IAAPA News
 

Haunt Fire
 

The Halloween Preservation Society is extending Halloween festivities into November with their Preserve Halloween Festival in Irving, Texas, November 19th - 21st. The event will feature vendors, special industry guests, and Halloween activities - including costume contests for children & adults, trick-or-treating, Jack-o-Lantern carving, and a party with DJs and "Scaryoke". Tickets are on sale now for $25 - $35 with weekend passes available for $60.

The Scare Factor is hosting their annual after-season haunt party on Saturday, November 20th, 2021 at Nightmare on Edgewood Haunted House in Indianapolis, Indiana. 2021 Monster Bash: Apocalypse is a haunter party to celebrate the end of the Halloween season - from volunteers to haunt owners to haunt vendors, everyone within the industry is invited to attend. The event features entry to the full Nightmare on Edgewood show with 3 attractions, costume contest, Haunters Against Hate drag show, live DJ, and The Scare Factor's awards ceremony. Tickets are $20 online in advance or $25 at the door and all tickets include 2 drink vouchers.

New York City and Los Angeles are about to get a little stranger November 6th - December 5th with Netflix's Stranger Things: The Official Store pop-up shops. These immersive shopping experiences will feature realistic set recreations of iconic locations from the show, photo ops, interactive activities, and a wide array of exclusive Stranger Things merchandise sure to please any fan of the series. “We are always looking for new and innovative ways to let Stranger Things fans see themselves more in the show they love,” says Greg Lombardo, Head of Experiences at Netflix. “This first-ever Stranger Things store sends them right into the heart of Hawkins, in a truly immersive retail experience, totally stoked with 80’s vibes and the chance to take home a piece of their favorite show with unique merchandise that isn’t available anywhere else. But be warned, you never know when things will turn Upside Down.” It is free to visit these pop-up shops, but capacity is limited. Reservations for priority skip-the-line access can be made online.  For walk-ins there will be a virtual queue accessible via QR code at the store, even if pre-booking sessions are sold out. This virtual queue will be available only if the reservations queue is not full for the day so advanced reservations are highly recommended.

Good Morning America featured some of their favorite haunts around the U.S. in their October 25th broadcast. Reporter Will Reeve visited 13th Floor Haunted House in Denver, Colorado and gave viewers a "behind-the-screams" look at the attraction. Other featured haunts included Cutting Edge Haunted House (Fort Worth, TX), Bennett's Curse Haunted House (Baltimore, MD), Netherworld Haunted House (Stone Mountain, GA), The Dent Schoolhouse (Cincinnati, OH), and Headless Horseman Haunted Attractions (Ulster Park, NY).

Looking for haunts and Halloween happenings in Arizona? The group behind AZ Haunters, Arizona's Halloween Haunting Community, have launched a new website that lists member haunts/displays: AZHauntMap.com. The site features both a list and map view to make it easy to plan out the best route for a fright-filled night. Arizona area haunters can list their haunts/displays for free. 
 

The real estate website Zillow has created its first ever interactive virtual haunted house, 667 Dead End Drive. Brave souls can click through the Zillow listing and enter a 3D home virtual tour to search for clues about the demise of the mansion's former owner, Edith Thistle, who still haunts the house today. The experience begins at a Zillow Listing for the manor with home details - like any other house listed on the site - but when users click on the virtual tour, paranormal forces quickly take over for a exciting journey through creepy kitchens, haunted hallways, and spooky stairways. Described as "an American Gothic Mansion with great bones (although some are rotting)", the estate used in this production has a real-life haunted history and has been featured in popular horror films and TV shows. This supernatural experience was produced by Zillow and Media.Monks. 
 

Why do we keep falling for jump scares? Author Ellen Airhart delves into the science behind our startle reactions in an article in Popular Science. Experts agree that jarring, sensory experiences (such as sudden loud noises, sudden movements, or bursts of light) are universally terrifying, but haunters can use more subtle techniques to prime guests for jump scares. Visual cues before the scare - such as fanged animals or mutilated bodies - make individuals react more strongly when startled. Aural cues can help set the mood as well with prolonged noise or sudden roars. Another technique, suggested by Leonard Pickel of Hauntrepreneurs, is sneaky tactile experiences such as making floors sink and move back and forth a little to keep individuals nervous without terrifying them. 
 

Halloween History
 

Trick-or-Treating for your favorite candy has become a staple of Halloween celebrations around the nation, but it is actually a relatively new addition to Halloween celebrations. In an article from CNN, reporters Noah Sheidlower and Radhika Marya discuss the history of Halloween food traditions from soul cakes to apples & nuts to the candy we know and love today. 

General Mills' Halloween breakfast cereals, Count Chocula and Franken Berry, celebrated their 50th anniversary this year. In an article for Mel Magazine, reporter Brian VanHooker interviewed super fans and creatives who worked on the brand to get a behind the scenes story about the cereals' evolution over the past five decades. The article features Laura Levin (author and creator of Count Chocula and Franken Berry), Larry Kenney (voice actor of Count Chocula since 1978), Robb Pruitt (voice actor of Franken Berry since 2009), Chris Phillips (voice of Boo Berry since 2009), creative directors from General Mills, and more - all discussing their memories of working on the iconic cereals.