Haunted Attraction Network

Besides a 12ft Skeleton from Home Depot, recognition is one the best holiday gifts you can give a haunter. Nora & Tyler From The Scare Factor’s Team Zombillies present their 2020 Haunt Awards. The winners are: Funniest Scare - Hysterium Haunted Asylum - Fort Wayne, IN Bobby and Bennie; Best Clowning Around - Grissom Maze of Terror - Peru, IN; Best Use of Fog - House of Trepidation - Indianapolis F...

On the first day of Christmas a true haunter gave to me... Answered! Plus, Haunted Overload donates to Pope Memorial for tenth year, the Mortuary debuts ‘psycho’ holiday haunted house, and The Krampus. Max gets a Postmortem 2020 Haunt Season Report from Blood Prison at the Ohio State Reformatory in Mansfield Ohio. Get “The Krampus and the Old, Dark Christmas: Roots and Rebirth of the Folkloric Dev...

This week on ‘Green Tagged: Theme Park in 30’ we examine Big Moves in brands monetizing DTC digital experiences, vaccine requirements from Airlines, and big openings. Stories covered: Warner Bros to Release 2021 films on HBO MAX concurrently with theatrical release; Qantas to require COVID-19 Vaccine to fly; Online shopping up 21.5% with 47% being via mobile; Cirque resuming in Summer 2021; USJ op...

Max gets a postmortem report from Pyle Hazard at Chainer’s Field of Screams in Botkins, Ohio. Chainer’s is a small family haunt, but they had a stellar year and raised a lot for charity. They’re keeping involved by ringing for the salvation army and entering the local mascot competition. In the news, Darryl reports on: Black Friday Deals for Haunters, the fire at Dark Woods, Haunt Weekly’s Anti Ch...

This week on ‘Green Tagged: Theme Park in 30’ we examine the slow US recovery and what some attractions are doing to diversify revenue. Stories covered: The Malaysian Tourism Ministry reveals recovery plans for pandemic-hit travel sector; Reuters reports US $500B travel spending dive, slow recovery through 2024; Academy Museum of Motion Pictures exceeds pre-opening fundraising goal by leaning most...

The entertainment industry has been devastated by this pandemic, and we’re not out of the woods yet. But today, let’s pause and reflect on what we’re thankful for. I’m thankful for the connection I had with Robbi Lepre and I often think of how she would handle these hardships. And so, I want to share that with you. Today’s 2020 Thanksgiving Special is a dedication to Robbi Lepre, and presented in...

What are you thankful for? Today’s show is all about how haunters are giving thanks and celebrating Thanksgiving. Darryl looks at how haunted attractions thank their cast and then we hear from haunters all over about their traditions. In this episode: Scott Swenson, Brian Foreman, Max Christian Bryan, Darryl Plunkie, Dalton Dale, Ashey Cope, Samantha Grimaldi, Eric Hagood, Patrick Konopelski, Quan...

This week on Green Tagged we explore trends and new experiences in the theme park and themed entertainment industries. Universal Hollywood launches a drive-in experience; Star Wars Galactic Starcruiser; Own The Park at Great Wolf Lodge; IAAPA went virtual; PortAventura World is carbon neutral; The Hyperloop test was successful; 3 bid opening announcements. Full show notes: www.greentaggedshow.com

Patrick Konopelski from Shocktoberfest Scream Park gives a postmortem on his 2020 Halloween season. Shocktoberfest had a great year, but that took a lot of pivoting. Patrick discusses what his team did beyond the basic safety measures, including shifting their advertising spend and transition the hayride to a walkthrough. A must-listen for any haunter or haunted attraction.

I had the delight of going on-site to interview Scott Swenson, the Creative Director for The Garden of Spirits at CW’s Gin Joint in Tampa, FL. Scott discusses the event and how critical both contingency planning and scaling are for events of all sizes. In the news: ScareTour is making a Christmas Gift Guide; The ScareFactor’s Monster Bash was canceled due to local restrictions; ScareTrack released...

With the 2020 haunt season coming to a close haunts everywhere are shutting down, evaluating how the season went and starting planning for the new year. But, while a LOT happens in the off-season for haunts one key thing does: Earning money. For most haunts, not being opens means no money at all coming in. However, that doesn't make any sense. Sure, haunt season is only 4-8 weeks long but there ar...

This week on Green Tagged: How does a vaccine change planning at your attraction? While Buena Vista Street plans to open on November 19th, Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk closed after only one weekend. The Pandemic has inspired a cornucopia of new tech, including AI Bag Scanners, UVC light fixtures, disinfection robots, socially distanced roller coasters, and wearables. Planning for a post-pandemic fut...

Today is our 2nd 2020 Haunt Season Port Mortem and this time we’re going to Sir Henry’s Haunted Trail in Plant City, FL. Zach Glaros previews his plans for 2021 and discusses some of the things he hopes to keep. We also take a rewind to 2015 to get a better sense of how Zach’s team has progressed and how Sir Henry came to be.

Kaia Gondron from A Petrified Forest in Altamonte Springs, FL discusses recaps their season The Scare Factor’s Monster Bash is set for November 21st. Hershey Candy sales are up despite less trick or treating. A Home Haunter in Dallas set up a gruesome scene that got police called. A New report describes “how fear and enjoyment can coexist in recreational horror.” “Must Do” Halloween traditions fro...

To say 2020 was an unprecedented season is a cliche at this point, but it is also a grand truth. That said, getting through tough times can carry with it lessons for the better times and that's what we're on a mission to find. The question is simple, what lessons from 2020 can haunts take with them to 2021 and beyond? It turns out there's a lot and we're going to discuss just five of them this wee...

This week in Green Tagged: We discuss how different countries are recovering their tourism sectors amid the pandemic. The through line is, of course, how well local governments are containing the virus to ease consumer distress. Western countries continue with broad approaches which Eastern countries experiment with targeted approaches. In Europe, attractions are shutting back down. Demand is suff...

HAuNTcon is accepting speaker applications through Nov 20th here: https://info.urban-expo.com/CallForPapers2021 . Haunters Against Hate is officially a nonprofit. Max from the Ohio Haunters Association comes on to discuss who is opening this weekend.

This week on Green Tagged: Commentary on California's Reopening Guidelines and 10 positive trends to come out of the Pandemic. Full show notes: www.greentaggedshow.com

Today’s Halloween Special is presented in two acts, with an intermission. Act 1 is the audio version of Seasonal Entertainment Source Magazine’s Halloween Special- Issue 28. Intermission is music from Chris Thomas and Whispers of a Witch’s Halloween Special. Act 2 is a collection of short stories from haunters about why they love Halloween. Act 1 contains: “Remembering Halloween” by Scott Swenson,...

Take a trip with me through Halloween Past and Halloween Present. Today we're going on location to haunted attractions all over the US, including: Kinetic Theory in Los Angeles, The Queen Mary in Long Beach, Forbidden Acres in El Paso, The Maize in Buffalo, Howl o Scream in Tampa, Halloween Horror Nights in Orlando, Creatures of the Night at ZooTampa, The Dark Seance and The Tunnel of the Damned,...

Dark Stories read by the author, Scott Swenson. From the book jacket: “This is a collection of poetry and prose written between 2015 and 2019. These pieces were inspired by nightmares, late night walks with the dog, jumprope rhymes, horror comics and several glasses of wine after midnight. I was able to revisit a character created in a previous book, explore the minds of a few psychopaths and even...

Road Trip: A Tale of 4 Home Haunters While sitting at home is driving some of us crazy, it’s giving others the chance to create. In this year when so many haunts have gone dark, home haunts are seriously stepping up. On today’s special, join me in a road trip to 4 different home haunts. We’ll hear all about the obsession, the learning, and the passion behind these projects. Coming up, we’re stoppi...

The headless horseman is one of the most iconic images of both Halloween and haunting. His namesake haunt is one of the best known in the country and his tale is many a child's first introduction into spooky stories. But where did this legend come from and how much truth is there to it? Also, are there other headless horsemen around the world? These questions and more will be answered in this epis...

Our final Ohio haunt update from the Ohio Haunters Association. Plus, Darryl tells us how Rutherford Manor Haunt uses storytelling to stay top of mind year-round.

Halloween week is here! What have you missed? Here's All Hallows Geek with some tips for celebrating Halloween this week. We cover: The depressingly Scaled back retail in stores, how NOBODY wants to give up on trick or treating, In-Car Experiences, EPIC Home Haunts Displays, Haunted Car Washes, Virtual Ques, and tips for Halloween Day.