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Occasional digests of what’s rising — haunts, drops, and headlines. No spam.
Occasional digests of what’s rising — haunts, drops, and headlines. No spam.
The bucket hunt is on again. Home Depot’s $2.98 Halloween-print bucket – the 2-gallon orange utility bucket wrapped in ghosts, jack-o’-lanterns, bats, and spiders – is landing in stores now, and it has become one of the most-searched Halloween retail items of the week. If last fall is any guide, they will not sit on […]
Universal Orlando has announced the next scare zone for Halloween Horror Nights 35: Downtown Clowntown, featuring Art the Clown and Killer Klowns from Outer Space. “The city that never sleeps becomes a waking nightmare when it’s overrun by Killer Klowns from Outer Space, Art the Clown, and other clownsfolk who can’t wait to tear you [...]
Universal Orlando Resort announced that the Halloween Horror Nights 35 scare zone starring Killer Klowns from Outer Space will also feature Art the Clown from the Terrifier franchise. Downtown Clowntown Universal previously teased the return of Killer Klowns from Outer Space. We now know they will appear in Downtown Clowntown: The city that never sleeps ... Read more
At first glance, Jimmy Buffett and Halloween might seem like an unlikely pairing. But Margaritaville at Sea's "Sail the Haunted Seas" celebration proves the singer's playful spirit, Gulf Coast roots and love of New Orleans culture make the connection surprisingly natural.
Crews have installed more props and set pieces for Halloween Horror Nights scare zones at Universal Studios Florida. The scare zones announced so far are Infernal Carnival of Nightmares, Sideshow of Decay, Killer Klowns from Outer Space, and FORTNITEMARES. Hollywood: Sideshow of Decay After some creepy clown props were installed on the Hollywood street, we ... Read more
July 23, 2026 What’s this?! Jack Skellington and Halloween Town are coming to Denver as full-scale ice sculptures this Christmas season. Disney Tim Burton’s The Nightmare Before Christmas headlines one of Gaylord Hotels’ ICE! walkthroughs for 2026, running at Gaylord Rockies in Aurora from November 20, 2026 through January 3, 2027. Jack’s story gets told […]
July 23, 2026 Universal Studios Hollywood announced Dead, Deader, Deadest on July 23, the first original, non-IP haunted house revealed for Halloween Horror Nights 2026 on the West Coast. The announcement came through HHN creative director John Murdy’s account and Universal’s Discover Universal blog, and the premise is pure Murdy: a funeral home with a […]
Following the announcement that FORTNITEMARES would be a scare zone at Halloween Horror Nights 35, preview merchandise based on the scare zone is available at Universal Orlando Resort. FORTNITEMARES T-Shirt – $30 The black glow-in-the-dark tee features the FORTNITEMARES key art. A Skull Trooper, Hollowhead, and Curdle Scream Leader are all pictured in front of ... Read more
The most fought-over kitchen collectible of the past two years now comes in Halloween. Lenox’s Spice Village 6-Piece Halloween Set takes the viral porcelain village and moves it to the spooky end of the street: haunted Victorian houses with black cats, bats, and ravens silhouetted in the glowing windows. It is $75 for the set […]
Spirit Halloween is staffing up for its 2026 season, and the numbers are big: more than 52,000 seasonal positions across 1,500+ stores in the U.S. and Canada. If you have ever walked into a Spirit on opening day and thought you would rather be behind the register than in front of it, this is the […]
At Universal Studios Japan, Halloween Horror Nights is going to the next level by offering an all-night terrifying event. Halloween Horror Nights – All Night For one night only, September 25, a select few guests will get the chance to experience HHN for the entire night. Advance lottery applications open today, July 23. The all-night ... Read more
Universal Studios Hollywood has announced Dead, Deader, Deadest, a new original haunted house that will be featured at Halloween Horror Nights 2026. “Uncover the dark secrets of the Deville Family Funeral Home in this haunted house, where reanimated corpses have risen from their graves.” The haunted house will be located in the Jurassic World extended [...]
At one point or another, nearly every culture on earth believed in malevolent entities that interfered with human affairs. While it’s more likely that this is due to our species’ universal fear of the unknown than the possibility that we share the earth with supernatural monsters, there’s a reason why so many horror movies base […]
The official Resident Evil trailer has arrived this morning, bringing a closer look at the nonstop survival horror ride filled with references to Capcom’s classic game series and T-virus gore. Zach Cregger’s Resident Evil opens in theaters and IMAX September 18 from Sony. The trailer below introduces Austin Abrams (Weapons) as Bryan, a medical courier who unwittingly finds himself […]
Are we seeing a return to higher-quality, low-throughput horror experiences at theme parks? Universal Studios Japan is adding a new extreme attraction to Halloween Horror Nights 2026: Zanzō (残像, “afterimage”), the first attraction in the event’s 15-year history to carry an R-18 age restriction. No one 17 or under can experience it, full stop, and […]
Here at Halloweenies, we love practical effects—there’s a reason why one of our categories is called “Great Graphics.” Well, consider this a full-length “Great Graphics” episode, where we talk to the effects team behind the titular puppet of Pinocchio Unstrung, in theaters this Friday. As the latest installment in the Twisted Childhood Universe, Pinocchio ups the franchise’s game […]
Freakling Bros. Horror Shows, the Las Vegas haunt that has run for more than 31 years and operates Nevada’s only R-rated haunted attraction, will not open for the 2026 Halloween season. Co-owner and creative director JT Mollner is stepping away for the year to direct his next film, and the family is pausing the entire […]
The theme park industry spent years training guests that September and October were worth a visit, and it worked so well that Halloween is now the anchor of the entertainment calendar. In this week's newsletter, we break down what that means for haunts, who's still spending, and why consumer retail is now building product for the semi-pro haunter. In this issue: - Plan Your Season with HAN's 2026 Halloween Haunt & Event Guides - HHN 35 Opens a Portal to Its Own Past With "Sideshow of Decay" - "Stranger Things: Return to Hawkins" Becomes HHN's First Single-Franchise Lagoon Show - Universal Orlando Discontinues Fear With Express Pass Products - HHN in Singapore and Japan - "Blair Witch: No Signal" Mazes Coming to Six Flags - Halloween at Tokyo Disney 2026 - HalloweenCostumes Debuts Its Biggest Animatronics Lineup Ever - Freddy Fazbear Animatronic Comes to Spirit Halloween - Scream 30th Anniversary Reunion at Midsummer Scream - Legendary Haunt Tour 2026 Lineup Read the news here
Universal Orlando has confirmed Dead Coconut Club – Harvest, the 2026 Halloween overlay of Universal CityWalk’s Red Coconut Club, tied to Halloween Horror Nights 35. The venue transforms into an alien-invasion takeover of a fictional Midwest town celebrating its 35th Annual Harvest Festival, and it stays what it has been for four years running: free, […]
Universal Orlando has confirmed two returning street experiences for Halloween Horror Nights 35 this fall: Mel’s Die-In: Zombies and Club Horror, both of which take over sections of the Universal Studios Florida streets between houses. Street experiences are the mid-level programming layer at HHN, staged along the walkways of the New York, San Francisco, and […]