Just-for-fun ideas for Halloween Horror Nights haunted houses

Below are a few ideas for Halloween Horror Nights houses that will probably never happen, but would be awesome nonetheless.

Just to be clear: We’re talking far-fetched themes, and none of these concepts are informed predictions, or even estimated guesses. The point is, in fact, that they’re all rather uneducated. See you in the fog (or, y’know… probably not!)

Scooby-Doo

Like, zoinks! My ultimate dream house for HHN is “Scooby-Doo.” This could be so good. The franchise practically defined the retro-horror aesthetic that many brands emulate today. Furthermore, Scooby and the gang boast over five decades’ worth of adventures and villains. Any or all of them would make excellent additions to an HHN haunted house.

Admittedly, most HHN houses are scary rather than spooky. Still, there’s enough precedence for semi-lighthearted houses in the past (like “Ghostbusters” or “Beetlejuice“) that a “Scooby-Doo” house wouldn’t be completely random at HHN, however unlikely it is to actually become reality.

What’s more, Scooby and Mystery, Inc. gang already greet guests in the park during the daytime (despite the franchise not actually being a Universal property).

Even better, make a generation’s dream come true and invite the stars of the live-action 2002 reboot to reprise their roles. They could film segments for projected media displayed throughout the house, or even record some overhead voiceovers. Can you imagine getting to experience Linda Cardellini, Matthew Lillard, Sarah Michelle Gellar, and Freddie Prinze Jr. as Mystery, Inc. at HHN?!

Harry Potter

Yes, there’s already the somewhat-hidden Knockturn Alley in the depths of Diagon Alley. Yes, there are already Death Eaters roaming Hogsmeade during October. Yes, there’s already a Dark Arts projection show for Hogwarts. And yes, every major “Harry Potter” attraction at any Universal park contains some degree of horror simply due to the nature of their monsters and bad guys.

All that being said, a “Harry Potter” haunted house at HHN could still be a stunner. The franchise’s infamous villains like Voldemort, Bellatrix Lestrange, Lucius Malfoy, and others are ready-made for HHN show scenes. If Universal isn’t allowed to use specific characters, Death Eaters, dementors, or even generic Slytherin students could make intriguing subjects for a “Potter”-themed HHN walkthrough.

The Simpsons: Treehouse of Horror

Ok, so obviously there would be some challenges in adapting “The Simpsons” as a Halloween Horror Nights house (would the whole cast be painted yellow, or what?) Still, the annual “Treehouse of Horror” Halloween episodes have become an important part of “The Simpsons” history. For as visible as “The Simpsons” characters are across Universal Orlando, it’s a bit surprising “Treehouse of Horror” hasn’t yet made its way into the parks.

There’s also the tricky caveat that Disney now owns “The Simpsons,” which wasn’t the case when The Simpsons Ride opened in 2008. Speaking of, even if a “Treehouse of Horror” haunted house was never in the cards, a seasonal overlay to The Simpsons Ride could have been great fun.

Any version of a “Treehouse of Horror” HHN house would lean more comical than scary. That being said, designers could still use plenty of gruesome imagery from over three decades of “Treehouse of Horror” episodes. Some of Bart’s everyday adversaries could make jump-scare appearances, too. Sideshow Bob’s face peeling off, anyone?

In fact, Attractions Magazine Reporter Jeff DePaoli discussed ideas for how HHN could incorporate “Treehouse of Horror” way back in 2018.

Winnie the Pooh: Blood and Honey

“Winnie the Pooh: Blood and Honey” is a 100% real movie that 100% actually exists… and has a glorious 3% critics’ approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes. The 2023 film imagines Pooh and Piglet as you’ve never seen them before: serial killers in a slasher flick. I’m simultaneously ashamed and proud to say I’ve seen the movie in its entirety.

“Blood and Honey” is disturbing, graphic, and not afraid to take jabs at a beloved character typically associated with Disney. Sounds like the makings of a wildcard HHN house, no?

A Wes Anderson Halloween

In a recent viral trend, online users imagined their lives through the lens of director Wes Anderson by creating videos emulating his distinctive cinematic style. Anderson’s films are known for their bright colors and unconventional camera angles (often dead-centered). His filmography includes “The Grand Budapest Hotel,” “The French Dispatch,” and “Asteroid City,” among others.

Similar to the viral videos, a HHN haunted house inspired by Wes Anderson would imagine the familiar themes, iconography, and traditions of Halloween as seen through Anderson’s eyes. Perhaps a family carves a jack-o-lantern in a kitchen where everything, even the family’s clothes, match the vibrant orange color of the pumpkin. Or maybe a graveyard comes alive by nightfall with corpses who recite manifestos instead of causing peril. The placement of actors and objects could be positioned a bit off from the typical layout of an HHN house, so as to mirror Anderson’s unique camera work. It’s all underscored with an original soundtrack by Alexandre Desplat, of course.

The trouble admittedly comes in figuring out where the scares go. This is, after all, supposed to be a haunted house. That said, perhaps this idea is better suited for something like the Tribute Store. Nonetheless, I’d love to see Universal’s talented artists take on a Wes Anderson experience.

Saturday Night Live: David S. Pumpkins

Tom Hanks originated the role of David S. Pumpkins in a 2016 “Saturday Night Live” sketch that has since become the stuff of TV legend (the fictional star even debuted in wax form at Madame Tussauds.) An HHN adaptation of the sketch is a perfect match because the sketch itself takes place in a theme park.

As a couple rides a haunted elevator attraction (not unlike Tower of Terror), each floor they stop at opens to reveal a frightening character from a well-known horror movie. That is, all except David Pumpkins, a boisterous man wearing a suit covered with pumpkins, who’s not from any movie and not scary at all.

The basic premise of the sketch, which also featured Mikey Day and Bobby Moynihan as David Pumpkins’ dancing skeleton sidekicks, could be translated almost verbatim into an HHN house. Just swap out the elevator ride format and replace it with a walk-through.

At every turn, it could be a frightening monster who jumps out to scare you, or it could just be David Pumpkins. It also helps that “Saturday Night Live” airs on NBC, making the series a Universal property and seemingly fair game for use in the parks. “Any questions?”

Ghosts

“Ghosts,” an inventively hilarious sitcom (currently airing on CBS and streaming on Paramount+), literally takes place in a haunted house, making it a natural for HHN. In the show, Sam (Rose McIver) and Jay (Utkarsh Ambudkar) are thrilled to learn they’ve inherited a mansion, but when they move in, Sam takes a fall, after which she can see the ghosts who reside there.

Each ghost died on the house’s property across history. Its deceased residents include everyone from a medieval Viking and an American Revolution soldier to a hippie from the ’60s and a party guy from the ’90s.

While the show is decidedly a comedy and not a horror series, it has its share of frights, like the basement ghosts who died of cholera and a ghost’s ex-husband who visits from hell. As an HHN guest, perhaps we’d enter a “Ghosts”-themed walkthrough under the conceit that we, too, just took a tumble, allowing us to see the ghosts like Sam can.

SpongeBob SquarePants: Bikini Bottom Spooks

“SpongeBob SquarePants” is more whimsical than horrific. However, Universal’s history with the long-running Nicktoon (and with Nickelodeon at large) makes everyone’s favorite undersea fry cook a great choice for HHN.

SpongeBob’s home of Bikini Bottom is a zany, scare-free world most of the time, but it can get pretty grim. The Flying Dutchman ghost captain, the foreboding neighborhood of Rock Bottom, the mythical tale of the Hash-Slinging Slasher… there’s a lot to work with here.

Logistically, it would be difficult to pull off a “SpongeBob” haunted house with Universal’s existing mascot characters. Luckily, we can look to Broadway for a solution to that problem.

A stage musical based on the series debuted in 2017 and featured Tony-nominated costumes. The wardrobe re-imagined the beloved characters with interpretive garments, accessories, and hairstyles. This approach would be much more feasible for an HHN-style house than using Universal’s existing walk-around characters. Incidentally, you can watch a full professional recording of the SpongeBob musical on Paramount+ #NotAnAd

Guillermo del Toro’s Nightmare Alley

HHN has had a handful of carnival-themed haunted houses in the past, but the event has yet to specifically focus on “Nightmare Alley,” the 2021 film directed by Guillermo del Toro. The movie received Oscar nominations for its cinematography, costume design, and production design (not to mention a nomination for Best Picture). All of these qualities would lend ample inspiration for a transportive, detailed HHN house. Just please leave out the scene in which the carnival performer eats a live chicken.

Pirates of the Caribbean

You can probably guess a major hang-up with Universal creating an HHN house based on “Pirates of the Caribbean” as anything connected to Disney is almost certainly off the table. While Disney mostly sticks to making family-friendly productions, the studio occasionally treads into mature stories with darker imagery that would fit in at HHN. One such fit is the “Pirates of the Caribbean” movie series.

HHN designers could leverage the story elements, characters, and locales that give the five “Pirates” films a chilling edge. Undead skeletons, murderous sea creatures, vicious mermaids… take your pick. It will never, ever happen at HHN, but it’s fun to dream about. I just want a giant Tia Dalma projection yelling enchantments at me and then somehow turning into crabs. Is that too much to ask?