Review: Angry Orchard's Thriller Variety Pack Is Back And One Flavor Is Especially Ghoulishly Good

In the heat of August, Halloween is in full swing, and there's plenty more to enjoy beyond the endless candy options. In the realm of beverages, Fanta has been scaring up good fun with cans and flavors inspired by infamous horror killers, bogeymen, and bogeywomen. Its 2026 offering stars the Ghost Face killer, and the ghoulish "Scream" villain begat a new berry darn good punch. The Angry Orchard brand has brewed-up its own spooky-themed beverages, and last year introduced the first Thriller Variety Pack. That variety offering contained four seasonal flavors, including a Blood Orange one in honor of hockey-masked maniac Jason Voorhees from the never-ending "Friday the 13th" film franchise.

The Blood Orange flavor is returning for the 2026 Thriller Variety Pack, but without Jason's mask adorning the can. Also returning is the Headless Pumpkin, and joining them are two newbies: Caramel Apple Curse, and in partnership with Fun World, Mystery Caller, featuring Mr. Ghost Face's ubiquitous face and old-school wireless home phone on its label.

So, are these new Angry Orchard seasonal offerings Halloween-friendly, or are they Halloween foes you should steer clear from? The Takeout cracked open a can of each flavor, with a focus on the two newbies, to find out where the truth lies. Now all these haunted unsolved flavor mysteries can be revealed in this sip and say whodunit.

Angry Orchard sent over its 2026 edition of the Thriller Variety Pack for my taste testing purposes, and hopefully, pleasure. The beverages arrived at room temperature and were chilled out overnight in a fridge before consumption the next day. Each of the four flavors was taste tested, one by one, and then in further rounds for comparison and contrast, and to figure out which was the cream of the crop, and which perhaps were not. They were sampled by me and a handful of other adults aged 21 or (much) older. In between sips, I actually used an apple fritter as a palate cleanser.

This sip and say is a summation of my own personal tastes and thoughts. I also factored in my previous experiences with Angry Orchard, themed drinks, and my overall impressions of these two new ones. The criteria considered for this review were flavor, presentation, familiarity, originality, uniqueness, appley taste, autumn appeal, and ultimately, whether this Thriller Variety Park is something worth your time and dime.

Recommendations are based on firsthand impressions of promotional materials and products provided by the manufacturer.

As with the Fanta Ghost Face Punch can, the Angry Orchard Mystery Caller can was a frightful delight to ogle over. I almost didn't want to bother opening either can, leaving them in mint condition, and just have the two hang out on a shelf, spooking up the room. Before opening the can, I had no real clue about its contents — a real mystery indeed. As I poured the ruby red liquid into a clear glass, I giddily watched as it produced a bloody good visual, well-suited for its character and theme. I leaned in for a whiff and it instantly reminded me of Eastern European kompot (pronounced compote), which is a kid-friendly sweet punch where berries are cooked and mixed with water and sugar.

My first sip of Mystery Caller revealed that it was no kid's stuff, but instead passed itself off as a denser beverage akin to a mulled wine. Its exact flavor actually remained an enigma to me and perusing the can's opaque ingredient listing didn't help in my tasting investigation to solve this case. As I sipped away at it, I started to better focus on its flavoring, and began to detect traces of blackberries. Also, after so many repeated sips, this un-ciderlike cider started to grow on me. It wasn't exactly the smoothest of sippers, but Mystery Caller answered the call and was enjoyable from start to finish.

I'm not sure what I was expecting from a Caramel Apple Curse flavor, but I wouldn't have been surprised if the brew had a green tint to it. Instead, this looked like good old apple juice — a golden brew that was mildly transparent, and glowed in the light. I leaned in for a sniff, and my nostrils interpreted its aroma as a honeyed-mead. When I reminded myself of the cider's flavor name, my brain told my nose to seek out more apples, and they did indeed begin to peek through.

This beverage not only smelled like mead, it tasted like one too. It came off as more of a dry wine than a cider, but its apple flavoring shined through with each sip. I personally didn't detect any actual caramel notes, but instead artificial vanilla ones that didn't do the drink any favors. While the Caramel Apple Curse cider was not a detestable drink whatsoever, it wasn't exactly one I was looking to pluck first from the Angry Orchard tree.

After trying the new drink additions to the Thriller Variety Pack, I wanted to try the two returning ones, which were also new to me. I started with the Blood Orange cider, which my mouth immediately warmed up to, and my head nodded in agreement to how great it was. Whether you're into pumpkin spice-flavored beverages or not, the Headless Pumpkin also held up its end of the bargain. It's well-spiced and sweet, and almost tastes like a liquid Yankee Candle, which means it's a well seasoned drink that's well suited for the actual season.

As a variety pack for the fall and Halloween, Angry Orchard's "Thriller" one delivers the goods. There is a little bit of everything here for most to enjoy, and for curious sippers to at least try. The Caramel Apple Curse is an interesting entry, but one that probably doesn't need to bother returning in 2027. I'm not personally a giant pumpkin spice boy, but one cannot argue at its flavorful bona fides and inclusion in this pack. The Mystery Caller was a surprising deviation from normal cider, and its mulled wine-like traits kept calling me back for more and more sips. Perhaps I should save some for winter, and serve warm. Jason may be gone from the cans, but the Blood Orange flavor is the best pick of this harvest. I wish this one was permanently on the shelves. Just because Friday the 13th only hits the calendar occasionally doesn't mean we can't raise a can in its spooky honor year-round.

Angry Orchard's Mystery Caller and Caramel Apple Curse are new beverages available for a limited time, August through October, while supplies last. They can only be purchased as part of the seasonal Thriller Variety Pack, which includes a dozen 12-ounce cans: three cans each of Mystery Caller and Caramel Apple Curse, as well as three cans each of returning flavors, Headless Pumpkin and Blood Orange.

The Thriller pack can be purchased at participating beer and liquor stores, as well as convenience stores, grocery stores, and other retailers. Prices will vary by location, but ones spotted online have ranged from $18.99 to $22.99. If you happen to find yourself in Walden, New York at Angry Orchard's Cider House, Caramel Apple Curse and Headless Pumpkin are available on tap in a variety of sizes. You must be 21 years of age or older to purchase these beverages.

Angry Orchard's Mystery Caller and Caramel Apple Curse flavors are both made up of hard cider, filtered water, cane sugar, and contains less than 2% of apple juice from concentrate, malic acid, natural flavors, fruit and vegetable juice for color, carbon dioxide, and sulfates added to preserve freshness. They are 5% alcohol by volume, and gluten-free, making them great alternatives to beer.

One 12-ounce can of Mystery Caller contains 160 calories, 15 milligrams of sodium, 19 grams of total carbohydrates, including 14 grams of total sugar, and 13 grams of added sugar. One 12-ounce can of Caramel Apple Curse nets a drinker 179 calories, 15 milligrams of sodium, 21 grams of total carbohydrates, including 16 grams of total sugar, and 15 grams of added sugars. Both flavors also chip in 20 milligrams of calcium and 210 milligrams of potassium.