Terror Vault Returns to the Old Mint October 1 With SLASHED: Return to Hellville

Terror Vault returns to the San Francisco Mint on October 1 with SLASHED: Return to Hellville, a walk-through horror production staged inside the 1874 granite building at 88 Fifth Street. It runs on selected nights through November 1, and the dates matter: this is not open every evening in October.

The Nights It Actually Runs

October 1 to 3, 9 and 10, 15 to 18, 22 to 25, and 28 to 31, then a final night on November 1. Entry is timed, with slots every 15 minutes for groups of up to 12. The whole thing is 18 and over, with valid ID required at the door.

Two lights-on tours called Behind the Screams follow on November 7 and 8, walking guests through the sets, props, costumes and effects with the production team. Each of those tickets includes a beer, a glass of wine or a soda.

What to Expect

This year’s production is built as a homage to 1980s slasher films. Guests join the investigation of the fictional Shellville murders after Petra Sterling, host of a true-crime podcast called Hellville, disappears while reporting on a new wave of killings. Her assistant recruits the audience to finish the job, which means going into the sealed town, dealing with a killer named Darren Grieves and recovering the parts of something called the Fear Engine.

The format is a linear walkthrough of 60 to 70 minutes that mixes haunted-attraction staging, theater and escape-room puzzles. Each production employs more than 100 local performers and technicians.

“With SLASHED, we’ve created our own twisted valentine to the gloriously over-the-top horror films of the 1980s, where audiences don’t just watch the nightmare unfold, they become part of it,” said co-founder Joshua Grannell, who performs as Peaches Christ.

The Bar You Can Visit Without a Ticket

Fang Bang, a vampire-themed pop-up bar with an 80s New Wave and goth setup, operates inside the Mint’s actual vault and serves Halloween cocktails. CreepShop, a pop-up retail counter carrying Terror Vault merchandise and items from Kreepsville666, Middle of Beyond and local artists, sits alongside it. Both are open to the public with no cover during show hours, and neither requires a ticket to SLASHED.

VIP tickets add a pre-show called the Wainwright Family Carnival, an interactive midway with its own bar, games and photo sets, plus a souvenir cup.

Details

When: October 1 to November 1, 2026, selected nights only. Where: The San Francisco Mint, 88 Fifth Street, at Mission Street in Mid-Market.

Cost: General admission runs about $64 to $90 depending on the night and time slot, per Haunted Attraction Network; the July announcement quoted a $60 to $80 range, so check current pricing at terrorvault.com. VIP tickets cost more.

Getting there: Powell Street station, served by BART and Muni Metro, is two blocks north on Market Street. The 27 Bryant stops on Fifth Street. The Fifth and Mission garage is directly across the street, which matters for a show that ends late.

About the Building

The Old United States Mint is a National Historic Landmark and one of the few buildings in the area to survive the 1906 earthquake and fire, which is where its local nickname, the Granite Lady, comes from. It is operated as an event venue by Non Plus Ultra and is not otherwise open to the public on a regular schedule, so the Halloween run is one of the more reliable ways to get inside it. Terror Vault is produced under the Into The Dark banner by Grannell, David Flower Productions and Non Plus Ultra.

For the rest of what’s on this month, see our September guide.

Sources: Haunted Attraction Network; BroadwayWorld, July 29.

Photo: Olaf Meister, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons.