Jonathan Daniels lives in Minnesota, but a particular fall event brings him back home to the Green Bay area every year.
“Terror on the Fox has been our Halloween tradition ever since we were kids — it’s amazing,” Daniels said.
Terror on the Fox is a haunted house in Ashwaubenon that’s open several nights a week through Nov. 2. This year marks the attraction’s 29th season.
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It features a haunted train ride, where the lights flicker as actors dressed as zombies or other creatures roam the aisles to scare the passengers. After getting off the train, visitors stroll through a ghost ship and a haunted house, complete with jump scares, eerie music and strobe lights.
“It messed me up, definitely,” said Grayce Rich of Appleton, after she went through Friday night. “I ended up plugging my ears and running. They (the actors) follow you and stuff, so it freaks you out more because they’re behind you.”
Her friend, Sara Ebben of Kewaunee, had a different reaction.
“I go through it, I laugh. I don’t scream. I don’t cry,” said Ebben. “I’m literally standing there laughing, and she’s screaming, like, ‘Get me out of here.’”
They aren’t the only ones getting into the Halloween spirit. Communities across Wisconsin host a mix of spooky, and not so spooky, events during the fall season. They can range from the Burial Chamber Haunted House in the Fox Cities to Old World Wisconsin’s family-friendly Legends & Lores event in southern Wisconsin.
Beyond local events, Halloween is big business. It’s the second-most commercialized holiday in the United States, according to Idaho State University.
Nationally, Halloween spending is expected to reach a record-high of $13.1 billion this year, according to the National Retail Federation’s annual consumer survey. That’s up from $11.6 billion last year, and from the previous record of $12.2 billion in 2023.
On the individual level, consumers are budgeting $114 on average for costumes, candy, decorations and greeting cards, nearly $11 more per person than last year, the report said. And almost half of consumers, 49 percent, started their Halloween shopping in September or earlier.
Almost 80 percent of shoppers expect prices will be higher this year because of tariffs. But nearly three-quarters still plan to celebrate the holiday, said Katherine Cullen, vice president of Industry and Consumer Insights for the National Retail Federation, in a video released by the trade group.
“While the top celebration plans remain handing out candy, dressing in costume and decorating your home and yard, consumers are also more likely to embrace other Halloween activities this year,” she said in the video. “More people plan to carve a pumpkin, throw or attend a party, visit a haunted house or dress up their pets compared to last year.”
That enthusiasm for all things spooky helped bring Tara Yates and Keith Breland of St. Louis, Missouri, to the Green Bay area for Terror on the Fox this year.
They were in Wisconsin because Breland had a business trip in Fond du Lac. They decided to make the drive up to Ashwaubenon to check out the haunted house.
“This is how we do date night — we love scary,” Yates said. “We’re big horror fans, so we love to be scared. We like to see the different props. We love spooky season.”
Heather Murray of Two Rivers, who is a big fan of ’80s and ’90s slasher movies, also recently visited the haunted house in Ashwaubenon.
“I enjoyed interacting with the workers. They were super fun, super great characters,” she said after her visit. “I love Halloween time. October is my favorite month of the year.”
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