Halloween Horror Nights 2026: Every HHN 35 announcement, haunted house and reveal so far
Halloween Horror Nights 2026 is beginning to take shape at Universal Orlando Resort, with major details now revealed for the event’s milestone 35th year. Universal has already confirmed the return of fan-favorite icons Jack the Clown and Dr. Oddfellow, along with a new haunted house inspired by the fifth and final season of Netflix’s hit series “Stranger Things.”
Halloween Horror Nights, the world’s largest Halloween event, is a separately ticketed event at Universal Studios Florida featuring haunted houses, scare zones, and live entertainment. This year’s event runs Aug. 28 – Nov. 1, 2026.
As additional haunted houses, scare zones, entertainment offerings, merchandise, and event details are announced, we’ll continue updating this guide with everything guests need to know about Halloween Horror Nights 35 at Universal Studios Florida.
Halloween Horror Nights 2026 details so far
Halloween Horror Nights 2026 is beginning to take shape at Universal Orlando Resort as the event prepares for its 35th anniversary. The “Infernal Carnival of Nightmares” theme will bring back icons Jack the Clown and Dr. Oddfellow, along with the first announced haunted house, ‘Jack & Oddfellow: Chaos & Control,’ the second announced house, ‘Sinners’ and now the return of “Stranger Things.”
With dates set for Aug. 28 through Nov. 1 and updates like earlier Scream Early entry and two Premium Scream Nights, more reveals have landed, with more still to come.
2026 theme “Infernal Carnival of Nightmares,” led by returning icons Jack the Clown and Dr. Oddfellow
Jack, a sadistic carnival performer introduced in 2000, and Oddfellow, a mysterious showman who can travel between dimensions, have long existed as rival figures within Halloween Horror Nights lore. This year, for the first time, the two characters are aligned — shaping the story and experiences guests will encounter throughout the event.
“The overall theme is going to be taking you within the Infernal Carnival of Nightmares, and it’s within that new vision between Jack and Oddfellow where all of our content is going to reside this year,” the creative team said during an exclusive panel at MegaCon Orlando.
House lineup 2026
First haunted house: Jack & Oddfellow: Chaos & Control
The first original haunted house announced for Halloween Horror Nights 2026 is called ‘Jack & Oddfellow: Chaos & Control.’ It tells the origin story of the two characters’ rivalry from Oddfellow’s perspective.
“As we go through the haunted house, we are going to hear the narration of Oddfellow telling us the story, the origin story of Jack from his perspective,” the team said. “Jack goes through this carnival on this killing spree, and of course, a lot of you know that history. It brought the police to that place, and then, in desperation, Oddfellow had to seal him inside the box.”
The panel revealed a new detail about the box. Oddfellow has always traveled between dimensions through portals — a concept the creative team calls “the Oddverse.” The box he used to seal Jack inside? It was one of those portals.
“Let’s stop right there because there’s a new little twist, something that we discovered,” the team said. “The box was one of those portals.”
Second haunted house: “Sinners”
“Sinners” has officially joined the lineup for Halloween Horror Nights, bringing the haunting world of Club Juke to life in a new haunted house inspired by the hit supernatural horror film. Guests will step into the smoky Mississippi juke joint where twins Smoke and Stack battle a growing vampire threat, encountering characters and moments pulled directly from the movie as the night spirals into chaos.
“The music’s alive, the vampires are hungry, and the night only gets more dangerous from there.” Universal describes the experience as a desperate fight to survive until sunrise, with guests weaving through encounters with Remmick, Bert, Joan, and other bloodthirsty creatures lurking inside the shadows of Club Juke.
Third house: Stranger Things returns
Universal has announced that Netflix’s “Stranger Things” will return to Halloween Horror Nights 2026 with new haunted houses based on the fifth and final season of the hit series at both Universal Orlando Resort and Universal Studios Hollywood.
Developed in partnership with Netflix, the haunted house will place guests in the middle of the final battle for Hawkins as the barrier between reality and the Upside Down begins to collapse. Guests will travel through locations including the Wheeler House, Hawkins National Laboratory, the MAC-Z military base, the Upside Down, and the Abyss while encountering Demogorgons, other supernatural creatures, and Vecna.
Fourth house: H.R. Bloodengutz returns
Halloween Horror Nights is also bringing back a cult-favorite original character with the announcement of H.R. Bloodengutz Presents: A Halloween Fright-Tacular. First introduced at HHN 21 in 2011, H.R. Bloodengutz is the murderous host of a late-night horror movie program in the fictional town of Carey, Ohio.
Inspired by classic television horror hosts, Bloodengutz became consumed by his on-air persona after his show was canceled, turning his final broadcast into a gruesome bloodbath. Universal has revealed few details about the new haunted house so far, but guests can expect a twisted television studio filled with ghouls, gore and the over-the-top horror that helped make Bloodengutz a cult classic among HHN fans.
Fifth house: Madlands: Caged Cannibals
Universal Orlando has announced Madlands: Caged Cannibals, an original haunted house set in a defunct zoo that has become the territory of warring cannibal factions. According to the official description, the groups have taken their animal instincts to extreme levels, turning the abandoned zoo into a deadly hunting ground where guests become the prey.
Sixth house: Cybergoria
Universal Orlando has announced Cybergoria, an all-new original haunted house set thousands of years in the future. Guests will enter a frozen world ruled by machines determined to make humanity live forever, no matter the cost. Universal’s description offers a unique sci-fi horror story centered on immortality, artificial intelligence and a machine-controlled dystopia.
Seventh house: Invasion—Alien Abduction
Universal Orlando has also revealed Invasion: Alien Abduction, an original haunted house that sends guests to a remote homestead under siege by extraterrestrials. According to Universal, a ship full of Grays has descended on the property in search of fresh human test subjects, leaving a trail of terrifying encounters as visitors try to escape becoming the next victims of the alien experiment.
Eighth house: First-ever ‘Hellraiser’ haunted house
Universal has also revealed the first-ever Halloween Horror Nights haunted house based on the iconic “Hellraiser” franchise. Inspired by the original three films, the experience will take guests through locations including Frank Cotton’s attic, the Channard Institute and the Labyrinth, where Pinhead and the Cenobites await.
The house will also feature new voice work from Doug Bradley, reprising his role as Pinhead for both the Orlando and Hollywood versions of the attraction.
New figures
New collectible acrylic figures are coming to Universal Orlando Resort, bringing this year’s Halloween Horror Nights haunted house characters to life. Each house reveal will be followed by a matching figure, giving fans an early look at what’s to come.
The lineup starts with fan-favorite icons Jack the Clown and Dr. Oddfellow, with figures designed to connect on a separately sold Infernal Carnival display.
Jack and Oddfellow debuted May 1 at Universal Orlando Resort and on shopUniversal.com, with more releases arriving in the months ahead, including the just released Smoke Stack twins figure and now Vecna.
Courtesy of Universal Orlando
Emphasis on original stories
The announcements came during a panel called “Behind the Screams: Crafting 35 Years of Fear at Universal Orlando’s Halloween Horror Nights” at MegaCon in Orlando. The panelists were Mike Aiello, senior director of entertainment creative development at Universal Orlando Resort; Lora Sauls, assistant director of entertainment creative development and show direction; and Charles Gray, senior show director of entertainment creative development.
Sauls and Aiello spent much of the panel talking about how original storytelling has shaped the event over 35 years.
” … I think our initial creators of Halloween Horror Nights really set us up to make sure we’re telling new, original stories every year,” Sauls said. “That we’re not just rehashing what we’ve done, but telling brand new, original content stories every year, which is what makes Halloween Horror Nights, especially here in Orlando, so special. We get to tell new stories and have new creative ideas every year.”
Aiello said licensed IP (Intellectual Properties – horror franchises from movies and television) have become part of the event over the years, but original characters and stories remain the foundation.
“Even in those early years, the event was built on original content,” Aiello said. “Yes, IP has come into the realm, but maintaining that thread throughout the 35 years, in that we really care about the types of stories and the characters that we can meet and engage and interact with within the 35 years of this event.”
Jack the Clown in Las Vegas
Jack the Clown also has a permanent home at Universal Horror Unleashed in Las Vegas, a year-round horror experience that opened in August 2025 near the Las Vegas Strip. Jack and his sidekick Chance headline a themed area called Jack’s Alley and a live stage show called “Jack & Chance: Stay or Slay.”
What’s new for Halloween Horror Nights 2026
- 35th anniversary event celebrating the legacy of Halloween Horror Nights
- Theme: Infernal Carnival of Nightmares
- Icons: Jack the Clown and Dr. Oddfellow appearing together for the first time
- First haunted house announced: Jack & Oddfellow: Chaos & Control
- Event dates: Select nights Aug. 28 – Nov. 1, 2026
- Earlier daytime access: Scream Early entry now begins at 2 p.m.
- Premium Scream Night expands: Two dates (Aug. 27 and Oct. 19) instead of one
- 10 all-new haunted houses planned, with more announcements coming soon
Merchandise and tickets
Select tickets, vacation packages and event upgrades for Halloween Horror Nights 2026 are now on sale, including single-night admission, Express Passes, R.I.P. Tours and the Behind the Screams: Unmasking the Horror Tour.
Guests can also add Scream Early access starting at 2 p.m. before the event, and purchase tickets for the limited-capacity Premium Scream Night, which returns for two dates this year.
Halloween Horror Nights 2026 merchandise featuring Jack the Clown and Dr. Oddfellow is on sale now at select locations in Universal Studios Florida and online at shopUniversal.com. Prices range from $35 for t-shirts to $75 for a hockey jersey. The collection also includes hoodies ($60) and sherpa blankets (from $43).
For more information, visit UniversalOrlando.com/HHN.
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