Universal Orlando Resort opened Halloween Horror Nights 2026 at Universal Studios Florida, marking the event’s 35th year with 10 new haunted houses, four scare zones, additional street experiences and new food, beverage and shopping offerings. The event runs 49 select nights through Nov. 1.
Universal: Scaring the Pants off America
What started in 1991 as a 3-night event with a single haunted house called “Fright Nights” has grown into what Universal calls the World’s Premier Halloween Event. This year’s lineup sets the story inside the Infernal Carnival of Nightmares, overseen by longtime Halloween Horror Nights characters Jack the Clown and Dr. Oddfellow.
The 10 new haunted houses draw on horror titles and original stories developed by Universal’s entertainment team, including:
- “Stranger Things 5,” tied to the final season of the Netflix series
- “Sinners,” based on the Warner Bros. Pictures film and set inside Club Juke
- “Hellraiser,” built around the Lament Configuration and the Cenobites
- “Ozzy Osbourne: Prince of Darkness,” a tribute built around the Crazy Train
- “Evil Dead Burn,” following the Deadites from the Evil Dead franchise
- “Jack & Oddfellow: Chaos & Control,” centered on the event’s two longtime rivals
- “INVASION: Alien Abduction,” based on an alien abduction from a remote homestead
- “H.R. Bloodengutz Presents: A Halloween Fright-Tacular!” a final broadcast from the WKNB Television Station host
- “MADLANDS: Caged Cannibals,” set in a post-apocalyptic wasteland
- “Cybergoria,” set in a world where machines have replaced human flesh with synthetic parts
Four new scare zones extend the event onto the streets of Universal Studios Florida: Downtown Clowntown, Fortnitemares, Infernal Carnival of Nightmares and Sideshow of Decay. Additional street experiences include Mel’s Die-In: Zombies, Club Horror in the San Francisco area, roaming Chainsaw Hordes and a first-time meet-and-greet with HamiKuma inside the Five & Dime merchandise location.
New entertainment includes the nighttime lagoon show Stranger Things: Return to Hawkins, marking the series’ 10th anniversary, and Nightmare Fuel: Blood Noir. The Halloween Horror Nights Tribute Store returns to the New York area with a Sideshow Obscura theme and merchandise also sold at ShopUniversal.com. More than 50 food and beverage items tied to this year’s houses are available across the event, including Upside Down Chicken & Waffles and Pinhead’s Skin & Meatballs.
Select Universal Orlando hotels will carry Halloween Horror Nights-themed lounges and specialty cocktail menus, and Universal CityWalk’s Dead Coconut Club will convert into a Harvest Festival for the fall season.
Tickets and vacation packages are on sale now, including single-night tickets, Frequent Fear Passes and event upgrades such as the Halloween Horror Nights Express Pass, the R.I.P. Tour and the Behind the Screams: Unmasking the Horror Tour. Guests staying at a Universal Orlando hotel receive Early Park Admission, priority entry to Halloween Horror Nights from 6:30 to 7:30 p.m. and complimentary transportation between the hotels, theme parks and Universal CityWalk.
For more information, visit universalorlando.com.
