VTPM275: Halloween IP Takes Over! HHN Ozzy, Howl-O-Scream, Six Flags & D23 Preview

Halloween season is taking over the theme park industry — and apparently everybody wants some of Universal's IP money.On Episode 275 of the Vacationeers Theme Parks & More Podcast, Tom and Jon look at the growing battle over licensed Halloween properties as Six Flags, United Parks and Universal roll out some big-name horror franchises.Six Flags is bringing Jason Voorhees to select parks with JASON: Blood Reign, while Cedar Point and Kings Dominion are opening a portal to Blizzard's Diablo franchise.United Parks is making one of its biggest moves yet into licensed Halloween IP, bringing I Know What You Did Last Summer to SeaWorld parks and Anaconda to Busch Gardens Tampa and Williamsburg. We go through the latest Howl-O-Scream houses and scare zones, along with some interesting comments from United Parks management about why IP could become increasingly important to the event.Over at Universal, Ozzy Osbourne: Prince of Darkness is coming to Halloween Horror Nights — and now Ozzy is getting his own themed HHN bar as well. We also discuss the latest HHN updates, Universal Orlando's 2026 holiday plans and Universal Nights tickets going on sale.Then we compare the latest quarterly results from Six Flags, United Parks and Disney Experiences. Disney had the strongest quarter of the three, while United Parks continues to see guests spend more money inside its parks even as attendance struggles.Disney is also using an internal J.A.R.V.I.S. AI system with Imagineers, and we look at what has already been revealed at D23 ahead of the big Horizons: Disney Experiences Showcase.Before the news, it's time for The Queue!Tom talks about a recent SeaWorld Orlando and Aquatica visit where he and Elena:Picked up their free Pass Member basting brushes.Hit Waterway Grill Bar's happy hour for a $5 beer and $9 cocktail.Tried the Jalapeño Cheese Warm Pretzel and Bougee Bratwurst at Red, White & BBQ — spending just 20 cents on each after using SeaWorld Bucks.Discovered Aquatica's Happy Hour promotion has ended.Ordered “single” scoops of ice cream that somehow turned into three scoops each…and then became free when the register went down.Used Beach Bucks and Pass Member discounts to grab kids meals and beers at Waterstone Grill for final out-of-pocket totals of just $2.67 and $2.71.Tom also talks about getting to Busch Gardens Tampa for Kumba's final weekend, arriving for 8 a.m. early entry and getting three final rides on the legendary coaster.And naturally, since every theme park company is licensing an IP for Halloween now, Tom has an announcement of his own:The IP-licensed Pitch Perfect condo Halloween event is apparently coming soon.🎙️ Vacationeers Theme Parks & More PodcastHosted by Tom with Jon🎢 ThrillLedger — Track rides. Count memories.https://thrillledger.vacationeerspodcast.com/Use promo code LAUNCH15 for 15% off an annual subscription through August 2026.🏠 Vacationeers Property ServicesVeteran-Owned Vacation Home Care Near Disneyhttps://propertyservices.vacationeerspodcast.com/🌐 Vacationeers Podcasthttps://vacationeerspodcast.com/🎙️ Podcast Pagehttps://vacationeerspodcast.com/vacationeers-theme-parks-more-podcast/📺 YouTubehttps://www.youtube.com/@VacationeersPodcast🛍️ Merchhttps://vacationeerspodcast.com/merch/Follow TomX: https://x.com/VacationeerTomInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/vacationeer_tom/Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/VacationeerTomFollow JonX: @pastorjonselfInstagram: @jon.self.37