Zombie Army Productions

What Zombie Army Productions does

Zombie Army Productions is a privately-held entertainment production consortium founded in 1998 and headquartered in the Chicago metropolitan area. The company specializes in end-to-end production services for dark entertainment, operating seasonal haunted house attractions (currently HellsGate Haunted House, established 2016), producing themed live events (Zombie Prom, Zombie Army Games, A Very Zombie Xmas, The Price Is Fright), and providing special effects, makeup, set design, and production services to film productions and other haunted house operators. Its core technology and capabilities center on physical production craft: special effects makeup, set design and construction, prop creation, sound and lighting engineering, costume artistry, and trained horror actors.

The business model combines multiple revenue streams: consumer ticket sales at seasonal haunted attractions, professional production services sold to other haunted house operators and film production companies (including Zabba Zabba Production, A Simple Seed Production, and Big Tree Productions), branded merchandise sold through a global e-commerce storefront (zombiearmystore.com), and original film content. The company serves two primary customer segments: individual consumers seeking Halloween and horror entertainment experiences, and B2B clients including haunted house operators and film production companies requiring specialized dark-entertainment production expertise. Distribution is primarily regional (Chicago area), with limited out-of-region forays (Orlando, St. Louis trade show) and global merchandise reach via e-commerce.

The company operates as a "consortium of independent artists and tradesmen" with approximately 20 named core team members, supplemented by seasonal contractors during peak October operations. It is owned and led by John LaFlamboy (Owner/Operator, Designer/Director), with key team members including Kyle LaFlamboy (Operations Director), Chad Savage (Head of Visual Design), and Tresa Walker (Master Painter). The company has no disclosed institutional investment, operates on a seasonal cash-flow model, and has accumulated 27 years of operational history with notable brand recognition in the Chicago haunted attraction market, including over a decade of "Best Haunted Attraction" recognition from HauntedHouseChicago.com.

Name

Zombie Army Productions

Legal name

Zombie Army Productions

Website

https://zombiearmyproductions.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1998

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

101–250 employees

Short description

Zombie Army Productions is a Chicago-area entertainment production consortium founded in 1998 that designs, builds, and operates seasonal haunted house attractions (HellsGate), produces themed events and horror films, and sells branded merchandise. It serves Halloween consumers regionally while providing production services to other haunted house operators and film companies.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Lockport

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Haunted House Ticket Sales: Revenue from operating seasonal haunted house attractions including HellsGate Haunted House and previously Statesville Haunted Prison and City of the Dead (1998-2023), The Fear at Navy Pier (2008), and Dragon's Dome (2006-2008).
2. Event Production Services: Production services provided to other haunted house operators including design, building, directing, staffing, marketing and management. Includes services for partner attractions and film productions.
3. Merchandise Sales: Sale of zombie-themed merchandise through their online store (zombiearmystore.com) including apparel and novelty items.
4. Film Production: Original and contracted film production including The Adventures of Kitty Zombie, The Mole Man of Belmont Avenue, and providing production services for other films (Art of Pain, Squeal, Haunted House the Movie).
5. Event Hosting: Hosted signature events including Zombie Prom Chicago (2011-2018), Orlando Zombie Prom (2013), The Price Is Fright game show (2012-2014), Zombie Army Games, and A Very Zombie Xmas.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels6 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

Zombie Army Productions is a consortium of entertainment businesses that designs, builds, and operates haunted house attractions, horror-themed live events, and horror film productions. The company operates HellsGate Haunted House and produces seasonal events such as Zombie Prom, Zombie Army Games, The Price Is Fright, and A Very Zombie Xmas, while also delivering production services to other haunted house operators and film projects.

Product overview

Zombie Army Productions is a consortium of entertainment production businesses that provides comprehensive production services for dark events, including haunted houses, themed parties, special events, and film productions. The company operates a portfolio of branded haunted attractions (HellsGate Haunted House, Statesville Haunted Prison and City of the Dead, The Fear Haunted House at Navy Pier, Dragon's Dome Haunted House), produces themed events (Zombie Prom Chicago and Orlando, The Price Is Fright game show, Zombie Army Games, A Very Zombie Xmas), and creates film content (The Adventures of Kitty Zombie, The Mole Man of Belmont Avenue, and various film collaborations). The company also provides a wide range of production services including design, building, special effects, makeup, marketing, and video production, and operates a merchandise store. Services are offered to haunted houses, parties, special events, and film productions from conceptual design through closing night.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• HellsGate Haunted House: Haunted house attraction established in 2016, located in Illinois.
• Statesville Haunted Prison
• The Fear Haunted House
• Dragon's Dome Haunted House
• Zombie Prom Chicago
• Orlando Zombie Prom
• The Price Is Fright
• Zombie Army Games
• A Very Zombie Xmas
• Days of the Living Dead
• The Adventures of Kitty Zombie
• The Mole Man of Belmont Avenue

Products and services

• HellsGate Haunted House Flagship immersive haunted house attraction in the Chicago area, succeeding the long-running Statesville Haunted Prison; designed and operated by Zombie Army Productions for horror entertainment consumers.
• Zombie Prom Seasonal horror-themed live event produced by Zombie Army Productions, targeting horror fans seeking themed entertainment experiences beyond the standard haunted house.
• Zombie Army Games Horror-themed live event produced by Zombie Army Productions, offering a themed competitive or experiential entertainment format for consumers.
• The Price Is Fright Horror-themed live event produced by Zombie Army Productions, offering a themed entertainment experience for horror genre fans.
• A Very Zombie Xmas Holiday-season horror-themed live event produced by Zombie Army Productions, extending the company's themed entertainment lineup beyond Halloween.
• Zombie Army Merchandise Branded horror-themed merchandise line sold through the company's online store at zombiearmystore.com, targeting fans of the Zombie Army Productions brands.
• Haunted House Production Services B2B service through which Zombie Army Productions provides design, build, fabrication, and production support to other haunted house operators.
• Film Production Services B2B film production services capability supporting external horror and genre film projects with production resources drawn from Zombie Army Productions' in-house capabilities.
• Kitty Zombie (film) Horror film produced in-house by Zombie Army Productions, part of the company's film production slate and associated film production services offering.
• Mole Man of Belmont Avenue (film) Horror film produced in-house by Zombie Army Productions, part of the company's film production slate and associated film production services offering.

Quantifiable outcome

• Best Haunted Attraction recognition for over 10 consecutive years
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers4 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature4 records

Partnerships

Six partnerships are on record, tiered minor and core.

• TransWorld's Halloween & Attractions ShowminorOthersTransWorld's Halloween & Attractions Show hosted The Price Is Fright event produced by Zombie Army Productions from 2012-2014. This was a game show party held at the trade show venue in St. Louis where contestants could bid on haunt industry products and compete for prizes.
• Navy PiercoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerNavy Pier was a venue partner for The Fear Haunted House attraction. Zombie Army conceptualized, designed, built, produced, directed, staffed, acted, marketed and managed the haunted attraction at Navy Pier from 2008. The attraction operated until 2014 when the barge sank.
• Halloween Extreme (Orlando)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerZombie Army Productions participated in Halloween Extreme in Orlando, Florida with the Orlando Zombie Prom event in 2013. The event was part of this larger horror entertainment festival.
• Zabba Zabba ProductionminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerZombie Army Productions provided special effects, makeup effects, production design, set building, support cast and crew for 'Art of Pain' film production under this partnership.
• A Simple Seed ProductionminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerZombie Army Productions provided special effects, makeup effects, production design, set building, support cast and crew for 'Squeal' film production.
• Big Tree ProductionsminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerZombie Army Productions provided special effects, makeup effects, production design, set building, production management, support cast and crew for 'Haunted House, the Movie' and 'Take the Money' music video productions.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Haunted Schoolhouse & Laboratory: The Haunted Schoolhouse & Laboratory is a long-running, independently operated haunted attraction in the Midwest built inside a converted school building with live actors and detailed sets. It is comparable to Zombie Army as a regional, privately held operator with deep operational history, immersive themed environments, and a seasonal actor-based model.
• The Darkness Haunted House: The Darkness is an independently operated haunted attraction complex in St. Louis featuring multiple themed haunts under one brand with live actors, animatronics, and elaborate sets. It is comparable to Zombie Army because both are privately held, mid-sized multi-attraction operators that compete on production quality and recognized brand reputation in their respective regional markets.
• Field of Screams: Field of Screams is an independently operated haunted attraction in Pennsylvania offering multiple themed haunts with live actors, special effects, and signature events across an extended Halloween season. It is comparable to Zombie Army as a similarly scaled private operator combining multi-attraction ticketing, signature events, and substantial in-house set/prop construction.
• Bates Motel Haunted Attraction: Bates Motel is a Philadelphia-area independently operated haunted attraction featuring multiple haunts, hayride, and a long-running brand. It is comparable to Zombie Army as a multi-property, privately held operator with strong regional brand equity, signature seasonal events, and in-house production design.
• 13th Gate Haunted House: 13th Gate is a nationally recognized haunted attraction in Louisiana operating a multi-attraction, immersive horror experience with live actors and detailed set design. It is comparable to Zombie Army Productions in scale and business model: an independently operated, multi-property Halloween destination that combines self-operated attractions with elaborate production design.

Broad incumbents

• Halloween Horror Nights (Universal): Universal's Halloween Horror Nights is a major theme-park-scale Halloween event featuring multiple haunted houses, scare zones, and themed entertainment at Universal Studios parks. It is comparable to Zombie Army in that it operates immersive, multi-attraction Halloween experiences with elaborate sets and live actors, but at substantially larger scale and as part of a global theme park operator's portfolio.
• Six Flags Fright Fest: Six Flags Fright Fest is a multi-park Halloween event featuring haunted attractions, scare zones, and themed entertainment across Six Flags' regional theme parks. It is comparable to Zombie Army's format (immersive haunted experiences with live actors) but operates at national theme-park scale as part of a major operator's seasonal portfolio rather than as an independent producer.
• Knott's Scary Farm: Knott's Scary Farm is a long-running, large-scale Halloween event at Knott's Berry Farm featuring mazes, scare zones, and live shows. It is comparable to Zombie Army in the immersive, multi-attraction Halloween experience model and live-actor scare format, but operates at theme-park scale as part of a major regional amusement park operator's seasonal programming.

Others

• Sinister Visions: Sinister Visions is a web design and digital marketing agency specializing in the dark entertainment and horror industry, and is publicly credited with designing Zombie Army Productions' website. It is comparable as an ecosystem participant serving the same niche horror/haunted attraction vertical with complementary creative and marketing services rather than as a direct competitor.
• TransWorld Halloween & Attractions Show: TransWorld's Halloween & Attractions Show is the leading annual trade show for the haunted attraction industry, hosted in St. Louis, where Zombie Army previously produced The Price Is Fright event from 2012-2014. It is comparable as an industry-infrastructure participant that anchors the haunted attraction ecosystem in which Zombie Army operates, rather than as a competitor.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/zombiearmyprod
• Facebookfacebook.com/zombiearmy
• Instagraminstagram.com/thezombiearmy
• Xx.com/thezombiearmy
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/zombie-army-productions

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Zombie Army Productions