May 27, 2025

NEWS: Haunt Trends Playing Out in Real Time

Show Notes
Transcript

This week: How trends from InterPark Magazine and theme parks impact haunts; Monsterpalooza Comes to Pasadena This Weekend; Six Flags validates horror IP expansion & themed F&B; Spirit Halloween Cancels Flagship Store Grand Opening; Queen Mary's Dark Harbor To Open June 13th; Zombies Takeover Hello Kitty Land This Summer; Ghostly Manor Debuts at Paultons Park; ScareCON's 2025 SCAR Awards Winners Announced; The Mystic Museum's Total Grotesque Live (TGL). Read the storieshere.

WEBVTT

1
00:00:07.480 --> 00:00:10.279
Coming up your weekly roundup of news from around the

2
00:00:10.279 --> 00:00:17.399
haunt industry. Welcome to the show. I'm Philip on the

3
00:00:17.600 --> 00:00:21.199
HN Show. We bring you the haunt news, information, and

4
00:00:21.399 --> 00:00:24.839
education you need to prepare for Halloween. On Tuesdays, we

5
00:00:24.839 --> 00:00:28.320
bring you a roundup of news from haunts worldwide. Read

6
00:00:28.359 --> 00:00:30.640
more about these stories and so much more in our

7
00:00:30.719 --> 00:00:34.240
free weekly newsletter. Subscribe at the link in the show notes,

8
00:00:34.560 --> 00:00:37.039
and as always for the news roundup, I'm passing it

9
00:00:37.039 --> 00:00:37.600
off to Darryl.

10
00:00:38.399 --> 00:00:41.320
Celebrate the art of monsters in movie magic this weekend

11
00:00:41.359 --> 00:00:46.079
May thirtieth through June first at Monster Palooza in Pasadena, California.

12
00:00:46.719 --> 00:00:50.520
Taking place at the Pasadena Convention Center, Monster Palooza features

13
00:00:50.520 --> 00:00:54.200
over four hundred exhibitors, a monster museum, special guests and

14
00:00:54.240 --> 00:00:57.880
makeup demos, presentations, and more. Early bird tickets are on

15
00:00:57.960 --> 00:01:00.640
sale online until May thirty, eth starting at forty dollars

16
00:01:00.640 --> 00:01:04.040
plus fees for Friday admission, forty five dollars plus fees

17
00:01:04.040 --> 00:01:07.000
for Sunday admission, and ninety dollars plus fees for the

18
00:01:07.040 --> 00:01:10.959
three day admission. Saturday tickets are currently sold out online.

19
00:01:11.079 --> 00:01:13.879
A limited number will be available for purchase at the

20
00:01:13.920 --> 00:01:17.719
door on Saturday for fifty five dollars each. Spirit Halloween

21
00:01:17.760 --> 00:01:21.200
has canceled their flagship store grand opening event. In a

22
00:01:21.239 --> 00:01:24.799
May twenty second Facebook post, Spirit Halloween announced that due

23
00:01:24.799 --> 00:01:28.599
to international disruptions and supply chain challenges, they have been

24
00:01:28.680 --> 00:01:32.519
forced to cancel their annual Egg Harbor Township grand opening event,

25
00:01:32.680 --> 00:01:35.799
typically taking place in early August. The grand opening event

26
00:01:35.840 --> 00:01:38.359
allows fans and influencers to get a sneak peak at

27
00:01:38.400 --> 00:01:41.359
the animatronics, props, costumes, and more to come. Over one

28
00:01:41.400 --> 00:01:44.680
thousand stores across the US for the upcoming Halloween season.

29
00:01:44.879 --> 00:01:47.799
While Spirit intends to bring the grand opening celebration back

30
00:01:47.840 --> 00:01:50.519
for twenty twenty six, the company did state that over

31
00:01:50.599 --> 00:01:53.120
fifteen hundred stores are on track to open their doors

32
00:01:53.120 --> 00:01:55.719
for twenty twenty five, some as early as mid August.

33
00:01:56.000 --> 00:01:58.879
A list of locations has yet to be released. Their

34
00:01:58.879 --> 00:02:02.959
next stop is Mattison Scare Park. Spirit Halloween tease their

35
00:02:03.000 --> 00:02:06.280
twenty twenty five theme on Facebook with a video showing

36
00:02:06.319 --> 00:02:08.919
some of the new products for this Halloween season, from

37
00:02:09.120 --> 00:02:12.800
giant sewer rats to zombie raccoons. The Spooky Subway theme

38
00:02:12.840 --> 00:02:15.560
is sure to include chills and thrills for all six

39
00:02:15.680 --> 00:02:20.719
flags presses. Reset. On May twentieth, Six Flags Entertainment Corporation

40
00:02:20.840 --> 00:02:24.599
unveiled plans for the Great Reset, their new strategic plan,

41
00:02:24.680 --> 00:02:27.120
in which they aim to reach fifty eight million in

42
00:02:27.240 --> 00:02:30.960
annual attendance and three point eight billion in revenue by

43
00:02:31.000 --> 00:02:34.560
twenty twenty eight. The eighty eight slide presentation boils down

44
00:02:34.560 --> 00:02:37.800
to one thing, a better product makes more money. The

45
00:02:37.879 --> 00:02:41.199
plan gives concrete examples of what industry professionals have known

46
00:02:41.280 --> 00:02:44.840
for decades. Improving the guest experience means guests will want

47
00:02:44.879 --> 00:02:48.039
to come back and spend more, convert to annual passes,

48
00:02:48.159 --> 00:02:52.000
bring their friends, and grow market penetration. Halloween and other

49
00:02:52.039 --> 00:02:54.759
seasonal events were cited as being critical for the plan,

50
00:02:55.120 --> 00:02:58.039
which makes it likely that six Flags intends to keep

51
00:02:58.120 --> 00:03:00.840
or expand those events at the fifteen properties they are

52
00:03:00.879 --> 00:03:04.680
focusing on. One example given in the presentation was how

53
00:03:04.719 --> 00:03:09.599
the creative themed Halloween blood bags drinks increased transactions per guest.

54
00:03:09.919 --> 00:03:13.080
The company will look into other upgraded dining experiences to

55
00:03:13.080 --> 00:03:16.319
boost food and beverage revenue. Listen to Philip and Scott's

56
00:03:16.319 --> 00:03:19.759
complete analysis of the presentation on this week's episode of

57
00:03:19.800 --> 00:03:22.639
The Green Tag Podcast by following the links in our

58
00:03:22.639 --> 00:03:27.080
show notes Zombies takeover Hello Kitty Land this summer. Sanrio

59
00:03:27.199 --> 00:03:30.599
piro Land in Tokyo, Japan, home to the cute characters

60
00:03:30.639 --> 00:03:35.080
like Hello Kitty, Kiromi and Pompomperen, will be overrun by

61
00:03:35.159 --> 00:03:38.360
zombies on June twenty eighth and July fifth as part

62
00:03:38.400 --> 00:03:42.360
of a special collaboration with Obakan, Obakan Zombie Land and

63
00:03:42.439 --> 00:03:46.560
Sanrio piro Land. Rebirth Code will challenge brave guests and

64
00:03:46.639 --> 00:03:51.039
navigated dystopian nightmare, where a long dormant infection has mutated

65
00:03:51.400 --> 00:03:55.120
and triggered an emergency lockdown. The infected roam the grounds

66
00:03:55.120 --> 00:03:59.159
while special forces attempt to contain the chaos. Participants must

67
00:03:59.240 --> 00:04:02.560
reverse the seven themed zones and complete missions to prove

68
00:04:02.639 --> 00:04:06.120
that they are uninfected. If they survive the night, they

69
00:04:06.120 --> 00:04:09.919
will receive exclusive merchandise. Twenty twenty five marks the tenth

70
00:04:09.919 --> 00:04:13.080
anniversary of the event. Tickets are on sale now for

71
00:04:13.960 --> 00:04:16.920
nine hundred and eighty yen. Only one thousand tickets will

72
00:04:16.959 --> 00:04:21.120
be sold for each night. The Ghostly Manor debuts at

73
00:04:21.199 --> 00:04:26.439
Paulton Park in New Forest, United Kingdom. Paulton's Park welcome

74
00:04:26.480 --> 00:04:30.240
their newest dark ride this week. Ghostly Manner. The new

75
00:04:30.279 --> 00:04:35.480
three point five million pounds scare attraction will feature interactive gameplay, storytelling,

76
00:04:35.519 --> 00:04:38.800
and plenty of ghostly surprises. We're thrilled to celebrate the

77
00:04:38.879 --> 00:04:41.839
launch of Ghostly Manner at Paulton's Parks that its creator's

78
00:04:41.920 --> 00:04:45.480
Mack ride. Step inside the Haunted Halls where guests become

79
00:04:45.519 --> 00:04:49.839
part of the story, combining thrilling interactivity, immersive set design,

80
00:04:50.079 --> 00:04:53.199
and playful scares for the whole family. This is not

81
00:04:53.399 --> 00:04:56.759
your average dark ride. It's a game, a theater, and

82
00:04:56.839 --> 00:04:59.839
a ghostly good time all in one. Housed in the

83
00:05:00.079 --> 00:05:03.639
Armer forty Cinema building, the ride transports visitors through a

84
00:05:03.639 --> 00:05:07.360
series of spooky scenes, combining large projections with sets and

85
00:05:07.399 --> 00:05:10.319
special effects as they try to capture a collection of

86
00:05:10.399 --> 00:05:13.560
escaped ghosts. Guests can compare scores at the end of

87
00:05:13.560 --> 00:05:15.759
the ride to determine who is the most skilled ghost

88
00:05:15.839 --> 00:05:20.600
hunter of their group. Learn more on Fulton's Park's official website.

89
00:05:20.680 --> 00:05:23.800
Mickey's Not So Scary Halloween Party tickets are now on

90
00:05:23.920 --> 00:05:27.160
sale as Mickey's Not So Scary Halloween Party returns to

91
00:05:27.279 --> 00:05:31.240
Walt Disney World's Magic Kingdom Park in Orlando, Florida thirty

92
00:05:31.279 --> 00:05:35.399
eight select nights from August fifteenth through October thirty first

93
00:05:35.399 --> 00:05:38.360
of twenty twenty five. The festive fun includes a new

94
00:05:38.439 --> 00:05:40.720
meet and greet with Mickey and Minnie Mouse at town

95
00:05:40.759 --> 00:05:44.639
Square Theater, the transformation of Storybook Circus into a Happy

96
00:05:44.720 --> 00:05:47.920
Haunt for families with younger children, and a dance party

97
00:05:47.920 --> 00:05:52.040
inspired by Zombies four Dawn of the Vampires. Many longtime

98
00:05:52.120 --> 00:05:55.759
fan favorites are reappearing as well, including Mickey's Booty You

99
00:05:55.920 --> 00:06:00.360
Halloween Parade, Disney's Not So Spooky Spectacular Fireworks show, and

100
00:06:00.399 --> 00:06:03.959
the hocus Pocus Villain spell Tacular. Don your costumes and

101
00:06:04.000 --> 00:06:07.279
satisfy your sweet tooth with trigger treating at various locations

102
00:06:07.319 --> 00:06:10.439
in the park and limited time Halloween food and beverages.

103
00:06:11.040 --> 00:06:13.800
Event tickets range from one hundred and nineteen to two

104
00:06:13.920 --> 00:06:17.600
hundred and twenty nine per person. Scare CON's Scar Award

105
00:06:17.639 --> 00:06:21.959
winners have been announced. Scare Con from United Kingdom announced

106
00:06:21.959 --> 00:06:25.000
their twenty twenty five Scar Awards winners at their May

107
00:06:25.079 --> 00:06:28.399
twentieth scare Ball. The twenty twenty five awards were based

108
00:06:28.399 --> 00:06:31.040
on events and attractions that opened or operated for a

109
00:06:31.079 --> 00:06:35.040
significant duration between April twenty twenty four and March twenty

110
00:06:35.120 --> 00:06:38.399
twenty five. All fifteen categories were judged by the scare

111
00:06:38.399 --> 00:06:41.319
Con and scare Tour review team and were scored upon

112
00:06:41.399 --> 00:06:45.879
specific requirements for each category, including public reviews. Awards were

113
00:06:45.920 --> 00:06:50.360
received by Screamfest Burton, The Nightmare Realm, Extreme, Scream Park,

114
00:06:50.519 --> 00:06:55.720
Tali's S, October Fest, Traumatica, York, May's Hallow Scream, Screams

115
00:06:55.759 --> 00:07:01.120
at Thornton Hall, Wallsale, Scare May's London Bridge Experience, Thorpe Park,

116
00:07:01.480 --> 00:07:05.279
Horror At Hitchings Brook House, The Howell Scream Park, and

117
00:07:05.480 --> 00:07:10.959
Horror Land. Queen Mary's Dark Harbor presents Butcher's Blackout on Friday,

118
00:07:11.240 --> 00:07:15.120
June thirteenth. Dark Harbor returns to historic Queen Mary in

119
00:07:15.199 --> 00:07:18.560
Long Beach, California for a special, one night only off

120
00:07:18.600 --> 00:07:23.759
season event on Friday, June thirteenth. Experience Butcher's Blackout, a

121
00:07:23.879 --> 00:07:27.560
walk through the Feast Maze incomplete darkness with only a

122
00:07:27.560 --> 00:07:30.560
glowstick to guide you. The maze will feature an all

123
00:07:30.600 --> 00:07:34.399
new Grizzly Finale sequence Combo. Ticket Holders will also have

124
00:07:34.480 --> 00:07:38.240
the opportunity to experience the Summoning of Samuel, where they

125
00:07:38.240 --> 00:07:42.160
can join Psychic Lady Mabel in the interactive Seance, where

126
00:07:42.199 --> 00:07:45.319
the veil between the living and the dead lifts and

127
00:07:45.560 --> 00:07:49.439
something ventful steps through. More fearsome festivities around the ship

128
00:07:49.480 --> 00:07:52.399
include the Spirits of Dark Harbor Bar and the Engine Room,

129
00:07:52.720 --> 00:07:54.920
where you can learn more about the haunted history of

130
00:07:55.000 --> 00:07:57.680
the ship. Tickets will go on zale soon. Sign up

131
00:07:57.720 --> 00:08:00.079
to the event's official website to get early act so

132
00:08:00.079 --> 00:08:03.560
that's the tickets once they are available. The Mystic Museum's

133
00:08:03.600 --> 00:08:08.000
Total Grotesque Live launches May thirty first. Get ready for

134
00:08:08.040 --> 00:08:12.079
the newest immersive exhibit at the Mystic Museum in Burbank, California.

135
00:08:12.240 --> 00:08:16.600
Total Grotesque Live TGL Launching on Friday, May thirty first

136
00:08:16.600 --> 00:08:19.920
and running for a full year, This interactive photo experience

137
00:08:19.959 --> 00:08:22.800
invites brave souls to step inside the screen and become

138
00:08:22.879 --> 00:08:27.240
the main character in detailed recreations of ten iconic horror

139
00:08:27.319 --> 00:08:30.800
scenes crafted by the same twisted minds behind Mystic Museum's

140
00:08:30.920 --> 00:08:34.320
previous hit experiences. Pre sale Grand opening Day tickets are

141
00:08:34.320 --> 00:08:38.799
available online for twenty two seventy eight. Urban Death's twentieth

142
00:08:38.840 --> 00:08:43.120
anniversary show in May Friday and Saturdays now through June fourteenth.

143
00:08:43.480 --> 00:08:47.679
Zombie Joe's Underground Theater Group in North Hollywood, California celebrates

144
00:08:47.759 --> 00:08:51.039
twenty ghoulish years of Urban Death with an all new

145
00:08:51.080 --> 00:08:55.279
Signature horror production and twentieth anniversary Mays directed by Denise

146
00:08:55.320 --> 00:08:59.320
Devin and Jana Weimer, the music by Joseph Peshara. This

147
00:08:59.399 --> 00:09:03.080
new iteration of Urban Death fuses the phantasmic and shocking

148
00:09:03.159 --> 00:09:06.759
with a terrifyingly human, guiding audiences through a bone chilling

149
00:09:06.799 --> 00:09:09.480
walk through maze followed by a forty five minute sit

150
00:09:09.600 --> 00:09:13.159
down horror theater thrombosis. Each night, brave guests will be

151
00:09:13.240 --> 00:09:17.559
led into the darkness and thrust into a series of haunting, grotesque, freaky,

152
00:09:17.879 --> 00:09:21.320
and often beautiful vignettes that have defined Urban Death as

153
00:09:21.320 --> 00:09:24.159
a genre breaking theater phenomenon since it was created by

154
00:09:24.279 --> 00:09:27.600
Zombie Joe and Jana Wimer two decades ago. Tickets are

155
00:09:27.600 --> 00:09:30.120
on sale now for twenty dollars online and twenty five

156
00:09:30.159 --> 00:09:33.360
at the door. This production is for audiences ages seventeen

157
00:09:33.360 --> 00:09:36.639
plus due to graphic content and full nudity. Haunt Doll's

158
00:09:36.720 --> 00:09:41.039
experience coming to the Midwest Haunters Convention. Haunt Dolls MHC

159
00:09:41.080 --> 00:09:44.879
Booth thirty thirty nine, an exhibitor that creates collectible crochet

160
00:09:44.960 --> 00:09:48.039
Horror Dolls announced they are bringing a new experience to

161
00:09:48.080 --> 00:09:52.440
the Midwest Haunters Convention in Rosemont, Illinois, June sixth through eighth.

162
00:09:53.480 --> 00:09:56.879
MHC will mark our second in the Flesh collection release,

163
00:09:57.759 --> 00:10:01.120
limited edition crocheted pieces that you can only access by

164
00:10:01.159 --> 00:10:03.759
meeting us in the Flesh at an in person events

165
00:10:03.759 --> 00:10:07.480
at Alex Berland, CEO and founder of Haunt Dolls, we

166
00:10:07.519 --> 00:10:09.440
want to connect these pieces with a truly one of

167
00:10:09.480 --> 00:10:12.360
a kind experience. You will leave with a limited edition

168
00:10:12.440 --> 00:10:14.639
display piece and a story to go along with it.

169
00:10:15.240 --> 00:10:18.519
Specific details are still under wraps, but the basic premise

170
00:10:18.600 --> 00:10:22.039
is that participants will complete an immersive experience before receiving

171
00:10:22.080 --> 00:10:26.799
their limited edition doll entertainment and products combined. Haunt Dolls

172
00:10:26.799 --> 00:10:31.919
as partnering with ktl Illist, Moonhawler Productions, Brandybeast, and Lost

173
00:10:31.919 --> 00:10:35.720
Soul's Chicago for the experience. Follow Haunt Dolls on social

174
00:10:35.759 --> 00:10:38.039
media or sign up for their mailing list for more

175
00:10:38.080 --> 00:10:42.159
information as it is announced, Ask the Haunt expert Bart Butler.

176
00:10:42.200 --> 00:10:45.799
Coming up in live streams, Hunter's Toolbox is hosting a

177
00:10:45.840 --> 00:10:48.159
live Q and a session with Terror on the Corn

178
00:10:48.200 --> 00:10:52.159
Show director Bart Butler on Tuesday, June tenth, at five

179
00:10:52.159 --> 00:10:55.840
point thirty pm Pacific daylight time. In this ninety minute

180
00:10:55.840 --> 00:11:00.240
live session, Butler will discuss scare actor management, scenic design

181
00:11:00.279 --> 00:11:06.000
and construction, character development, increasing attendance, and more. Haunted Attraction

182
00:11:06.120 --> 00:11:09.360
Network founder Philip Bernandez is featured in an article in

183
00:11:09.519 --> 00:11:13.200
Interpark Magazine. In this interview from the twenty twenty four

184
00:11:13.240 --> 00:11:17.080
Halloween season with editor Beth Whittaker, Philip discusses the history

185
00:11:17.080 --> 00:11:20.679
of the Haunted Attraction Network, has favorite haunted attractions, and

186
00:11:20.759 --> 00:11:23.759
the significant changes in the haunted attraction industry he has

187
00:11:23.799 --> 00:11:27.159
witnessed in recent years. Some upcoming events this May through

188
00:11:27.240 --> 00:11:32.039
July twenty twenty five include Monster Palooza from Pasadena, California,

189
00:11:32.399 --> 00:11:37.039
May thirtieth through June first, the Midwest Haunters Convention in Rosemont, Illinois,

190
00:11:37.360 --> 00:11:41.240
June sixth through eight in the Texas Haunters Convention in Dallas,

191
00:11:41.279 --> 00:11:44.960
Texas July twenty sixth then twenty seventh.

192
00:11:45.000 --> 00:11:46.399
And that's all for the News this week.

193
00:11:46.840 --> 00:11:50.639
Today's episode was produced by me Philipernandez, with reporting by

194
00:11:50.720 --> 00:11:54.799
Daryl Plunky post production by David Swope. This Haunt News

195
00:11:54.879 --> 00:11:57.720
Update is a production of the Haunted Attraction Network and

196
00:11:57.759 --> 00:11:59.960
you can sign up to our weekly newsletter at home

197
00:12:00.000 --> 00:12:03.360
Anti Attraction Network dot com. Support for this episode comes

198
00:12:03.360 --> 00:12:09.320
from Gantum Lighting and Controls. Until next time, Haunters stay scary.

199
00:12:09.960 --> 00:12:14.279
This is a Haunted Attraction Network production.

NEWS: Haunt Trends Playing Out in Real Time

Listen On

Featured Episodes

Recent Episodes