Halloween is no longer a one day affair and haunted houses aren’t just for kids anymore. Many haunted houses are Hollywood-style productions with animatronics, realistic special effects, and actors in professional makeup. Haunted houses of the past were often run by neighborhood organizations as a way to do a bit of fundraising. Today, many are straightforward profit making operations.

Some operators of haunted houses combine them with rock concerts, mud runs, and paintball battles. Others combine multiple sets with corn mazes and hayrides. The haunted house experience has become an evening’s entertainment for many. More than 31 million people are expected to visit haunted houses in 2013. Worldwide there are around 2,500 haunted house attractions, the vast majority in the United States.

Today’s market size is the estimated total sales generated by haunted houses in 2013 (dare we say, by the haunted house industry?). Now that is scary….

Happy Halloween

Geographic reference: World
Year: 2013
Market size: $300 million… still a fraction of the estimated $7 billion that will be spent on Halloween related items and activities in the United States this year!
Source: Martha C. White, “It’s Aliiiive! Haunted-House Industry Scares Up Big Money,” NBC News, October 6, 2013, available online here.
Original source: National Retail Federation
Posted on October 31, 2013