Review: ‘Jason: Blood Reign’ takes SCarowinds to a new level

SCarowinds, Carowinds’ annual nighttime Halloween event, returns on select nights from Sept. 11 through Nov. 1, 2026, with haunted mazes, scare zones, live entertainment and nighttime rides. Leading this year’s lineup is ‘Jason: Blood Reign,’ a new maze that places guests inside scenes inspired by 10 movies from the “Friday the 13th” franchise.

‘Jason: Blood Reign’ was one of my most anticipated haunted mazes of the season, and it exceeded those expectations. Its elaborate environments, ambitious effects and unusually effective scares represent a significant step forward for SCarowinds.

New for SCarowinds 2026, ‘Jason: Blood Reign’ joins a haunted-maze lineup that also includes the returning ‘Paranormal Inc.,’ ‘Slaughterhouse,’ ‘Silver Scream Studios: Director’s Cut’ and ‘The Toothfairy.’

Access requires a Haunted Attractions Pass in addition to park admission. Our complete SCarowinds 2026 guide covers tickets, dates, entertainment and the other haunted attractions available this season.

One maze spans the “Friday the 13th” franchise

‘Jason: Blood Reign’ does not recreate one particular “Friday the 13th” movie. The creative team examined 10 films across the franchise, although most of the maze’s scenes come from the first four installments.

Although ‘Jason: Blood Reign’ pulls scenes from several movies, it feels cohesive and whole. The maze never plays like a collection of disconnected “Friday the 13th” moments. Familiar locations and moments include the gas station from the original film, the biker gang from “Friday the 13th Part III,” the Jarvis house and the bunks at Camp Forest Green.

Smaller Easter eggs reward fans who pay close attention. One easily missed reference is the banana-eating hitchhiker from “Friday the 13th: The Final Chapter.” Inside the Jarvis house, even a small Christopher Cross cassette helps establish the time and place.

These details give ‘Jason: Blood Reign’ considerable repeat value. It would be difficult to catch every reference during one walkthrough, particularly while watching for Jason around every corner.

Eerie placemaking

My first few walkthroughs took place without scare actors, yet the effects alone made me jump three times. As a desensitized spooky season fan, I typically get none, which made those effects-only scares especially impressive.

The scale of the environments immediately stands out. Every surface, be it a wall or the ceiling above, played a role in the storytelling. One camp sequence incorporates a bridge and waterway, convincingly creating the feeling of being outdoors despite being inside a show building.

Music, projections, practical effects and scents deepen the immersion. Guests can smell pine while moving through the forest, followed elsewhere by the unnerving scent of burning flesh. A camping scene uses projection technology to depict a kill inside a tent.

The most memorable effect may be Jason’s tombstone, which seemingly comes alive. It is likely to be the moment many guests continue thinking about after leaving the maze.

Jason can strike more than once

Once the scare actors entered the maze, the experience became dramatically more intense. Just when I believed I knew where Jason had gone, he could appear again from another direction. That design became one of my favorite elements of ‘Jason: Blood Reign.’

During two walkthroughs with the maze operating at full strength, I received approximately eight to 10 jump scares each time. The mirror maze was particularly effective, obscuring the performers’ locations and creating some of the most unexpected scares.

As if multiple scare moments with Jason aren’t enough, there are also different iterations of Jason, fleshing out his changing appearances across the movie franchise.

Scares extend beyond the sets

The most surprising sequence came inside the Camp Forest Green bunks, where scare actors moved through the space alongside us. Their proximity made the scene feel less like a recreation and more like we had stepped inside one of the movies.

I felt as though I had entered one of the movies. That interaction added an unpredictable quality that continued even after I understood how parts of the maze worked.

It also makes ‘Jason: Blood Reign’ especially intense for guests sensitive to darkness, sudden noises, graphic imagery, strong scents or performers entering their personal space.

The finale returns guests to the place where Jason’s story always seems to end: the lake. It uses special effects that Carowinds has not used previously to simulate being underwater, creating a poignant and fitting conclusion.

How ‘Jason: Blood Reign’ compares with Halloween Horror Nights

With its immersive environments, layered effects and aggressive scares, ‘Jason: Blood Reign’ holds its own alongside houses at Halloween Horror Nights and other acclaimed events. It is easily the most advanced haunted maze I have experienced at a Six Flags property.

Plague Productions was a fitting creative partner for such a recognizable horror franchise. The company has contributed to attractions at other Halloween events, including this year’s Ozzy Osbourne house at Halloween Horror Nights, and that expertise is evident throughout the maze.

Versions of ‘Jason: Blood Reign’ will be similar across participating Six Flags parks, with adjustments made for the layout of each existing building. Carowinds spent approximately eight to 10 months transforming its show building and completely reimagining the space.