NEWS: A Haunt Sells Memories, Not Scares

0:07 Coming up your weekly roundup of news from around the haunt industry. Welcome to the show. I'm Philip on the Ahn Show. We bring you the haunt news, information and education you need to prepare for Halloween. On Tuesdays, we bring you a roundup of news from haunts worldwide. Read more about these stories and so much more in our free weekly newsletter. Subscribe at the link in the show notes. And as always for the news roundup, I'm passing it. Off to Darryl. A message from Phil Pernandez, publisher of the Haunted Attraction Network. I'm pulling two threads this week that land on themes we keep circling back to. Who were you selling to and what you're selling is changing?

0:52 Families are one of the three groups still spending on attractions in the new Universal Kids Resort at twenty Acre Kids Park, opening July first in Frisco, Texas, is a direct play for that demographic. Universal is testing the kids resort concept with a new demographic, much like they are testing Universal Horror Unleashed in Las Vegas, and it seems that both properties suffer from similar issues. Universal position the product is premium, pricing it at twice the local competition's price, betting that the IP and brand would justify the premium. The early reviews from Texas show a theme park with little theming and little shade, struggling to meet guest expectations for a universal property. Horror Unleased reduced prices, reduced operating hours, and has launched a full seasonal activation plan to bring guests back. Let's watch how Universal Kid resort pivots. The operators who get premium right don't lean solely on IP to do the work. They build a strong core product, evoke emotion, and let everything else extend it. Merchandise is a great way to extend the experience, although guests increasingly want to do it through integrated storytelling. I saw the clearest version of this at Iappa Expo Asia in a session on how Hong Kong, Disneyland and Ocean Park approached merchandise.

2:14 Both treat the framework the same way. Emotions lead to experiences. Experiences become memories, and merchandise extends that journey beyond the rides and shows. The point is that shopping should feel like the continuation of the attraction, not a separate transaction tacked onto the exit. Ocean parks pandas were my favorite example. Panda merchandise is their top performer, so the team built a whole strategy around it. When yinging one of the park's pandas was photographed in a particularly parenting pose that resonated with guests, they turned that exact pose into a plush. The enrichment toys that the cubs actually played with became toys the guests could buy. They personify the supporting panda friend's characters, give them traits and small stories so guests can tell them apart and form attachments. Then they sustain it with seasonal and event based drops, crossover lines that connect the pandas to the park's other animals, licensing deals with brands like cup Noodles and Unit Low, and strategic collaborations like trading cards. The thread connecting all of it is that the merchandise captures an emotional moment that already had residents. The team isn't guessing what might sell. They're watching for the moments guests already responded to to the park and on social media, and extending that emotion to something a guest can take home. The emotion is the product you can't charge premium prices when the core product

3:44 is lacking, and hope the brand IP covers the gap. The guest pays for how the place makes them feel. Get the feeling right, and the merchandise, the upsell, the repeat visit, and yes, the premium price all follow from it. Skip the feeling, and no amount of IP backfills it. What's the moment in your attraction that guests already talk about? Photograph and remember that's the one to capture and build into your experience. You're not just selling this scare, You're selling the moment they'll remember and everything else extends it. Also this week, Stranger Things returns to Halloween Horror Nights for the show's final season. H and R. Blood and Gets gets a new original house at HHN Orlando. Dollywood announced its first separately ticketed after hours Halloween event, and The Rocky Horror Picture Show is coming to Sphere in twenty twenty seven. Here's what you need to know. This week, Stranger Things returns to Halloween Horror Nights. The Upside Down returns to Universal Studios Halloween Horror Nights in an all new Stranger Things Haunted House developed in partnership with Netflix.

4:52 This year's Stranger Things House will take guests into the fifth and final season of the hit series. Step into the center of the ultimate Battle to save Hawkins as you encounter your favorite characters and navigate iconic locations including the Wheelerhouse, Hawkins National Laboratory, the max Z Military Base, The Upside Down, and the Abyss. Beware Dema, Gorgan's and other sinister creatures await at every turn, and Vecna is there to pull guests into an all or nothing battle for survival. Limited release merchandise based on This House and more is now available at Universal's online store. Universal Studios Halloween Horror Nights run Select Knights August twenty eight through November first at Universal Orlando Resort in Orlando, Florida, and Select Knights September three through November first at Universal Studios Hollywood in Universal City, California. HR Blood and Guts returns to Hgen Orlando with a new original house. Your favorite Maitre d Macob returns to Universal Orlando's Helloween Horror Knights in Orlando, Florida with a new original house. HR Blood and Guts presents Helloween Fright Tacular, fifteen years after his untimely arrest. Carrie's Favorite creature feature host HR Blood and Guts aka Lawrence Larry Kurtzberg, has returned to the derelict WKNB station on Halloween Knight to present an all new Sinister showcase. Tune into this haunted house, complete with ghouls, gore, and all the frights that keep you coming back for more.

6:23 The Murderous Horror host was first introduced in twenty eleven with the House HR Blood and Guts presents Holidays of Horror, and also appeared at Universal Horror Unleashed in Las Vegas as the Feaster Bunny during last spring's Feaster Grievings event. Halloween Horror Nights Orlando runs select knights August twenty eight through November. First tickets are on sale now at the event's official website. Dollywood host its first separately ticketed after hours Halloween event. Dollywood from Pigeonforge, Tennessee, has announced its first separately ticketed after hours Halloween event, Harvey's Boo Bag, taking place during the park's annual Heravice Festival in August sixteenth, twenty third, and thirtieth. Guests are invited to step into an exclusive nighttime celebration from six pm to midnight, featuring treat trails, dance parties, theme snacks, special character encounters, and more.

7:17 Tickets for Harvey's Boo Bash are on sale now for one twenty nine to ninety nine guest stage four and over. Daytime general park admission plus Harvey's Boo Bash Combo tickets are also available. Universal Kids Resort opens for previews. Universal Kids Resort, Universal's new twenty acre kids centric theme park, and Frisco, Texas open for previews ahead of its July first launch. The product is priced twice that of the competition, positioning it as the region's premium family offering, But does the new theme park justify the premium positioning. The early evidence is not flattering. Critics argue that Universal Kids Resort suffers from a lack of theming and shade, while opponents argue that kids of that age like anything. A family of four runs about two hundred and twenty dollars to three hundred and twenty dollars before parking in food, against fifty to one hundred and thirty at local zoos, museums, indoor water parks, and family entertainment centers. Most of which are climate controlled or at least shaded. If a child is just as happy at a splash pad, a zoo, or a free city park, why would a caregiver pay twice the going rate for Universal name is Universal Kids Resort, a competing product for young families in the region. Follow the links in our show notes to read the full analysis or watch this week's green tagged video. The Rocky Horror Picture Show is planned for the Sphere in twenty twenty seven. Prepare to time warp back into the iconic madness of nineteen seventy five's The Rocky Horror Picture Show

8:48 is part of a new experience at Sphere, Las Vegas, Nevada. In special arrangement with Primary Wave Music and Twentieth Century Studios. Sphere Studios will use its advance technologies to enhance the original film for a unique immersive experience. Jim Dolan, Executive Chairman and CEO of Sphere Entertainment, set in a press release. Since The Rocky Horror Picture Show premiered in nineteen seventy five, it redefined audience participation and became a cultural phenomenon. With Sphere, we have the opportunity to take that spirit of immersion to an entirely new level. This new production is part of the Sphere Experience sphere slate of original immersive content, including The Wizard of Oz a Sphere. The company's yet to announce in what ways the original film will be enhanced its predecessor, The Wizard of Oz. It Sphere has drawn criticism from the use of generative AI to add extras and scenery to fit the sixty thousand square foot wrap around interior led display, and for cutting nearly thirty minutes of runtime from the film, including some musical numbers.

9:49 Expected to open in twenty twenty seven, audiences will have to wait in anticipation. Learn about the Sphere in their immersive programming at the venue's official website. Upcoming events this June through August of twenty twenty six included the Texas Haunters Convention July eighteenth and nineteenth, and Irving Texas Haunters Against Hey the event August first and second in Louisville, Kentucky. In the Midsummer Scream August seventh through ninth in Long Beach, California. And that's all for the News this Week. Today's episode was produced by me Philip Bernandez, with reporting by Darryl Plunky, post production. By David Swope. This hant News Update is a production of the Haunted Attraction Network, and you can sign up to our weekly newsletter at Hanta Attraction network dot com. Support for this episode comes from Gantum Lighting and Controls. Until next time, Haunters, stay scary this It's a Haunted Attraction eight production.