Dark Nights Returns Sept 13th with a new haunt

Dark Nights at Hersheypark has expanded its offerings by adding more dates, a new haunted house, and a new scare zone. Hersheypark announced the return of Hersheypark Halloween and Dark Nights from September 13 to November 3, 2024. For 25 days, including Halloween night on Thursday, Oct. 31, guests can experience five haunted houses, including the all-new Estate of Evil haunted house, three Scare Zones, 50 attractions and dark coaster rides, Hershey’s Trick-or-Treat Trail, and more - all included with a Hersheypark Halloween ticket.

Estate of Evil, the new haunted house for 2024, invites guests to explore a 13-room mansion filled with eerie surprises. The new Avenue Of The Afterlife (available during Hersheypark Halloween) will allow guests to skip the scare while enjoying the season's thrills without fear. The scare-free zone, free of monsters and mayhem, will feature entirely scare-free Dark Nights festivities, including exclusive food and drinks, music and dancing, wicked-fun street performers, and retail shopping.

Hersheypark Halloween admission includes access to the Dark Nights haunted houses and Scare Zones. Guests interested in visiting for the seasonal event can purchase 1-Day Any Day Tickets, valid through Jan. 1, 2025, online now . Current 2024 Season Pass Holders can enjoy unlimited Hersheypark Halloween and Dark Nights visits.

Six Flags unveiled partnerships with an expansive lineup of horror franchises for its Fright Fest (beginning September 7th) and is focusing development on the New Jersey, Los Angeles, and Mexico markets. Visitors to Six Flags Great Adventure in New Jersey and Six Flags Magic Mountain in Los Angeles will see the SAW franchise, Netflix’s Stranger Things and Army of the Dead, Warner Bros. Discovery’s The Conjuring, Annabelle and The Nun, and Legendary Entertainment’s Trick ‘r Treat. Guests at Six Flags Great Adventure will also be treated to a new experience from Netflix & Legendary Entertainment’s Texas Chainsaw Massacre (2022), while visitors to Six Flags Mexico will have access to an exclusive maze based on DCeased, the bestselling comic series from DC Comics. A mix of the above mazes will also be available at additional Six Flags parks, but details have not been announced.

At Six Flags Magic Mountain in Los Angeles, Fright Fest Extreme will operate on select Thursdays through Sundays, from September 7 to November 3, marking the park’s largest and longest Fright Fest ever with 32 nights. Six Flags Magic Mountain teased it will have “a record combined total of 20 haunted houses and scare zones.”

The story behind all these announcements is that Netflix is shifting from a streaming company to an entertainment company looking to replicate the Disney flywheel model. We discuss this story on this week's Green Tagged podcast .

?A haunted house based on "Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire" is coming to both Universal Orlando Resort and Universal Studios Hollywood during Halloween Horror Nights 2024 . Inspired by the latest Ghostbusters film, this haunted house will transport fans of the film franchise to New York City, where the Spengler family teams up with the original Ghostbusters, who are now at the helm of a top-secret research lab for their ghost-busting enterprise. With the daunting discovery of an old relic that has set free the vengeful spirit of Garraka, who threatens to freeze everyone to death, new and old Ghostbusters must join forces to protect their city and save the world from a second Ice Age. Visitors will explore iconic locations like Ray’s Occult Books and the Ghostbusters’ lab, encountering various ghosts and supernatural creatures. The event runs from August 30 at Universal Orlando and September 5 at Universal Studios Hollywood.

Universal Studios Hollywood also announced "Monstruos 2: The Nightmares of Latin America." Universal teased the backstory of Monstruos 2 on social media by saying, “You can try to flee the clutches of the rider El Charro, the devil dog El Cadejo, and the boogeyman El Cucuy, but you can’t escape La Muerte.” "Monstruos" is an original HHN narrative, first introduced in 2023 and making its east-coast debut in Orlando in 2024.

U.S.?Haunts & Events

ScareHouse, a renowned haunted attraction in Pittsburgh, will not open in 2024 after moving out of Pittsburgh Mills Mall in late 2023. Financial challenges and the deteriorating condition of the mall, which narrowly avoided a sheriff's sale, influenced this decision. Namdar Realty Group, the mall's owner, has been uncommunicative about its plans , and the mall remains 75% vacant with deteriorating conditions.

ScareHouse moved to the Pittsburgh Mills Mall in 2020 with hopes of expanding but had to reduce capacity significantly due to the pandemic. “While being in a mall lacked some of the vibe, it offered tons of parking and seemingly the ability to significantly expand the scope of everything we were doing. Unfortunately, we had already committed and started moving when Covid-19 hit - which started a whole series of unfortunate events with the property,” stated Scott Simmons, owner of ScareHouse.

While the haunted attraction opened normally after the pandemic, the waning traffic at the mall has been challenging. “The last several years have been incredibly challenging, but I remain in awe of the support and enthusiasm of our cast and crew, our fans, and the potential partners who have already reached out to us to discuss concepts for future productions and attractions. This is a chance for us to reorganize and rethink what’s possible for our strong ScareHouse brand,” added Simmons.

Warner Bros. Discovery Global Themed Entertainment and Fever are launching "BEETLEJUICE BEETLEJUICE: The Afterlife Experience " at Los Angeles's Ovation Hollywood on August 23, 2024. This 11,000-square-foot attraction will immerse guests in Tim Burton’s "Beetlejuice" universe with recreated sets, live entertainment, and themed food and drinks. Highlights include a Waiting Room with ghosts, a face-to-face with a sandworm, and a themed Afterlife Diner. Inside the experience, guests will knock three times to reveal a portal and cross the threshold into the Afterlife, where Beetlejuice awaits alongside a cast of eclectic ghosts. Grab an exclusive passport and sit in the Waiting Room next to a pair of ghosts; take your place on the cover of the Handbook for the Recently Deceased; come face to face with a legendary sandworm; and more. Themed food and beverage offerings will also be available at the Afterlife Diner. Tickets start at $25 and go on sale July 3 on the Fever marketplace.

Prepare for an unforgettable summer with ’80s SUMMER SLASHER, an 18+ immersive theatre production at Camp Bloodmoon. Guests will experience the chills of classic ‘80s horror, playing a role in a terrifying adventure filled with suspense, scares, and interactive fun. Limited to nine participants per show, each guest's experience is personalized based on a pre-show personality quiz. Directed by Charlotte Cocker and produced by Zombie Joe, the cast includes Jess Sabine, Elijah Cunnally, Dani Ghalambor, Joe Filippone, and Charlotte Cocker. Waivers are required at the door. For more details, visit Zombie Joe's Underground Theatre .

? The Queen Mary’s Dark Harbor first maze is "Lullaby. " This fan-favorite maze, featuring the ghost of Scary Mary, has been redesigned for a new experience. Guests will explore the depths of Queen Mary’s first-class swimming pool, where Mary met her demise, and face?her ghost on a chilling journey. Dark Harbor will run on select nights from September 20 to November 2, 2024.

Retail

Spirit Halloween, the nation's largest Halloween retailer with 1,525 seasonal locations opening soon in strip centers and malls across North America, has announced its new lineup of animatronics for the 2024 season . This year's collection features both recognizable characters like Emily and Victor from "Corpse Bride," Deluxe Ghostface from "Scream VI," and Michael Myers, and original characters like “Ringmaster,” and “Towering Tallulah” (a witch that springs from 4'9" to 8'10"), among others. Prices ranging from $279.99 to $329.99. Fans can shop online now and visit Spirit Halloween stores starting in August.