you’re missing with a free demo. Subscribe to our stuff here.

Founded in 1960, Morris Costumes is a wholesaler distributing tens of thousands of Halloween products. Over the years, they’ve become known for animatronics, and they debuted several new models at this year’s retail show. The Halloween & Part Expo, held every January, is where Halloween retail stores go to buy for the upcoming Halloween season. For Haunters, the trends at this show are key because they determine what your customers will see in stores this fall. Today, we’ll discuss the new technology trends in consumer-grade animatronics and whether the pending recession will impact Halloween with Sean Morris. Support for this episode comes from Gantom Lighting and Controls. See what you’re missing with a free demo. Subscribe to the Haunted Attraction Network here.

Containment haunted house in Lithia Springs, Georgia, has closed its old location permanently, and today, we’ll visit the final show. Containment haunted house opened its lithia springs location in 2016. The haunt is made from shipping containers, each acting as a different scene. The time has come for the haunt to move and decide if they’ll keep the container model or move to a building. Finding a location is one of the most significant obstacles for haunters, so today, we’ll go on-location to hear about the move from General Manager Joey McCollough. Elsie Acuna (Sharp Productions) went on location to report this story. Support for this episode comes from Gantom Lighting and Controls. See what you’re missing with a free demo. Subscribe to our stuff here. Watch a walkthrough of Containment Haunted House here.

Read the full stories here. The Haunted Attraction Association welcomes new VP, Brent Wilson; The Haunted Attraction Association's online auction is now accepting bids; The Ohio Haunters Association and Carnage Haunted House plan a Halfway to Halloween event sponsored by the Midwest Haunters Convention; Abandoned Acres Farm opens a new escape room; The Savannah Underground and Creations & Libations will present an Immersive Haunted Paint & Sip event; Maag Marketplace & The Heritage Museum of Orange County present a Bloody Valentine event on February 11th; Valentine Haunt returns to Hush Haunted Attraction; Composite Effects announces Transworld Show Special; Trick or Treat Studios unveils 2023 catalog.

In contrast to last week's show, we look at recent Disney Policy changes and discuss their impact. Plus, it's Chinese New Year, and theme parks all around the world are celebrating.

In this session, taught by yours truly, we’ll explain what TikTok is and best practices for using it for your haunt. This audio recording is taken from the January Haunter’s Toolbox Haunt Master class. Participate in future sessions by becoming a Haunt Master at haunterstoolbox.com.

Read this week's stories here. Overview: Universal Parks & Resorts announces plans to build a permanent Horror experience in Las Vegas, Zombie Joe's Underground Theatre Group presents "Conjure the Spirits"; Celebrate Valentine's Day with haunts from Carnage Haunted House, Scarehouse, Dark Hour Haunted House, 13th Floor Jacksonville, Sir Henry's Haunted Trail, and Murder House Productions; South Korean police seek criminal charges against 23 officials for a lack of safety measures blamed for a crowd surge that killed nearly 160 revelers in October; The next Ohio Haunters Association meeting will take place this weekend on Sunday, January 22nd, 2023 at 3:00 p.m. EST at the Ohio State Reformatory; Fear Farm will create a mini-haunt experience at this year's Creep I.E. Con; The Haunted Attraction Association announces path to CHAOS Recertification for all that were certified prior to 2020; New product announcements from Gore Galore, Distortions Unlimited, Scareit Badges, Frightbro's FX, and Henry Monster Designs; Exotic Lenses opens for pre-orders; Utah lawmaker proposes resolution to change the date of Halloween.

Transworld’s Halloween & Attractions Show is the largest trade show for our industry, where tens of thousands of haunters gather yearly in St. Louis to shop, network, and learn. Scott Swenson and I sat down on the final day of Transworld to discuss our thoughts on the show, and today, I’m playing that conversation for you. This episode originally aired on our companion podcast, ‘Green Tagged: Theme Park in 30.’ Support for this episode comes from Gantom Lighting and Controls. See what you’re missing with a free demo. Subscribe to everything from the Haunted Attraction Network here.

Universal took the industry by storm by announcing two major attractions coming to Dallas and Las Vegas. Stories: Universal Parks & Resorts Plans to Bring New Concept for Families with Young Children to Frisco, Texas; Universal Parks & Resorts to Bring Entirely New Year-Round Horror Experience to Las Vegas. Support for this episode comes from Gantom Lighting and Controls. See what you’re missing with a free demo. Subscribe: https://linktr.ee/hauntedattractionnetwork

Last week we played the 2022 state of the industry presentation from the Haunted Attraction Association. Today, we’ll revisit the Q&A session that followed the presentation. Looking back on the most significant issues from last year, it’s interesting to see what has changed and what hasn’t. How did your haunt compare to some of the predictions made? This Q&A session was recorded live at Transworld immediately following the 2022 State of the Industry Presentation. Support for this episode comes from Gantom Lighting and Controls. See what you’re missing with a free demo. Subscribe: https://linktr.ee/hauntedattractionnetwork

Two haunters have pivoted to developing a 360° immersive audio experience called SLEEPWALKR. Hidden within a strip mall in San Gabriel, California, is The Sandmen Collective, a popular dream exhibitor. When entering, guests can choose from three distinct dreams offering 12 minutes of 360° audio effects intermixed with practical elements and actors. Today, we’ll preview the experiences with co-creators Sam Kellman and David Coleman (Inside the box productions). Support for this episode comes from Gantom Lighting and Controls. See what you’re missing with a free demo. Subscribe: https://linktr.ee/hauntedattractionnetwork