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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.
Blair James spoke to Dread Central about collaboration in costume design, her favorite looks and the Bear costume she loves to hate.
Home Depot‘s massive 12-foot-tall skeleton decoration went viral back in 2020 and has returned with fresh new upgrades every year since. This year, the 12-foot Skelly gets a voice! Two different versions of the 12-foot Skelly decoration are up for grabs this year, with the standard version selling for $299 and the app-controlled talking version […]
If your Halloween display isn’t terrifying the entire neighborhood, this might do the trick. HalloweenCostumes.com has unveiled an officially licensed […]
Most haunted houses open between September 11 and the first weekend of October 2026. Theme park events start much earlier, with Disneyland’s Halloween season beginning August 18 and Halloween Horror Nights Orlando opening August 28, the earliest start in its history. And the season no longer ends on Halloween: several of the country’s biggest independent […]
Welcome to the circus! July 5th marks the official countdown to Halloween in the US, and the theme for 2026 is shaping up to be carnival. Bath & Body Works is the second national retailer to land on a haunted carnival theme, joining Michaels and Halloween Horror Nights' "Infernal Carnival of Nightmares." When two national chains and the world's largest Halloween event converge on the same aesthetic, consumers will feel it. Read the news here. In this issue: - Bath & Body Works Debuts Haunted Carnival Collection - The Conjuring: Beyond Fear Returns to Four Six Flags Parks - Hellraiser Comes to Halloween Horror Nights - Stranger Things Comes to Netflix House Philadelphia - FrightWorks Announces Indefinite Closure - Why This Comcast Move Could Reshape the Entire Industry - Niles Scream Park Adds Six Feet Under Bar - Wicked Lit Returns After Eight Years - Field of Screams Donates $23,000 to Community Organizations - Spirit's Flagship Grand Opening Returns August 1st - HAA Board Openings - Midsummer Scream's SoCal Haunt Spotlight Panel - LEGO Debuts Two Halloween Sets for 2026 - Spirit's Flagship Grand Opening Celebration Returns August 1st - Haunters Toolbox Presents: Building Big Scares with a Tiny Budget -Thirteenth Floor Hiring Ops Manager for Dark Harbor
Universal Orlando’s decision to discontinue Fear Passes with Express for Halloween Horror Nights 35 was always going to upset someone. The discussion has dominated the conversation over the past day, and understandably so. It’s one of the biggest changes to HHN ticketing in years, and there are A LOT of strong opinions about whether it’s [...]
Somewhere in the Disney vaults sits a 1993 ledger listing Hocus Pocus as a disappointment, and somewhere in Salem right now a tour guide is pointing at a house because of it. Few movies have a resume this contradictory. A Halloween institution, a costume industry, a tourism engine, and a genuine piece of shared American ... Read more
Disney characters are bound to have some really cute and cool costumes, but oh boy are there some strange ones this year!
The UK's biggest horror and fantasy film festival returns this August with a record-breaking selection of horror and genre features from around the world.
The Killer Klowns from Outer Space have made a couple appearances at Halloween Horror Nights in recent years, with the Klowns getting a Scare Zone in 2018 and a full-on house at Halloween Horror Nights 2019. This year, the Klowns are coming back to Orlando… The official Halloween Horror Nights Orlando account on Twitter is […]
Killer Klowns from Outer Space will be back on Earth for their own scare zone at Halloween Horror Nights 35 in Universal Studios Florida. Killer Klowns from Outer Space Scare zone Universal didn’t share a description of the scare zone but said more details are coming soon. Based on the 1988 sci-fi horror comedy B-movie ... Read more
Hosted by James A. Janisse and Chelsea Rebecca, the mega popular YouTube channel Dead Meat has announced their latest project: a short film competition they call Fresh Meat. Indiewire exclusively reveals the details this week, with the website noting that the horror short film competition will spawn an anthology feature film being unleashed in theaters! […]
Universal runs Halloween Horror Nights at five parks worldwide, and 2026 is a landmark year: Orlando celebrates the event’s 35th anniversary with its longest run ever, opening August 28, the earliest start date in its history. Hollywood follows on September 3 and Singapore on September 25, with Japan and Beijing still to announce. This guide […]
The Bay Area’s 2026 Halloween season spans immersive theater in a historic San Francisco mint, the narrative event at the Winchester Mystery House in San Jose, and the East Bay’s biggest professional haunt in Pleasanton. This guide covers the multi-day, ticketed events across the San Francisco Bay Area, sorted by opening date. Single-day events and […]
San Diego’s 2026 Halloween season runs from mid-September through November 1, anchored by SeaWorld’s Howl-O-Scream and the Haunted Trail of Balboa Park, with LEGOLAND covering the family end. This guide covers the multi-day, ticketed events in San Diego County, sorted by opening date. Single-day events and home haunts are not listed. For the full statewide […]
San Diego, CA — The Haunted Trail of Balboa Park returns to Marston Point for its 27th year on select nights from September 25 through November 1, 2026. The event runs two haunts at one location, the 3,500-square-foot eXperiment Maze and the mile-long Haunted Trail through Balboa Park’s historic oak grove, alongside the free-entry Dark […]
San Francisco, CA — Terror Vault returns to The San Francisco Mint in 2026 with a new production titled Slashed: Return to Hellville, announced by producer Into The Dark. The 2026 event marks a return to the Hellville storyline that Terror Vault has previously explored and continues the venue’s annual run of fully produced, immersive […]
Anaheim, CA — Wicked Lit returns for its first season since 2017 with 10 performances from October 29 through November 2, 2026 at a new venue, the Chance Theater in Anaheim. Presented by Unbound Productions, the 2026 event will feature fully-produced immersive theater adaptations of Washington Irving’s The Legend of Sleepy Hollow and Las Lloronas, […]
Pleasanton, CA — Pirates of Emerson returns to the Alameda County Fairgrounds on select nights from October 2 through November 1, 2026 for its 36th season. The event runs four walk-through haunted houses on six acres of the fairgrounds, with a bonus Frightmares & Oddities exhibit, live bands, and midway games. This is one of […]
San Jose, CA — Festival Fright Nights returns to Winchester Mystery House on select nights from September 18 through November 1, 2026. The full 2026 lineup has not been announced. Based on the event’s typical August pre-launch cadence and Bay Area haunt-industry timing, HAN expects a 2026 lineup announcement in August. This guide will be […]