Honoring the legacy of Merlyn Linn (December 1, 1937 – September 17, 2026)
The Haunt (bar) is opening on a Tuesday night, October 13, from 7pm to 11pm in honor of the late Merlyn Linn. Adults who knew Merlyn directly, or through visiting his haunted house, are encouraged to join us as we raise a glass in honor of this wonderful human being.
Facebook Event: https://www.facebook.com/share/1UWYbwM8Wn/
The Haunt’s Website: https://slaughterhousedm.com/haunt
I have started to add haunted house operating dates and times to the DMHH calendar. You can view this on the website, or add it to your phone to get a list of the haunts. NOTE: Unless someone can teach me how, I don’t think it auto updates once you add it to your device. As I make changes/corrections, you may have to delete and re-add.
I have started with what is listed on the official websites. If the page shows dates, but not hours, I just put it in as a daily event. Some information is missing — if it’s not easy to find (like the main page of a website should have where/when/how much) I may not have that on my calendar yet.
Here is the link:
If your car wants in on the haunted house action, check out Tommy’s Express in West Des Moines this year. They will be having their “haunted” car wash again:
They have posted this teaser video to YouTube… Is your car brave enough?
The man behind Linn’s Supermarket Haunted House, Merlyn Linn, has passed away at age 88. Currently, the family plans to continue his wish to operate Linn’s Haunted House this season. For details on Merlyn’s passing, as well as the haunted house plans for this year, visit their website or Facebook page.
https://www.linnshauntedhouse.com
I chatted with Merlyn so many times over the years and was always amazed he was still going full speed ahead each season. He’d be crawling through the tunnels with a vacuum, or popping up and down the basement stairs with a flashlight, non stop. Just watching him made me exhausted.
I will miss him very much. I still have not come to terms with this news.
The Map link at the top of these pages goes to a Google Maps where I have entered the location of all the haunted houses. If the entry starts with “2026”, it is supposed to be operating this year. Some other haunts are listed as “2025” and I have not confirmed them yet. As soon as I do I will update their map entry.
Can someone with more better math count the days that Haunted Woods is open, and tell me what you come up with? From their website:
https://www.hauntedwoodsdsm.com
I count twenty nights of screams. We haven’t had haunts running this many nights in awhile, have we?
After rebranding from “Barnum Circus of Freaks” to “Barnum Carnival of Freaks”, it looks like with have the fifth name for a haunted house at that location —
I have not heard any details on this yet, though, but believe it is the same ownership/management because they still are using the old e-mail address from the Circus/Carnival days, and even still call it “Barnum Carnival of Freaks” on their contact us page.
If I hear anything, I’ll update…
New for 2026 is a great way to see two very different haunted attractions. Charters on Vine (a bus charter service) has a special deal where you meet up at Whiskey River in Ankeny and then board one of their trolleys for a night of halloween fun. The trolley heads out at 6:45 p.m. with the folks who made it on time 😉
https://whiskeyriverankeny.com
The trolley will take you to The Slaughterhouse in downtown Des Moines where you will get V.I.P. admission to the haunt.
Next, it rolls over to Monsterama PubCade, a monster themed arcade/bar.
https://www.monsteramapubcade.com
After this, it ends up at Haunted Woods in Carlisle for one of the coolest outdoor haunted walks you have ever experienced.
Eventually, they will return you to your car at Whiskey River in Ankeny (estimated to be around 11:30pm or so).
https://whiskeyriverankeny.com again, for those not paying attention.
The ticket price includes:
I would caution that the haunts may not let you in if you appear drunk, so… pregame responsibly…
Sounds like a fun way to have a night out and see some haunts without spending hours in line 😉
Check it out here:
It is that time again, haunt fans! I will start updating this index for the 2026 season shortly. So far, no haunt has submitted any information to me, but I have seen a few of them post to social media announcing dates for this season. When I get a moment, I will go out and start collecting information o share here.
If you plan to buy any video effects from AtmosFX this season, consider using my referral link so I can make money off of you without me having to do anything:
Thanks!
