November 25, 2025 • 23 mins
IAAPA Expo 2025 returned to the Orange County Convention Center with record-breaking attendance and a show floor packed with innovations across the attractions industry. Among its newest and fastest-growing areas is the Haunting Grounds, a dedicated pavilion in the North Concourse focused on Halloween and seasonal events.
Also this week:- 32nd Annual Thea Awards Recipients Announced- Sally Dark Rides Brings Mini™ Dark Ride to Qatar- Creep It Real Festive Kicked Off the Holiday Season with Cosplay, Entertainment, Spooky Vendors, and More. Read more here.
Also this week:- 32nd Annual Thea Awards Recipients Announced- Sally Dark Rides Brings Mini™ Dark Ride to Qatar- Creep It Real Festive Kicked Off the Holiday Season with Cosplay, Entertainment, Spooky Vendors, and More. Read more here.
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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
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 Darryl.
Speaker 2 (00:38):
As the holiday season arrive, it's haunted houses across the
US are getting into the festive spirit, combining the joy
of holidays with thrilling scares. Check out our website or
keep listening to this news to hear about nearly one
hundred and fifty haunts that will be operating this holiday season,
with more added weekly. Is your haunt opening for the
holiday season? Simply let us know you're hans. Information can
(01:01):
be included in our annual listing. IAPPA twenty twenty five
recap Last week the IAPPA Expo twenty twenty five Welcome
thirty eight thousand, five hundred and twenty verified attendees drawn
from a total of forty three thousand, eight hundred and
forty registered participants, setting a new benchmark for participation. The
trade show floor featured twenty five thousand, five hundred and
(01:23):
ninety eight qualified buyers representing twenty thousand, three hundred and
sixteen companies across one hundred and two countries, spanning more
than five hundred and fifty thousand square feet of exhibit space.
This year's expo showcased cutting edge innovations for more than
eleven hundred exhibitors representing the full spectrum of the global
attractions community, including amusement and theme barks, water parks, family
(01:46):
entertainment centers, zoos, aquariums, museums, resorts, and cruise lines. Some
major announcements include SeaWorld Orlando unveiling the Neuvacoma roller coaster
called SeaQuest and Inverted Indor coaster with Immersive Media, Dollywood
debuting a new attraction in partnership with mac Rides, Six
(02:07):
Flags Over Texas revealing the tormenta coaster manufactured by Bollinger
and Mabile Art, Inc. Rocky Mountain Construction announcing a new
single rail coaster coming to the Family Kingdom Amusement Park,
and Zamperla partnering with Morgan's Wonderland on the Wing Z,
an accessible friendly ride, underscoring iappa's commitment to inclusion and innovation.
(02:29):
In this week's episode of Green Tag, Philip and Scott
break down the trends that truly mattered this year. The
push toward indoor attractions from SeaWorld Orlando's new Vacoma indoor
adverted coaster to Merlin's ninety million dollar Galacta coaster installations,
the explosion of interactive dark rides like Sally's Phantom Theater
and its new Mini Dark Ride heading to Qatar, and
(02:52):
the rise of competitive socializing through Triotech's new Montreal Trio.
They also discussed the operational side rollers new industry benchmark
show reporting mobile dominating bookings and F and B memberships,
driving repeated visitation and digital wallets nearly doubling average spend
across the board. The expo revealed a sectors leaning to
(03:13):
indoor reliability, personalized experiences, and value minded designs. Located in
the North Concourse, Iappa's Haunting Grounds showcased products for Haunt
and Halloween products this year. The Haunted Attraction Network was
there to cover some highlights League productions debut of Vintage
Dark Ride Booth to showcase their creative services. Nethercraft, manufacturer
(03:36):
of vacuum form architectural facades, showed off their creations at
the booth and via photo ops and a large facade
at the entrance of the Haunting Grounds area. Dogwood Entertainment,
known for their bold, scenic pieces and photo ops for
family friendly attractions, brought their new twelve foot pumpkin treehouse
the Spooky Not Scary Immersia photo op as interactive features
(03:58):
guests can touch and play with to activate different elements
of the house. Ironwood and Glitter IWG showed off their
signature mirror mazes. Verse Immersive, a glasses based ar attraction,
highlighted their newest experience by legendary entertainment Trick or Treat
experienced the twisted charm of Sam and the Rules of Helloween.
(04:19):
Every action you take, from every candy you pick up
to every pumpkin you touch, determines whether or not you survive.
And Sally Dark Rides revealed the first new animatronics for
Phantom Theater opening Nightmare, coming to King's Island in Manson,
Ohio in twenty twenty six. Follow the links in our
show notes to watch our full coverage report. The area
(04:40):
also housed Haunt focused educational sessions, including Marketing the Monsters,
a class taught by the Haunted Attraction Networks owned Philip
Hernandez and Scott Swinson, Scott Swinson Creative Design, and Green
tagged in this pact standing room only presentation, Philip and
Scott discussed how marketing a Halloween event is different from
marketing and Attracttion's core product, and gave attendees valuable insights
(05:03):
for boosting attendance, enhancing storytelling, and maximizing ROI. The thirty
second Annual THEA Awards, the Themed Entertainment Association TEA announced
the recipients of their thirty second annual THEA Awards. These
awards celebrate the professionals and organizations whose work brings to
life outstanding achievements, bold innovation, and the world's most immersive
(05:25):
experiences shared live from universal epic Universe. During tea's annual
International Mixer, The announcement officially launched the month long celebratory
campaign that will culminate next May. During the annual TEA
Inspire Program and thirty second Annual THEA Awards Gala, we
received nearly two hundred impressive and diverse submissions from around
(05:46):
the world, said Mark Zachary, chair of the THEO Awards
Judging Committee and President of Experiential Advisors. These entries demonstrate
the imagination, ingenuity, expertise, and passion across the themed entertainment industry.
Every year, the THEO Awards Judging Committee spends countless hours reviewing, discussing,
and selecting this year's outstanding and most deserving project. Today,
(06:09):
we celebrate these extraordinary projects and the teams that brought
them to life. Award highlights of special interest to the
horror and Halloween community include the the Awards for Outstanding
Achievement for an attraction, which is Donce maccobb in the
f Telling in Katchavel, Netherlands. Attraction is Monsters Unchained, the
Frankenstein Experiment, Universal Epic Universe Orlando, Florida, and themed food
(06:33):
and beverage experience is The Haunted Mansion Parlor in Disney
Treasure Disney Cruise Line, and the Tea Recognitions of Merit
Immersive Live Entertainment Just fix It productions from Los Angeles, California,
Sally Dark Rides and Doha Quest bring the first ever
mini dark ride to Katar. A November nineteenth, Sally Dark
(06:54):
Rides announced a new partnership with Katar's largest indoor theme park,
Doha Quest. Doha, Qatar delivered Guardians of the Hidden Chamber,
a first of its kind mini dark ride coming soon
to the theme park. Guardians of the Hidden Chamber will
blend high tech interactivity with cinematic storytelling, placing guests inside
(07:14):
an adventure game brought to life. Designed to fit in
a compact footprint, the attraction will combine physical sets, dynamic media,
and family friendly action for a four plus minute ride
with trackless vehicles were honored to bring Guardians of the
Hidden Chamber to Doha Quest, said Ralph Piggert, CEO of
Sally Dark Rides. This attraction showed just how much storytelling, interactivity,
(07:38):
and excitement can be packed into a smaller footprint without
compromising a world class experience. Customize your own vehicle with
Merlin Entertainment's new Galacta Coaster. Murlin Entertainments offered Iappa attendees
a behind the scenes preview of Galacta Coaster, the first
of its kind into a roller coaster experience, opening at
Lego Land Resorts in Florida and California in early twenty
(08:01):
twenty six. Blending storytelling, interactivity, and cutting ride technology, Galactic
Coaster will take families on a customizable Lego space adventure
from briefing room to blast off. Using interactive touchscreens and
RFID wristbands, guests personalize their craft across four building phases, nose, tail, wings,
and special features, unlocking more than six hundred and twenty
(08:23):
five possible spacecraft combinations. Once complete, their digital creation is recognized.
Merging physical thrills with immersive storytelling, Galactic Coaster redefines what
a family coaster could be. It's not just about the thrills,
It's about giving every guest the power to create their
own story. It's Lego play valuated to a whole new orbit,
(08:45):
said Rob Smith, chief operating Officer of Merlin Entertainments. More
than three years in development, Galactic Coaster was brought to
life by Merlin Magic Making and collaboration with Art Engineering,
two heads, avsc Imagine Size, and the Lego Brand Parks
and Experiences teams. Triotech unveils three attractions that redefine competitive socializing. Triotech,
(09:08):
a global leader in immersive attractions and Interactive Experiences announce
the upcoming launch of three groundbreaking entertainment concepts, Electric Funfair, Energize,
and Crazy Carts, all debuting in Montreal in the summer
of twenty twenty six. Together, these attractions redefine competitive socializing, lending,
(09:28):
physical activity, interactive gaming, immersive storytelling, and breakthrough digital technology.
Each attraction has been built to maximize replay value, social engagement,
and operator flexibility, with a seamless connected experience enabled by
a video game inspired persistence system that tracks guests across
each attraction. Electric Funfair reinvents classical carnival style games with
(09:53):
dynamic digital theming, allowing the entire attraction to transform instantly
for different moods, audiences, seasons, or intellectual properties. Energize is
a one hour interactive adventure with seasonal and IP based
story lines, where a group of two to sixty participants
will experience a dozen or more uniquely themed game rooms,
(10:14):
each featuring high energy, physical and cognitive challenges. Participants can
earn individual and team scores, climb the local, regional, and
global leader board, and return to improve their ranking, making
the experience endlessly replayable. Crazy Cards is powered by Triotech
dynamic mapping technology, which allows real go karts to navigate
(10:35):
complex indoor layouts enhanced with video games style power ups,
environmental projections, and interactive obstacles. Players race through projected worlds,
dodge challenges, trigger power ups, that experience gameplay variations such
as race, zombie chases, and more, all will utilizing existing
building footprints. Roller releases their twenty twenty six Attractions Industry
(10:58):
Benchmark Report, an all in one venue management platform for
the leisure and attraction industry, released its twenty twenty six
Industry Benchmark Report, offering valuable insights to attraction operators. Roller
has also incorporated benchmarking data into its AI assistant, Roller Iq.
This provides Roller customers with instant in platform comparisons against
(11:21):
industry benchmarks, enabling them to see how their venue perform
alignance with competitors and peers in real time. Highlights from
the benchmark report. Mobile dominates eighty four percent of online
bookings and are now made via mobile devices. Guests are
five point three times more likely to book on mobile
than desktop. Mobile food and beverage orders are three point
three times larger than pos orders and represent ten percent
(11:45):
of food and beverage revenue, up from seven point three
percent last year. Online checkouts generate higher spend. Online bookings
drive forty five percent of revenue despite representing just thirty
three percent of total bookings. Party guests return more often.
Venues offering parties saw forty point eight percent repeat rate
versus twenty five point six percent at venues without memberships
(12:07):
increase loyalty and repeat visits. Members visit nearly five times
more often four point nine visits per year than non
members one point three visits. Digital payments yield higher transaction values.
Digital wallets such as Google Pay and Apple Pay account
for twenty three point eight percent of online transactions and
values one point nine six times larger on average than
(12:30):
those of physical cards. Follow the links in the show
notes to download the full report. Creep It Reel kicked
off the festive holiday season this past weekend. So Cal
Halloween fans kicked off the horror Laday season with creep
It Real Festive in Santa Ana, California. Guests could find
the perfect holiday gift for that spooky someone in the
(12:51):
Cryptmas Marketplace, with over one hundred vendors showcasing horror inspired
seasonal artwork crafts. Treats and merch. They also enjoyed live
music from the Sceralars, Kitty Antics, and Silk Monsters, and
met some truly chilling characters, including the one and only
creep Kringle. The Haunted Attraction Network was there to see
(13:11):
all of the events had to offer and showcase some
of the amazing costumes, entertainment, photo ops and vendors. You
can watch our video by following the links in our
show notes and see such featured exhibitors as Mister He's
Artificial Tree Lot, Unwrapped Art, Haunted Ventures, Peer Farm, Jeepers, Creepers,
Malhica Created, and Bubbles of Madness. Zombie Joe's Underground Theater
(13:36):
Group presents Urban Death x Mass. Celebrate the Haunted holiday
season with Zombie Joe's Underground Theater Groups Urban Death Xmas
from North Hollywood, California on December eighteenth through twenty first.
This ghoulishly new maze and theater attraction reaches to the
darkest corners of the winter solstice, creating a nightscape of
(13:56):
holiday horrors, Yuletide monstrosities, and the orchard spirits of Christmas past.
Urban Death Xmas was created by Zombie Joe and Jana
Weimer and directed by Denise Devin. The show is intended
for audience as eighteen plus as it contains graphic content,
mature themes, and nudity. Tickets are on sale now for
twenty four dollars in advance or twenty eight at the door.
(14:18):
The Canadian Haunters Association Home Haunters Contest is accepting submissions.
The twenty twenty five Canadian Haunters Association Contest is now
open for submissions. Categories include the best Walkthrough, best yard Haunt,
Best set Design, Best Animated Prop, Best static Prop, Best tombstone,
Non animated, Best scare Actor, Best Costume, and best carved Pumpkin.
(14:43):
Five of the nine categories are open to haunters to
both Canada and the United States, while Best walk Through,
Yard Haunt, Set Design, and Tombstone are for Canadian residents only.
All entrance must be a member of the Canadian Haunters
Association Facebook page. You can view the full list of
rules and regulations online. Now what everybody was waiting for
(15:03):
the Our list of the twenty twenty five holiday haunts,
starting with Alabama Haunted houses, including a TROX factory in Leeds, Alabama,
Conjure Haunted Attraction in Birmingham and Nightmare at three thousand
and eight in Fulton, Alabama. Arizona includes sc Arizona Scare
Grounds at Mesa, Arizona and Yuma Nightmares in Yuma. Arkansas
(15:27):
has Folklore Slaughterhouse and Draves in Gravesville, Reapers night Off
in Donaldson, and Twisted Intent Haunted Attraction in Benton, Arkansas.
California brings you All Saints Lunatic Asylum Haunted Attraction in
Apple Valley, California, The Soto Asylum in Needles, Reign of
Terror in Thousand Oaks, and Urban Death in North Hollywood, California.
(15:51):
Colorado has got the thirteenth Floor Haunted House Denver in Denver, Colorado,
and the Fear Complex in Colorado Springs, Colorado. Connecticut has
got Nightmare Acres in South Windsor, Connecticut. And Delaware brings
you Old Crow Manor in Milton, Delaware. Down in Florida,
They've got the thirteenth Floor Haunted House Jacksonville and Jacksonville, Florida.
(16:14):
The Horrorland Miami in Miami, Florida, Ominous Descent in winter Haven, Pemberton,
Haunted Acres in Plant City, and Sir Henry's Haunted Trail
in Plant City, Florida, Georgia. Holiday haunted houses include Thirteenth
Stories Haunted House in Noon in Georgia, Paranoia Haunted House
in Canton, and Wicked South Productions in Pembroke, Illinois. Haunted
(16:39):
houses include the Thirteenth Floor Haunted House Chicago in Chicago, Illinois,
Area sixty six Haunted School in Livingston, the Dungeon of Doom,
Haunted House in Zion, Factory of Fear and mow Lean
Insanity Haunted House in Peru, Illinois, Massacre Haunted House in Montgomery,
Midnight Terror, Haunted ho House in Oak Lawn, the Vibe
(17:02):
Haunted House in Crevercore, and Warehouse thirteen in Parkersburg, Illinois.
Indiana has the Barn of Terror in Bloomington, Columbia City,
Haunted Jail and Columbia City House of Anguish at the
Culbertson Mansion in New Albany, House of Lector in Evansville, Hysterium,
(17:22):
Haunted Asylum in Fort Wayne, Malice Manor and Clarksville, The
Newburgh Civilian Zombie Farm in Newburgh, Indiana, and Shattered Nightmares
and Terra Hote. Iowa has got the Eclipse Haunted Attraction
in Iowa City, Hillside House of Hell in Glenwood, and
the slaughter House Haunted attraction in Des Moines, Iowa. Kentucky
(17:44):
brings you the American Horror Plex in Louisville, Kentucky. A
Black Orchard Haunted House in Shelbyville, a Haunted Hotel ky
and Louisville Haunted Trail of Chaos in London, the Mead
Asylum in Williamsport, Sinister Hills in Corbin, and Sinister Tombs
in East View, Kentucky. Killing It In Louisiana, We've got
(18:08):
Decomposed Haunted House in Huma Necro Manor, Haunted House in
Bossier City, and New Orleans Nightmare in New Orleans, Louisiana.
Maryland Holiday haunted houses include Bennett's Curse Haunted House in Baltimore, Maryland,
Creekside Manor and Williamsport, The Final Bell in Hampstead, Hara's
(18:29):
Nightmare in Westminster, and Laurel's House of Horror in Laurel, Maryland.
Michigan has got the Awaken Haunted Attraction in Leslie, Michigan,
Ezra Chamber of Horrors and Madison Heights Deranged Haunted House
and Romulus Factory of the Dead in Saginaw, Hinterland, Haunted
Attraction in Ashley, Rotten Manor in Holly, and the Scream
(18:51):
Machine in Taylor, Michigan, Missouri. Haunted houses include The Darkness
in Saint Louis, Missouri, Terror en Route sixty six and Sullivan,
Trepidation's Haunted House and Exeter and the Warehouse in Joplin,
Mississippi brings you Terror on the Coast in Gulfport, New Hampshire,
has Got Fright Kingdom in Nashua, and New Jersey's Got
(19:13):
The Brighton Asylum in Passaic. New York brings you the
Bayville Screen Park in Bayville, Headless Horseman in Lster Park,
Nightmare and NASA at Westbury, and Wallkill's Haunted Barn in Middletown,
New York. North Carolina brings you Backwoods Haunts of mccorney's
Auditorium in Barco, Extreme Fear Scare Grounds in Kingston, The
(19:36):
Haunted Forest at Panic Point in Youngsville, Paula, Wakers and Fairmont,
The Hotel and A. Haskie Pinhead's Graveyard in Canton, and
the Woods of Terror in Greensboro, North Carolina. Ohio has
the Akron Haunted Schoolhouse in Akron, Ohio, Blood Prison in Mansfield,
Dark Harvest Productions in Hillsboro, The Dance Schoolhouse in Cincinnati,
(20:00):
The Beer Columbus and Columbus, Ohio, and the Haunted Farm
in Pleasantville, Ohio. Oklahoma holiday haunted houses include the Chamber
of Terror in Mooor, Oklahoma. Oregon brings you The Fear
PDX from Portland and Nightmares on the Rogue from Medford, Oregon.
Pennsylvania Haunted houses include Castle Blood and Monisson Crawford School
(20:22):
of Terror in Connellsville, Demon House in Mono Gehela, Devil's
Last Laugh and lehitan Erie byss in Erie, Pennsylvania. Field
of Screams PA in Mountville, Jason's Wood and Lancaster Kim's Crypt,
Haunted Mill, Scream Park in spring Grove, Lincoln Mill, Haunted
House in Philadelphia, Penhurst Asylum in Spring City, and Ravenwood
(20:46):
Manor in Baccaria, South Carolina. Holiday haunted houses include the
Dark Castle, Haunted Attraction in Elgin and the Deceased Farm
in Lexington, South Carolina. Tennessee brings you the Thirteenth Realm
from jack And Tennessee dread Hollow and Chattanooga, The Fear
Zone in Memphis, Frightworks and Powell Haunted Webb Scream Park
(21:08):
in Memphis, Ellsbar, Damn Haunt and Haletown Malice Haunted Attraction
in Belfast, Mountain, Mayhem in Cookeleville and Nashville Nightmare in Nashville, Tennessee.
The State of Texas brings you the Thirteenth Floor Haunted
House Houston in Houston, Texas, Dark Hour, Haunted House in Plano,
Doc Wilkes, House of Horrors in Longview, Graystone Scream Park
(21:33):
in Longview, House of Torment and Austin McCallan Horror Knights
and McCallen, Monte de las Muertos and Donna, Texas. Nightmare
on Elm Street in Lubbock, Scream Depot and Baird Scream Hollow,
Wicked Helloween Park and Smithville, Texas. Terrors of North Texas
and Dennison, Texas Scare Grounds and Mineral Wells and Trilvania
(21:57):
Haunted House Park in Terrell, Texas. Virginia has got the
Darkwood Manor in Lay, Virginia, Fright Mare and Chesapeake, Milltown
Haunt and Lovettsville, Red Vain Haunted House in Ashland, Spooky Acres,
Haunted House in Norfolk, Terror Manor and Roanoke, while Washington
brings you the Cinema of Horror's Haunted House in Kelsoe, Washington.
(22:20):
West Virginia brings you The Fear Farm WV in Winfield,
Bright Nights, WV and Daniels Scary View Grave School in
Saint Albans and the Twelve Pole Manor in Wayne, West Virginia.
And finally, Wisconsin brings you Pradition Pines and Antigo Wisconsin,
the Realm of Darkness and Cacouna and the Terrorshed Haunted
(22:42):
House in Kooscam, Wisconsin. Some upcoming events from November through
January of twenty twenty six The Halloween and Party Expo
in Las Vegas, Nevada coming to you January twelfth through fourteen.
Speaker 1 (22:57):
And that's all for the news this week. Today's episode
was produced by me Philip Bernandez, with reporting by Daryl
Plunky post production by David Swope. This Haunt 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 Gantam lighting and controls.
(23:18):
Until next time. Haunters stay scary. This is a haunted attraction.
Speaker 2 (23:25):
Network Production
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 Darryl.
Speaker 2 (00:38):
As the holiday season arrive, it's haunted houses across the
US are getting into the festive spirit, combining the joy
of holidays with thrilling scares. Check out our website or
keep listening to this news to hear about nearly one
hundred and fifty haunts that will be operating this holiday season,
with more added weekly. Is your haunt opening for the
holiday season? Simply let us know you're hans. Information can
(01:01):
be included in our annual listing. IAPPA twenty twenty five
recap Last week the IAPPA Expo twenty twenty five Welcome
thirty eight thousand, five hundred and twenty verified attendees drawn
from a total of forty three thousand, eight hundred and
forty registered participants, setting a new benchmark for participation. The
trade show floor featured twenty five thousand, five hundred and
(01:23):
ninety eight qualified buyers representing twenty thousand, three hundred and
sixteen companies across one hundred and two countries, spanning more
than five hundred and fifty thousand square feet of exhibit space.
This year's expo showcased cutting edge innovations for more than
eleven hundred exhibitors representing the full spectrum of the global
attractions community, including amusement and theme barks, water parks, family
(01:46):
entertainment centers, zoos, aquariums, museums, resorts, and cruise lines. Some
major announcements include SeaWorld Orlando unveiling the Neuvacoma roller coaster
called SeaQuest and Inverted Indor coaster with Immersive Media, Dollywood
debuting a new attraction in partnership with mac Rides, Six
(02:07):
Flags Over Texas revealing the tormenta coaster manufactured by Bollinger
and Mabile Art, Inc. Rocky Mountain Construction announcing a new
single rail coaster coming to the Family Kingdom Amusement Park,
and Zamperla partnering with Morgan's Wonderland on the Wing Z,
an accessible friendly ride, underscoring iappa's commitment to inclusion and innovation.
(02:29):
In this week's episode of Green Tag, Philip and Scott
break down the trends that truly mattered this year. The
push toward indoor attractions from SeaWorld Orlando's new Vacoma indoor
adverted coaster to Merlin's ninety million dollar Galacta coaster installations,
the explosion of interactive dark rides like Sally's Phantom Theater
and its new Mini Dark Ride heading to Qatar, and
(02:52):
the rise of competitive socializing through Triotech's new Montreal Trio.
They also discussed the operational side rollers new industry benchmark
show reporting mobile dominating bookings and F and B memberships,
driving repeated visitation and digital wallets nearly doubling average spend
across the board. The expo revealed a sectors leaning to
(03:13):
indoor reliability, personalized experiences, and value minded designs. Located in
the North Concourse, Iappa's Haunting Grounds showcased products for Haunt
and Halloween products this year. The Haunted Attraction Network was
there to cover some highlights League productions debut of Vintage
Dark Ride Booth to showcase their creative services. Nethercraft, manufacturer
(03:36):
of vacuum form architectural facades, showed off their creations at
the booth and via photo ops and a large facade
at the entrance of the Haunting Grounds area. Dogwood Entertainment,
known for their bold, scenic pieces and photo ops for
family friendly attractions, brought their new twelve foot pumpkin treehouse
the Spooky Not Scary Immersia photo op as interactive features
(03:58):
guests can touch and play with to activate different elements
of the house. Ironwood and Glitter IWG showed off their
signature mirror mazes. Verse Immersive, a glasses based ar attraction,
highlighted their newest experience by legendary entertainment Trick or Treat
experienced the twisted charm of Sam and the Rules of Helloween.
(04:19):
Every action you take, from every candy you pick up
to every pumpkin you touch, determines whether or not you survive.
And Sally Dark Rides revealed the first new animatronics for
Phantom Theater opening Nightmare, coming to King's Island in Manson,
Ohio in twenty twenty six. Follow the links in our
show notes to watch our full coverage report. The area
(04:40):
also housed Haunt focused educational sessions, including Marketing the Monsters,
a class taught by the Haunted Attraction Networks owned Philip
Hernandez and Scott Swinson, Scott Swinson Creative Design, and Green
tagged in this pact standing room only presentation, Philip and
Scott discussed how marketing a Halloween event is different from
marketing and Attracttion's core product, and gave attendees valuable insights
(05:03):
for boosting attendance, enhancing storytelling, and maximizing ROI. The thirty
second Annual THEA Awards, the Themed Entertainment Association TEA announced
the recipients of their thirty second annual THEA Awards. These
awards celebrate the professionals and organizations whose work brings to
life outstanding achievements, bold innovation, and the world's most immersive
(05:25):
experiences shared live from universal epic Universe. During tea's annual
International Mixer, The announcement officially launched the month long celebratory
campaign that will culminate next May. During the annual TEA
Inspire Program and thirty second Annual THEA Awards Gala, we
received nearly two hundred impressive and diverse submissions from around
(05:46):
the world, said Mark Zachary, chair of the THEO Awards
Judging Committee and President of Experiential Advisors. These entries demonstrate
the imagination, ingenuity, expertise, and passion across the themed entertainment industry.
Every year, the THEO Awards Judging Committee spends countless hours reviewing, discussing,
and selecting this year's outstanding and most deserving project. Today,
(06:09):
we celebrate these extraordinary projects and the teams that brought
them to life. Award highlights of special interest to the
horror and Halloween community include the the Awards for Outstanding
Achievement for an attraction, which is Donce maccobb in the
f Telling in Katchavel, Netherlands. Attraction is Monsters Unchained, the
Frankenstein Experiment, Universal Epic Universe Orlando, Florida, and themed food
(06:33):
and beverage experience is The Haunted Mansion Parlor in Disney
Treasure Disney Cruise Line, and the Tea Recognitions of Merit
Immersive Live Entertainment Just fix It productions from Los Angeles, California,
Sally Dark Rides and Doha Quest bring the first ever
mini dark ride to Katar. A November nineteenth, Sally Dark
(06:54):
Rides announced a new partnership with Katar's largest indoor theme park,
Doha Quest. Doha, Qatar delivered Guardians of the Hidden Chamber,
a first of its kind mini dark ride coming soon
to the theme park. Guardians of the Hidden Chamber will
blend high tech interactivity with cinematic storytelling, placing guests inside
(07:14):
an adventure game brought to life. Designed to fit in
a compact footprint, the attraction will combine physical sets, dynamic media,
and family friendly action for a four plus minute ride
with trackless vehicles were honored to bring Guardians of the
Hidden Chamber to Doha Quest, said Ralph Piggert, CEO of
Sally Dark Rides. This attraction showed just how much storytelling, interactivity,
(07:38):
and excitement can be packed into a smaller footprint without
compromising a world class experience. Customize your own vehicle with
Merlin Entertainment's new Galacta Coaster. Murlin Entertainments offered Iappa attendees
a behind the scenes preview of Galacta Coaster, the first
of its kind into a roller coaster experience, opening at
Lego Land Resorts in Florida and California in early twenty
(08:01):
twenty six. Blending storytelling, interactivity, and cutting ride technology, Galactic
Coaster will take families on a customizable Lego space adventure
from briefing room to blast off. Using interactive touchscreens and
RFID wristbands, guests personalize their craft across four building phases, nose, tail, wings,
and special features, unlocking more than six hundred and twenty
(08:23):
five possible spacecraft combinations. Once complete, their digital creation is recognized.
Merging physical thrills with immersive storytelling, Galactic Coaster redefines what
a family coaster could be. It's not just about the thrills,
It's about giving every guest the power to create their
own story. It's Lego play valuated to a whole new orbit,
(08:45):
said Rob Smith, chief operating Officer of Merlin Entertainments. More
than three years in development, Galactic Coaster was brought to
life by Merlin Magic Making and collaboration with Art Engineering,
two heads, avsc Imagine Size, and the Lego Brand Parks
and Experiences teams. Triotech unveils three attractions that redefine competitive socializing. Triotech,
(09:08):
a global leader in immersive attractions and Interactive Experiences announce
the upcoming launch of three groundbreaking entertainment concepts, Electric Funfair, Energize,
and Crazy Carts, all debuting in Montreal in the summer
of twenty twenty six. Together, these attractions redefine competitive socializing, lending,
(09:28):
physical activity, interactive gaming, immersive storytelling, and breakthrough digital technology.
Each attraction has been built to maximize replay value, social engagement,
and operator flexibility, with a seamless connected experience enabled by
a video game inspired persistence system that tracks guests across
each attraction. Electric Funfair reinvents classical carnival style games with
(09:53):
dynamic digital theming, allowing the entire attraction to transform instantly
for different moods, audiences, seasons, or intellectual properties. Energize is
a one hour interactive adventure with seasonal and IP based
story lines, where a group of two to sixty participants
will experience a dozen or more uniquely themed game rooms,
(10:14):
each featuring high energy, physical and cognitive challenges. Participants can
earn individual and team scores, climb the local, regional, and
global leader board, and return to improve their ranking, making
the experience endlessly replayable. Crazy Cards is powered by Triotech
dynamic mapping technology, which allows real go karts to navigate
(10:35):
complex indoor layouts enhanced with video games style power ups,
environmental projections, and interactive obstacles. Players race through projected worlds,
dodge challenges, trigger power ups, that experience gameplay variations such
as race, zombie chases, and more, all will utilizing existing
building footprints. Roller releases their twenty twenty six Attractions Industry
(10:58):
Benchmark Report, an all in one venue management platform for
the leisure and attraction industry, released its twenty twenty six
Industry Benchmark Report, offering valuable insights to attraction operators. Roller
has also incorporated benchmarking data into its AI assistant, Roller Iq.
This provides Roller customers with instant in platform comparisons against
(11:21):
industry benchmarks, enabling them to see how their venue perform
alignance with competitors and peers in real time. Highlights from
the benchmark report. Mobile dominates eighty four percent of online
bookings and are now made via mobile devices. Guests are
five point three times more likely to book on mobile
than desktop. Mobile food and beverage orders are three point
three times larger than pos orders and represent ten percent
(11:45):
of food and beverage revenue, up from seven point three
percent last year. Online checkouts generate higher spend. Online bookings
drive forty five percent of revenue despite representing just thirty
three percent of total bookings. Party guests return more often.
Venues offering parties saw forty point eight percent repeat rate
versus twenty five point six percent at venues without memberships
(12:07):
increase loyalty and repeat visits. Members visit nearly five times
more often four point nine visits per year than non
members one point three visits. Digital payments yield higher transaction values.
Digital wallets such as Google Pay and Apple Pay account
for twenty three point eight percent of online transactions and
values one point nine six times larger on average than
(12:30):
those of physical cards. Follow the links in the show
notes to download the full report. Creep It Reel kicked
off the festive holiday season this past weekend. So Cal
Halloween fans kicked off the horror Laday season with creep
It Real Festive in Santa Ana, California. Guests could find
the perfect holiday gift for that spooky someone in the
(12:51):
Cryptmas Marketplace, with over one hundred vendors showcasing horror inspired
seasonal artwork crafts. Treats and merch. They also enjoyed live
music from the Sceralars, Kitty Antics, and Silk Monsters, and
met some truly chilling characters, including the one and only
creep Kringle. The Haunted Attraction Network was there to see
(13:11):
all of the events had to offer and showcase some
of the amazing costumes, entertainment, photo ops and vendors. You
can watch our video by following the links in our
show notes and see such featured exhibitors as Mister He's
Artificial Tree Lot, Unwrapped Art, Haunted Ventures, Peer Farm, Jeepers, Creepers,
Malhica Created, and Bubbles of Madness. Zombie Joe's Underground Theater
(13:36):
Group presents Urban Death x Mass. Celebrate the Haunted holiday
season with Zombie Joe's Underground Theater Groups Urban Death Xmas
from North Hollywood, California on December eighteenth through twenty first.
This ghoulishly new maze and theater attraction reaches to the
darkest corners of the winter solstice, creating a nightscape of
(13:56):
holiday horrors, Yuletide monstrosities, and the orchard spirits of Christmas past.
Urban Death Xmas was created by Zombie Joe and Jana
Weimer and directed by Denise Devin. The show is intended
for audience as eighteen plus as it contains graphic content,
mature themes, and nudity. Tickets are on sale now for
twenty four dollars in advance or twenty eight at the door.
(14:18):
The Canadian Haunters Association Home Haunters Contest is accepting submissions.
The twenty twenty five Canadian Haunters Association Contest is now
open for submissions. Categories include the best Walkthrough, best yard Haunt,
Best set Design, Best Animated Prop, Best static Prop, Best tombstone,
Non animated, Best scare Actor, Best Costume, and best carved Pumpkin.
(14:43):
Five of the nine categories are open to haunters to
both Canada and the United States, while Best walk Through,
Yard Haunt, Set Design, and Tombstone are for Canadian residents only.
All entrance must be a member of the Canadian Haunters
Association Facebook page. You can view the full list of
rules and regulations online. Now what everybody was waiting for
(15:03):
the Our list of the twenty twenty five holiday haunts,
starting with Alabama Haunted houses, including a TROX factory in Leeds, Alabama,
Conjure Haunted Attraction in Birmingham and Nightmare at three thousand
and eight in Fulton, Alabama. Arizona includes sc Arizona Scare
Grounds at Mesa, Arizona and Yuma Nightmares in Yuma. Arkansas
(15:27):
has Folklore Slaughterhouse and Draves in Gravesville, Reapers night Off
in Donaldson, and Twisted Intent Haunted Attraction in Benton, Arkansas.
California brings you All Saints Lunatic Asylum Haunted Attraction in
Apple Valley, California, The Soto Asylum in Needles, Reign of
Terror in Thousand Oaks, and Urban Death in North Hollywood, California.
(15:51):
Colorado has got the thirteenth Floor Haunted House Denver in Denver, Colorado,
and the Fear Complex in Colorado Springs, Colorado. Connecticut has
got Nightmare Acres in South Windsor, Connecticut. And Delaware brings
you Old Crow Manor in Milton, Delaware. Down in Florida,
They've got the thirteenth Floor Haunted House Jacksonville and Jacksonville, Florida.
(16:14):
The Horrorland Miami in Miami, Florida, Ominous Descent in winter Haven, Pemberton,
Haunted Acres in Plant City, and Sir Henry's Haunted Trail
in Plant City, Florida, Georgia. Holiday haunted houses include Thirteenth
Stories Haunted House in Noon in Georgia, Paranoia Haunted House
in Canton, and Wicked South Productions in Pembroke, Illinois. Haunted
(16:39):
houses include the Thirteenth Floor Haunted House Chicago in Chicago, Illinois,
Area sixty six Haunted School in Livingston, the Dungeon of Doom,
Haunted House in Zion, Factory of Fear and mow Lean
Insanity Haunted House in Peru, Illinois, Massacre Haunted House in Montgomery,
Midnight Terror, Haunted ho House in Oak Lawn, the Vibe
(17:02):
Haunted House in Crevercore, and Warehouse thirteen in Parkersburg, Illinois.
Indiana has the Barn of Terror in Bloomington, Columbia City,
Haunted Jail and Columbia City House of Anguish at the
Culbertson Mansion in New Albany, House of Lector in Evansville, Hysterium,
(17:22):
Haunted Asylum in Fort Wayne, Malice Manor and Clarksville, The
Newburgh Civilian Zombie Farm in Newburgh, Indiana, and Shattered Nightmares
and Terra Hote. Iowa has got the Eclipse Haunted Attraction
in Iowa City, Hillside House of Hell in Glenwood, and
the slaughter House Haunted attraction in Des Moines, Iowa. Kentucky
(17:44):
brings you the American Horror Plex in Louisville, Kentucky. A
Black Orchard Haunted House in Shelbyville, a Haunted Hotel ky
and Louisville Haunted Trail of Chaos in London, the Mead
Asylum in Williamsport, Sinister Hills in Corbin, and Sinister Tombs
in East View, Kentucky. Killing It In Louisiana, We've got
(18:08):
Decomposed Haunted House in Huma Necro Manor, Haunted House in
Bossier City, and New Orleans Nightmare in New Orleans, Louisiana.
Maryland Holiday haunted houses include Bennett's Curse Haunted House in Baltimore, Maryland,
Creekside Manor and Williamsport, The Final Bell in Hampstead, Hara's
(18:29):
Nightmare in Westminster, and Laurel's House of Horror in Laurel, Maryland.
Michigan has got the Awaken Haunted Attraction in Leslie, Michigan,
Ezra Chamber of Horrors and Madison Heights Deranged Haunted House
and Romulus Factory of the Dead in Saginaw, Hinterland, Haunted
Attraction in Ashley, Rotten Manor in Holly, and the Scream
(18:51):
Machine in Taylor, Michigan, Missouri. Haunted houses include The Darkness
in Saint Louis, Missouri, Terror en Route sixty six and Sullivan,
Trepidation's Haunted House and Exeter and the Warehouse in Joplin,
Mississippi brings you Terror on the Coast in Gulfport, New Hampshire,
has Got Fright Kingdom in Nashua, and New Jersey's Got
(19:13):
The Brighton Asylum in Passaic. New York brings you the
Bayville Screen Park in Bayville, Headless Horseman in Lster Park,
Nightmare and NASA at Westbury, and Wallkill's Haunted Barn in Middletown,
New York. North Carolina brings you Backwoods Haunts of mccorney's
Auditorium in Barco, Extreme Fear Scare Grounds in Kingston, The
(19:36):
Haunted Forest at Panic Point in Youngsville, Paula, Wakers and Fairmont,
The Hotel and A. Haskie Pinhead's Graveyard in Canton, and
the Woods of Terror in Greensboro, North Carolina. Ohio has
the Akron Haunted Schoolhouse in Akron, Ohio, Blood Prison in Mansfield,
Dark Harvest Productions in Hillsboro, The Dance Schoolhouse in Cincinnati,
(20:00):
The Beer Columbus and Columbus, Ohio, and the Haunted Farm
in Pleasantville, Ohio. Oklahoma holiday haunted houses include the Chamber
of Terror in Mooor, Oklahoma. Oregon brings you The Fear
PDX from Portland and Nightmares on the Rogue from Medford, Oregon.
Pennsylvania Haunted houses include Castle Blood and Monisson Crawford School
(20:22):
of Terror in Connellsville, Demon House in Mono Gehela, Devil's
Last Laugh and lehitan Erie byss in Erie, Pennsylvania. Field
of Screams PA in Mountville, Jason's Wood and Lancaster Kim's Crypt,
Haunted Mill, Scream Park in spring Grove, Lincoln Mill, Haunted
House in Philadelphia, Penhurst Asylum in Spring City, and Ravenwood
(20:46):
Manor in Baccaria, South Carolina. Holiday haunted houses include the
Dark Castle, Haunted Attraction in Elgin and the Deceased Farm
in Lexington, South Carolina. Tennessee brings you the Thirteenth Realm
from jack And Tennessee dread Hollow and Chattanooga, The Fear
Zone in Memphis, Frightworks and Powell Haunted Webb Scream Park
(21:08):
in Memphis, Ellsbar, Damn Haunt and Haletown Malice Haunted Attraction
in Belfast, Mountain, Mayhem in Cookeleville and Nashville Nightmare in Nashville, Tennessee.
The State of Texas brings you the Thirteenth Floor Haunted
House Houston in Houston, Texas, Dark Hour, Haunted House in Plano,
Doc Wilkes, House of Horrors in Longview, Graystone Scream Park
(21:33):
in Longview, House of Torment and Austin McCallan Horror Knights
and McCallen, Monte de las Muertos and Donna, Texas. Nightmare
on Elm Street in Lubbock, Scream Depot and Baird Scream Hollow,
Wicked Helloween Park and Smithville, Texas. Terrors of North Texas
and Dennison, Texas Scare Grounds and Mineral Wells and Trilvania
(21:57):
Haunted House Park in Terrell, Texas. Virginia has got the
Darkwood Manor in Lay, Virginia, Fright Mare and Chesapeake, Milltown
Haunt and Lovettsville, Red Vain Haunted House in Ashland, Spooky Acres,
Haunted House in Norfolk, Terror Manor and Roanoke, while Washington
brings you the Cinema of Horror's Haunted House in Kelsoe, Washington.
(22:20):
West Virginia brings you The Fear Farm WV in Winfield,
Bright Nights, WV and Daniels Scary View Grave School in
Saint Albans and the Twelve Pole Manor in Wayne, West Virginia.
And finally, Wisconsin brings you Pradition Pines and Antigo Wisconsin,
the Realm of Darkness and Cacouna and the Terrorshed Haunted
(22:42):
House in Kooscam, Wisconsin. Some upcoming events from November through
January of twenty twenty six The Halloween and Party Expo
in Las Vegas, Nevada coming to you January twelfth through fourteen.
Speaker 1 (22:57):
And that's all for the news this week. Today's episode
was produced by me Philip Bernandez, with reporting by Daryl
Plunky post production by David Swope. This Haunt 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 Gantam lighting and controls.
(23:18):
Until next time. Haunters stay scary. This is a haunted attraction.
Speaker 2 (23:25):
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