Universal Studios Hollywood has revealed more of what’s waiting for guests at Halloween Horror Nights 2026, adding Art the Clown, Killer Klowns, an original SLASH-scored haunted house, new scare zones and several street experiences to an already packed lineup.
Halloween Horror Nights begins Thursday, September 3 and runs select nights through Sunday, November 1, 2026.
Leading the latest announcements is “Terror Tram starring Art the Clown,” which puts the Terrifier villain in charge of this year’s trip onto the Universal backlot. Art arrives with a blood-soaked bag of presents apparently ready for Christmas, only to discover he’s a few months early. Naturally, he decides to hijack the Terror Tram and throw his own twisted holiday celebration instead.
Metal band ICE NINE KILLS will provide new music for the experience, including dark takes on classic Christmas songs. Art’s appearances won’t necessarily end when guests leave the backlot, either, as the character may turn up elsewhere throughout the park.
Killer Klowns Return to Halloween Horror Nights
The cult favorite “Killer Klowns From Outer Space” is also returning to Halloween Horror Nights, once again dropping guests into the colorful and deadly world of the 1988 horror comedy and its murderous alien circus clowns.
Joining it is the new original haunted house “Dead, Deader, Deadest,” which takes visitors inside an abandoned funeral home with a troubling history.
Over at the WaterWorld venue, “The Purge: Dangerous Waters” returns with its combination of live performers, stunts, fire effects and a fight to survive the Purge.
KILLceañera Brings SLASH Back to Halloween Horror Nights
Halloween Horror Nights continues its tradition of drawing inspiration from Latin American culture with “KILLceañera: Music by SLASH.”
The original haunted house follows Lola as her quinceañera takes a deadly turn. Rather than simply celebrating her 15th birthday, Lola uses the occasion to seek revenge against everyone who has wronged her.
Grammy Award-winning guitarist SLASH has composed an original score for the house incorporating Spanish guitar, along with an exclusive new song titled “15 Candles.”
Obsession’s Nikki Comes to Universal Studios Hollywood
Guests will also have the chance to encounter Nikki from Focus Features’ Obsession, the horror film from writer-director Curry Barker.
The character will appear on the streets of Universal Studios Hollywood, bringing the threat of the One Wish Willow’s curse outside the confines of a traditional haunted house.
New Scare Zones Invade the Streets
Several scare zones will fill out this year’s event. “Hackerz” greets arriving guests with a troop of chainsaw-wielding killers, while “Fortnitemares” brings Fortnite’s annual horror-themed in-game event into the park as an immersive scare zone featuring characters inspired by the game.
Guests exiting KILLceañera will enter “El Circo de la Muerte,” inspired by the circuses and sideshow acts that traveled through Mexico during the 1930s. Elsewhere, “Blood Bog” populates the park with moss monsters emerging from the bogs and bayous.
Halloween Horror Nights will also feature smaller street interactions throughout the park. “Murder of Crowz” returns with dad, mom and baby crow, while “Shriek of the Banshee” features a carnival barker operating a wagon alongside his talking skeleton.
The Full Halloween Horror Nights Hollywood 2026 Lineup Grows
The newly announced attractions join an extensive collection of previously revealed haunted houses for 2026, including “Sinners,” “Stranger Things,” “Hellraiser,” “Evil Dead Burn” and “Ozzy Osbourne: Prince of Darkness.”
Universal Studios Hollywood is also introducing its first “Unmasking the Horror Tour Add-On.” The daytime, lights-on guided experience takes guests behind the scenes of the “Sinners” and “KILLceañera: Music by SLASH” haunted houses, offering insight into how the experiences are created along with opportunities to take photographs in designated areas.
Select regular Universal Studios Hollywood attractions will remain open during Halloween Horror Nights, including SUPER NINTENDO WORLD, Transformers: The Ride-3D, Revenge of the Mummy—The Ride and The Simpsons Ride. Death Eaters will also roam The Wizarding World of Harry Potter beginning in the early evening.
With the latest reveals, Halloween Horror Nights Hollywood’s 2026 lineup now stretches well beyond its haunted houses, with the Terror Tram, scare zones, live entertainment, roaming characters and the new daytime tour giving guests plenty to explore between mazes. The event runs select nights from September 3 through November 1 at Universal Studios Hollywood.
