Evil Intentions Haunted House will not open for the 2026 season. The haunt’s planned move back to Elgin, Illinois, has fallen through due to building permit issues, and owner Mike Fitzpatrick told the Daily Herald he is now looking to return in 2027. The haunt said it is not closing.

The Elgin City Council approved a conditional use permit in July for Evil Intentions to open in the former Heider Electric building at 80 N. State Street. Fitzpatrick said his team then worked on the building approval process for seven months but could not secure the permit needed to begin construction.

“Unfortunately, despite repeated efforts by our development team, we were unable to obtain the building permit necessary to proceed,” Fitzpatrick said in an email to the Daily Herald.

Josie Beecher-Crotty, Elgin’s communications and engagement manager, said the project, which involved converting an older industrial building into an entertainment venue, required improvements to meet safety standards. “Ultimately, Evil Intentions’ development team was unable to provide a complete, code-compliant set of development plans within their time frame to begin construction and meet their planned opening schedule,” she said.

“We are disappointed by this outcome,” Fitzpatrick said.

In a statement on Instagram, Evil Intentions told followers it would sit out 2026 but is not shutting down. “No, we are NOT closing, and this is NOT the end,” the haunt wrote. It said it would rather take the time to get the next location right than rush an impossible timeline. “We believe taking a full year is what we need to truly come back better than ever,” the statement read.

Evil Intentions ran for almost 20 years in the former Elgin Casket Co. building off Bluff City Boulevard before moving to Maple Park two years ago. HAN reported in July on the planned Elgin return, which would have used all five floors of the long-vacant, 21,000-square-foot Heider Electric building for a roughly 30-minute tour.

Fitzpatrick said Evil Intentions is now vetting opportunities to bring the haunt back to the Chicago area in 2027 and is accepting proposals for locations.

Randy Bates, the longtime owner of The Bates Motel and Haunted Hayride (Glen Mills, PA), has passed away at age 68, following a battle with cancer. Bates helped found the International Association of Haunted Attractions (IAHA) and America Haunts, and, in 2011, helped form the Haunted Attraction Association. His peers have described his dedication and passion, as well as how quickly he offered to help anyone who asked for advice.

Randy is survived by his wife, Ann, his six children, and more than twenty grandchildren.

Full story: https://hauntedattractionnetwork.com/randy-bates-obituary-2026/

Kennywood's Phantom Fall Fest Returns Sept 12, and this year its year-round Ghostwood Estate dark ride will convert to a walkthrough.

Before 6 p.m. it is a family trick-or-treat with the lights on. After dark, it becomes a full haunt, Ghostwood Estate: Open House, the park's new seventh haunt.

Also new: a Fall Fest Tasting Experience with a fall menu around the Lagoon and a card to mix and match samples.

DETAILS: https://hauntedattractionnetwork.com/kennywood-phantom-fall-fest-2026/

Announced today by American dream:

FREDDY FAZBEAR’S PIZZA IS COMING TO AMERICAN DREAM

American Dream is bringing the virtual world of Five Nights at Freddy’s to life with the debut of the world’s first permanent immersive restaurant experience, opening in 2027.

Developed in collaboration with ScottGames, the experience will be a functional reimagining of Freddy Fazbear’s Pizza, designed to immerse guests in the world of the iconic franchise.

Visitors will be able to dine at Freddy Fazbear’s Pizza, play arcade games, experience animatronic stage shows featuring Freddy and the Fazbear Band, visit Foxy’s Pirate Cove, and step behind the curtain for immersive multiplayer survival-horror experiences.

Additional details, including the official opening date and ticketing information, will be announced at a later date.

American Dream | East Rutherford, NJ

Opening 2027

Six Flags' 2027 Gold Passes are on sale for $89 to $129. They cover the rest of 2026 (Halloween & Holidays) plus all of 2027. Launch pricing ends Sept. 7.

The company calls the launch pricing the lowest guests will see this season or next, and the passes work immediately: they cover the remainder of 2026, including the fall Halloween events and the winter holiday season, plus all of 2027. The promotional pricing runs through Sept. 7.

Six Flags timed the sale to 8/7 for brand ambassador Travis Kelce, who has worn number 87 throughout his career. “The Six Flags Season Pass has so much to offer. Unlimited visits would have blown my mind as a kid, and right before Halloween and the holidays when you know the parks go crazy. You get more access this year and everything that’s coming in 2027,” Kelce said in the announcement.

The 2027 Gold Pass admits guests to every Six Flags park in one of four regions: East, West, Midwest or Texas. It includes free general parking, admission to the fall haunt events and holiday celebrations, and discounts on food and merchandise. Renewing passholders and new buyers who purchase by Sept. 7 get a bonus Bring-A-Friend ticket.

The Prestige Pass covers every Six Flags park in North America and adds preferred parking at many parks, free fountain beverages on every visit, VIP entrance access at participating parks, and one free single-use Fast Lane per visit. New and renewing Prestige buyers get a $20 in-park credit through the same Sept. 7 deadline.

The release does not list prices, and they vary by park. As of this writing, Six Flags Magic Mountain sells the 2027 Gold Pass for $129 against a listed regular price of $199, with the Prestige Pass at $329 against $399. Six Flags Great Adventure sells the Gold Pass for $89 against a listed $115, and the Prestige Pass for $229 against $275. The company also opened 2027 memberships, the month-to-month product it expanded to six more parks in June. Magic Mountain advertises those from $12 per month after an initial payment, covering its California, Arizona and Mexico parks.

Diablo haunted houses are coming to two Six Flags parks this Halloween. The announcement art titles the maze Diablo IV: The Infernal Path, and it's coming to Cedar Point's HalloWeekends and Kings Dominion's Halloween Haunt this fall. No dates or lineup yet.

Nightmare Wharf, the new Halloween experience coming to the Buffalo Naval Park, is hiring for various positions:

Open seasonal positions include:
- Scare Actors
- Queue Line Performers
- Makeup Artists
- Ticket Takers
- Event Ambassadors

Taking place at the Buffalo Naval Park this fall, Nightmare Wharf will transform the historic waterfront campus into a large-scale Halloween experience featuring haunted attractions, themed environments, live entertainment, dramatic lighting, dense fog, and high-impact scares.

“We are looking for performers, artists and event staff who want to help us create an unforgettable experience from the ground up,” said Stephen Szortyka, Director of Creative Event Operations and Production for Nightmare Wharf. “Whether someone has years of performance experience or is stepping into this world for the first time, we want enthusiastic people who are ready to become part of something entirely new for Buffalo.”

Performance experience is welcomed but not required for all positions. Applicants should be comfortable working in a fast-paced, highly themed environment and available evenings and weekends during the Halloween season. Position-specific training will be provided. Nightmare Wharf will operate on select nights throughout the 2026 Halloween season. To learn more or apply, visit the website.

Three of North Carolina’s best-known haunted attractions run on a single ticket this November. The Legendary Haunt Tour visits Lake Hickory Haunts on Thursday, Woods of Terror on Friday, and Kersey Valley Spookywoods on Saturday, November 5 through 7. Tickets are on sale now at $560 for the bus package and $410 self-driving.

The tour is the haunt industry’s post-season field trip. Owners, actors, makeup artists, and enthusiasts travel together and get the kind of access the public never gets: lights-on walkthroughs, makeup and effects demonstrations, costume and production departments, and a construction tour of a haunt that is still being built. Produced by TransWorld, the company behind the annual Halloween and Attractions Show in St. Louis, it has run sixteen editions since 2010.

FULL ARTICLE:

https://hauntedattractionnetwork.com/legendary-haunt-tour/

Jason Voorhees is jumping from Universal to Six Flags. A year after the Jason Universe house at Halloween Horror Nights, the Friday the 13th slasher is getting his own maze, Jason: Blood Reign, at Great Adventure, Kings Island, and Carowinds this fall.

A July 20 fire destroyed three of the five haunted houses at Field of Horrors, and owner David Mulinio told the Times Union the buildings carried no insurance. He plans to rebuild in time to open in September regardless.

The cause was electrical, and the circumstances will sound familiar to anyone who runs a seasonal attraction. It started during routine July maintenance, in a building full of burlap, three weeks before the annual fire-retardant treatment.

Field of Horrors sits at 100 Farrell Road in Brunswick, in Rensselaer County just north of Troy. It shares the property with Capital Combat Zone, a paintball and airsoft operation that was not affected by the fire. The haunt runs hayrides and haunted houses; the paintball fields run year-round.

Three of the five haunted houses were destroyed: Insanity, Return of Mummy’s Curse, and Condemned Manor. All three sat inside a single interconnected building roughly 150 feet long.

No one was in the building when it burned, and no one was injured.

Fighting it was not simple. About a dozen fire departments responded, working against extreme heat, that collapsed metal roof, and a limited water supply, refilling tanker trucks from a nearby hydrant through the afternoon. In total more than 20 mutual-aid partners came to the scene, including Town of Brunswick EMS, the Rensselaer County Bureau of Public Safety, the Rensselaer County Sheriff’s Office, New York State Police, the Town of Brunswick Highway Department, and National Grid. Crews kept the fire from reaching neighboring properties.

Mulinio said the buildings were gone in about an hour.

Every July, Mulinio told the Times Union, an employee goes through the facility repairing wiring that mice have chewed through during the off-season. That work was underway on Monday. Mulinio said the employee flipped on a generator, and he believes a spark from it caught the burlap inside the building.

There is a second detail that matters. Mulinio said he sprays the facility with roughly $5,000 worth of fire retardant every year, just before opening day, specifically to make the buildings more resilient. On July 20, that treatment had not been applied yet.

“These houses burnt too quickly,” Mulinio said.

Off-season rodent damage to wiring is close to universal in seasonal attractions. Buildings sit dark and unoccupied for eight or nine months, and the repair pass happens in the same weeks the structures are still full of untreated soft goods. The sequence that burned Field of Horrors is not exotic. It is the calendar most haunts run on.

Mulinio’s plan is to have new haunted houses ready for a September opening.

“I will make it happen. I don’t know how I’m going to make it happen, but I will figure it out,” he told the Times Union.

Cleanup has already started, and he expects construction to begin within about two weeks. He is prioritizing two of the three houses, with the third to follow if there is time before opening day. He wants to replace the old wooden walls with steel.

“This fire may have damaged our attraction, but it hasn’t taken away the passion behind it. The road ahead won’t be easy, but we’re already looking toward the future. We’ll rebuild, overcome these challenges, and do everything we can to be ready to welcome you back for haunt season.”

We wrote earlier this month, covering The Nightmare Realm’s departure from Ireland after 16 years, that buildings and insurance are the two existential threats for independent haunts. Field of Horrors is both at once.

That Nightmare Realm piece was about an award-winning, profitable attraction with a Fanta sponsorship, five newly built mazes a season, and 150-plus live performers that still could not secure a permanent Irish home after a four-year search. A week earlier, FrightWorks announced an indefinite closure in East Tennessee after 27 years, when the building it leased sold and the new owner required the property delivered tenant-free. FrightWorks ran two farewell shows and opened a moving fund to cover dismantling and storage.

FULL STORY: https://hauntedattractionnetwork.com/field-of-horrors-fire-rebuild-2026/

Netherworld Haunted House has announced the two haunts for its 30th Season of Screams: Curse of the Collector and Beyond Oblivion: Legacy of Evil. The season opens September 18 and closes November 7.

Netherworld frames the season as a celebration of “the mythology that has defined NETHERWORLD for decades,” reuniting “legendary villains, towering creatures, monstrous battles and cinematic environments inspired by the attraction’s original storytelling.” The haunt was founded in 1997 by Billy Messina and Ben Armstrong, both film and television veterans, and has never run on licensed film properties.

Curse of the Collector

The Collector, described in the announcement as a “primordial soul-gathering entity,” has turned on the masters of the Netherworld and is trying to destroy the ancient gateway connecting their realm to ours.

Fighting alongside him are the Brotherhood’s Frankensteinian warriors, savage werewolves, the Halloween-loving Children of Autumn, and his own discarded Husks. Against him: gargoyles, gorgons, vampires, the Army of the Dead, and the towering Undying.

Beyond Oblivion: Legacy of Evil

The second haunt continues the Oblivion story. Netherworld ran OBLIVION: RETURN OF THE MANGLER in 2025, and The Mangler returns again here for what the announcement calls his final experiment, “powered by the corrupting energy of Oblivion.”

The setting spans laboratories, slaughterhouses, swamps and abandoned towns. Captured cryptids are “processed into twisted food products” alongside mutant insects and cursed experiments. Netherworld describes it as the largest and most terrifying second attraction it has produced.

“Every season has added another chapter to the NETHERWORLD story,” Armstrong said. “This year, we’re bringing those chapters together, reviving legendary monsters and iconic moments while creating terrifying new experiences that continue to raise the bar.”

Co-creator Billy Messina addressed the obvious risk in a season built on callbacks, which is that newcomers get locked out of the joke.

“Since the beginning, we’ve challenged ourselves to create bigger, more immersive, and more cinematic haunted attractions,” Messina said. “This season is packed with Easter eggs aplenty for longtime fans, but you don’t need to be schooled in Netherworld history to enjoy it. Whether it’s your first visit or your thirtieth, be prepared for an unforgettable evening of entertainment.”

Netherworld ran Rise of the Netherspawn in 2021, setting up a monster incursion, and The Undying Horror in 2022, with a faction called the Brotherhood of Rhomb fighting back. Armstrong told HAN in 2022 that he thinks of the whole run as a single campaign: “There’s this thing people heard about called Dungeons and Dragons. So, like 45 years ago, I was playing that game when it first came out. So, you could call this, you know, one of the biggest D&D campaigns ever.”

He was equally direct about the sourcing. “We don’t tend to follow trends of things like movies, we’re more based on literary sources, we’re based on mythology, and we just like to do things that other people don’t do,” he said. That is why a milestone season here reaches for gorgons and cryptids instead of a licensed film property.

Halloween Midway and Food

The site also runs its Halloween Midway, with towering jack-o’-lantern displays, roaming monsters, themed photo opportunities, games and mini escape games. Netherworld also operates Escape the Netherworld, five year-round escape rooms, and the House of Creeps Monster Museum, both sold separately.

Netherworld’s 30th Season of Screams runs:

September 18 and 19

September 25 and 26

October 2 through 4

October 6 through 12

Nightly, October 14 through November 1

November 6 and 7, the final weekend

Netherworld is at 1313 Netherworld Way, Stone Mountain, GA 30087. More information is at fearworld.com.

FULL STORY: https://hauntedattractionnetwork.com/netherworld-2026-themes-30th-season/

“I Know What You Did Last Summer: The Final Catch” opens September 11 at SeaWorld Orlando, SeaWorld San Diego and SeaWorld San Antonio. United Parks says it is the first time the film has been brought to life at a major Halloween event.

The house is licensed from Sony Pictures and draws on the first installment of the franchise. Per United Parks, guests “wander through horrifying recreations of several unforgettable movie scenes and into the events that unfold during the original Southport massacre.”

That is the 1997 plot: four friends cover up a fatal accident, and a year later someone starts making them pay for it. The company describes the walkthrough as a nightmare “where every secret has a price and every corner hides the vengeful Fisherman.”

Marc Swanson, CEO of United Parks and Resorts, framed the license as a milestone for the chain.

“We’re always looking for new ways to raise the bar on immersive entertainment, and bringing ‘I Know What You Did Last Summer’ to our Howl-O-Scream events is an exciting milestone for all three SeaWorld parks,” Swanson said. “This thrilling franchise has captivated horror fans for years with its suspense and terror. Now our guests will step into that world, facing some of the same heart-pounding moments that made the film come alive. As one thrilling part of a lineup of haunted houses, scare zones, live entertainment and immersive experiences, we are excited to deliver what we believe is our most ambitious Howl-O-Scream yet.”

Howl-O-Scream has historically run on original in-house concepts developed per park, and this is a marked shift in strategy to partner with an IP and debut it at multiple locations. Although, it seems to the formula that wins at other chains.

Howl-O-Scream at Busch Gardens in Tampa and Williamsburg will debut all-new haunted houses inspired by the Sony Pictures movie, Anaconda.

The addition marks the first time Sony Pictures has licensed the film for integration into a Halloween event.

Set in the world of Anaconda, guests are sent deep into the Amazon to search for a missing film crew, quickly turning into a fight for survival. At Busch Gardens Tampa Bay, guests will experience Anaconda: Fear Has No Escape and at Busch Gardens Williamsburg, visitors will encounter Anaconda: Dead on Arrival. The haunted attractions offer two unique tales while honoring the legend of an iconic film. The all-new Anaconda-inspired houses will premiere on September 11 at both Howl-O-Scream Tampa Bay and Williamsburg.

"Our fans are always looking for new and immersive scares and bringing Anaconda to our Howl-O-Scream event elevates the experience at both Busch Gardens parks," said Marc Swanson, CEO of United Parks & Resorts. "The addition of Anaconda, combined with all-new haunts and entertainment will solidify Howl-O-Scream's spot as one of the nation's top Halloween events."

The award-winning Howl-O-Scream takes screams to the extreme with haunted houses, immersive scare zones, sinister shows and nighttime rides on record-breaking coasters.

Haunters Against Hate: The Event Takes Place August 1st - 2nd

Get ready for "The 4 Horsemen of the Gaypocalypse" as Haunters Against Hate: The Event returns for its fourth year on August 1st - 2nd at its new location, the Radisson Hotel in Kalamazoo, Michigan. HAH: The Event promotes the LGBTQIA+, haunt, and horror communities in an inclusive, accepting environment featuring 40 vendors, workshops, drag shows, celebrity guests, and an awards ceremony. Exciting events throughout the weekend include a cosplay competition and the 4th annual makeup competition, where competitors must create their own version of "Aunt Gladys" from the hit horror film Weapons.

The 2026 Haunters Against Hate Awards will be presented to Jason Olsen of Chicago (Haunter of the Year), Karen Fields of Sleepaway Camp (Legacy Award), and the parents of Rylee Hanson from Haunted Hills (Merrillville, IN)(Jesse McDonald Memorial Award).

There will be a pre-show haunt tour of Niles Scream Park (Niles, MI) on Friday, July 31st (including dinner, lights-on tours of the attractions, and a Q&A with the Niles Scream Park Management Team). The Saturday Night Excursion (August 1st) will take guests to Nightmare Realm (Mattawan, MI) for a zombie survival game.

Tickets are still available online starting at $30 - $15 for single-day tickets, $35 for weekend tickets.

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 across more than 10 rooms hand-carved from roughly two million pounds of ice, kept at a constant 9 degrees, with loaner parkas at the door and two-story ice slides between the story beats. Tickets and overnight packages are on sale now at somuchchristmas.com, and the announcement renderings already show Christmas Town rebuilt in frozen color.

More than 300 artisans from Harbin, China, the city behind the world-famous Harbin Ice Festival, spend roughly 40 days hand-carving 60,000 blocks into floor-to-ceiling story scenes, then stay through the season to maintain them. It is the closest thing the holiday season has to a haunted-house build: a licensed story, told room by room, by a specialist crew working against a brutal deadline.

The Rockies edition is one of eight ICE! installations announced for 2026, with new Harry Potter and Home Alone themes joining returning classics like the Grinch and The Polar Express at Gaylord and JW Marriott resorts nationwide. Our sister site has the full eight-resort rundown, dates, and the operational story behind the program, including original reporting from inside a build.

Heartstoppers Haunts, the Sacramento-area haunted attraction operating out of a mine-themed property in Rancho Cordova, has announced its 2026 additions. The event runs 13 nights from October 2 through November 1, 2026, with tickets going on sale September 5.

The headline addition is the Frightfully Fancy Club, described by the operator as its most exclusive experience yet. It includes a private lounge and a personal escort to the front of every haunt, capped at 20 guests per time slot. Full details drop September 5 alongside ticket sales.

The event’s four haunted attractions (House McCutchen, Misery Mine, Blightwoods, and Deadlands) are all getting new scenes and upgrades for 2026. Heartstoppers says the changes are substantial enough that returning guests should not expect the same experience they saw in 2025.

House McCutchen, one of four haunted attractions at Heartstoppers Haunts in Rancho Cordova. (Photo: Heartstoppers Haunts / Skeleton Man)

Also new for 2026 is “Redemption!,” a stage show that plays at the top of every hour in the property’s Ghost Town area. Heartstoppers describes it as the connective story that ties all four haunts together and sets up the narrative for guests before they enter.

Additional 2026 changes include new carnival games, a redesigned lobby, and an expanded Ghost Town program that continues to feature live bands (including Sacramento-area rock and metal act Esther Black), fire dancers, roaming characters, and food and drink from vendors including Bubblecone and Authentic Street Taco. Custom haunt-themed drinks like the Cyrus Cider and Witches Brew are on the beverage menu.

Event details

Heartstoppers Haunts is located at 2300 Mine Shaft Lane, Rancho Cordova, CA 95742. The 2026 season runs October 2 through November 1 across 13 select nights. Ticket sales open September 5 at heartstoppershaunt.com.

The property has operated as Sacramento’s professional haunted attraction since 2008 and is going into its 18th year.