Turn on your radio this time of year and you’ll undoubtedly hear an advertisement for a haunted house in your area. Turns out, though, that haunted houses aren’t just fun. They’re big business, too.
According to America Haunts, which runs several of the haunted homes popping up across the country, there are more than 1,200 haunted attractions that charge admission fees during this time of year. At the same time, there are more than 300 amusement facilities, such as amusement parks or family fun centers, running their own versions of haunted attractions.
These haunted attractions are busy. America Haunts says that the typical haunted attraction averages about 8,000 paid guests. These attractions charge an average of $15 per customer.
But what about the money? America Haunts estimates that the haunted house industry generates from $300 million to $500 million dollars in ticket sales each year.
The HauntedHouse Association says that the entire Halloween attraction industry — which includes events such as pumpkin patches and amusement parks that transform their parks into haunted spaces — generates more than $1 billion in annual revenue. The association says that Halloween activities help many farmers from losing their farms.
Check out the video above if you’d like to see what all the fuss is about. It’s supposed to be one of the scariest haunted houses arund.