Haunted Attractions Podcast

This week's headlines: Scream Break returns on March 22nd; Disneyland's Halloween Half Marathons SOLD OUT; John Wick Experience comes to AREA 15; "Imaginary" horror experience to open in SoCal; TransWorld's East Coast Haunters Convention Tickets; New season of "Chucky" is coming this Spring. Read the stories here: https://mailchi.mp/hauntedattractionnetwork.com/news-scream-break-returns-john-wick-experience

The Haunted Attraction Association unveils its 2024 - 2027 Strategic Plan; Canada changes costume import tax; Efteling's new "Danse Macabre" attraction; This year's ScareCON will take place at Psycho Path in Newcastle, England on Wednesday, June 5th; A brand-new "Evil Dead" movie is on its way with director Sébastien Vaniček at the helm. Read the stories here: https://hauntedattractionnetwork.com/haa-2024-2027-strategic-plan-haunt-industrys-growth/

2024 Valentine's Day haunt list; Holly Terror Days Inc., operator of The Haunting of Keystone receives the Peter Norbeck Excellence in Tourism Innovation Award; Niles Screampark to award scholarships to area high school students; Zombie Joe's Underground Theatre Group brings back "Dark Dark Ride Ride" for three weekends in February; Monsterpalooza announces exhibitor list; Creep I.E. Con presents cast reunions for "Texas Chainsaw Massacre" and "Scream"; Halloween & Party Expo takes place this January 23 - 25 in Las Vegas; Pre-orders now available for Vegan Treats' 2024 Valentine's Day "Fatally Yours: Birds of a Feather" coffin chocolate boxes; Two Steamboat Mickey horror films announced; Winnie the Pooh: Blood and Honey 2 aims to be bigger and better than the original. Read the news here: https://hauntedattractionnetwork.com/valentines-day-haunted-house-2023/

The City of Hammond, Indiana is moving forward with plans to replace Reaper's Realm haunted house with a riverfront development; Ashland Public Library & Jeff DePaoli present a "Haunted Happenings" livestream on January 18th featuring Tony Gardner of Alterian, Inc.; Pashur announces two body painting workshops in Burbank, CA; AZ Haunters will host a PVC Candles Workshop on January 20th; Exhibitor registration is open for the Texas Haunters Convention; 18-year-old haunter Tayen Poplin opens a brick & mortar store in Ironton, OH; Gore Galore releases new line of scenic detailing mosses. Read the news here: https://mailchi.mp/hauntedattractionnetwork.com/news-haunt-faces-eminent-domain-after-34-years

TransWorld's Halloween & Attractions Show has announced its seminar lineup and Saturday night costume party theme; The Spooky Swap Meet is now accepting applications for House Hosts for their April event; Creep It Real OC announces two 2024 events; HAuNTcon & Indie Horror Show come to Daytona Beach, Florida February 9th - 11th. Read the stories here: https://mailchi.mp/hauntedattractionnetwork.com/upcoming-haunt-convention-announcements

Today, I’m speaking with Melissa Meyer, co-owner of Meyer2Meyer Entertainment, about 'Madame Scrooge: A Christmas Carol Musical' in Glendale, CA. This new, Broadway-style musical takes an original twist on Charles Dickens’s famous tale. While it’s still brimming with Christmas spirit, certain sections are much darker. The team at Meyer2Meyer Entertainment has helped create many horror events, including the LA Haunted Hayride, the Great Horror Campout, and the House of Spirits. So, while this isn’t a horror event per se, I wanted to speak with Melissa about the design and story craft we can learn from.

The deadlines for the Haunted Attraction Association's annual scholarships and OSCARES nominations are December 31st; Knott's Scary Farm will extend into November in 2024; Granville Haunt Farm is named North Carolina Attraction of the Year; The owner of ScareUSA pleads not guilty on sex assault charges; JOANN reports double-digit sales growth and better profit margins for Halloween merchandise sales.

Halloween costumes taking jabs at the Chinese government and flailing economy have led to a crackdown in China; Factory of Terror presents a family-friendly Christmas event - "Ohio Christmas Factory"; Terror Vault's The Initiation returns for a 4-night revival in early 2024; Zombie Joes' Underground Theatre Group & Force of Nature Productions join forces to present A Christmas Carol; The Krampus NOLAuf Parade returns to the streets of New Orleans; Krampus Fest returns to Pittsburg with the Krampus Krawl Bar Crawl will be sponsored by Penn Brewery; Celebrate a "Merry Axemas" at Pinhead's Graveyard; Haunted Attraction Network Holiday Haunt List. Read the stories here: https://hauntedattractionnetwork.com/spine-chilling-adventure-holiday-haunts/

Froggy's Fog won the IAAPA Brass Ring Award for Best New Product with their Thanos A-1 Fog Blaster; Poison Props debuted a new Spider Animatronic at IAPPA; Krampus' Cove immersive cocktail experience comes to Los Angeles November 24th - December 31st; Hush Haunted Attraction transforms into "The Legendary Lodge" for the Christmas season; Sir Henry's Haunted Christmas returns December 8th - 9th & 14th - 17th; TransWorld's East Coast Haunters Convention announces Friday Night Bus Tour locations - Bates Motel & Haunted Hayride and Pennhurst Asylum. Read the news here:

The Haunted Attraction Network's Hauntathon was bigger than ever with 90 million views and tv & national radio appearances; Cedar Fair & Six Flags plan to merge in 2024; runDisney will present a new Disneyland Resort Halloween Half Marathon in September 2024; The Scare Factor will host their annual Monster Bash on November 18th; Short film submissions are now open for the Midsummer Scream Screaming Room; Tickets are now on sale for Monsterpalooza's 15th Anniversary.

Read the stories here: https://mailchi.mp/hauntedattractionnetwork.com/happy-halloween-from-the-haunted-attraction-network

Terror Roulette is a new, intimate horror experience at The Arboretum of South Barrington in South Barrington, IL. A partnership between IWG and The Arboretum of South Barrington, this event thrusts participants wishing to test their fate into an interactive story where they become the selected victims of a bloodthirsty secret society.

Spanning 30 acres and 13 attractions, Lake Hickory Haunts has grown into an entire scream park in Hickory, North Carolina, but it’s been quite the journey; we’ll hear all about it today. Support for this episode comes from Hauntpay; Hauntpay is Scary simple ticketing and payments made for haunted attractions. Watch our full video walkthrough of Lake Hickory Haunts here: https://youtu.be/JGhUNPpH5xQ

Dark Hour Haunted House in Plano, Texas, has new ownership; we explore what that means for the iconic attraction—a Must-Listen for anyone hoping to own a haunted house.

Doom Haunted Attraction in Idaho Falls supports the local county DARE program; we checked in with owner Brent Wilson to see how the 2023 season is going.

An interview with Jon Braver on this year's delusion, open select nights through November 19th, 2023. Since 2011, guests have played their part in the world's most visceral, captivating, and unique live experience. A living, breathing world of fantastical horror where stories come to vivid life, and guests become integral actors in the unfolding narrative. Yet this tapestry of terror is more than shows. With Nocturnes & Nightmares, we learn there is more to the Delusion saga than meets the eye. A mysterious figure known only as The Author has penned every Delusion story since its inception. Bringing words to life. Ink to reality. It is more a curse than a gift, as The Author plays with fire. Devoted fans (our guests) will be swallowed into various stories and connect with characters both dire and beloved as they track down the mysterious author behind the Delusion series and learn of a disturbing agenda.

We're posting an episode from Season 3 of That Halloween Podcast featuring Philip. Learn More: https://thathalloweenpodcast.libsyn.com/

The National Retail Foundation expects U.S. Halloween spending to hit a record $12.2 Billion in 2023; Goodwill Industries International releases their Halloween Survey results; Hulu takes over the Pacific Design Center in West Hollywood, CA for their immersive "Huluween: Now Screaming" experience; the Douglas Halloween Parade for Adults celebrates its 25th year; Morro Bay & Ventura Harbor Village host Witches & Warlocks Paddle events; Local Mississippi news station features home haunters Holly & Mark Graves; Chipotle brings back their Boorito special with new late-night hours; Win $5,000 with Sour Patch Kids' "Cringe or Candy" digital photo challenge; American Humane shares tips for making Halloween safe & fun for your pets.

Scott and Philip discuss Halloween at Universal Studios Japan.

Now in its thirteenth season, fear factory in lake lake City has added a new storyline throughout their haunt - plus a new mocktail lounge. Spencer Terry explains what fear factory has planned for 2023.