Universal Studios’ Halloween Horror Nights will transport guests back to the Upside Down in an ... [+]
Stranger Things have happened. Hawkins, Indiana, and the Upside Down return to Universal Studios this fall.
An all-new haunted house inspired by the fourth season of the acclaimed and wildly popular Netflix
This year will be the third time an attraction based on the streaming sensation has been part of the event.
This time guests who are brave enough will come face-to-face with the supernatural villain, Vecna. Like on the show, the nightmarish nemesis will again try to destroy the barrier between his realm and the real world. The immersive Stranger Things haunted house will see visitors "find themselves on the front line of Vecna's deadly attacks" in a fight for survival that will involve them passing through recreations of iconic locations from the show, such as Hawkins Lab, the Creel House and Vecna's Mind Lair ahead of a final face-off to try and save humanity.
"From the opening shots of Stranger Things 4, episode one, we knew this was meant to be an experience at Halloween Horror Nights," John Murdy, Executive Producer of Halloween Horror Nights at Universal Studios Hollywood, said in a statement.
The fourth season was so popular that when the second part dropped on the streaming service, Netflix's reportedly crashed due to the amount of people trying to watch it. It also broke records amassing 1.352 billion hours of viewership in its first 28 days, making it platform’s most viewed English-language series ever.
The first time that a Stranger Things haunted house was the centerpiece of Halloween Horror Nights was in 2018. Focused on the show's first season, which became a pop culture phenomenon almost overnight, it drew some of the largest ever crowds for the event and got rave reviews from guests. The following year, an even bigger attraction was created, inspired by the second and third seasons. Production on the fifth and final season of the show stopped in May in solidarity with striking members of the WGA.
Stranger Things is the third of this year's Halloween Horror Nights haunted houses to be confirmed. In June, park bosses revealed that an experience based on the acclaimed PlayStation game The Last of Us would come to life at the Los Angeles and Orlando events. A TV show inspired by the third-person actioner has been a big hit for HBO and Max has recently scored an impressive 24 Emmy nominations.
Last October, even before the 2022 event had ended, park bosses confirmed that Chucky would slay as the star of an all-new purpose-built experience inspired by the smash hit SYFY and USA network series, now streaming on Peacock.
Tickets for Halloween Horror Nights are now on sale. Universal Orlando Resort has added an extra four dates, meaning the East Coast event will run for a record 48 nights from Friday, September 1, 2023. Seasonal screams erupt at Universal Studios Hollywood on Thursday, September 7, 2023.