Universal’s Halloween Horror Nights 2025 Preview

The Halloween Horror Nights at Universal Orlando Resort and Universal Studios Hollywood are set to outdo themselves this year with a raft of new content and experiences. Creative directors Mike Aiello and John Murdy spoke with The Hollywood Reporter about the various themed experiences planned, including those based on popular TV series and video games, as well as iconic rock figures and horror characters. Among the new additions are full-scale animatronics from the video game ‘Five Nights at Freddy’s,’ a bar themed on rock star Slash, and a tribute to horror icon, Art the Clown.

– Universal Orlando Resort and Universal Studios Hollywood’s Halloween Horror Nights are introducing increased scares and new experiences for 2025, including roving zombie carhops and a DJ dance area.
– Lora Sauls, assistant director of creative development and entertainment for UOR, revealed new areas and effects have been added to the park, promising a more intense and immersive experience for visitors.
– Themed houses will include a bar dedicated to Slash, full-scale animatronics of Five Nights at Freddy’s, and a house based on the Fallout series, in collaboration with Amazon’s Prime Video.
– The teams have worked closely with the Fallout team to create an immersive and diverse experience, with detailed sets and numerous characters featuring throughout the house.
– Also featured will be houses themed around WWE’s Horrors of the Wyatt Sicks, and a Five Nights at Freddy’s house featuring impressive animatronics and puppeteered characters.
– By commemorating Friday the 13th’s 40th anniversary, both parks have partnered with Horror Inc. and the Thirteen Hole group for houses using distinctive storytelling.
– Experiences from previous years, including the Poltergeist house and the Blumhouse Terror Tram, will also return as part of a ‘blast from the past’.

Every year, Universal Orlando Resort and Universal Studios Hollywood’s Halloween Horror Nights redefines what can be achieved at a seasonal after-hour event. The creative director for Universal Orlando Resort, Mike Aiello, reveals that this year will deliver increased scares across the park. Simultaneously, new experiences such as wandering zombie carhops and a DJ dance area have been introduced.

Aiello emphasizes that the event has something to offer everyone, with a variety of content from intellectual property (IP) and original house ideas tied together by Scare Zone programs. Expectations are high that everyone will appreciate the creative energy of this year’s event.

According to Lora Sauls, the assistant director of creative development and entertainment at Universal Orlando Resort (UOR), previously untouched areas across the park will now be filled with haunting characters, effects and lighting. The example given was expanding the Cat Lady of Cricket Lane scare zone into Central Park, providing more scares and an immersive experience that makes the scare zone feel like a haunted house.

Alongside a bar themed around rock icon Slash and vinyl records showcasing original Halloween Horror Night (HHN) tracks, another significant highlight this year is the full-scale animatronics from “Five Nights at Freddy’s.” Creative director for Halloween Horror Nights at Universal Studios Hollywood, John Murdy, also mentions WWE Presents: The Horrors of the Wyatt Sicks, demonstrating the event’s commitment to transcending traditional horror boundaries.

Murdy, Aiello and Sauls spill intriguing details during their first interview discussing this year’s bicoastal event. Attendees of both the Hollywood and Orlando parks can look forward to the unique and shared experiences of IP houses, original houses and more.

This year’s collaboration with the Fallout team and Amazon’s Prime Video led to the creation of the first house based on the TV series’ universe. They not only recreated the key elements and characters but also teased a show-specific secret for the second season, creating an immersive montage experience for attendees.

The house experience promises variety. It will be different from the popular house “The Last of Us” in 2023, and attendees will witness Lucy (Ella Purnell’s character) embark on her journey. Additionally, they can expect appearances from The Ghoul and Maximus (Aaron Moten’s character), alongside franchise-specific music, and a lifelike showdown between The Ghoul and the T-60s.

The event takes it up a notch on the senses with smells and effects that evoke the feeling of a blood shower. Art the Clown will invite attendees into his Funhouse to view his works of art, all within a scary narrative that intensifies the horror element.

The highlight for this year is the “Five Nights at Freddy’s” House showcasing eight-foot-tall animatronics developed in collaboration with Jim Henson’s Creature Shop. The house offers an authentic experience that mirrors the film and the video game, immersing guests in the dilapidated showroom, pizzeria’s kitchen, janitor’s closet, and a complete one-for-one replica of the security room. The intimate human element in the house adds a touch of gore to the jump scares, meshing well with the advanced tech.

Onto a wrestling house, the WWE Presents: The Horrors of the Wyatt Sicks house is Orlando’s Aiello’s brainchild, recreating the WWE live show experience. The synergy between the teams of the parks and WWE makes for an immersive haunted house experience.

The Terror Tram encompasses previous Blumhouse titles and the next section features key elements from 2023’s The Exorcist: Believer house, providing a chance for fans to run into the possessed girls and the demons. Universal Studios Hollywood and Universal Orlando Resort’s celebration of Friday the 13th’s 40th anniversary sees houses that offer distinctive storytelling treatments for the anniversary.

Finally, Megan will host the guests into a reality version of the Blumhouse making a grand finale for a night of terror. These unique offerings promise this year’s Halloween Horror Nights to deliver increased scares across the park resulting in an enchanting and memorable experience for all attendees.