This year’s Halloween Horror Nights at Universal Studios Florida will feature a throwback 1980s theme and 10 haunted houses — more than the event has ever offered — along with five scare zones, three of which Universal now revealed.
“Horrors of the ‘80s will invade this year’s Halloween Horror Nights,” Universal said in a news release. “Cinematic greats, slasher films, cult classics and original nightmares inspired by the past will come to life as guests face 10 disturbingly-real haunted houses based on the most terrifying names in pop culture.”
The announcement of the expanded number of haunted houses didn’t come with any additional details on their themes by Universal. Three had already been announced: one based on the Netflix series “Stranger Things,” another themed to the 2007 horror anthology “Trick ‘R Treat” and an original concept called “Dead Exposure: Patient Zero.”
Universal said more about the 10th haunted house would be revealed soon, but it did announce Thursday what “three original horror stories” will be used in scare zones around the park this year:
— The Harvest, described as an old barn which isn’t “as abandoned as it initially seems,” with “foul creatures” lurking inside, “ready for a harvest of flesh and screams.”
— Vamp 85: New Year’s Eve, where guests will meet “ravenous punk, material girl and metal head vampires.” Keeping with the ‘80s theme for this year’s event, Universal said to expect plenty of “big hair” in this scare zone.
— Twisted Tradition, where Halloween has become “an abomination” with “rotting pumpkins fused with decaying human flesh.” The description mentions the Central Park section of Universal Studios Florida, which last year has decked out with pumpkins as the “Trick ‘R Treat” scare zone.
Along with the scare zones, Universal confirmed dance crew Academy of Villains will return to Halloween Horror Nights for the third consecutive year with an all-new show.
Announcements for the 28th edition of the event have continued to outpace what had been revealed in 2017. It took until late July for Universal to reveal three of its haunted houses and the original concepts were only confirmed weeks before the event began.
Plenty of questions remain unanswered beyond what themes will be used for the remaining houses. The news release from Universal implies the two remaining scare zones will be based on horror film or TV franchises. There’s also been no word on whether a new show will be added to replace “Bill & Ted’s Excellent Halloween Adventure,” which ran for the last time in 2017.
Sept. 14 will mark the beginning of Halloween Horror Nights 28. It will then take over Universal Studios Florida on select nights through Nov. 3.