A haunted house near Desert Inn and Durango is betting that live cockroaches and actors who drag guests into hidden rooms will set it apart in a Las Vegas Halloween season already crowded with competition. The Halloween Maze, now in its sixth season, opens nightly from October 22 through Halloween, and its founder says the goal is as much about fun as fear.
From a Pandemic Yard Haunt to a Commercial Attraction
Nathan Harris, the CEO and founder of the Halloween Maze, told KLAS 8 News Now that the attraction aims to give visitors a memorable experience built around both scares and enjoyment. The venue began at Harris's home during the pandemic before growing into what the station describes as one of the country's top-rated scare attractions, eventually earning a vote as the number one haunted house in Nevada from The Scare Factor. According to the Halloween Maze's own account on Instagram, the operation launched its commercial walk-through concept in 2021 after Harris previously ran large residential yard displays, a timeline also detailed by Neon.
The attraction sits in the Spring Valley neighborhood at 8490 W. Desert Inn Rd., per the venue's Instagram page, and this season it officially joined the Southern Nevada Haunters Association, a group that unites independent haunt creators and scare actors across the valley. The maze walks guests through themed rooms including a surgery center, a laboratory, and Grandma's Kitchen, each built with detailed sets and eerie characters, the station's report notes.
Touch Passes Bring Cockroaches Into the Mix
For guests who want more than a standard scare, the Halloween Maze offers an optional Touch Pass, a glowstick necklace that gives permission for scare actors to physically interact with wearers, drag them into hidden rooms, and place live cockroaches on participating guests, according to the attraction's Instagram posts. That extreme tier sits alongside a tamer option built for younger or more timid visitors. The station reports the Halloween Maze offers different levels of fright for different comfort levels, welcoming everyone from kids to grandparents, with younger visitors able to choose a less intense walkthrough while thrill-seekers opt into the extreme experience with increased scares and touching.
That range matters in a Las Vegas haunted-attraction market that looks different this year. Longtime local staple Freakling Bros. Horror Shows, which has run independent haunted houses in Southern Nevada since 1976, paused operations for the season because co-owner JT Mollner is busy with filmmaking commitments, as reported by Neon, leaving a notable gap in the commercial haunt scene. Hoodline previously covered the Palms’ haunted pop-up tied to that same market shift.
A Crowded Field of Bigger Rivals
Smaller independent haunts like the Halloween Maze are now competing for attention alongside major corporate additions, including the year-round Universal Horror Unleashed at AREA15 and the 26th season of Asylum & Hotel Fear at Meadows Mall, according to Network in Vegas. Ticket pricing at the Halloween Maze ranges from $30 on weeknights up to $40 on weekends and $50 during Halloween week itself, with a No-Boo Pass available for guests who want a gentler walkthrough, per the same outlet.
Running a temporary indoor haunt in Clark County comes with strict oversight. The Clark County Fire Prevention Bureau regulates these venues as Special Amusement Areas, requiring automatic fire sprinklers, approved fire alarms, and emergency lighting that activates if smoke sensors are triggered.
A Record Season for Halloween Spending
The timing lines up with a banner year for Halloween spending nationally. The National Retail Federation projects consumers will spend a record $13.5 billion on the holiday in 2026, with 74% of Americans celebrating and budgeting an average of $115.14 per person — participation that has climbed steadily from 68% in 2019. At the same time, candy costs are squeezing those budgets: Bureau of Labor Statistics data cited by Newsweek shows Halloween candy and chewing gum prices rose 7.7% year-over-year in September, part of a cumulative 54% jump in sweet treat costs since August 2019.
Against that backdrop, Harris's layered pricing — from a budget-friendly No-Boo Pass to the cockroach-laced Touch Pass — reflects an attraction trying to serve both cautious families and hardcore scare-seekers in the same room. KLAS 8 News Now reports the Halloween Maze will be open every night from October 22 through Halloween, with tickets available at halloweenmazelv.com.
