The 13th Gate

What The 13th Gate does

The 13th Gate is a privately held haunted house attraction operated by Midnight Productions, Inc. in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. Founded in 1994 as Louisiana Nightmares in Alexandria, the company opened its flagship 40,000 sq ft indoor and outdoor attraction at 832 St. Philip Street in downtown Baton Rouge in 2002. The core product is a 13-realm walk-through haunted house featuring movie-industry-grade sets, professional Hollywood-level makeup effects, a life-size pirate ship, subterranean passages with live snakes, and an outdoor zombie-infested graveyard, staffed during peak season by 160+ actors, 40 crew members, and special effects makeup artists. The attraction is described by company material as ultra-realistic and comparable in production quality to a Hollywood film, and is recognized as one of America's top haunted houses by outlets including Travel Channel, MTV, USA Today, CNN, and Hauntworld.com.

The business generates revenue through six primary streams: general admission and VIP/skip-line tickets to the haunted house, the Séance time-ticketed immersive experience, the Carnevil Haunted Midway (games, escape rooms, laser maze, selfie museum, concerts, food), 13th Gate Escape (8 live year-round escape rooms, launched 2015), merchandise via Spreadshirt and on-site, and special events including Serial Killer Speed Dating and Flashlight Fright Nights. Distribution is primarily through the third-party FearTicket.com online ticketing platform, on-site box office, and phone-based group sales for parties of 20+. The company serves thrill-seeking adult consumers, couples, friend groups, and corporate/team outings, drawing regionally from Louisiana and beyond, with active social media and radio (WFMF 102.5 FM) marketing partnerships. Mid-season headcount is 101-250 with year-round operations including the escape game venue and an off-season movie-industry construction crew.

Name

The 13th Gate

Legal name

Midnight Productions, Inc.

Website

https://13thgate.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1994

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

101–250 employees

Short description

The 13th Gate is a privately held haunted house attraction in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, operated by Midnight Productions, Inc. since 2002. It serves thrill-seeking adult consumers, couples, and groups through a 40,000 sq ft ultra-realistic haunted house, live escape rooms, an outdoor midway, and special events.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Haunted House Attractions

NAICS

Amusement Parks and Arcades (7131), Amusement and Theme Parks (71311)

SIC

Services-Amusement & Recreation Services (7900), Services-Miscellaneous Amusement & Recreation (7990)

akta.pro primary industry

Family Entertainment Centers & Indoor Amusement (Arcades, Trampoline Parks, Indoor Play) (THAAAAAD)

akta.pro secondary industry

Escape Room Games & Mystery Puzzle Boxes Retail (CRALALAM)

Keywords

• Haunted house attractions
• Live escape games
• Immersive horror entertainment
• Halloween haunted events
• Seasonal haunted attraction

Headquarters

HQ city

Baton Rouge

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Haunted House Admission: Primary revenue from ticket sales to the 40,000 sq ft haunted house attraction. General admission pricing with VIP skip-line options and group discounts.
2. Séance Ticketed Experience: Time-ticketed haunted magic show experience located in Carnevil across from the main haunt. Separate admission required.
3. Carnevil Haunted Midway: Adjacent entertainment area featuring haunted games (Beat the Bar, Ringmaster's Laser Showdown), 5-minute escape games, Sinister Selfies selfie museum, concerts, food, and merchandise.
4. 13th Gate Escape Games: 8 live escape room games located next door to the main haunt. Year-round operation with international recognition.
5. Merchandise: 13th Gate branded merchandise including T-shirts and souvenirs sold at the venue.
6. Special Events: Special ticketed events including Serial Killer Speed Dating, Flashlight Fright Nights, and seasonal events.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

The 13th Gate operates a 40,000 sq. ft. indoor and outdoor haunted house attraction in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, featuring 13 distinct themed realms with Hollywood-grade set design, professional makeup effects, and live actors. The company sells timed tickets and VIP skip-line admissions to the main haunt, the Séance immersive show, 8 live escape rooms at 13th Gate Escape, the Carnevil Haunted Midway (games, laser maze, selfie museum, concerts), seasonal events such as Flashlight Fright Nights and Serial Killer Speed Dating, and branded merchandise. The business is operated by Midnight Productions, Inc.

Product overview

The 13th Gate operates a multi-venue entertainment complex in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, centered around its flagship 40,000 sq. ft. haunted house attraction featuring 13 nightmarish realms with Hollywood-level production quality. The portfolio includes 13th Gate Escape (8 internationally-recognized live escape games), Carnevil Haunted Midway (outdoor entertainment with games, escape rooms, concerts, and a selfie museum), the Séance haunted magic show, and seasonal events like Flashlight Fright Nights and Serial Killer Speed Dating. The company also offers merchandise and food/beverage services across venues. The main house changes annually, and the operation runs seasonally from September through November with over 160 actors, 40 crew members, and special effects makeup artists during peak season.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Séance: A haunted magic show and live immersive experience featuring ancient rituals, restless spirits, and supernatural phenomena. Located in Carnevil across the street from the haunted house.
• Carnevil Haunted Midway
• 13th Gate Escape
• Necropolis 13 (former)

Products and services

• The 13th Gate Haunted House Louisiana's Ultimate Haunted House featuring 13 nightmarish realms across 40,000 square feet of indoor and outdoor space, including a life-like pirate ship, subterranean passages with live snakes, an outdoor zombie-infested graveyard, and an abandoned asylum theme, delivered with Hollywood-level makeup effects and professional actors for adult thrill-seekers.
• 13th Gate Escape (Live Escape Games) Baton Rouge's first live escape game venue featuring 8 themed escape rooms, including Saw, Voodoo, and The Abyss themes, plus 5-minute quick-play formats; open year-round and recognized internationally as among the best escape games in the world.
• Carnevil Haunted Midway Outdoor haunted entertainment area across the street from The 13th Gate featuring haunted games, 5-minute escape games, Ringmaster's Laser Showdown (laser maze), Sinister Selfies horror-themed selfie museum, free nightly concerts, SideShow Bar, food vendors, and Frankie's Fright Bites.
• Séance (Haunted Magic Show) A time-ticketed haunted magic show and live immersive theatrical experience located in Carnevil across from the main haunted house, featuring total darkness, ancient rituals, restless spirits, air blasts, strobe lighting, wind, scent effects, and unsettling audio; participants must be 12 years of age or older.
• Flashlight Fright Nights Post-Halloween-season event where the haunted house is operated in complete darkness and guests explore with dimly lit LED finger lights, with a full cast of monsters roaming the passages for a more terrifying version of the regular experience.
• Serial Killer Speed Dating Special themed speed dating event held at the 13th Gate Haunted House where one participant is the secret "killer" and others use clues and conversation to identify them while seeking romantic connections; no jump scares or actors are involved. Held in separate age-banded sessions.
• Branded Merchandise 13th Gate branded merchandise including T-shirts and souvenirs sold at the venue and online through Spreadshirt at https://shop.spreadshirt.com/13thGate/.

Quantifiable outcome

• Consistently ranked as one of America's top haunted attractions
• +1 more outcomes

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration3 records

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Four partnerships are on record, tiered core, minor and moderate.

• FearTicket.comcoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorPrimary online ticketing platform for The 13th Gate, selling general admission, VIP, and Séance time-ticketed event tickets.
• Gerry LaneminorGTM or Marketing PartnerSponsor of The 13th Gate, visible in logo section on website footer.
• Coca-Cola and FantaminorGTM or Marketing PartnerBeverage sponsors whose logos appear on The 13th Gate website. Fanta partnership enables $5 discount coupon program where customers bring empty Fanta bottles.
• American HauntsmoderateOthersIndustry association that certifies and recognizes The 13th Gate as a Legendary Haunted Attraction. Displayed as a badge of legitimacy and safety standards.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Emerging players

• The Escape Game: Nashville-headquartered escape room chain with 60+ U.S. locations - directly comparable for 13th Gate Escape's year-round escape-room business, but operates at vastly broader geographic scale as a multi-unit chain.
• Breakout Games: U.S. escape room chain with locations across multiple states - comparable for 13th Gate Escape's year-round escape-room business; demonstrates the multi-site growth path The 13th Gate's escape brand could pursue.

Direct peers

• Netherworld Haunted House: Atlanta-based haunted attraction repeatedly ranked #1 nationally, featuring high-production themed realms, special effects, and immersive environments - directly comparable to The 13th Gate's "13 nightmarish realms" model and brand positioning.
• The Darkness: St. Louis, Missouri-based haunted house attraction consistently ranked among America's top haunted houses with multiple themed environments, escape rooms, and bar/entertainment add-ons. Closest direct competitor in scale, production value, and media recognition.
• Field of Screams: Maryland-based multi-attraction haunted destination including haunted houses, haunted hayrides, and escape rooms - directly comparable in scope, seasonal model, and inclusion of on-site escape games alongside the haunted attraction.
• Pennhurst Asylum: Pennsylvania-based haunted asylum attraction on a former real asylum grounds - comparable specialty-themed destination haunt with similar production investments, themed environments, and seasonal operating model.
• Headless Horseman Hayrides and Haunted Houses: New York Hudson Valley attraction with multiple haunted houses, hayride, and corn maze - similar multi-element destination haunt and consistently top-ranked nationally, though operates in a different regional market than The 13th Gate.
• Scream-A-Geddon: Florida-based multi-attraction haunt featuring themed houses, escape rooms, and a midway - directly comparable bundled-format competing offering with a similarly sub-tropical/regional operating environment.

Broad incumbents

• Knott's Scary Farm: California theme park's seasonal Halloween event with multiple mazes, scare zones, and shows - broader incumbent offering comparable Halloween-haunt consumer proposition at much larger scale (full theme park platform).
• Universal Halloween Horror Nights: Universal Studios' flagship seasonal Halloween event with themed haunted houses, scare zones, and live shows - the broadest market incumbent offering in the destination-Halloween-experience category that The 13th Gate competes in.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/13thgate
• Instagraminstagram.com/13thgate
• Xx.com/13thgate
• TikToktiktok.com/@13thgate
• YouTubeyoutube.com/13thgate
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/the13thgate

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 records

Subsidiaries2 records

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 The 13th Gate