September 17, 2025 • 10 mins
Dark Nights at Hersheypark (Hershey, PA) opened this past weekend, running eight weekends through November 2nd. The event features five haunted houses, four scare zones, access to over 50 rides, seasonal foods & beverages, live entertainment, and more. Guests can enjoy family-friendly fun by day and frights at night - all included with a Hersheypark Halloween ticket. A new haunted house ( Kill 'N Fill Garage) and Scare Zone debuted this year.
Also this week: Field of Screams PA Opens Gates for 33rd Season with New Hayride Scene; Take a Sneak Peek at Hera's Nightmare; The Haunt in Atascadero Unveils “Frankenstein’s Monsters Re-stitched”; Go Behind the Screams at Kings Dominion to Benefit A Kid Again; LEGOLAND California Unveils 17-Foot Halloween LEGO Tree; Scooby-Doo Halloween Toys Come to Burger King; HalloweenCostumes.com Releases 2025 Halloween in America Survey Results. Read more here.
Also this week: Field of Screams PA Opens Gates for 33rd Season with New Hayride Scene; Take a Sneak Peek at Hera's Nightmare; The Haunt in Atascadero Unveils “Frankenstein’s Monsters Re-stitched”; Go Behind the Screams at Kings Dominion to Benefit A Kid Again; LEGOLAND California Unveils 17-Foot Halloween LEGO Tree; Scooby-Doo Halloween Toys Come to Burger King; HalloweenCostumes.com Releases 2025 Halloween in America Survey Results. Read more here.
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:07):
Coming up your weekly roundup of news from around the
haunt industry. Welcome to the show. I'm Philip on the
Han Show. We bring you the haunt news, information, and
education you need to prepare for Halloween. On Tuesdays, we
bring you a roundup of news from haunts worldwide. Read
(00:28):
more about these stories and so much more in our
free weekly newsletter. Subscribe at the link in the show notes,
and as always for the news roundup, I'm passing it
off to Darryl.
Speaker 2 (00:38):
Dark Nights at Hershey Park and Hershey, Pennsylvania opened this
past weekend, running eight weekends through November two. This thrilling
seasonal event includes five haunted houses, four scare zones, access
to more than fifty rides, seasonal food and beverages, live entertainment,
and more. Guests can enjoy family friendly fund by day
and frights at night, all included with a Hershey Park
(01:01):
Halloween ticket. The brand new haunted house debuting this season
is Kill and Fill Garage, fueled by evil Killers have
taken over the abandoned kill and Fill garage, and what
goes on behind the rusted chain link fence is sure
to send sparks flying wander through the Junkyard Mechanics bay
an office as you make your way to the boiler room,
but beware, the screams start when the engines die. Watch
(01:24):
our walkthrough by following the links in our show notes.
Path of Shadows Coven's Curse is a new scare zone
for twenty twenty five. Long hidden from sight, the Path
of Shadows has opened and three mysterious witches have emerged.
Trade carefully through the scare zone where something wicked is brewing,
or run the risk of becoming the next victim of
(01:44):
the Coven's Curse. Another highlight this year is the expanded
food and beverage offerings. From savory eats to dreadfully decadent
desserts and spine shingling cocktails. There are plenty of new
goodies to satisfy your taste buds. Backed by popular demand,
The Hershey Park Halloween Tasting Pass for thirty seven ninety
five allows guests to taste five frightfully delicious snacks, desserts
(02:05):
and drinks exclusively available during the Dark Knights. Tickets are
on sale now starting as low as forty five ninety nine.
You can view full coverage of Dark Knights by following
the links in our show notes, including the full event,
the all new Kill and Fill Garage and Dark Knights,
The Haunted coal Mine, The State of Evil, Anti Mortem's Abattoir,
(02:26):
and the Twisted Carnievil. The Field of Screams opens their
gates for the thirty third season. Field of Screams in Mountville, Pennsylvania,
opened its gates this past weekend for its thirty third season,
open select nights through November eighth, with a special Encore
Extreme Blackout Night on November fourteenth. This year promises to
deliver fear inducing fun new features, including a custom designed
(02:49):
welcome sign and a high octane explosive scene guaranteed to
shock and delight visitors. The new hay Ride scene takes
place at a CD gas station with pyrotechnic effects. In
addition to the hay guests can brave three other attractions,
the Den of Darkness, Fright, Maare Asylum, and Nocturnal Wasteland.
Tickets are on sale now starting at forty to sixty
dollars for a general admission screen pass. You can watch
(03:12):
the video of all four attractions by following the links
in the show notes and the newsletter Sneak Peek at
Hara's Nightmare. You can take a sneak peak at Harrah's
Nightmare from Westminster, Maryland with owner Carlos Revas. The inaugural
season of Harrah's Nightmare was honored at this year's Haunted
Attraction Association All Scares with the Board of Director's First
(03:33):
Year Haunt Award. In our exclusive video, go behind the
scenes for a look at the haunts, movie quality sets,
state of the art special effects, giant animatronics, and one
of a kind scares. Brave guests will encounter four attractions
this year, the new Bite Fright and Horror Vault selfie experience,
as well as returning Maz's Contaminated X and the Curse
(03:53):
of Hex and Hollow. Harah's Nightmare opens Friday and Saturday's,
October third through November one. Tickets are on sale now,
starting at thirty two dollars for general admission for all
three Haunts, or forty dollars for combo admission all three
Haunts plus the Horror Vault selfie experience. The Haunt in
a Tescadero unveils Frankenstein's Monsters restitched this Halloween season. The
(04:16):
Haunted at Tescadero in at Tescadaro, California, invites guests to
descend deeper into madness with its latest horrifying chapter, Frankenstein's
Monster Restitched. The Haunt plunges guests into the hidden recesses
of doctor Frankenstein's workshop, where grotesque creations have been reassembled, repurposed,
and brought back to life, and weighs more dreadful than
(04:37):
ever imagined. The story of Frankenstein doesn't end with a
single monster, said Chris Towers, executive director and lead production
engineer at The Haunt and at Tescadero. This year, we
wanted to expand that universe. What happens when the doctor's
failed experiments are stitched together again. What kind of horrors
emerge when ambition and obsession know no limits. Frankenstein's Monster
(04:57):
Restitched runs select nights number twenty six through November First.
Guests can choose their level of terror through different ticket
options Lights On which is family friendly, Classic Haunt, Mare
which is a classic maze, or Night Terrors, the Ultimate
Scare Experience. Tickets are on sale now. Go Behind the
Screams at King's Dominion to benefit a Kid Again nonprofit.
(05:20):
On October three, Step into the Shadows before the Screams
begin with an exclusive behind the scenes Haunt experience at
King's Dominion in Doswell, Virginia, benefiting the nonprofit organization A
Kid Again. Ticket Holders will tour one of the Halloween
Haunt mazes before opening and go behind the scenes to
visit the monster makeup studio where the creatures of the
(05:41):
Night are brought to life. The evening will continue with
food and beverages. Available. Upgrades include early ride access to
the new Wrappterra roller coaster, Haunted Attraction express passes, and
a special viewing of the opening ceremony from atop the
Eiffel Tower. Five lucky individuals will also be able to
join this scare team for an evening as a creature
of the Night as part of a special raffle. The
(06:03):
tickets to this event benefit A Kid Again, an organization
that helps children with life threatening conditions and their families
create lasting memories together at kid desirable destinations. Tickets for
Behind the Screams are on sale now and start at
one hundred dollars. Lego Land California unveils a seventeen foot
Halloween Lego tree with Lego Land California's Bricker Treat Monster
(06:26):
Party in Carlsbad, California, coming September twentieth through November first.
The park has unveiled a mass of seventeen foot tall
Halloween tree made entirely of Lego bricks, with six hundred
and eighty nine hundred and sixty three bricks used in
its construction. The tree is at the park's largest Lego
creation by brick count and took five Master Model builders
(06:46):
over four thousand hours to assemble. Adorned with spooky friends,
the tree will give guests a friendly fright with moving eyes,
twinkling lights, and Halloween themed background music. Ricker Treat provides
Halloween fun for all ages with live shows, Lego monster
meet and greets, trick or treating, costume contests, and more.
Tickets are on sale now. Scooby Doo Halloween toys are
(07:09):
coming to Burger King. Burger King has announced new Halloween
surprise for their King Junior Meals, Scooby Doo Halloween Toys.
Starting September sixteenth, Burger King restaurants nationwide will feature a
fun line above collectible toys inspired by Scooby Doo. In
the Mystery Gang, Kids or Halloween loving adults will find
either Scooby Doo, Shaggy, Velma, Daphne, Fred or Villain Elmwood
(07:31):
Crane in each meal while supplies last. Each character is
dressed to trick or treat with a removable mask. Halloween
Costumes dot Com releases their twenty twenty five Halloween in
America survey results. Halloween Costumes dot Com ask one thousand
Americans how they plan to celebrate Halloween this season as
part of the Retailers twenty twenty five Halloween in America Survey.
(07:52):
Over half of respondent's planned to spend about the same
on Halloween as they did last year. Well twenty two
percent plan to increase their Halloween spend and what are
they spending their money on. Seventy five percent of respondents
said they planned to wear costumes this season, with thirty
percent of respondents planning on two or more costumes. Decorating
also continues to grow. Sixty eight percent of respondents plan
(08:14):
to decorate outside, up from sixty two percent to twenty
twenty three and only thirty percent in twenty twenty two,
and sixty one percent plan to decorate inside, up from
fifty eight percent to twenty twenty three and only twenty
six percent in twenty twenty two. Garage, vehicle and office
decorating also continue to gain popularity, reflecting the widespread desire
(08:35):
to bring Halloween spirit into all spaces. Work celebrations are
on the rise, with fifty one percent of workplaces handing
out candy, forty eight percent allowing desk and office decorations,
and forty four percent allowing employees to wear accessories or
themed a pail. When asked about their Halloween vibe for
twenty twenty five, respondents lean toward qute and cozy twenty
(08:56):
five percent of the time twenty twenty three percent of
the time and nostalgic at sixteen percent of the time
for their theme, showing a preference for lighthearted celebrations, while
scary themes at nineteen percent and whimsical fantasy at twelve
percent also hold strong interest. Some upcoming events September through
November twenty twenty five include the Sun of Monster Palooza
(09:18):
October tenth through twelfth in Burbank, California, IAPPA November seventeenth
through twentieth in Orlando, Florida, and creep It Real Festive
November twenty first through twenty third in Santa Ana.
Speaker 1 (09:30):
California, and that's all for the news this week. Today's
episode was produced by me Philip Bernandez, with reporting by
Darryl Plunky post production by David Swope. This Haunt News
Update is a production of the Haunt Attraction Network and
you can sign up to our weekly newsletter at Haunt
Attraction Network dot com. Support for this episode comes from
(09:51):
Gantum Lighty and controls. Until next time, Haunters Stay Scary.
This is a Haunted Attraction net work put a lat
Coming up your weekly roundup of news from around the
haunt industry. Welcome to the show. I'm Philip on the
Han Show. We bring you the haunt news, information, and
education you need to prepare for Halloween. On Tuesdays, we
bring you a roundup of news from haunts worldwide. Read
(00:28):
more about these stories and so much more in our
free weekly newsletter. Subscribe at the link in the show notes,
and as always for the news roundup, I'm passing it
off to Darryl.
Speaker 2 (00:38):
Dark Nights at Hershey Park and Hershey, Pennsylvania opened this
past weekend, running eight weekends through November two. This thrilling
seasonal event includes five haunted houses, four scare zones, access
to more than fifty rides, seasonal food and beverages, live entertainment,
and more. Guests can enjoy family friendly fund by day
and frights at night, all included with a Hershey Park
(01:01):
Halloween ticket. The brand new haunted house debuting this season
is Kill and Fill Garage, fueled by evil Killers have
taken over the abandoned kill and Fill garage, and what
goes on behind the rusted chain link fence is sure
to send sparks flying wander through the Junkyard Mechanics bay
an office as you make your way to the boiler room,
but beware, the screams start when the engines die. Watch
(01:24):
our walkthrough by following the links in our show notes.
Path of Shadows Coven's Curse is a new scare zone
for twenty twenty five. Long hidden from sight, the Path
of Shadows has opened and three mysterious witches have emerged.
Trade carefully through the scare zone where something wicked is brewing,
or run the risk of becoming the next victim of
(01:44):
the Coven's Curse. Another highlight this year is the expanded
food and beverage offerings. From savory eats to dreadfully decadent
desserts and spine shingling cocktails. There are plenty of new
goodies to satisfy your taste buds. Backed by popular demand,
The Hershey Park Halloween Tasting Pass for thirty seven ninety
five allows guests to taste five frightfully delicious snacks, desserts
(02:05):
and drinks exclusively available during the Dark Knights. Tickets are
on sale now starting as low as forty five ninety nine.
You can view full coverage of Dark Knights by following
the links in our show notes, including the full event,
the all new Kill and Fill Garage and Dark Knights,
The Haunted coal Mine, The State of Evil, Anti Mortem's Abattoir,
(02:26):
and the Twisted Carnievil. The Field of Screams opens their
gates for the thirty third season. Field of Screams in Mountville, Pennsylvania,
opened its gates this past weekend for its thirty third season,
open select nights through November eighth, with a special Encore
Extreme Blackout Night on November fourteenth. This year promises to
deliver fear inducing fun new features, including a custom designed
(02:49):
welcome sign and a high octane explosive scene guaranteed to
shock and delight visitors. The new hay Ride scene takes
place at a CD gas station with pyrotechnic effects. In
addition to the hay guests can brave three other attractions,
the Den of Darkness, Fright, Maare Asylum, and Nocturnal Wasteland.
Tickets are on sale now starting at forty to sixty
dollars for a general admission screen pass. You can watch
(03:12):
the video of all four attractions by following the links
in the show notes and the newsletter Sneak Peek at
Hara's Nightmare. You can take a sneak peak at Harrah's
Nightmare from Westminster, Maryland with owner Carlos Revas. The inaugural
season of Harrah's Nightmare was honored at this year's Haunted
Attraction Association All Scares with the Board of Director's First
(03:33):
Year Haunt Award. In our exclusive video, go behind the
scenes for a look at the haunts, movie quality sets,
state of the art special effects, giant animatronics, and one
of a kind scares. Brave guests will encounter four attractions
this year, the new Bite Fright and Horror Vault selfie experience,
as well as returning Maz's Contaminated X and the Curse
(03:53):
of Hex and Hollow. Harah's Nightmare opens Friday and Saturday's,
October third through November one. Tickets are on sale now,
starting at thirty two dollars for general admission for all
three Haunts, or forty dollars for combo admission all three
Haunts plus the Horror Vault selfie experience. The Haunt in
a Tescadero unveils Frankenstein's Monsters restitched this Halloween season. The
(04:16):
Haunted at Tescadero in at Tescadaro, California, invites guests to
descend deeper into madness with its latest horrifying chapter, Frankenstein's
Monster Restitched. The Haunt plunges guests into the hidden recesses
of doctor Frankenstein's workshop, where grotesque creations have been reassembled, repurposed,
and brought back to life, and weighs more dreadful than
(04:37):
ever imagined. The story of Frankenstein doesn't end with a
single monster, said Chris Towers, executive director and lead production
engineer at The Haunt and at Tescadero. This year, we
wanted to expand that universe. What happens when the doctor's
failed experiments are stitched together again. What kind of horrors
emerge when ambition and obsession know no limits. Frankenstein's Monster
(04:57):
Restitched runs select nights number twenty six through November First.
Guests can choose their level of terror through different ticket
options Lights On which is family friendly, Classic Haunt, Mare
which is a classic maze, or Night Terrors, the Ultimate
Scare Experience. Tickets are on sale now. Go Behind the
Screams at King's Dominion to benefit a Kid Again nonprofit.
(05:20):
On October three, Step into the Shadows before the Screams
begin with an exclusive behind the scenes Haunt experience at
King's Dominion in Doswell, Virginia, benefiting the nonprofit organization A
Kid Again. Ticket Holders will tour one of the Halloween
Haunt mazes before opening and go behind the scenes to
visit the monster makeup studio where the creatures of the
(05:41):
Night are brought to life. The evening will continue with
food and beverages. Available. Upgrades include early ride access to
the new Wrappterra roller coaster, Haunted Attraction express passes, and
a special viewing of the opening ceremony from atop the
Eiffel Tower. Five lucky individuals will also be able to
join this scare team for an evening as a creature
of the Night as part of a special raffle. The
(06:03):
tickets to this event benefit A Kid Again, an organization
that helps children with life threatening conditions and their families
create lasting memories together at kid desirable destinations. Tickets for
Behind the Screams are on sale now and start at
one hundred dollars. Lego Land California unveils a seventeen foot
Halloween Lego tree with Lego Land California's Bricker Treat Monster
(06:26):
Party in Carlsbad, California, coming September twentieth through November first.
The park has unveiled a mass of seventeen foot tall
Halloween tree made entirely of Lego bricks, with six hundred
and eighty nine hundred and sixty three bricks used in
its construction. The tree is at the park's largest Lego
creation by brick count and took five Master Model builders
(06:46):
over four thousand hours to assemble. Adorned with spooky friends,
the tree will give guests a friendly fright with moving eyes,
twinkling lights, and Halloween themed background music. Ricker Treat provides
Halloween fun for all ages with live shows, Lego monster
meet and greets, trick or treating, costume contests, and more.
Tickets are on sale now. Scooby Doo Halloween toys are
(07:09):
coming to Burger King. Burger King has announced new Halloween
surprise for their King Junior Meals, Scooby Doo Halloween Toys.
Starting September sixteenth, Burger King restaurants nationwide will feature a
fun line above collectible toys inspired by Scooby Doo. In
the Mystery Gang, Kids or Halloween loving adults will find
either Scooby Doo, Shaggy, Velma, Daphne, Fred or Villain Elmwood
(07:31):
Crane in each meal while supplies last. Each character is
dressed to trick or treat with a removable mask. Halloween
Costumes dot Com releases their twenty twenty five Halloween in
America survey results. Halloween Costumes dot Com ask one thousand
Americans how they plan to celebrate Halloween this season as
part of the Retailers twenty twenty five Halloween in America Survey.
(07:52):
Over half of respondent's planned to spend about the same
on Halloween as they did last year. Well twenty two
percent plan to increase their Halloween spend and what are
they spending their money on. Seventy five percent of respondents
said they planned to wear costumes this season, with thirty
percent of respondents planning on two or more costumes. Decorating
also continues to grow. Sixty eight percent of respondents plan
(08:14):
to decorate outside, up from sixty two percent to twenty
twenty three and only thirty percent in twenty twenty two,
and sixty one percent plan to decorate inside, up from
fifty eight percent to twenty twenty three and only twenty
six percent in twenty twenty two. Garage, vehicle and office
decorating also continue to gain popularity, reflecting the widespread desire
(08:35):
to bring Halloween spirit into all spaces. Work celebrations are
on the rise, with fifty one percent of workplaces handing
out candy, forty eight percent allowing desk and office decorations,
and forty four percent allowing employees to wear accessories or
themed a pail. When asked about their Halloween vibe for
twenty twenty five, respondents lean toward qute and cozy twenty
(08:56):
five percent of the time twenty twenty three percent of
the time and nostalgic at sixteen percent of the time
for their theme, showing a preference for lighthearted celebrations, while
scary themes at nineteen percent and whimsical fantasy at twelve
percent also hold strong interest. Some upcoming events September through
November twenty twenty five include the Sun of Monster Palooza
(09:18):
October tenth through twelfth in Burbank, California, IAPPA November seventeenth
through twentieth in Orlando, Florida, and creep It Real Festive
November twenty first through twenty third in Santa Ana.
Speaker 1 (09:30):
California, and that's all for the news this week. Today's
episode was produced by me Philip Bernandez, with reporting by
Darryl Plunky post production by David Swope. This Haunt News
Update is a production of the Haunt Attraction Network and
you can sign up to our weekly newsletter at Haunt
Attraction Network dot com. Support for this episode comes from
(09:51):
Gantum Lighty and controls. Until next time, Haunters Stay Scary.
This is a Haunted Attraction net work put a lat
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