May 12, 2026

NEWS: Halloween Creep hits a new record

Show Notes
Transcript

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 August 7th
Universal Parks Revenue Surges 24%, But There's a Catch
Dark Nights at Hersheypark Returns September 12th
SCAR Awards 2026 Nominees Announced Ahead of ScareCON
Winchester Mystery House Halfway to Halloween Events
Dark Hour Hosts Halfway to Halloween Spring Market
Spirit Halloween Reveals 2026 Store Theme
Lowe's Halloween Early Access for Rewards Members
HAA Silent Online Auction Live Until May 31st

Read more here.

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Coming up your weekly roundup of news from around the

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haunt industry. Welcome to the show. I'm Philip on the

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HN Show. We bring you the haunt news, information, and

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education you need to prepare for Halloween. On Tuesdays, we

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bring you a roundup of news from haunts worldwide. Read

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more about these stories and so much more in our

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free weekly newsletter. Subscribe at the link in the show notes,

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And as always for the news roundup, I'm passing it

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off to Darryl.

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Halloween Creep is officially here. Mickey's Not So Scary Halloween

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Party is returning to the Magic Kingdom on August seventh,

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the earliest start date in the event's history. What's notable

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is how little is actually changing it mn as SHP

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this year. The dance party is being refreshed, but the

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Cadaver Dance, the Boo to You Parade, the Pocus spell Tacular,

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and the Not So Spooky Spectacular fireworks are all returning unchanged.

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Disney is moving the data up without really reinvesting in

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the event itself. That works in Orlando, where the attendance

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is mostly tourists who won't have seen it before, but

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it wouldn't fly at an attraction that depends on locals

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coming back. Combining that with the Universal bringing back iconic

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characters at HHN this year and recent earnings flagging potentially

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softer summer demand, and the question worth watching is whether

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the major operators are quietly bracing for a slower fall.

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Halfway to Halloween programming continues this week, Winchester Mystery Houses

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adding flashlight tours in the Spirit Valley Market across two

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weekends in May, and Dark Hours hosting a free Spring

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market on May second. Spirit Halloween revealed its twenty twenty

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six store theme Camp Harbor Lake, and Lowe's is opening

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early access to Halloween products for its reward members on

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April thirtieth. We also break down comcasts Q one earnings

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in what Universal's twenty four percent theme park revenue jump

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means for the park's division. Plus Dark Knights at Hershey

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Park returns September twelfth, the new Scare Zone, the Scar

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Awards twenty twenty six nominees are announced ahead of Scare Con,

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and the Haa's Silent Auction is live through May thirty. First,

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Now let's get into the details. Mickey's Not So Scary

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Halloween Party returns August seventh. Mickey's Not So Scary Halloween

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Party will return to the Magic Kingdom at Walt Disney

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World in Orlando, Florida, thirty eight select nights August seventh

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through October thirty first. This marks the earliest start date

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ever for the annual Spooky Fun celebration. At this separately

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ticketed event, guests can expect the ultimate family Halloween Party,

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including exclusive entertainment, Halloween themed food and beverages, photo ops,

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event merch, character greetings, and tricker treating for children and

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adults alike. In their Halfway to Halloween announcement, Disney Park's

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blog highlighted that MNSSHP will feature a new dance party

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hosted by Stitch, Lelo and Angel at the RockA Tower

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Plaza Stage and Tomorrowland. They also confirmed the return of

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the popular Cadaver Dan's Barbershop Quartet, Mickey's Booty You Parade,

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The Hocus Pocus Villain spell Tacular, and Disney's Not So

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Spooky Spectacular. Fireworks and Castle Projection Show. Tickets will be

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available starting on May fifth for guests staying at select

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Walt Disney World Resort hotels and on May twelfth for

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all other guests. You can learn more on the event's

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official website. Universal Parks revenue surges twenty four percent, but

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there's a catch. Comcasts Q one earnings call delivered good

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news almost across the board, and in this week's episode

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of Green Tagged, Philip and Scott break down what it

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means for the theme parks division. Universal's theme park revenue

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was up twenty four percent, driven mostly by Epic Universes

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doing exactly what it was supposed to do, increasing per

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cap spending and length of stay across the entire Orlando resort.

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The one cloud on the horizon is Asia. Universal called

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out softening attendance in Osaka and Beijing, with China related

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inbound travel pressure hitting Japan in a tougher macro environment

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in China. Philip and Scott dig into Universal Cool Japan,

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the ten year old programming slate that led the USJ

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rapidly overlay popular ips like the upcoming Friaran walk through,

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and while leaning local is the right answer when international

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demand shrinks, then they compare that nimble season model to

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Universal's Hollywood Fan Fast Nights, the hard ticket spring version

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of the HHN that's leaning heavily on existing daytime ips

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in year two with one Piece and Sailor Moon doing

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the real work of pulling in new fans. The episode

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closes with a bigger corporate picture theme. Parks are still

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only seven percent of comcasts, and with traditional broadband losses

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improving for the first time since twenty twenty and Peacock

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approaching profitability, the park's division is being treated as one

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of six growth drivers, funding its reinvestment rather than getting

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a blank check. Plus, the Iran conflict and oil prices

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haven't yet shown up in domestic park demand, but Comcast

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left the door open for that to change in Q

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two and Q three. Follow the links in our show

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notes to watch Philip and Scott discuss this on Green Tagged.

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Dark Knights at Hershey Park return September twelfth with new

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Scare Zone celebrating the fifth year of terror. Dark Knights

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at Hershey Park and Hershey, Pennsylvania will return Select Knights

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starting Saturday, September twelfth with an added all new scare zone.

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While the new scare Zones theme is yet to be announced,

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the park has confirmed return of all last year's five

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houses and four scare zones. The Scar Awards twenty twenty

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six nominees announced ahead of scare Con. The shortlisted nominees

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for the twenty twenty six SCAR Awards have been announced

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and winners set to be revealed at scare Con on

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May nineteenth at the Heart of England Convention Center near Birmingham.

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Nominees were unveiled in a specially commissioned video filmed at

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Extreme Screen Park in Melton Mowbray, England, with footage shot

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inside each of the park's seven mazes. Categories range from

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Best Set and Design to Best Theme Park Event, with

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nominees including Thorpe's Park, Fright Nights, Trematica, Tully's Shoctoberfest Park,

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Pasterixy's Pear Serla Park Movie Park, Germany's Halloween Horror Festival

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and Punch Drunks Lander twenty three. The awards anchor the

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Scare Ball on the second night of scare Con twenty

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twenty six, which runs May eighteenth through twentieth. As Europe's

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only trade show dedicated to the scare attraction and horror industry.

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The convention has been running since two thousand and seven

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and has previously been hosted at venues including Alton Towers,

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Thorpe Park, Dreamland, Margate and Blackpool Knew this year is

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as teg Zombie Golf at Daytime experience, built in partnership

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with Steurbridge Scare Maize, featuring a Halloween themed mini golf

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course with live actors. Tickets are available at scare con

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dot org. The Winchester Mystery House celebrates Halfway to Halloween

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with Flashlight Tours and Spirit Alley Market. Celebrate Halfway to

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the Halloween at the Winchester Mystery House in San Jose,

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California with two spooky events. Step into the shadows of

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the Winchester Mystery House on May first, second, eighth, and

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ninth for a Halfway to Halloween Flashlight Tour. With only

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a flashlight to guide you, explore the mansion's twisted corridors

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and uncover its chilling mysteries in this self guided after

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hours tour. This exclusive experience include areas off limit in

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the mansion tour, offering access to more spaces where guests

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and mediums have reported paranormal activity. Tickets are on sale

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now starting at forty nine ninety nine for adults twenty

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nine ninety nine for children age five to twelve. Children

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under five years are not permitted. On the Flashlight Tour.

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May second, third, ninth, and tenth, Winchester Mystery House will

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host the Spirit Alley Halfway to Halloween Market, presented by

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the Menagerie Audities Market from ten am to seven pm

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each day. The Halloween themed artisan market features a lineup

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of curated vendors offering Halloween de core, gothic home goods,

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a cob and dark fine art, audities and curiosities, and

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much more. Will enjoy live entertainment themed cocktails and access

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to the beautiful historic gardens surrounding the Winchester Mystery House Market.

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Admission is free with RSVP and includes access to the

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Garden's house. Tours are not included. All ages are welcome.

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Dark Hour hosts the Halfway to Halloween's Spring Market on

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May second. Dark Hour Haunted House in Plano, Texas will

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host a Halfway to Halloween Spring Market on May second.

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This free event will feature Halloween and horror vendors, a

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live DJ, food and beverage trailers, photo booth, and more.

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Dark Hour will also be hosting exclusive lights on tours

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at eleven am and one thirty pm. These seventy minute

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guided tours will take guests through the attraction revealing fun

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details throughout. Still photography will be allowed. Tour tickets are

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on sale now for twenty eight dollars. Space is limited.

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Spirit Halloween reveals a twenty twenty six store theme and

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the new Xenomorph animatronic. On April twenty fourth, Spirit Halloween

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revealed their twenty twenty sixth store theme, Camp Harbor Lake.

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In a short six second clip, they teased instant camera

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photos of nineteen animatronics and prop we can expect in

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this year's lineup, including Pumpkin Punisher, Willow Witch, Trash Bandit,

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Lady Misfortune, and more. To celebrate Alien Day, on April

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twenty sixth, Spirit debuted their exclusive six foot eight inch

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Alien Xenomorph animatronic, which goes for four hundred and forty

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nine ninety nine. The animatronic features a detailed sculpt with

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dorsal spines, claws, and elongated head, carapace and tail. The

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inner jaw mimics iconic movie scene action with a teeth

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popping movement that delivers a surprise jump scare. Its tarso

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turns in a fluid side to side movement as if

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Xenomorph is scanning for is scanning its space for prey.

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A built in audio feature plays water dropping, chain clanking,

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engine humming, and alien screeching sounds inspired by Alien from

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nineteen seventy nine. Lowe's to offer Halloween product early access

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to their reward members. In an April twentieth Instagram post,

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Lowe shared a sneak peak of their Halloween lineup and

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announced that my those Rewards members would get early access

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to their first Halloween product drop on April thirtieth. Teasing

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features for twenty twenty six include a giant skeleton in overalls,

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holding its head high above its shoulders, a menacing pumpkin

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scarecrow with a spinning pitchfork, evil clowns, a grim reaper

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playing a skeletal keitar, and licensed Disney and Pixar characters

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including Mike and Sully from Monsters, Inc. Dressed to trick

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or treat. Remember. The hia's Silent Online auction is live

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until May thirty first. The Haunted Attraction Association Silent Online

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Auction is now live. Bids could be placed until May

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thirty first of twenty twenty six. The auction currently features

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eleven prize packages donated by HAA vendor members. All proceeds

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raise money for the HAA to provide members with an

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array of benefits. Some upcoming events this April through June

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twenty twenty six include Ohio Halloween in Haunters Convention in Mansfield, Ohio,

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May ninth to tenth, Monster Palooza from Pasadena, California, May

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twenty nine through thirty first, and the Midwest Haunters Convention

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in Rosemont, Illinois, June sixth through seven.

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And that's all for the news this week.

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Today's episode was produced by me Philip Hernandez with reporting

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by Daryl Plunky. Post production by David Swope. This haunt

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News Update is a production of the Haunted Attraction Network

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and you can sign up to our weekly newsletter at

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Haunted Attraction Network dot com. Support for this episode comes

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from Gantum Lighting and Controls. Until next time, Haunters Stay Scary.

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This is a Haunted Attraction Network production.

NEWS: Halloween Creep hits a new record

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