Last Updated on September 5, 2025 by Angel Melanson
This year, Universal Halloween Horror Nights has created a Terrifier house, and the running theme here is “and you get sprayed with blood.” As HHN Hollywood's Creative Director, John Murdy, walks us through a lights-on preview, he points out certain actions that will be triggered in each room, each one ending with the sentence “and you get sprayed with blood.” And there are a lot of those moments.
Art the Clown creates carnage and chaos, so this is not a house that can skimp on the blood and gore. Beyond showing guests Art's maniacal tableaus, the big focus for both the Hollywood and Orlando HHN teams was “How do we surround the guests with the idea of the kill?” says Michael Aiello, Senior Director, Entertainment & Creative Development at Universal Orlando Resort.
There are some slight differences between the HHN Terrifier houses in Hollywood and Orlando, we’re breaking them down for you here (and trying to be mindful of major spoilers). We don’t want to give away the whole house before you have a chance to experience it for yourselves!
The Hacksaw Scene
Hollywood’s Terrifier house features a very familiar scene from the first movie, showcasing an iconic kill. In many ways, this is the kill that put Art the Clown on the map. If you checked out our first look preview inside the Terrifier house, you saw the images of the HHN Hollywood hacksaw scene (and it is shockingly screen accurate).
Orlando will also feature a hacksaw scene, but their version will direct guests down a corridor where a series of hacksaws hang overhead, slicing through multiple bodies, as blood effects spray guests.
The Doll Room
One room you’ll find in Hollywood but not Orlando is the creepy doll room. “There’s a scene in the funhouse in the second movie that’s a weird, freaky doll room, so we wanted to bring all of that to life,” Murdy shares. You won't find any dolls in Orlando, at least not in the Terrifier house. The East Coast haunt already has an original maze centered on a creepy doll theme, so this room is unique to the Hollywood house.
The Chicken Exit
Another feature unique to the Hollywood house is “the chicken exit.” Now, this is not a dry path… Hollywood doesn’t have one! The Chicken Exit will lead to some never before seen surprises we won't spoil for you. Instead of the Chicken Exit, Orlando will feature Art’s version of the tunnel of love. Staying with the carnival theme, Art’s version will undoubtedly feature more carnage than your local county fair’s romantic ride.
Terrifier fans will notice neither of these scenes are found in the Terrifier movies, these are both segments of the houses where the HHN creative teams designed original concepts in line with the overall theme. “It speaks to how open Damien was to allowing the world to expand a bit in this type of experience,” Aiello says.
Terrifier houses on both coasts will feature the Christmas Art the Clown Santa photo opp scene, but here is where the major difference between the houses comes into play.
The Water Gauntlet (Wet Path vs. Dry Path)
Murdy explains, “Each park has their own version of this water gauntlet.” In Hollywood, a Christmas hedge maze will rain blood on guests. The flooring is different in this segment because it’s designed to drain water. There is no dry path in Hollywood, all guests will follow the chicken exit to a segment unique to Hollywood and eventually end up in the Christmas hedge maze, as it rains blood on Christmas.
Pausing for a moment to clarify the two paths. I’ve seen some confusion online, so we are definitively sharing the facts straight from the source.
Does the HHNTerrifier maze have two paths in Hollywood? NO. The “chicken path” revealed during Midsummer Scream is not an alternate path in the Hollywood house. It is the only path. I won’t spoil what you’ll find on the chicken path, but we will all be taking that route.
You will get wet in the Hollywood house either way. There is no “dry path” in the Hollywood house. But you will not get quite as wet as guests in the Orlando house who opt for the wet path. Hence, Orlando’s dry path option.
Aiello had big dreams of making this “a car wash of blood,” to quote him directly. And his Halloween dreams have been realized in the Orlando house. I can confidently say after taking a peek at some BTS footage, guests on Orlando’s wet path will get absolutely doused. Maybe not quite as wet as if you jumped into a pool, but perhaps as wet (probably moreso) than you would on Jurassic Park.
Orlando will also include the Christmas-themed area, “but we saved our water moment for the very end,” Aiello explains. Are you ready for the details on Orlando’s “Car wash of blood?”
“Our major water moment is at the end of the house. Within Art’s workshop, we’re calling it ‘Art’s Symphony of Blood.’ Art will be looking down at the line. At the decision point, there will be practical waterfalls of blood, and you can either go left toward the dry path or you can go into the blood bath. The blood bath is a corridor where we have rain curtains, drip lines, water effects. We have a decision point because of how wet this will be. It’s that much water; we needed to give the guests a decision point. We’ve never done that before, it’s wild.”
Make no mistake, Hollywood guests are not coming out of this house dry. But as Murdy describes it, “It’s not quite as intense as Mike has it because I didn’t want to give people a choice. He went a little crazy on his house!”
The slight differences between the houses give fans visiting HHN on both coasts something unique to look forward to. Aiello elaborates, “John and I have a great time every year figuring out where we align, we've got a lot of great ideas on both coasts for both teams, and we never want to be prescriptive to each coast. That's not our goal in leading these teams. Not only with the filmmakers, but with our own internal teams, the question is always what can we bring to the table? The fact that these houses have things that are aligned directly and things that kind of separate, gives that variety for those that are coming to both coasts. They're not getting the exact same experience on either trip.”
“During our Midsummer Scream panel, we asked the question, ‘How many of you are planning on going to Orlando and Hollywood?’ It was a pretty big response.” Murdy shares. “I think as this event has grown, and now of course there's Horror Unleashed in Vegas. People take horror vacations these days, they'll try to hit both coasts, but they'll also try to hit all the home haunts in Southern California.”
As horror tourists ourselves, we’re pretty grateful for the abundance of excellent haunts to visit. Take a look below for a sneak peek inside the Terrifier house in Hollywood. Avert your eyes if you want to avoid spoilers!
View this post on Instagram
Universal’s Halloween Horror Nights launches on Thursday, September 4 and runs select nights through Sunday, November 2. Tickets are available for purchase here. Halloween Horror Nights Orlando opens August 29 and runs select nights through November 2. You can get your HHN Orlando tickets here.
