Jan. 16, 2025

NEWS: Sony's The Last of Us Experience

Read the full stories https://mailchi.mp/hauntedattractionnetwork.com/sony-debuts-the-last-of-us-attraction. This week's headlines: Sony Debuts "The Last of Us" proof-of-concept at CES; Updated Valentine's Day Haunt List; Salem adjusts safety plans...

Show Notes
Transcript

Read the full stories here. This week's headlines: Sony Debuts "The Last of Us" proof-of-concept at CES; Updated Valentine's Day Haunt List; Salem adjusts safety plans for Halloween festivities; Former Haunted House of Wax to become a food hall; Vendor & haunt applications open for Spooky Swap Meet; Home Haunter Awards; Haunt Education Sessions.

WEBVTT

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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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Haunts across the country continue to announce their Valentine's Days

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off season events. We'll get to more on that in

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a little bit. Sony debuts the Last of Us proof

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of Concept attraction at CES. Sony Pictures, PlayStation and Naughty

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Dog presented a proof of concept the Last of Us

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Attraction at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas, Nevada.

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The experience combines Sony crystal led panels, engaging audio, haptics,

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scent and atmospherics with interactive PlayStation game content to immerse

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guests into the world of the hit video game series.

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Neil Druckman, studio head and head of creative at Naughty Dog,

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described the project as a global location based experience exhibit.

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Druckman has yet to announce any future plans or locations

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for the attraction. This is not the ip's first attraction iteration.

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In twenty twenty three, The Last of Us made its

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hont debut with houses at Universal Studios Orlando and Universal

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Studios Hollywood. Disneyland's Haunted Mansion Holidays twenty twenty five dates

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have been announced after incorrect dates have been posted to

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the website. Last week, Disneyland in Anaheim, California, confirmed that

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Haunted Mansion Holiday is returning August twenty second, twenty twenty

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five through January seventh of twenty twenty six. Jack Skellington

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and his Nightmare Before Christmas US Friends will decorate the

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Haunted Mansion for the Halloween and Christmas seasons. The original

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version will operate this year starting on January eighteenth, after

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a nearly year long closure due to the outdoor q

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expansion in construction on the new Madame Leotas Somewhere Beyond store.

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Follow the links in our show notes to watch our

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ride through of Haunted Mansion Holiday. Salem is adjusting safety

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plans for Halloween in the wake of the deadly New

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Year's truck attack in New Orleans. Salem, Massachusetts officials announced

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new potential safety measures for their annual Halloween festivities. They

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are accelerating plans to install new retractable ballards and mobile

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barricades to block off vehicles from selected streets, enacting stricter

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enforcement of road closures, and bringing in an outside set

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of eyes to review current safety protocols. Additional police presence

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during haunted happenings is also being considered. As crowds go

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as large as one hundred thousand people on some October days,

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the road closures and extra safety measures are likely to

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cause increased traffic congestion on open roads. Still, Mayor Dominic

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Pengalo said, it's an inconvenience that people are going to

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have to just live with because safety is a priority concern.

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Plans are in the works for the former Haunted House

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of Wax in Niagara Falls, New York, to be turned

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into a food hall with five new dining options. The

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former Horror Wax Museum operated on the site since two

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thousand and two and closed just over a year ago.

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A two point five to five million dollar renovation would

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bring a Cinnabon, Anti ads pretzel place and caravill ice

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cream at street level, a subway at ground level, and

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the Mediterranean food restaurant at the mezzanine level. Work is

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projected to begin this March and is expected to be

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complete by the busy tourist season in June. The company

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proposing the renovation is seeking over three hundred and eighty

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thousand dollars in grants and tax credits to complete the project.

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A public hearing regarding these benefits will take place on

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January twenty nine. The Halloween and Party Expo takes place

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this week January thirteenth through fifteenth of twenty twenty five,

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at the Expo at World Center Market in Las Vegas.

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Halloween and Party Expo is a one stop shopping destination

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for all your Haunt gift store needs from costumes, party goods, masks, accessories,

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make up, decorations, props, and more. This year's event features

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over one hundred and forty exhibitors, including California Costume Collections,

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Cinema Secrets, Goulish Productions, Halloween Costume Association, Lord Grimly Manor

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Morris Costumes, National Costumers Association, Trick or Treat Studios, Wolf Effects,

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Zagon and more. HPE is open to qualified industrial buyers only.

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Programming highlights include the Halloween and Costume Associations inaugural Spooky

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Awards January fourteenth at five pm. This event celebrates innovation

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and creativity in Halloween costumes, accessories, and decor, with finalists

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judge on artistry, marketability, and trend setting potential. The Spooky

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Swap Meet in Los Angeles, California has opened applications for

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vendors and trick or treat hosts. The event is April

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twenty fifth through twenty seventh at the Heritage Square Museum

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in Los Angeles. Set admits the stunning vintage Victorian manners.

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This highly curated marketplace Swap Meat will focus on gently used,

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vintage and original Halloween decor, furnishing, costumes, props, and other

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spooky items. Booths cost five hundred dollars for a ten

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by ten space, and participants must commit to vending all

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three event days. There are limited spaces available and priority

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is given to those who have used items to sell

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and best fit to swap meet Garage sale, flea market

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themes Househouse will be assigned to one of Heritage Square's

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historic manners to decorate in the spirit of Halloween, where

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guests will trigger treat through all event hours. Learn more

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at the event's official website. Curious to what it looks like,

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follow the links in our show notes to see our

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previous coverage Oscares swag bag donations. If you want to

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get some extra eyes in your Haunted attraction or product

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and are a vending at trans World, join the Haunted

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Attracts Association in making this year's OSCARES Awards spectacular by

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contributing to their swag bags. The HAA is seeking contributions

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of hauntingly cool items like stickers, buttons, chapsticks, et cetera,

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featuring your logos for additional branding and attention. Swag bags

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will be handed out to the first one hundred Oscares attendees.

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Interested donors should contact oscar's co chair, Ashley long at

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along at Pyramid Global dot com with what item they

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would like to contribute and how many they would like

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to contribute. She'll be collecting these items at the HAA

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booth twenty twenty three in Transworld and should be dropped

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off no later than Friday, February twenty eighth. At five

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point thirty. Hunter's Toolbox is hosting a ninety minute live

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Q and a session with Leonard Pickel on Tuesday, January

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fourteenth from seven thirty to eight thirty PMCST. Leonard Pickel

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has over forty years of themed attraction design and operations experience,

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creating over three hundred original and innovative dark themed attractions

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from major venues worldwide. A pioneer in the haunt industry,

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Leonard has founded key organizations, launched national conventions, and been

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featured as an expert on major television networks. The Arizona

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Hunters will be hosting a packing tape ghost workshop on Saturday,

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January eighteenth, from ten am to one pm in Mesa, Arizona.

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Packing tape ghosts are fun, lightweight, and easy to make.

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The twenty dollars registration fee provides participants with all the

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packing tape and clear plastic needed for the forms. Participants

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should bring a mannequin, dress, form, or friend as a

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base for your tape. Ghost Submissions are now being accepted

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for the twenty twenty four Home Haunter Awards Show. Video

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submissions via cloud server or YouTube link will be accepted

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through February third of twenty twenty five. Awards categories include

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the best motorized prop, Best pneumatic prop, Best static prop,

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Best walkthrough, Best display, best overall, best costume, best haunt cycled,

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Best modified store bought prop, and best use of digital display.

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The entries are judged by Amin's of the Halloween Yard,

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haunt and Props Facebook group based on decore, props, setup, music,

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and anything else your creative mind can come up with.

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Any not for profit home haunter may enter. Home haunters

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cannot win in the same category in consecutive years, however,

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they can enter different categories. The awards official website shows

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a full list of rules and judging criteria. The Canadian

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Haunters Association Home Haunter Awards are coming as well. Submissions

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are now being accepted for the Canadian Haunters Association's twenty

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twenty four Home Haunter Awards. Contest these annual awards under

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the creativity, passion, hard work and investment of the Canadian

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Haunters Association's many members. The awards are open to Canadian,

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US and international home hunters. Entrants must be part of

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the Canadian Haunters Association Facebook group and submit a video

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link of their entry. Each submission will be evaluated by

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a select panel of judges who are subject matter experts

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in various fields of themed Halloween and haunt attraction and

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video creation and production. Winners will receive a custom trophy

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and an award certificate. Join the Canadian Haunters Association Facebook

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group to see the full list of rules and judging ideas.

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As we mentioned at the top of the show, so

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Valentine's Day, haunted houses are popping up all over the country.

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You can find the full list on the Haunted Attraction

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Association website, as this list may have expanded since recording.

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In Alabama, you can check out Arks Mortis in killin Alabama,

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easta Boga Manor and East of Boga Hell, Billy Hollow

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in Vincent, Nightmare at three thousand and eight in Fultondale,

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or Sweet Dreams Haunted Attraction and Mobile. In Arkansas, you

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can check out the Folklore Haunted Attraction in Gravesville, Arkansas.

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In California, feel free to check out All Saints Lunatic

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Asylum in Apple Valley, California, two oh nine Haunts in London,

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and the Haunt at a Tescadero in at Tescadero in Florida.

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Check out Sir Henry's Haunted Trail in Plant City, Florida,

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and the Wentz Brothers Festival of Fears in Fort Walton Beach.

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Georgia's Valentine's Haunted Houses include Folklore Haunted House in Ackworth, Georgia,

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Lake Joy, Trails of Terror in Kathleen, Paranoia Haunted House

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in Canton, and Screams Haunted Experience in Hoboken. Spooky Illinois

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includes the Factory of Fear in Molly In Illinois and

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the Massacre Haunted House in Montgomery. Indiana has got the

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Hysterium Haunted Asylum in Fort Wayne, Indiana, Malice Manor and

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Clarksville and Necropolis Underground in Indianapolis and the Thirteenth Hour

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in Indianapolis. Iowa is bringing you the Hillside House of

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Hell in Glenwood, Iowa. And Kentucky's got the Haunted Hotel

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Ky in Louisville. Maryland has got Bennett's Curse in Baltimore, Maryland,

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Harrah's Nightmare in Westminster and Laurel's House of Horror in Laurel,

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Massachusetts brings you the Chamber of Terror in Salem. In Michigan,

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you can find a wake in Haunted Attraction in Leslie Michigan.

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Minnesota has got the Nowhere Haunted House in Invergrove Heights, Minnesota.

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Missouri brings you Terror on Route sixty six in Sullivan

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and the Darkness in Saint Louis. New Jersey has got

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the Brighton Asylum in Passaic, New Jersey. North Carolina's haunted

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attractions include Holler and Haunts Hay Ride in Clinton, North Carolina,

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Pinhead's Graveyard in Canton, and The Hotel in a Hosky,

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North Carolina. Ohio's got Hell's Dungeon in Dayton, Ohio. And

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Pennsylvania has got the Field of Screams PA in Mountville, Pennsylvania,

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Haunted Hills Estate, Scream Park in Uniontown, Hidden Screams Haunted

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Attraction in Lewiston, Orween Haunted Warehouse and Mount Union, and

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the Penhurst Asylum in spring City. South Carolina brings you

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Deceased Farm in Lexington, and Tennessee has got Freight Works

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in Powell, Texas. Valentine's haunted houses include Delusion Scream Park

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in Brian, Texas, Doc Wilkes House of Horrors in Longview,

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Nightmare on Nineteenth Street in Lubbock, Utah has got Asylum

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forty nine in tu wel Utah, Virginia brings you Freight

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Mayor in Chesapeake, Virginia, Spooky Acre's Haunted House in Norfolk, Tarret,

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Potomac Manor, and King George and Terror Manor in Rono,

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And finally in Washington State, check out Frightvale in Oak Harbor, Washington.

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Some upcoming events this January through March include this Week's

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Halloween and Party Expo January thirteenth through fifteenth in Las Vegas, Nevada,

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creep i e Con January thirty first through February first

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in Ontario, California, And trans World's Halloween and Attraction Show

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February twenty second through March second in Saint Louis, Missouri.

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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 Darryl Plunky,

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post production by David Swope. This haunt 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 Hantattrastionnetwork 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

NEWS: Sony's The Last of Us Experience

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