RANCHO CORDOVA – The shadows are stirring once again in Rancho Cordova, and with them comes one of Northern California’s most elaborate and spine-tingling Halloween attractions. Heartstoppers Haunts, the region’s largest multi-level haunted attraction, reopens October 3 for its 18th season, inviting thrill seekers from Folsom, Sacramento, and beyond to step inside its three-story labyrinth of fear.
This isn’t just another haunted house. Heartstoppers has become a fall tradition across the region, known for its ability to blend theatrical storytelling, professional stage design, and community spirit into a fully immersive experience. Each year, thousands descend on 2300 Mine Shaft Lane to brave the haunt’s sprawling indoor and outdoor spaces. With four unique haunted realms included in a single ticket, visitors never quite know what awaits around each corner.
For 2025, organizers promise some of the most ambitious additions yet. A brand-new haunt called House McCutchen takes center stage, delivering a psychological nightmare that blurs the line between whispers and reality. Guests report hearing children’s laughter from nowhere, footsteps pacing in empty rooms, and voices that seem to call their name as they try to escape. The doors to House McCutchen may open freely, but legend suggests not everyone who enters finds their way back out.
Another new feature this season is Redemption!, a live stage show performed hourly in Ghost Town. More than a diversion between haunts, the performance ties together the lore of Heartstoppers, revealing how dark deeds by Cyrus Lynch roused the dead in Deadlands, what sinister plans Dr. Ghàst pursues inside his hilltop hospital, and how witches and miners in the other haunted realms remain forever linked. The show combines stunt work with storytelling, ensuring that every guest not only experiences the terror firsthand but also understands the chilling legends behind it.
The haunt is also expanding beyond pure scares, adding energy and entertainment with live music and fire performances. The bqnd UltraFried C will bring their talents to the stage, while fire dancers and performance artists fill the night with light and movement that match the intensity of the haunts themselves.
Vendors and food have also been expanded to make the event a destination. Guests will find eerie trinkets, horror-themed jewelry, hand-crafted ceramics, and fortune-telling stalls in the vendor alleys both indoors and outdoors. For those needing to recharge, local favorites like Bubblecone and Authentic Street Taco will be on site, while themed beverages such as the “Cyrus Cider” and “Witches Brew” give visitors something suitably spooky to sip on between frights. And for the fans who want to take a piece of Heartstoppers home, official merchandise returns, though with the tongue-in-cheek warning that these keepsakes may just carry their own curse.
Heartstoppers is more than an entertainment spectacle; it is also a major fundraiser for Theater Education 4 Theater Nerds, a theater education nonprofit, and Cordova Community Council Foundation. , with proceeds supporting programs that serve residents year-round. That civic tie gives every shriek and every laugh an added purpose, making it one of the rare haunted attractions that is both frightening and meaningful.
The 2025 season will run for just twelve nights between October 3 and November 1, creating a sense of urgency for those who want to experience it. To manage crowd sizes and reduce long waits, organizers are selling tickets exclusively online with reserved entry times. With demand traditionally strong and the limited run in place, fans are encouraged to buy early to secure their night of terror. Tickets and full event details are available now at heartstoppershaunt.com.
For those traveling from Folsom and surrounding areas, the event has become a staple of October outings. Families with older children, groups of friends, and couples looking for seasonal thrills make the drive each year, and with this season’s additions, the experience is expected to be bigger and bolder than ever.
Heartstoppers has always excelled at balancing the familiar with the unexpected. Returning haunts like Deadlands and the haunted hospital will deliver the scares that veterans of the event have come to love, while newcomers like House McCutchen and the Redemption! stage show ensure that no two years ever feel the same. Add in live music, fire performers, vendors, food, and a deep community connection, and the attraction becomes far more than a haunted house. It is a festival of fear, a gathering place for those who want to embrace the Halloween season in full.
Tickets, schedules, and more information are available at heartstoppershaunt.com. With only a dozen nights available, the curtain on this year’s production will fall quickly, leaving the ghosts, witches, and monsters of Heartstoppers to slumber until another October awakens them. For now, the doors are opening, the lights are flickering, and the screams are ready to return.
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