Oct. 7, 2025

NEWS: Haunts Open to Record Crowds; Spooky Awards

Show Notes
Transcript

Last weekend was the first full opening weekend for most Haunted Attractions Nationwide. While most haunts are reporting steady numbers, several have reported 'sold-out' nights. If this trend continues, it could mean an excellent year for the industry. Also this week: Spooky Awards Finalists & Fan Vote; New Howl-O-Scream College Ticket Offer; Stardust Racers Reopens at Epic Universe After Tragedy; "Urban Death Vegas" Premieres at Vegas Theatre Company; "Evil Dead in Concert" Comes to L.A.; Six Flags Debuts Original Horror Short, "Come Out and Play"; M&M's Rescue Squad Returns for 2025; HalloweenCostumes.com Releases Top-Selling and Most Searched Costumes So Far This Year. 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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The Hush Haunted Attraction in Westland, Michigan, has opened for

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its twenty twenty five season to record attendance, marking what

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is expected to be the attraction's biggest year since opening

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in twenty thirteen. Now running select nights through November two,

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Hush returns with an ambitious news storyline connecting all three

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haunted houses, and expanded Marty themed scare zone, and every

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fresh bar and food program that continues to set it

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apart from other Halloween events in the Midwest. Hush has

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always been about pushing the boundaries of what a haunted

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attraction can be, said Cody Bailey, owner and creative director.

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This season, we wanted to make every moment from the

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first scare into the last sip, part of one immersive story.

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The response so far has been incredible. For the first

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time in Hush's history, all three Haunted attractions are united

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under one continuous storyline. Guests begin their journey through Hotel Descent,

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continue through Eternal Rest Cemetery, and conclude their nightmare inside

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Rosecliff Hall. This link narrative heightens tensions and pacing, creating

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a cinematic through line that builds towards an unforgettable finale.

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The indoor midway has also been transformed to Rue de l'ombre,

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a Marti Gras inspired nightmare street, filled with sliders, still performers,

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and live characters who keep the energy and the scares

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flowing between attractions. Hush continues to blend immersive entertainment with

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elevated food and beverage experiences. Every bar across the property

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will have all new cocktail menu for twenty twenty five

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and new food options including Savory Hush Puppies and sweet Shuros.

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Get into the spooky mood with themed drinks including Bayou

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Boozy Apple, Electric Slime Punch, Plasma Surge, and more. The

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Haunts third bar has been fully re themed to Frankie's

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Freaky Fun Shack with an eighties monster mash vibe, and

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now has interactive test tube shooter add ons for guests

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looking to toast the season. Tickets for Hush Haunted Attraction

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are on sale now starting at twenty seven ninety nine

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for general admission, thirty nine ninety nine for fast passes,

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and ten dollars for the VIP bar creep pass. Halloween

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Costume Association announces Spooky Awards finalists. The Halloween in Costume

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Association has announced the finalists for their second annual Spooky Awards.

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The Spooky Awards on our innovative, imaginative and impactful products

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in the Halloween industry, spanning categories of accessories, costumes, decor, makeup, tasks,

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and most innovative. Each entry was evaluated by a panel

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of industry experts on innovation, marketability, trend setting, potential appeal

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and usefulness. The creativity and innovation showcased in this year's

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entries are nothing short of extraordinary, said Michael Boylstein, hga's

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executive director. These finalists not only capture the spirit of Halloween,

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but also set the trends that will shape the season

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for years to come. Winners will be revealed live at

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the twenty twenty six Halloween and Party Expo in Las Vegas.

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View the list of finalists by following the links in

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our show notes. New for this year, the Spooky Awards

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will debut a fan vote, giving everyone a chance to

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select their own favorites to be crowned the fang Favorite.

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Individuals may cast only one vote per person and just

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one favorite per category through October fifteenth. The winner will

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be announced on January thirteenth at the Halloween and Party Expo.

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Bush Gardens Tampa Bay launches a new Hallow Scream college

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ticket offer. Bush Gardens in Tampa Bay in Tampa, Florida

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has introduced a frighteningly fun Hallow Scream ticket offer exclusively

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for college students for a limited time, Verified college students

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can purchase a four pack of tickets ballid on Thursday

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or Sundays for just thirty dollars per person. Student eligibility

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will be verified through id dot me. Alloscream runs select

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nights through November one. The event features five haunted houses,

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six scare zones, four roaming hordes, to live shows, nine

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themed bars, and more. Tickets are on sale now on

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the event's official website. Stardust Racers reopens after a tragedy.

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Universal has reopened Stardust Racers at Epic Universe in Orlando, Florida,

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following a fatal incident on September seventeenth, and introduced new

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signage and stricter accessibility requirements. The latest safety guide now

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warns guest with weakened bones, limited mobility or difficulty maintaining

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an upright position not to ride, and the must walk

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independently clause now extends across multiple attractions. In this week's

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episode of The Green Tag podcast, and Scott unpacked what

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this means for operators who must balance guest safety, accessibility,

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and legal liability. Should Universal have waited longer to reopen

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or do the updated rules demonstrate responsible transparency? Plus Universal's

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Vegas venue gets festive with Crampus and kin, a dark

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holiday overlay for horror Unleashed Urban Death Vegas premiers at

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Vegas Theater Company. The Las Vegas Horror Show, A creative

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team behind Abandoned brings cult phenomenon Urban Death to Las Vegas,

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Nevada this October, celebrating twenty years of Zombie Joe Underground's

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Urban Death. This Las Vegas premier draws on the original

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Urban Death canon along with new pieces that illuminate all

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that is truly terrifying about life in Las Vegas. Delivered

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in rapid fire, wordless vignettes and enhanced by an original

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killer soundtrack and terrifying visual effects, Urban Death Vegas is

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a truly unique theatrical experience for psychological terror, grotesque beauty,

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and ag humor collide to create a horror production like

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no other. Created by Dombie Joe and Jana Weimer, Urban

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Death first shocked audiences in two thousand and five at

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Zombie Joe's Underground Theater in La Work continues to perform

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sold out houses and garner rave reviews. Weimer, now a

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Las Vegas resident, will direct Urban Death Vegas, bringing her

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twenty years of experience in the genre, a mashup of

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Grand Guignol and grindhouse to create a production that will

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satisfy Urban Death fans and introduce Las Vegas to her

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twisted vision. I'm honored to once again work with vegas

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incredible and diverse talent. I'm excited to introduce the beautiful

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insanity of Urban Death to this magical City Urban Death

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Vegas runs select nights now through November two. Tickets are

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on sale now starting at thirty dollars for general admission

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and forty five for VIP admission, which includes a complimentary

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beviage front row seating and a discount on merchandise. Evil

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Dead in Concert comes to LA with exclusive immersive home

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horror experience. Following the US launch of Evil Dead in Concert,

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TIL Events, Street Food Cinema, and Black Ink Presents have

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released details of the exclusive three night Halloween weekend engagement

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at the Million Dollar Theater in Los Angeles, California, on

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October thirtieth through November First. Audiences around the country will

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see the cult horror classic The Evil Dead from nineteen

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eighty one with Joseph Laeduca score performed live to film

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by a seven piece orchestra ensemble. A special edition exclusive

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to Los Angeles will see the addition of the seller,

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an underground Evil Dead experience located beneath the historic Theater.

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This experience will completely immerse fans within the terrifying world

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of The Evil Dead, where they will encounter scare actors,

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atmospheric sets, photo ops, full bars, and more, Social media

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stars and filmmakers The Crows brothers, Jay and Gil Crows

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will host the engagement, welcoming audience into the cellar and

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sharing exclusive behind the scenes moments from the event of

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their social channels. Tickets are on set now, starting in

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forty five dollars for general admission and seventy five dollars

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for VIP packages. For more information on the full US tour,

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see the event's official website. Six Flags Debuts and original

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horror short, Come Out and Play. On October first, Six

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Flags released an original horror short on their YouTube channel,

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Come Out and Play. In this short horror film, viewers

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meet Smiley, a shadowy figure, in the hunt for a

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new friend and a new face. Filmed inside six Flags Parks,

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the film blends art house horror with spine tingling suspense

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to immerse audiences in the atmosphere dread scares and surprises

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that come alive nightly as part of the park's Halloween events.

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You can watch the full short by following the links

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in our show notes. Eminem's Rescue Squad returns for twenty

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twenty five. This year, Halloween falls on a Friday for

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the first time since twenty fourteen, which means more trick

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or treaters, more Hello weekend celebrations, and more eminem Eminem's

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Rescue Squad is returning for its third year to rescue

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neighbors from MPE candy bowls with free candy refails on

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Halloween nights. Eminem's Halloween Rescue Squad is delivering the Halloween

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spirit to even more fans who are eager to have

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fun celebrating with family, friends and Eminem's, says Tim Label,

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President and sales at Chief Halloween Officer at Mars Wrigley,

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North America. Nothing is scarier than an empty candy bowl

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on Halloween night, but Eminem's has your back if you

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run out, so you can keep the fun in celebrations going.

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Starting at five pm Eastern daylight time on October thirty, first,

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individuals can request an emergency candy refail on the official

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M and M's Rescue Squad website to receive free candy

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delivery within thirty to sixty minutes while supplies last available wherever.

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Go Puff delivers the top selling and most search costumes

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to watch for this Halloween. Halloween Costumes dot Com release

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their top costume searches for the week. Kpop Demon Hunters Dinosaurs,

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Star Wars, Ghostbusters, and Pokemon. The retailer has also seen

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exciting year for your growth in several categories. Leelo and

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Stitch is up one hundred and thirty percent, Wednesday Adams

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up fifty four percent, Stranger Thinks up forty four percent,

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Star Wars has increased thirty eight percent, while Nickelodeon has

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increased thirty seven percent. Mowana has got a twenty seven

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percent increase, with Superman up twenty percent and Minecraft up

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nine point eight percent. This year from classics to viral hits,

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these themes are sure to be popular choices for Halloween

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twenty twenty five. Some upcoming events this October through December

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of twenty twenty five include the Son of Monster Palooza

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October tenth through twelfth and Burbank California Ayappa November seventeenth

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through twentieth in Orlando, Florida, and Creep at Real Festive

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November twenty first through twenty third in Santa Anna, California.

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And that's all for the news this week. Today's episode

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was produced by me Philip Bernandez, with reporting by Daryl

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Plunky post production by David Swolk. This news update is

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a production of the Haunted Attraction Network, and you can

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sign up to our weekly newsletter at Hanta Attractionnetwork dot com.

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Support for this episode comes from Gantum Lighting and Controls.

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Until next time, Haunters, stay scary. This is a Haunted

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Attraction Network production.