Aug. 13, 2025

NEWS: Midsummer Scream Brings Haunts & Halloween to Long Beach This Weekend

Show Notes
Transcript

50,000 Halloween Fans will gather in Long Beach this weekend (Aug 15-17) for Midsummer Scream! Guests will experience 12+ mini-haunts, shop at 350+ vendors, and hear from local haunted attractions about this season. Also this week: Poltergeist Comes to Halloween Horror Nights Hollywood; Six Flags Reveals The Conjuring Premium Experience; Kennywood's Phantom Fall Fest Expands; Universal Horror Unleashed Opens August 14th; Spirit Halloween Releases new Branded Merchandise. 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 Halloween and Horror Convention Midsummer Scream takes place this

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weekend August fifteenth through seventeenth at the Long Beach Convention

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Center in Long Beach, California. The event kicks off the

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Halloween season with more than three hundred and fifty vendors

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from around the world, horror Icon's Galore, and the return

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of the Hall of Shadows. With over fifty thousand fans

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expected to attend across the weekend, attendees can expect bone

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chilling haunted attractions, eerie exhibitions, immersive experiences, and celebrity sightings

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to die for. This is one of our most robust

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lineups yet. Comment to David Markland, co founder and Executive

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director of Midsummer Scream. From legendary film icons and groundbreaking

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creators to immersive haunted attractions and family friendly fun, We've

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pulled out all the stops to make this the biggest,

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boldest Midsummer Scream ever. It's truly a celebration of the

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entire Halloween and horror community. Details, programming, updates, and schedules

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can be found at the official Midsummer Scream app, available

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on all major mobile platforms. Highlights this year include presentations

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from Halloween Horror Nights, not Scary Farm, Queen Mary's Dark Harbor,

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Six Flags, Magic Mountain, Frightfast Castle Dark, and dozens more

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across five stages. Thirteenth Floor Entertainment will be featured with

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several displays on exhibit, as well as a major presentation

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on Saturday discussing events La Haunted Hay Ride, Magic of

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the Jack, O Lanterns, Delusion, and their brand new festival

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Fright Nights at Winchester Mystery House. The Party from Beyond

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on Saturday Night features a special advance screening of Jester II,

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a dance party, five hundred dollars costume contest, photo ops,

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and performances from Anthony's Zionis Tales of the Ancient East,

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taking on the dark, sinister theme of the Carnival Do Diabla,

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which translates to the Devil's Carnival. Midsummer's Scream. Hall of

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Shadows will have eighteen attractions and displays from professional and

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home haunters alike across nearly two indoor acres of darkness.

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The infamous medieval clown Mister Floats and his Minion will

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welcome guests into the darkness through a fog shrouded haunted

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forest and forbidding carnival before releasing them to the rest

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of the Hall. Brave exciting experiences by Straight to Hale,

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Rall of the Dead, Clowns Versus Skeletons, cal Haunt Ass,

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Thirteenth Floor Entertainment groups, Magic of the Jacko Lanterns, Haunt

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With No Name Yet, Fear Farm, Haunted car Wash, Realm

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of Shadow, The Pizza Planet Truck and Arts Sideshow Collectibles,

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a Haunted Harvest Eulogy Collective formerly Santa Anahunt, Lights Out,

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and h and L's Realm of Horror. Lions Gate is

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also returning with this year's lions Gates Gears of Fear

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II Stranger Danger, a sequel to their twenty twenty four

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debut Maze. Additionally, the Decayed Brigade will be back with

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a brand new high energy sliding and stunt exhibition delivering

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powerhouse chills and thrills. Guest ages twenty one and older

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can imbibe spooky creations at the Smash Pumpkin, an eerie

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themed bar. The Hall of Shadows is included in Midsummer

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Scream admission, with gold Bat VIP ticket holders receiving priority

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access to most attractions. Saturday admission is currently sold out,

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but Friday, Sunday and weekend passes are available. Single day

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passes start at forty dollars for adult mission, one ninety

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nine for three day VIP. The gold Bat Passes. Children

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ten and under receive free general admission with an accompanying

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adult Bloomhouse and Poltergeist come to HHN Hollywood this year.

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Even more torturous debauchery is coming to Halloween Horror Nights

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at Universal Studios Hollywood and Universal City, California with Poultergeist,

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fan favorite Terror Tram Enter, the Blumhouse, and the Purge

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Dangerous Waters fire fueled stunt show, along with four sinister

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scare zones. Rounding out the twenty twenty five popular event,

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Amazon MGM Studio supernatural cult horror classic Poultergeist will transport

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guests into a nightmarish scenes with terrifying characters from the movie,

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including the iconic Freeling family home located in the historic

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Universal Backlot. Terror Tram enter the Blumhouse will enable visitors

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to disembark the studio tour tram and set off on

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foot to encounter some of the most iconic villains from

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Blumhouse's popular horror franchises over the past fifteen years, includ

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being the Grabber from The Black Phone, the Possessed from

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The Exorcist, Believer, the Diabolical Megan, the Ruthless Killers from

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the Purge franchise, Blissfield, Butcher from Freaky and Babyface Killer

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from Happy Death Day, among others. The Purge Dangerous Waters

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Stunt Show returns to the water World venue, taking guests

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on a fiery rocket fueled adventure while they fight to

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survive the night. Completing this year's lineup, horror fans will

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encounter for petrifying scare zones throughout the event. Shainsaw Clowns,

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Carnival of Carnage No j D Brujas and The Murder

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of Crows HHN Hollywood runs select date September fourth through

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November two. Learn more via our comprehensive guide by following

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the links in our show notes. The Conjuring Premium Experience

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coming to select six Flags parks. The new Upcharge horror

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experience themed The Conjuring, is coming to Cedar Point in Sandusky, Ohio,

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Canada's Wonderland in Ontario, Canada, King's Island in Mason, Ohio,

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and Carrow Wins in Charlotte, North Carolina this fall. The

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Conjuring Beyond Fear will take guests through iconic scenes from

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the Conjuring Universe to lock away cursed artifacts before supernatural

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chaos is unleashed. This extends six flags relationship with Warner Brothers,

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which licenses DC comics and Looney Tunes to the parks. However,

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the new Upcharge experience is only coming to the legacy

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Cedar Fair parks. The new experience comes in the wake

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of six Flags announcing the cancelation of certain Halloween and

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Christmas events in its other parks. More information about the

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experience is set to be released by six Flags on

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August eleventh, but not in time for this show production.

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Kenny Wood's Phantom fall Fest expands. Phantom Fallfest is returning

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to Kennywood in West Miffland, Pennsylvania for its longest season

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yet select nights September twile through November one. Guests will

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experience six haunts, four scare zones, expanded horror themed entertainment,

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and more. New for twenty twenty five is Detached, a

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haunt that takes guests to the disturbing world of the

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puppet Master who is hand picking parts for his puppets

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from the brave souls who enter his toy shop. Deranged

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dolls and dismembered creations will stock guests at every turn.

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We are taking terror to a whole new level in

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twenty twenty five as we debut our newest and most

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horrifying haunt ever during Phantom Fallfest, Detached, said Kennywood General

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manager Ricky Specusa. With the longest event run in Kennywood

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history and the debut of Detached, we're delivering next level

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horror and thrills you won't find anywhere else in Pittsburgh.

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Learn more and purchase your tickets at the event's official website.

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Universal Horror Unleashed opens this week. Universal Horror Unleashed in

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Las Vegas, Nevada, opens this week Thursday, August fourteenth. The

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one hundred thousand square foot year round attraction in the

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Area fifteen complex will feature four haunted houses, including Universal Monsters, Blumhouses,

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The Exorcist, Believer, Texas Chainsaw, Massacre, and Scarecrow. They're reaping

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alongside themed bars, food, and exclusive retail. Take a sneak

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peek at the elaborate sie and decors by following the

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links in our show notes. Stay tuned in the coming days,

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as the Haunted Attraction Network will be covering the opening festivities.

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Slashback Video returns in Slasher World. Kiko Bailey has announced

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the return of the horror VHS art installations slash Back

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Video as part of Slasher World, Bailey's new business on

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Melrose Avenue in Los Angeles, California. I've added a lot

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of new rarities to the Slashback collection, said Bailey in

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an Instagram post announcing the grand opening. I'm also featuring

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an amazing VHS group art show with nearly thirty artists.

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Slashback Video first appeared in twenty seventeen as a collaboration

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between Bailey and the Mystic Museum. The exhibit resembled a

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vintage video rental shop and featured hundreds of original VHS tapes,

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promo materials, and posters from notable horror. Two more installments

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debuted at the Misting Museum in twenty eighteen and twenty twenty.

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After the pandemic, Flashback Video moved to a permanent location

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down the street from the original, where it remained until

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August twenty twenty two. Now no longer affiliated with the

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Mystic Museum, the installation will return and a grand opening

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on August thirtieth from eight pm to midnight. Tickets will

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be ten dollars at the door, with partial proceeds benefiting

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a Los Angeles based anti bullying charity. The events will

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include complimentary drinks and baked goods from Deadly Sweet. Food

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may also be purchased from the Frankenstan. Spirit Helloween is

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releasing branded merchandise. Spirit Helloween is leaning into their fan

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base by creating their own intellectual property. The Halloween retailer

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is now offering a variety of Spirit branded merchandise featuring

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their iconic skeleton mascot Jack. The Reaper hands can now

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populate their spooky displays with his life sized seven and

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a half foot Jack the Reaper Animatronic for three hundred

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and twenty nine nine to nine, featuring glowing Ledi's motion

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tracking sensor technology and pre recorded sayings, The Jack the

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Reaper hanging prop for fifty four nine to nine, and

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the towering twelve foot light up Jack the Reaper Archway

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Inflatable for one twenty nine ninety nine. Children can dress

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up as their favorite Halloween store mascot with Kids Jack

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the Reaper costume for forty four ninety nine. Spirit has

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also released collectible items, including a seven inch mini Jack

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the Reaper statue for thirty nine ninety nine, Spirit Elector's Edition,

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Jenga for thirty four ninety nine, and a retro nes

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video game Haunted helloween eighty six Spirit Edition p. Fifty

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nine ninety nine. Spirit Halloween Stores are now opening across

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the country. Find your nearest stores by following the links

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in our show notes them. Upcoming events August through October

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of twenty twenty five include Midsummer's Scream in Long Beach, California,

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August fifteenth through seventeen, Crebit Real oc in Santa Ana, California,

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September twelfth through fourteen, and Son of Monster Palooza in Birdbank, California,

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October tenth through twelve.

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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 Fernandez, with reporting

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by Darryl Plunky post production by David Swop.

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This hont 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 Hantattractionnetwork dot com.

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Support for this episode comes from Gantam Lighting and Controls.

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Until next time, Haunters Stay Scary. This is a Haunted

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Attraction Network production.