From in-depth discussions of our favorite spooky traditions to behind-the-scenes footage of our favorite attractions, Halloween & haunt documentaries are wonderful ways to get into the mood for the spooky season. Here are 13 films that are both educational and fun – all while embodying the spirit of the Halloween season.
Directed by my former ScareLA colleague Jon Schnitzer, Haunters: The Art of the Scare is a heart-warming and heart-stopping documentary about people who sacrifice everything to create the most popular and polarizing haunted houses for Halloween – from boo-scare mazes to a controversial new subculture of extreme terror experiences. The film features interviews with ScareLA alum Lora Ivanova & Shar Mayer, as well as John Murdy (Universal Studios Halloween Horror Nights), Jon Braver (Delusion, Thirteenth Floor Entertainment), Josh Randall (Blackout), Eric Lowther (Haunted Overload), Bruce Stanton (Reign of Terror), and more. I am also told that you can catch a brief cameo of me in the background of the DVD’s special features.Β
Directed by Michael Paul Stephenson, The American Scream dives into the world of home haunters. It follows three families in a small town in Massachusetts as they plan, build, run, and clean up after their annual home haunts. The film does a good job of highlighting the love and passion these home haunters have for their spooky hobby, while also showing how it can strengthen and/or strain their family relationships.Β
Sliders of Ghost Town: Origins, directed by Braedon Freeland, covers the history and legacy of the infamous Knott’s Scary Farm sliders.
In 1973 the Halloween industry would be changed forever when Knott’s Berry Farm (Buena Park, CA) hosted their very first Halloween Haunt event. Many years later, employees of the park known as “Street Monsters” developed a new scare tactic that involved sliding great distances across concrete asphalt in order to surprise and scare the guests of the event. This documentary chronicles stories of the Street Monsters who invented or who refined this skill into what it is today and showcases what it takes to be a Street Monster at SoCal’s best theme park Halloween event.
Learn about the history and evolution of Halloween in the History Channel TV special, The Real Story of Halloween. Directed by Luke Ellis, The Real Story of Halloween traces the holiday’s pagan origins, Christianization, changes upon arriving in America, and rise of the modern Halloween business. This serves as an easy-to-follow crash course overview of the spookiest time of year.Β
Epic Home Haunts directed by Josh Quillin takes viewers on a tour of some of SoCal’s fan-favorite home haunts. From creating a full haunted attraction complete with giant animatronic dragons, castles, and portals to other dimensions, to fully integrated interactive props the guests carry with them as they experience the haunt, these Home Haunters are rivaling whatβs created at the professional theme parks on their driveways.
Haunts featured in this film include: Restless Souls Manor (Palmdale, CA), Boot Hill (Irvine, CA), Beware the Dark Realm (Santa Clarita, CA), and Rotten Apple 907 (Burbank,CA).
Welcome, foolish mortals, to the Haunted Mansion, Phantom Manor, and Mystic Manor. Inspired by Walt Disney’s original behind-the-scenes specials that introduced Disneyland’s iconic rides and attractions, We Call It Imagineering is a series produced by Disney that offers a glimpse into the world of attraction designers for the happiest places on Earth.
In an October 2025 episode, the series took a deep dive into the Haunted Mansion with Imagineers who have brought the attraction to life over the years. A cornerstone of Disney storytelling and innovation, the Haunted Mansion has spread to the international parks with unique twists for Phantom Manor (Disneyland Paris) and Mystic Manor (Hong Kong Disneyland). The attraction continues to influence seasonal events and guest experiences worldwide.
This episode is a must-watch for every Disney-loving Halloween fan.Β
Jonathan Morken’s Halloween Home Haunts showcases a group of eight suburban home haunters who go all out each Halloween season. The film combines interviews and walkthroughs of each attraction. While not as polished as the previous entries, it is a wonderful source of inspiration for ways to add to your own home displays.Β
Halloween… The Happy Haunting of America! directed by Daniel Roebuck & Chuck Williams takes viewers through haunts across the U.S. Featured haunts include Universal Studio’s Chamber of Chills, Haunted Hotel, The Haunted Schoolhouse,Β Witch’s Dungeon museum, and Spooky World. The film also features general Halloween history and behind-the-scenes looks at where props and masks are made. Horror fans will appreciate the interviews with actors behind some of film’s scariest monsters. Interviewees include Agus Scrimm (Phatasm‘s “The Tall Man”), Doug Bradley (Hellraiser‘s “Pinhead”), and Robert Englund (Nightmare on Elm Street‘s “Freddy Krueger”). Plus, Alice Cooper shares his Halloween memories.Β
This film brings back memories of the types of haunts I grew up with.Β
Ten years after the first installment, Halloween… The Happy Haunting of America! returns to feature 10 new spooky attractions. Host Daniel Roebuck once again entertains viewers with interstitials from Los Angeles’ iconic Magic Castle. Featured haunts & attractions include The Bates Motel & Haunted Hayride (Glen Mills, PA), The Haunt (Walker, MI), Queen Mary’s Shipwreck (Long Beach, CA), The Niles Haunted House Scream Park (Niles, MI), Terrordome (Pittsburgh, PA), Erebus (Pontiac, MI), Reindeer Manor and The 13th Street Morgue (Red Oak, TX), Nightfall at Old Tucson Studios (Tucson, AZ), Hobb’s Grove (Sanger, CA), and Rocky Point Haunted House (South Salt Lake, UT).Β
This edition lacks the celebrity interviews of the first film, but it makes up for it with more footage from the haunts themselves. Instead of straight walkthroughs, they are highlight reels of interesting sets, actors, and scares. It will certainly spark nostalgia if you have ever been to these haunts before.
In the 90’s one of the biggest and most notable haunts in the country was Spooky World. Even I made the 8-hour trek to Foxboro, Massachusetts with my Dad in 1999 to see the “horror theme park”.Β It still lives in my memory as one of my favorite haunts. From the “Disco of Death” to “Circus Macabre”, it was unique and inspiring.
Spooktacular! directed by Quinn Monahan covers the history of this iconic attraction as well as the legacy of Spooky World’s founder, David Bertolino. Using archival footage and interviews with staff and celebrity guests, the documentary takes viewers from the park’s beginning as a haunted hayride to the multi-house scream park it became in its heyday.Β
From Yokai Films and Zombie Army Productions (the team behind the Days of the Living Dead Youtube series), The Fright Stuff, directed by Mike Meyer, follows the life and times of the haunted attraction industry in the United States. The documentary explores the roots of the industry, from live spook shows and ghost trains; speaks with some of the biggest names in haunting; then brings viewers up to the present, following haunters throughout their 365-day-a-year pursuit of giving audiences the fright of their lives throughout the Halloween season. It heavily centers on Hellsgate Haunted House (Lockport, IL) and owner John Laflamboy, following them through their planning, build, and operations. It also showcases TransWorld’s Halloween & Attractions Show, the pinnacle of Halloween trade shows.Β
Monsters Wanted, directed by Brian Cunningham & Joe Laughrey, follows haunter Rich Teachout as he quits his job in order to build and operate Asylum Haunted Scream Park in Louisville, Kentucky. From sourcing products at TransWorld’s Halloween & Attractions Show, construction, casting, and providing a terrifyingly fun experience for attendees – this documentary showcases every step of the process of opening a professional haunt.Β
Season of Screams: The Legacy of Knott’s Scary Farm’s Halloween Haunt, directed by David Love, gives viewers an in-depth tour of SoCal’s original Halloween theme park event. Knott’s Berry Farm (Buena Park, CA) has hosted their Halloween Haunt (a.k.a. “Knott’s Scary Farm”) since 1973. This documentary uses archival footage along with interviews of scareactors and staff to tell the story of the event that has been known to make little children laugh, women cry, and grown men faint.Β
Want even more films to check out? Here are other Halloween & haunt docs to browse:
From in-depth discussions of our favorite spooky traditions to behind-the-scenes footage of our favorite attractions, Halloween & haunt documentaries are wonderful ways to get into the mood for the spooky
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Welcome to my home of all things horror & Halloween! The Horror of Being Emily showcases resources, creative projects, small businesses, and more related to my weird and wonderful Halloween & horror obsession.
