Evil Dead, Hellraiser & Fortnite Franchises Coming to Universal Halloween Horror Nights

Universal has announced more of the franchises coming to the 2026 Halloween Horror Nights, joining the previously-announced lineup alongside Sinners and Stranger Things. Here’s the latest on Fortnite, Evil Dead, and Hellraiser, all of which should be popular additions to the HHN lineup, along with new details about admission and early entry. Plus our commentary about Fortnitemares, and what that (hopefully) means for the Disney and Epic Games partnership.

HHN admission for both coasts is on sale now, including single-night tickets, Frequent Fear Passes, RIP Tours, Scream Early, Express Pass, and more. Options and event nights can sell out in advance, so be sure to secure your tickets early if you’re planning to attend Halloween Horror Nights.

This year, Universal Orlando is celebrating 35 years of fear as the world’s premier haunts event, and Halloween Horror Nights returns for 48 select nights from Friday, August 28, 2026 through Sunday, November 1, 2026. (HHN runs from September 3 through November 1, 2026 at Universal Studios Hollywood.)

This year will be one of the largest events in Halloween Horror Nights history as Universal Studios Florida transforms into the Infernal Carnival of Nightmares, where legendary icon Jack the Clown and his rival, Dr. Oddfellow, reign as the event’s twisted ringmasters, unleashing a sinister slate of horrors that includes 10 all-new haunted houses, immersive scare zones, live entertainment, themed food and beverages, and other haunting surprises.

Some of the more interesting wrinkles to HHN 35 are logistical ones. First is that Universal ended Express Pass for its Frequent Fear and Rush of Fear Annual Passes. This was controversial among the HHN diehards, but we view this move as a major net positive for the average tourist. (See Why Universal Ending Frequent Fear Express Pass at Halloween Horror Nights is Good, Actually.)

Additionally, Stay & Scream expands again. This is essentially HHN’s early entry option, which can be purchased via the Scream Early add-on but is also available with daytime admission to Universal Studios Florida (via regular ticket or Annual Pass).

For the 2026 Halloween Horror Nights, at least three haunted houses open at 2 pm, the minimum guaranteed under the Stay & Scream program. Another set of queues opens at 4 pm, plus a second wave of houses between 5 pm and 5:30 pm. This is all before HHN officially begins at 6:30 pm, at which point all houses are open.

Both of these moves should offer relief to crowds and help improve capacity and, in turn, guest satisfaction. Another assist will come in the form of price increases to the Frequent Fear Passes and, fingers crossed, lower caps on sales of the multi-night admission. All of this will be needed given the slate of formidable franchises, which should draw a wide array of guests.

Here’s a rundown of the latest announcements about the 2026 Halloween Horror Nights at Universal Studios Florida, with some news also being applicable to Hollywood…

Evil Dead Burn

Evil Dead Burn, New Line Cinema’s latest film in the iconic franchise, takes shape as the newest Halloween Horror Nights haunted house. This will be featured at both Universal Orlando and Universal Studios Hollywood.

First introduced in 1981, Evil Dead has evolved from an independent cult classic to one of today’s most terrifying horror properties. Blending extreme gore with dark humor, the franchise consistently centers on the Book of the Dead, an ancient text that unleashes supernatural parasitic demons who possess and twist their victims into Deadites.

Inspired by the franchise’s latest installment, Evil Dead Burn, the haunted houses will take guests on a terrifying firsthand journey through the film’s most frightening moments that begin at the Price family’s secluded vacation home in the woods. The nightmare grows more and more fierce as guests venture through the haunted house, encountering ferocious Deadites around every turn before succumbing to the evil forces themselves.

Hellraiser

Both coasts will also feature all-new haunted houses inspired by the first three Hellraiser films that forever changed the genre. These houses will transport fans into the twisted world first brought to life by Clive Barker, where desire, suffering and the unknown collide.

Since its debut in 1987, Hellraiser has become one of horror’s most influential franchises, introducing audiences to the mythology of the Lament Configuration puzzle box that opens a portal to another dimension inhabited by the ritualistically torturous beings, the Cenobites, and their leader, the iconic Pinhead. Still popular decades later, Hellraiser helped redefine supernatural horror and cemented its place as a cult classic.

Now, for the first time at Halloween Horror Nights, guests will experience this nightmare personally in haunted houses on both coasts that draw from the first three films: Hellraiser, Hellbound: Hellraiser II and Hellraiser III: Hell on Earth. Additionally, legendary Pinhead actor Doug Bradley will reprise his character and lend his voice to both haunted houses in Hollywood and Orlando.

The terrifying experience begins as guests enter the iconic Lament Configuration puzzle box, unwittingly summoning the Cenobites and opening a gateway to a diabolical dimension where unspeakable horrors await. From the shadowy attic in Frank Cotton’s family home where he was first cast to Hell, to the disturbing Channard Institute, fans will encounter haunting moments and settings from the Hellraiser franchise at every turn. Their unnerving journey ultimately lands them in The Labyrinth where Pinhead and the Cenobites lie in wait for new souls to torment for eternity.

Fortnitemares

Halloween Horror Nights puts a twisted spin on the global video game phenomenon, Fortnite, with an immersive and thrilling scare zone inspired by “Fortnitemares,” the game’s signature Halloween event. This is another one that’ll be bi-coastal and, as noted, it’ll be an atmospheric open area as opposed to a haunted house.

Fortnite is a global ecosystem where players create, compete, and hang out with friends in an always-evolving world. Its highly-anticipated fall in-game event, Fortnitemares, brings new characters and horror-themed gameplay together every year.

Now, Halloween Horror Nights’ fans will have the chance to “drop in” to the world of Fortnitemares, with an all-new scare zone, featuring ever-evolving and high-stakes environments. Guests will enter Freaky Fields, a Halloween-inspired living battleground overcome with a threatening force. Throughout the scare zone, fans will encounter the Battle Bus along with familiar Fortnitemares characters – plus a few new additions exclusive to Halloween Horror Nights – as they work to escape and claim victory.

I have a few hot takes about Fortnite coming to Halloween Horror Nights. First and foremost, I’ll concede that I didn’t even realize “Fortnitemares” is a thing. If you’re looking for a substantive assessment of the creative or cultural merits of this franchise, that should say all that needs to be said.

More to the point, I’ve made no secret about my dislike of Fortnite. That has come up several times despite this being a Disney theme parks blog because, until a few months ago, Disney’s partnership with Epic Games was inexplicably part of the Parks & Resorts division. (Technically, Experiences.)

I strongly dislike live service games, their business model and their sugar rush nature. I also think it’s shortsighted of Disney to be betting big on Fortnite, yet taking so long with the partnership on something that is a fad. That’s just the nature of the beast. Fortnite remains a cultural phenomenon for now, but its popularity is already fading. It cannot be sustained indefinitely; its core audience will age out of the product or the next hot new thing will come along.

All of that may seem immaterial to a post about Halloween Horror Nights, and probably is. It also might seem to support a conclusion that I’m disappointed in Fortnitemares being announced for HHN. To the contrary, I view this as good news!

From my perspective, the best conceivable outcome is for Fortnite to be closely associated with Universal Studios Florida, to the point that Walt Disney World and Disneyland are reluctant to touch it for that reason. I hope Fortnite is featured at Universal with regularity in events like this, and that acts as a soft barrier that prevents it from coming to the Disney Parks.

Temporary offerings at hard ticket seasonal events are no big deal. Universal could scrap this deal the second Fortnite falls off. My fear is that Disney announces something Fortnite-related in 2028, opens it in 2031 right as the franchise fads, and it limps along for a decade after that (see also, American Idol Experience).

Beyond that, my only real quibble with Fortnitemares is that it’ll attract the wrong crowd. And by that, I mean teenagers. I realize that I’m firmly in old man yells at cloud territory here, but c’mon. This should not be a controversial claim. Haunt events and theme parks in general have had issues with unruly, unsupervised teens in the last several years, with multiple parks implementing chaperone rules.

That didn’t happen by accident or for no reason. Just like Five Nights at Freddy’s before it, Fortnite skews young, and it’s going to be a disproportionate draw for disorderly teenagers. (No disrespect meant to this demo. We’ve all been there. Being a dumb teenager is part of life, and growing up!)

No Resident Evil

My biggest disappointment of the HHN announcements thus far is the disturbing lack of another video game franchise: Resident Evil. This is doubly true given what Universal Studios Japan has done in the past with R:E, and what’s currently being offered through August 30, 2026 at Universal Horror Unleashed (remember that?!).

For a limited time, Universal Horror Unleashed guests can step into Raccoon City as part of an all-new deadly takeover. Guests will be immersed in fan-favorite Resident Evil moments, solve interactive puzzles, meet legendary characters and witness epic battles against the undead.

As guests enter Universal Horror Unleashed, they’ll immediately be welcomed into the alternate world of Resident Evil and venture through six zones within the venue to help contain the outbreak that has taken over. These include the streets of Raccoon City, the iconic Raccoon City Police Department, the heart of the infected zone, and more. Guests can even step inside the Umbrella Corporation to dine on limited-time food inspired by the T-Virus.

Guests will come face-to-face with iconic characters from the Resident Evil franchise, including Claire Redfield, Jill Valentine and Leon S. Kennedy. Guests will be at the forefront of the battles between these heroic characters, surrounding zombies and notorious villains, like the Nemesis and Lickers.

All of this sounds awesome, and I really, really hope that Resident Evil makes its way to HHN in the coming years, or gets an extended run at Universal Horror Unleashed. I tried to do one of the versions of the Biohazard challenges at Universal Studios Japan several years ago, but the language barrier made that a non-starter. What’s already debuted at Horror Unleashed looks fun!

Other Haunted Houses at HHN35

Sinners: Inspired by the Oscar-winning original horror film, guests transport back in time to 1930s Mississippi Delta and visit Club Juke on its opening night, where they celebrate with twin brothers Smoke and Stack and other familiar characters from the film. Celebration turns to panic when a troupe of nefarious, red-eyed vampires crash the party and threaten to violently curse guests who must survive the night as the terror only relents once the sun rises.

Stranger Things: Guests are hurled into the fifth and final season of Netflix’s Stranger Things as the barrier between reality and the Upside Down collapses over the town of Hawkins. Visitors will navigate iconic locations from the show such as the Wheeler House, Hawkins National Laboratory, MAC-Z military base and the Abyss while being hunted by Vecna and otherworldly creatures in a desperate battle for survival.

Jack and Oddfellow: Chaos & Control (original concept): Dr. Oddfellow guides guests through Jack the Clown’s twisted origin story until Jack interrupts – ultimately taking over and sparking a fierce battle between them. After realizing they are more powerful together, Jack and Oddfellow form an uneasy alliance…for the season…and now set out to wreak havoc amongst guests.

INVASION: Alien Abduction (original concept): Guests witness a terrifying encounter with an aggressive, unseen alien craft that has abducted a family and its livestock from a remote homestead…and they are now plotting to tear everyone apart.

MADLANDS: Caged Cannibals (original concept): Guests will navigate a post-apocalyptic wasteland where almost all life is nearly extinct, causing humans to feast on each other for survival. As guests try to seek shelter in the ruins of an old zoo, they find they’re not alone when a tribe of predatory cannibals set out to make them their prey.

Cybergoria (original concept): Set thousands of years in the future, guests enter a cold, dead world where humans have awakened from a cryo-sleep to find that the machines built to make them immortal and invincible have been harvesting human flesh and replacing it with synthetic parts.

H.R. Bloodengutz Presents: A Halloween Fright-Tacular! (original concept): Fan-favorite creature feature host, Larry Kurtzberg (better known as H.R. Bloodengutz), returns in this all-new haunted house. After his descent into violent madness where he tortured his crew when his show was canceled (as featured in HHN 21), H.R. Bloodengutz has escaped from prison to return to WKNB Television Station for a final Halloween Special of gruesome proportions.

Need trip planning tips and comprehensive advice for your visit to Central Florida? Make sure to read our Universal Orlando Planning Guide for everything about Islands of Adventure and Universal Studios Florida. Also check out our Walt Disney World Vacation Planning Guide for everything about those parks, resorts, restaurants, and so much more.

YOUR THOUGHTS

What do you think of the 2026 haunted house lineup at Halloween Horror Nights? Looking forward to Fortnitemares, Evil Dead Burn, Hellraiser, Sinners or Stranger Things? Which game or film franchises you like to see Universal Creative turn into HHN houses? Do you agree or disagree with our commentary? Will you be attempting to visit Universal Orlando or Hollywood for HHN 35? Any questions we can help you answer? Hearing your feedback–even when you disagree with us–is both interesting to us and helpful to other readers, so please share your thoughts below in the comments!