Las Vegas’ legendary Freakling Bros. Horror Shows will go dark for the 2025 Halloween season—but only to return with an entirely new nightmare in 2026. After 31 years of uncompromising scares, the team is taking a one-year break to replace its long-running Castle Vampyre attraction with a reimagined experience that promises fresh effects, a redesigned layout, and themes that push the envelope of interactive horror.

Co-owner and creative director JT Mollner explained that anything less than a full Freakling Bros. production would fall short of fan expectations. With his film projects—including Strange Darling and a screen adaptation of Stephen King’s The Long Walk—also demanding attention, the decision was made to devote 2025 to design and construction rather than offer a scaled-back show.

The build will be overseen by the core Freakling team: general manager Dave “Korndawg” Martin, vice president Stacy Mata, lead stage manager Shadow Schneider, production designer Kevin Brekke, director of operations Warren Ross, and ticket-booth mainstay Ginnie “Mama Freakling” Mollner. Full details of the new haunt will be announced on Halloween, Friday, October 31, 2025, with doors set to open for the 2026 season.

“We’re not going dark—we’re building something in the dark,” said co-creator Duke Mollner. “Taking this pause lets us craft an experience that can carry Freakling Bros. Horror Shows into the next thirty years of fear.”