NEWS: From Halloween to Holidays: What’s Next for Haunts

Halloween may be behind us, but the industry is already shifting into its next phase.
In this week’s newsletter, we look at a few insightful stories from this last season, then look ahead to the growing wave of post-Halloween events—from Krampus offerings to holiday-themed haunts—and what this expansion means as the industry heads into IAAPA Expo.
This week: Insights from Dark Nights at Hersheypark; Hera's Nightmare eyes year-round expansions; Celebrating Halloween in Burbank; Coaster Nation's Top Haunts; Creep It Real Festive Returns November 21st - 23rd; Krampus Comes to Universal Horror Unleashed; Field of Screams Unleashes Extreme Blackout Night; Six Flags Plans More Park Closures - Here's Why It Makes Sense. Read more here.

Episode Transcript

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
hn 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.

Speaker 2 (00:37):
Darryl with Helloween and the legendary Haunt Tour behind us.
Take a listen to some of the final highlights of
this past Haunts season, new Haunts at Hershey Park Halloween
and Dark Knight's twenty twenty five Dark Knights celebrated its
fourth year as part of Hershey Park Halloween in Hershey, Pennsylvania,
with a new kill and Film maze and Path of
Shadow Covens Curse Scare Zone. The Haunted Attraction Network went

(01:00):
behind the scenes as some of the creative team to
learn about the continued evolution of their Haunted experience and
what sets Hershey Park apart as a must visit seasonal event.
Follow the links in our show notes to watch the
video or follow us on YouTube. The Burbank Home Haunt
Tour in Burbank, California, is a hotbed of Halloween home
haunt activity. These homeowners go above and beyond to create

(01:21):
memorable displays and walk through attractions for the so Cal community.
Join the Haunted Attraction Network as we tour some of
these amazing home haunts, including Beware the Dark Realm, Buena
Vista Haunt, Circus of Nightmares and more, and Harra's Haunts
Haunted Nightmare Attraction. After an award winning first season, Hara's
Nightmare in Westminster, Maryland added two new experiences for its

(01:43):
return in twenty twenty five, Bite Fright and Horror Vault
selfie experience. In this exclusive interview, owner Carlos Rivus discusses
these new additions to his creative process. Follow the links
in our show notes to find them all hunters Elevate
your scenes. Gantum Lighting's Juni, a non DMX compact Gobo projector,
is on a flash sale at two hundred and thirty

(02:05):
dollars per unit that's fifty percent off. Choose Cool White
with the standard Lends, Warm White Standard Lands or Cool
White with a wide Leans to add crisp features and
pinpoint accents anywhere in your haunt. At less than one
hundred and thirty millimeters or five inches in length, Juni
is the smallest framing projector on the market. Judy runs
on twelve old DC only and works with the same

(02:26):
LED dimmers you use in your LED tape for smooth
intensity control. It accepts metal or glass gobos but not film,
and Rosco can make them to the required size. Please
contact sales at gantum dot com. Coasternation names the Top
thirty one haunts as voted by fans. Coasternation has once
again released their top thirty one haunts from around the

(02:46):
US and Canada as voted by fans. Halloween enthusiasts nominated
professional haunted attractions earlier this fall, then had the chance
to visit these attractions throughout October. Over fifty thousand votes
were tallied to create this year's ranking. The top five
honred for twenty twenty five are Woods of Terror in Greensboro,
North Carolina, Hellsgate Haunted House in Lockport, Illinois, Cutting Edge

(03:09):
in Fort Worth, Texas, nether World in Stone Mountain, Georgia,
and Thirteenth Gate in Baton Rouge Louisiana. You can view
the list of all thirty one Haunts on Coaster Nations website.
IAPPA Expo twenty twenty five begins next week in Orlando, Florida,
with education taking place November seventeenth through twentieth and the
show floor open November eighteenth through twenty first. Come with

(03:30):
industry professionals worldwide to learn and experience what's new, innovative,
and next in the global attraction industry. The event features
an expansive trade show floor, industry mixers, educational programming, and
behind the scenes tours of area attractions. At the special
Haunt themed area, IAPPA Hunting Grounds explore innovative exhibitors showcasing
frightfully fun products and spine tingling solutions designed to boost

(03:53):
revenue and keep guests coming back for more. New for
twenty twenty five, the Haunt focused education sessions have added
to spark ideas and sharpen your spooky strategy. A highlight
of these new sessions is Marketing the Monsters, a class
top by the Haunted Attraction Networks owned Philippernandez and Scott's
Wentz and from Scott's Wentzon Creative Design and Green Tag
podcast taking place on Tuesday, November eighteenth, at noon to

(04:16):
one pm. This class will discuss how marketing a Halloween
event is different from marketing and attractions core product. Whether
you're looking to boost attendance, enhance storytelling, or maximize ROI
during the Halloween season, this session will give you actionable
insights to make your event unforgettable. The Hunting Grounds is
located in the North Concourse on Level two in Room

(04:36):
N two two zero ABCD. Learn more about the entire
IAPA Expo and register on the event's official website. Creep
It Real fest of returns November twenty first through twenty third.
Awaken from your Halloween hangover for some jolly, creepy festive fun.
Next week is creep It Real Festive returns to the
Heritage Museum of Orange County in Santa Ana, California, from

(04:58):
November twenty first through twenty third. Find the perfect holiday
gift for that spooky someone at the Cryptmas Marketplace with
over one hundred vendors showcasing horror inspired seasonal artwork, craft treats,
and merch. Enjoy live music from the Scallars, Kitty Antics
and Silk Monsters, and meet some truly chilling characters, including
the one and only Creep Kringle, who's checking his naughty

(05:20):
list for your name. This year's celebrity guests include three
actors known for the Twilight franchise, Kellen Lutz, Ashley Green
and Peter Fassenelli. Tickets are on sale now, starting at
twenty dollars for single day admission, fifty dollars for weekend admission,
and sixty five for single day VIIC Very Important Creep tickets.
The Crampis Comes to Universal Horror Unleashed come face to

(05:41):
face with nightmarish winter legends from November fifteenth through January thirty.
Universal Horror Unleashed in Las Vegas, Nevada. Germanic punisher Crampis,
Icelandic troll Grila and the calacanceroid Greek goblins descend in
a haunting, lantern lit possession of winter nightmares happening throughout
the night. Capture icy terras with wicked photo ops next

(06:02):
to Crampus's skull and trusted throne and Griilla's cauldron as
you hide under a rotting tree. From this Phoenish calikanceroy devour.
Seasonal food and drinks available for purchase, including a Crampus
themed dessert, Crampas, snow Globe, Gorilla's char Chicken, Souf watchcoes,
and more. This sinister holiday experience is included in admission
to Universal Horror. Unleased tickets are on sale now starting

(06:24):
at fifty nine dollars for a one time general admission
access and eighty nine dollars for unlimited general admission access.
View a full tour of all four Universal Horror Unleashed
mazes by following the links in our show notes. The
Freakling Brothers Horror Shows announce The Nest for twenty twenty six.
Freakling Brothers Horror shows from Las Vegas, Nevada will return

(06:45):
in twenty twenty six with three Haunt experiences, including the
all new experience. The Nest, known for offering three immersive
haunted attractions each year. Freakling Brothers announced a temporary pause
for the twenty twenty five season for the development and
construction of an all new Haunt experience, which is set
to replace the classic Castle Vampire in twenty twenty six.
After more than three decades of screams, we made the

(07:07):
difficult decision to take a year off not to rest,
but to evolve said JT. Muelner, co owner and creative
director of Freakling Brothers horror shows. We've been preparing to
replace Castle Vampire, our most iconic and long running haunt,
and we want to do it right. Our fans deserve
nothing less than the full Freakling Brothers experience, and we're
excited to deliver a show that is truly horrifying and spectacular.

(07:29):
In twenty twenty six, The Nest marks the first time
in over a decade that the company will unveil an
entirely new horror experience, Introducing a reimagined layout, cutting edge
special effects, and chilling new themes. Fans can expect the
twisted evolution of signature Freakling Brother's Terror that is as
disturbingly immersive as it is thrilling. Our recent press release
described the new theme. It is feeding time, and all

(07:51):
of Las Vegas will be the food. They burrow, they chew,
they infect, and finally they replicate. There is no exterminator
who can save you. One year year from now, prepare
to submit to the Nest. Fumigation is only the beginning.
Stay tuned for more updates in the coming months on
the attractions official website. Field of Screams unleashes an extreme

(08:11):
blackout event. Backed by popular demand. Field of Screams in Mountville, Pennsylvania,
will host its eighth annual Extreme Blackout event on Friday,
November fourteenth. Extreme Blackout offers guests the chance to explore
all four of the venues's haunted attractions, the Haunted hay Ride,
Den of Darkness, fright Mare Asylum, and Nocturnal Wasteland with
the lights turned down and intensity turned off. Visitors should

(08:33):
prepare for hands on scares, sensory overload, psychological challenges, and
physical interaction from trained actors. New for twenty twenty five,
attendees may be restrained, separated from their group, and plunged
into total darkness as they navigate the attractions. This is
by far our most intense event of the year, said
Jim Shop, owner of Field of Screams. It's not for
the faint of heart, and it's exactly what makes it

(08:55):
such a thrilling way to end the season. Tickets are
on sale now, starting at sixty dollars per person. All
guests will be required to sign a waiver to participate.
Six flags plans, more park closures. Here's why it makes
sense three companies one economic reality and three very different responses.
Six Flags is doubling down on a smaller and more
nimble plan, prioritizing core parks and openly confirming that more

(09:18):
closures or sales are on the way. United Parks and Resorts,
SeaWorld and Bush Gardens is battling brand confusion after a
twenty five percent drop in profits, citing weather and marketing challenges. Meanwhile,
Disneyland Resort announced one hundred layoffs as part of an
organizational recalibration, even as its parks remained packed and profitable.

(09:39):
In this week's episode of Green Tag, Philip and Scott
unpack how each company's move reflects the different playbook for survival, consolidation, rebranding,
and recalibration. The big question whose strategy will actually work.
Some upcoming events this November through January include Ayappa in Orlando, Florida,
November seventeenth to twenty eth, Creep at Real Festive in

(10:01):
Santa Ana, California, November twenty one through twenty third, and
Halloween and Party Expo in Las Vegas, Nevada, January twelfth
through fourteenth of twenty twenty six.

Speaker 1 (10:12):
And that's all for the news this week. Today's episode
was produced by me Philip Ernandez, with reporting by Darryl Plunky.
Post production by David Swope. This HANT News update is
a production of the Haunted Attraction Network and you can
sign up to our weekly newsletter at hantattractionnetwork dot com.
Support for this episode comes from Gantum Lighting and Controls.

(10:33):
Until next time, Haunters Stay Scary. This is a Haunted
Attraction twel production.