The first haunted house and the overall theme of the 2026 edition of Halloween Horror Nights have been revealed by Universal Orlando, and there are a couple of familiar faces at the center of the event. HHN-goers will again come face-to-face with Jack the Clown and Dr. Oddfellow.
“Infernal Carnival of Nightmares” is the event theme, which will explore the history and rivalry of the characters. The duo will be featured in a house named Jack & Oddfellow: Chaos & Control.
“This is not a partnership. … They aren’t buddies. They are here because they know if they work together, they can inch in more horror and put more fear into the hearts of all of you,” Laura Sauls, assistant director of entertainment — creative development and show direction, said at an HHN panel at Megacon Orlando at the Orange County Convention Center this weekend.
“The overall thematic is going to be taking you within the Infernal Carnival of Nightmares, and it’s within that new vision between Jack and Oddfellow, where all of our content is going to reside this year,” said Mike Aiello, senior director of entertainment — creative development. “So it is going to not only pay respect and involve some of the legacy that Halloween Horror Nights has had over its three and a half decades, but like any good Horror Nights event, we’re going to present all new levels of horror that will invade all aspects of our park in a way that makes it the 35th anniversary.”
Universal released a logo for the Chaos & Control house as well as the first bit of merchandise sales. (Courtesy Universal Orlando)
The Megacon session was punctuated by visual concepts of the event, the first merchandise reveal and an on-stage, fog-filled appearance by Jack and Oddfellow, striking poses.
“When you go through the [Chaos & Control] haunted house, we are going to hear the narration of Oddfellow telling us the origin story of Jack from his perspective,” said Charles Gray, senior show director. He also mentioned Jack sealed in a box, a different dimension known as the Oddverse, portals, torture, power (and narration) shifts and Easter eggs.
In the final scene, “you will see them taking over the park, taking over this world,” Gray said.
“This is a bit of a violent house, too,” he added. “There’s a lot of conflict there. We’re displaying the power that they both have.”
Ripley’s Crazy Golf opens, puts new spins on putting
Details about other HHN houses and scare zones were not announced; Universal typically rolls them out in phases.
In a social media post, Aiello said the Jack and Oddfellow house was a prologue to the overall event.
“Their blood-soaked paths were destined to cross, with each needing the other to reach their true potential,” the post says.
Halloween Horror Nights is set for Universal Studios Florida theme park on select nights between Aug. 28 and Nov. 1. Tickets are not yet on sale.
Email me at dbevil@orlandosentinel.com. BlueSky: @themeparksdb. Threads account: @dbevil. X account: @themeparks. Subscribe to the Theme Park Rangers newsletter at orlandosentinel.com/newsletters.
Figment movie? You’ll need imagination, even with new Disney chief