Honoring the legacy of Merlyn Linn (December 1, 1937 – September 17, 2026)
Zombie Hollow was the most amazing walk through Halloween display around during its years in Urbandale, Iowa. A few years ago, the creator moved to Winterset.
For 2023, Zombie Hollow is now a commercial haunt experience in Winterset. They have been added to the index, the map and calendar.
Due to limited parking, you must by a timed ticket in advance. Find out more about this must-see Halloween experience here:
The Carlisle Haunted Woods is back this year, and even has a website. Last year, I could find nothing about this except a photo of a flyer someone sent to me. This year, I can point people to an official website.
It is running A LOT of nights – 14! That gets it right up there with some of the other well-established haunts in the area.
There is also a one-night Carlisle “Haunted Trail” event as part of a city festival, but that is a different thing.
Get details here:
I added this link to the above-mentioned haunt pages:
10/4/2023: https://www.dmcityview.com/business-feature/2023/10/04/the-business-of-fear/
Ames Tribute has their annual story on the Haunted Forest, published 10/3/2023:
Fan-favorite Club Blood is back again, at least in name. The previous Club Blood was an all-ages “silent disco” attraction at Sleepy Hollow Sports park. It was decorated with hand-painted floor-to-ceiling banners of classic horror movie icons in different poses. (The wonderful work of their staff artist and set decorator, Tina.)
This year, Des Moines gets Club Blood again, but it will be an bar at Adventureland’s Phantom Fall Feast. Those of you who know area haunt history may recall that a former general manager of Sleepy Hollow went to for work Adventureland, but it is unlikely this had anything to do with them using the name (he left just before the park was sold to Palace Entertainment a few years ago). The naming of Club Blood is likely just a coincidence (Kansas City’s Worlds of Fun also featured a Club Blood scene in its vampire haunted house, if I recall).
But who knows. Sleepy Hollow always used the phrase “All night fright” in its TV ads (I made many of those TV ads over the years), and last year Adventureland started using “Fright all night.” After Club Blood this year, maybe we’ll see the amusement park add Blazing Jack-o-Lanterns or something next year 😉
Merlyn Linn let us know that he plans to operate the haunted house this year. No information is available on their website yet, but be checking it for details:
Updates:
When Adventureland di their first Halloween event in 2018, they made it an adults-only 21+ event at the hotel. There was nudity (from a movie playing on the wall of the banquet area) and some profanity, but it was mostly just a fun party environment without “those pesky kids.” It was really a nice event, but that was the only year it happened.
In 2022, the new owners of Adventureland, Palace Entertainment/Parques Reunidos (Madrid, Spain), started up the Phanton Fall Fest event. Much like Sleepy Hollow, this event would have one admission price that allowed access to multiple haunted houses. One haunt was an upcharge and not included with the ticket price.
The haunts open in the evening, but the park is open during the day and all ages can show up and ride and eat all day.
If you are looking for good “starter” haunted houses for very young kids, this is the one to consider. Some of the comments from last year:
So it looks like it’s a great place to take the little kids. But maybe not too little:
These comments line up with others I heard last year, so unless they change directions, this is the haunt to consider if you have some preschool or elementary aged kids that want to get started visiting haunted houses.
Linn’s Haunted House has been operating since 1984. I’ve visited when three generations were all attending together (grandparent, parent and offspring). It is a Des Moines institution.
In 2016, Merlyn Linn “retired” from his Linn’s Supermarket, and began leasing it out. The future of the haunted house was assured, though, since it was stated that the lease did not include the basement haunted house. That would remain there for ten years.
I have recently learned that in 2020 the supermarket was purchased. Although the haunted house did not operate that year due to Covid-19, it has operated the past two years in 2021 and 2022.
But this year, things may be different. The haunted house has received notice from an attorney that the haunted house must vacate — four years in to the supermarket having a new owner.
Last year may have been the final season for folks to crawl through that basement or, if things get resolved, maybe that will be this year.
I’ll share news as I know it. But until then, please spread the word – the future of Linn’s is uncertain at this time. The building owner is not interested in this multi-generational tradition operating there. For some reason.
That said … perhaps this is a great opportunity for some other business with an available basement to contact Merlyn Linn and start talking about relocating the haunt 😉
The new owners of Adventureland (Parques Reunidos/Palace Entertainment) have posted a survey to ask folks why they didn’t go to Phantom Fall Fest.
Questions included:
Hopefully other haunts will do similar surveys to help them improve their offerings for future seasons.
