Episodes

At HHN this year, the premium tiers sold out first. Premium Scream Night, a capacity-capped evening at $399 a head, sold out on both of its dates. The R.I.P. guided tour, at $469, has sold out outright, and the only way left to buy that experience is a private booking for $5,000. Six Flags is making the same premium bet with The Conjuring: Beyond Fear while playing the value side at the same time: a low gate for the passholder, scarcity on top for the guest who wants more. Thirteenth Floor is ru...

It's Pumpkin Spice Week, and the theme park season is nearly all open too. In this week's newsletter: every major U.S. theme park Halloween event is either running or opens within the next three weeks, and haunted houses are the roller coasters of fall, the dedicated attractions that give the theme park industry its pricing power. Meanwhile, Thirteenth Floor is running a licensed Jason walkthrough at nine haunts, a bigger footprint than Six Flags has with the same brand, and The Scare Factor lau...

Movie tickets broke records this summer, showing that people are still paying to go out. They're choosing cheaper formats, and a haunt ticket sits much closer to a movie ticket than to a theme park vacation. In this week's newsletter, we break down what that demand means for haunts this fall, the sensory Halloween food trend hitting national shelves, how Kennywood and HHN are monetizing assets by day, and what Ocean Park's shrinking house count says about the classic IP trap. In this issue: - V...

Between Midsummer Scream and earnings week, this issue is dense. Disney, Six Flags, and United Parks dropped earnings, and the news is positive overall for our industry. Universal has a strong reputation, but Six Flags now operates the most haunted mazes in the world: 107, added to parks that already have infrastructure and passholders. HHN Hollywood is leaning into independent films where they have more leeway, with an original Slash score, the event's first-ever singing villain, and a twisted ...

Hershey has a name for the economy we've been describing all year: Treatonomics, "a consumer trend in which people prioritize joyful, memorable experiences and generosity over simply chasing the lowest price." Guests are still spending on Halloween, and they're looking for memorable experiences to connect with, even if it costs a little more. Case in point: eight dates of Mickey's Not-So-Scary Halloween Party, a family trick-or-treat party that is practically the definition of Treatonomics, sold...

Guests are ready to buy Halloween in July. That's the takeaway from Mars' annual Tricks, Treats and Trends report, which put consumer numbers on trends we've been tracking all year: 57% of US adults now consider Halloween a full season, 71% want sensory food experiences, and half of Gen Z is discovering Halloween on TikTok and YouTube. This week's news shows operators building for exactly that: ScareHouse is returning to Pittsburgh with no haunted house at all, just the hangout, and SCREAM-A-GED...

The theme park industry spent years training guests that September and October were worth a visit, and it worked so well that Halloween is now the anchor of the entertainment calendar. In this week's newsletter, we break down what that means for haunts, who's still spending, and why consumer retail is now building product for the semi-pro haunter. In this issue: - Plan Your Season with HAN's 2026 Halloween Haunt & Event Guides - HHN 35 Opens a Portal to Its Own Past With "Sideshow of Decay" - "S...

Welcome to the circus! July 5th marks the official countdown to Halloween in the US, and the theme for 2026 is shaping up to be carnival. Bath & Body Works is the second national retailer to land on a haunted carnival theme, joining Michaels and...

Halloween is having a moment, and Universal is here for it. Comcast announced it will split into two companies, with the entertainment half, NBCUniversal, anchored by its growing theme parks division. Since Comcast has made horror a central part of its brand, Halloween is about to become a much more visible story on earnings calls, and a higher bar for HHN and Horror Unleashed to clear. That dovetails with everything else Universal announced this week, from four new HHN Orlando houses to a Resid...

Two threads land on themes we keep circling back to: who you're selling to and what you're selling is changing. Families are one of the three groups still spending on attractions, and the new Universal Kids Resort is a direct play for that demographic. But, it seems to suffer from the same issue as Universal Horror Unleashed: Universal positioned the product as premium, betting that the IP and brand would justify the price, and early reviews show it struggling to meet guest expectations. The ope...

Spirit Halloween announced it will hire over 52,000 seasonal associates, the largest hiring event in the company's history. Most Americans don't go to a haunted house, but nearly all of them first encounter Halloween through retail. Retail is the first wave of the season, and it primes guests for everything that comes after, including your attraction. In this issue: -Spirit Halloween to Hire 52,000 Seasonal Associates -2026 Halloween & Costume Association Awards Open for Submissions -Legoland Fl...

Our job is to entertain people. How they want to be entertained, though, might be changing. New data from PGAV and Integrated Insight show that the audience for paid attractions is shifting, with visits down about 11% year over year, with the steepest declines among lower-income households, women, and families without kids. This week, we break down who's still spending, what they want, and why Disney's new Oogie Boogie Bash street party might point to where entertainment is heading. In this issu...

Haunts and theme parks are facing similar challenges in entertaining guests: the connective tissue between the big moments is what makes the day (or night) work. In this issue: - Sinners Announced for Halloween Horror Nights Orlando and Hollywood - Hersheypark Dark Nights Sets June Audition Dates - Epic Universe Turns One: Takeaways - Disney Faces Class Action Over Disneyland Facial Recognition - Field of Screams Nixa Expands to Branson With New Indoor Haunt - Hotel of Terror Reaches Purchase Ag...

Last week I attended IAAPA Honors, and my biggest takeaway was something I saw last year: F&B as narrative. From LA Haunted Hayride's Cider Mill to Scarehouse Windsor's dinner experiences, the expansion of food carts at HHN, and all the haunts with hidden bars, we're seeing more haunts weaving food into the story. Guests are buying experiences from us, and food has to be part of that, not separate from it. Also this week: United Parks posted a rough Q1 while peer parks grew, and the next Sphere ...

Both Disney and Six Flags posted strong earnings this week, and while haunts are a few steps removed from the major theme park operators, it tells us something useful: guests are still booking, still spending, and still showing up. The two chains are taking different approaches to the same moment, with Six Flags leaning into value and regional passes while Disney leans into premium. For haunted attractions, the takeaways are the same ones we've been tracking since TransWorld. In this issue: Dis...

It was a slow news week after the rush of Halfway to Halloween, but a few major trends are emerging that could shape this Halloween season. In this issue: -Dead Man's Party Returns to Six Flags Great Adventure -Six Flags St. Louis Enacts Strict Chaperone Policy -Universal Horror Unleashed Teases New Dinner Series -Nocturne Theatre Debuts The Eaves -Ohio Haunters Convention Takes Place This Weekend -Midwest Haunters Convention Announces Pre-Show Tours -Spooky Swap Meet Announces 2027 Dates Read ...

Halloween creep is officially here. Mickey's Not-So-Scary Halloween Party returns to the Magic Kingdom on August 7th, the earliest start date in the event's history. But Disney is moving up the calendar without really reinvesting in the event itself. Combined with Universal bringing back HHN icons and recent earnings flagging softer summer demand, the question is whether the major operators are quietly bracing for a slower fall. In this issue: Mickey's Not-So-Scary Halloween Party Returns Augu...

It's Halfway to Halloween week, and haunters nationwide are celebrating. The Spooky Swap Meet is taking over Heritage Square Museum in LA, the East Coast Haunters Convention kicks off this week in Oaks, Pennsylvania, and it's also the opening weekend of Universal Fan Fest Nights, where Universal Monsters are headlining. In this issue: -East Coast Haunters Convention Guide -Spooky Swap Meet This Weekend -Fan Fest Nights Food and Merchandise Lineup -Six Flags Reinstates Park Presidents at 10 Parks...

The East Coast Haunters Convention is less than two weeks out, and this week's HAN newsletter has your full guide to haunt tours, the show floor, seminars, and the Saturday night party at Shocktoberfest. Build season is picking up, and we're booking Vendor Spotlight Videos on the ECHC floor. Also this week: Disney cut 1,000 jobs across marketing and publicity while parks and live entertainment went untouched, Home Depot dropped its 2026 Halloween lineup in April, and Dorney Park faces a negligen...

TransWorld's Halloween & Attractions Show wrapped up Sunday in St. Louis, and this week's newsletter is dedicated to the full recap. We spoke with 16 vendors across the show floor, where the trend toward retailtainment was impossible to miss: booths are becoming experiences. We also covered the OSCARES (record attendance this year), a new HAA president, and an insurance conversation the industry can't avoid. In this issue: - 16 Vendor Spotlights from the Show Floor - OSCARES 2026 Winners - HAA E...

Held annually at TransWorld's Halloween & Attractions Show, the State of the Industry Seminar brings together HAA board members, haunt owners, operators, and vendors for a candid look at the past season and the challenges ahead. Moderated by outgoing President Jim Werner (Pennhurst Asylum), this year's discussion covered the ongoing insurance crisis, AI's impact on search and operations, and a push for collaboration over competition. Read our full recap here.

TransWorld's Halloween & Attractions Show kicks off this week in St. Louis. Whether you're heading to the show floor or following from home, here's what the industry is talking about heading into the biggest week of the year. Also this week:- Halloween Horror Nights 35 Reveals First Haunted House and Returning Icons- Jana Partners Pushes Six Flags to Explore Sale- Sesame Workshop Sues United Parks to Terminate Licensing Agreement- Carowinds Brings The Conjuring: Beyond Fear to Spring Break with ...

TransWorld's Halloween & Attractions Show returns to St. Louis next week with 450+ exhibitors, dozens of seminars, and a full week of industry events. We put together a guide to help you navigate it all. Also this week:- Travis Kelce Signs On as Six Flags Brand Ambassador- New State Lease Terms Put Old Joliet Haunted Prison's Future in Question- Will Attractions Be Impacted by Conflict in the Middle East?- Limited-Time Savings on Universal Horror Unleashed Tickets- Wicked New England Returns to ...

It's March, and that means convention season for the haunted attraction industry is upon us! This week: Preview the floor plans for TransWorld's Halloween & Attractions Show, coming up March 26th - 29th in St. Louis; Midsummer Scream Tickets On Sal; East Coast Haunters Convention Haunt Tour Tickets On Sale; Texas Haunters Convention Registration Open; United Parks Reports Declining Revenue Amid Stock Buybacks; Dark Masquerade Returns to Queen Mary in March; Distortions Unlimited Reveals Frankens...