Haunted Attraction & Seasonal Events

Operate haunted house or horror attraction seasonally or year-round

Startup Cost
$100,000-$800,000
Difficulty
Advanced
Time to Profit
12-24 months
Profit Potential
$17,000-$167,000/month (seasonal)

Overview

Haunted attractions generate $200,000-$2,000,000 seasonally (October primarily) with 50-75% margins.

In 2025, immersive horror entertainment popular.

Revenue from haunted attraction tickets ($20-$45 per person), VIP fast-pass tickets ($35-$65), concessions and merchandise, parking fees, and special event nights.

Services include haunted house walkthrough attraction, professional actors and scare performers, themed sets and special effects, multiple attraction tiers (standard, extreme), photo opportunities and merchandise, and special themed nights.

Successful haunts invest in professional sets and effects, hire and train scare actors, create different scare levels, market heavily leading to October, and operate additional holidays (Christmas horror, Valentine's scares).

Halloween and horror fans as clients.

Marketing through social media, YouTube haunted attraction channels, local advertising, horror communities, and haunt review sites.

Required Skills

  • Set Design & Construction
  • Special Effects
  • Actor Recruitment & Training
  • Horror/Scare Expertise
  • Event Operations
  • Safety Management

Pros and Cons

Pros

  • High demand during Halloween season
  • Premium ticket prices for experiences
  • Horror fans passionate and loyal
  • Can expand to additional holidays
  • Merchandise and concessions profitable

Cons

  • Highly seasonal concentrated in October
  • Significant build-out and effect costs
  • Large seasonal staff recruitment and training
  • Permitting and safety inspections
  • Income concentrated in 1-2 months

How to Get Started

  1. Develop haunted attraction concept and theme
  2. Secure warehouse or seasonal space
  3. Build professional haunted house sets
  4. Recruit and train scare actors
  5. Get permits and safety inspections
  6. Market heavily August-October
  7. Operate attraction and manage crowds

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