The now annual Halloween season tradition of 'Terror Vault' at the Old Mint in downtown SF returns this year with a fresh concept called Slashed - Return to Hellville, taking inspiration from 1980s slasher films.

Yes, it's still July, and while Michael's and Walgreens may already be stocking shelves with Halloween merch because they don't have anything better to do once "Back to School" is over, we're not trying to give you anxiety about the year flying by. But, tickets are now on sale for Terror Vault, and for those for whom Spooky Season is vital and important, you may want to get a jump on locking down your scary experience.

Per usual, the Terror Vault experience will involve timed-entry tickets and a tour through a warren of creepy spaces in the bowels of the Old Mint, with a prescribed mission that each small group entering is supposed to participate in. The basement level of the Mint is given over a VIP lounge, merch store, and a cocktail bar in the actual former vault, which like last year is dubbed Fang Bang and is a "New Wave/goth vampire-themed pop-up bar" that is accessible to the public without a ticket to Terror Vault.

The theme for the immersive horror experience this year is Slashed - Return to Hellville, and it will feature a mashup of elements inspired by 80s slasher flicks, including a Michael Myers-esque masked killer named Darren Grieves, and scantily clad "victims" — because we all know the first victims in a classic slasher film are punished for having sex.

"The slasher films of the 1980s had such a distinct visual language, and we wanted audiences to feel like they've stepped right into one of those movies," says Terror Vault co-founder David Flower. "From the costumes and props to the set design, music, and even the smallest details, we've packed Slashed with loving nods to that era."

Some images that have been teased out by the Terror Vault team suggest a homoerotic element with two frat brothers played by Miguel Velez (aka this year's Hunky Jesus winner!) and Alex Jose, who are clearly going to be victims of Darren Grieves, as well as a similarly topless Edie Eve as a camp counselor about to get stabbed.

Miguel Velez and Alex Jose as frat brothers doing some bonding. Photo by Jenna Gable and Camillo Kearns
Edie Eve as Camp Counselor Tiff and Ryan Cicak as Darren. Photo by Jenna Gable and Camillo Kearns

"There's something deeply satisfying about a great slasher movie — they're outrageous, terrifying, funny, and endlessly inventive," says Terror Vault co-founder Joshua Grannell, aka Peaches Christ. "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."

Grannell adds that the new production is "bloodier and more immersive than anything we've done before."

Preivous iterations of Terror Vault have delved into themes of cult initiation and witches' hexes.

This year's story, Slashed - Return to Hellville, takes place in the fictional town of Shellville, where some historic murders happened linked to the supernatural Darren Grieves. The town is dubbed Hellville by a true-crime podcaster named Petra Sterling, who serves as part of the framing device. Sterling was, as the story goes, researching a new wave of killings happening in the sealed town linked to a long-abandoned Fear Clinic when she disappeared, and attendees of the experience will be led by Sterling's assistant Tina to locate "the missing components of the mysterious Fear Engine before the murders spread beyond the town’s borders."

"Along the way they’ll encounter the restless victims of Darren’s original killing spree, survive terrifying set pieces inspired by classic 80s slashers, and decide just how much they’re willing to risk to stop the nightmare," the promo copy says.

Terror Vault reopens Thursday, October 1 and runs through Sunday, November 1. For those interested in how the sausage is made, the crew is offering a "Behind the Screams" experience the following weekend, November 7 and 8, which will give fans a look at the behind-the-scenes details of creating Slashed.

VIP ticketholders get access to the unsettling Wainwright Family Carnival, a kind of unhinged carnival midway with a cocktail bar, and possibly this guy bartending.

Find tickets here, and see the behind-the-scenes of the trailer below.