{"id":382669,"date":"2026-08-27T15:22:15","date_gmt":"2026-08-27T15:22:15","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/382669\/"},"modified":"2026-08-27T15:22:15","modified_gmt":"2026-08-27T15:22:15","slug":"universal-orlando-ozzy-osbourne-haunted-house-salutes-rocker","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/382669\/","title":{"rendered":"Universal Orlando: Ozzy Osbourne haunted house salutes rocker"},"content":{"rendered":"

Who could be a better fit for Universal\u2019s Halloween Horror Nights<\/a> than the Prince of Darkness?<\/p>\n

Ozzy Osbourne<\/a>, the English rocker\/songwriter who died at age 76 in July 2025, is getting the haunted house\/tribute treatment at this year\u2019s event, which starts Friday (Aug. 28) at Universal Studios Florida<\/a> theme park. It doesn\u2019t sound like creators held back.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou actually see Ozzy, as a full bat, bite the head off a human,\u201d Lora Sauls, assistant director of entertainment creative development and show direction at Universal Orlando<\/a>, said a week ahead of its HHN debut.<\/p>\n

The houses \u2014 there\u2019s a different one in the works for Horror Nights at Universal Studios Hollywood<\/a> \u2014 are with the blessing of Osbourne\u2019s family. His son Jack<\/a>, who had attended the event in California, was instrumental in making these mazes happen, Universal officials have said.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019ve been working really close with [wife] Sharon and Jack, specifically, making sure that we are giving not only an aggressive, amazing haunted house, but really a tribute to Ozzy\u2019s legacy, to his music and to his iconography of being this amazing horror-based musician,\u201d Sauls said.<\/p>\n

\u201cThey allowed us to do some original characters in there with the Ozzy logo, like, burned into their skulls or etched into their masks,\u201d she said. \u201cSo it was just a great collaboration.\u201d<\/p>\n

In Orlando, HHN visitors will travel through ancient ruins and dungeons before boarding the \u201cCrazy Train\u201d for a journey inspired by the covers of Osbourne\u2019s solo albums, including \u201cDiary of a Madman,\u201d \u201cBark at the Moon,\u201d \u201cThe Ultimate Sin\u201d and \u201cBlack Rain.\u201d<\/p>\n

The house will include different versions of the musician, such as werewolf Ozzy and \u201cmid-transformation bat Ozzy,\u201d Sauls said. \u201cThen it culminates with seeing the Prince of Darkness himself sitting on the throne that emulates the throne he sat on at his very last concert.\u201d<\/p>\n

The house will include Osbourne\u2019s hits plus some deep cuts, Sauls said.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s a great tribute to Ozzy, and he\u2019s telling us in his own words, his own voice, that he loves us,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n

\"InThe original “Hellraiser” trilogy will be the basis of a haunted house at Halloween Horror Nights at Universal Orlando in 2026. (Courtesy Universal Orlando)
\nPinning down Pinhead<\/p>\n

One film has been at the top of the wish list of Horror Nights honchos for more than 10 years, Sauls said.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe have been wanting to do \u2018Hellraiser\u2019<\/a> for over a decade,\u201d she said. \u201cFor many years we would ask about it, and the rights seemed to be a little bit of an issue. \u2026 We wanted it for years and years and years, and this year we finally got it.\u201d<\/p>\n

The 1987 film is \u201cone of the true classic horror movies that has stood the test of time,\u201d Sauls said. \u201cIf you\u2019ve never seen \u2018Hellraiser,\u2019 I\u2019m positive at some time in everyone\u2019s life, you\u2019ve seen Pinhead,\u201d the nickname for the nailed-up, bald-headed protagonist and distinctive movie-poster image.<\/p>\n

Filmmaker Clive Barker<\/a> and team were involved in the HHN projects.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhen his team came to our park here in Orlando, and they walked the house, they obviously filled him in on how incredible the house looks,\u201d Sauls said. \u201cAnd Clive wrote us a handwritten letter, thanking us for bringing this franchise to life.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"Universal-suppliedNew to Halloween Horror Nights in 2026 is a haunted house based on the 2025 award-winning original horror film, “Sinners,” produced, written and directed by Ryan Coogler. (Courtesy Universal Orlando)
\n\u2018Sinners\u2019 singalong of sorts<\/p>\n

The house, based on the Oscar-winning film\u00a0\u201cSinners,\u201d<\/a> has the storylines, characters\u00a0and music that fans would anticipate, Sauls said.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s got some amazing special effects because when you go into the juke joint, you\u2019re gonna see Preacher Boy singing on the stage. You\u2019re going to see that power of music, that gift of music, break the veil, and you\u2019re going to see representation of musicians from past, present, future,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n

\u201cOf course, Remmick is right there on our tail with his gang of vampires coming at us. \u2026 It brings that film to life, but yet in an aggressive way. Remmick is around every corner. You\u2019re gonna see all the amazing vampires that he\u2019s created to go after Preacher Boy, and then, of course \u2014 spoiler alert \u2014 the sun comes up.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"TheThe final season of Netflix’s “Stranger Things” will be the basis of a haunted house at Halloween Horror Nights at Universal Orlando in 2026. (Courtesy Universal Orlando)
\nAnd the rest<\/p>\n

Seven additional houses are part of 2026 HHN, including mazes based on the fifth season of \u201cStranger Things\u201d<\/a> and \u201cEvil Dead Burn,\u201d<\/a> a film that arrived in theaters this summer. Original-concept houses include Jack & Oddfellow: Chaos & Control (icons at odds), Cybergoria (futuristic machines, cold world), Madlands: Caged Cannibals (defunct zoo), Invasion: Alien Abduction (otherworldly visitors, remote homestead) and H.R. Bloodengutz Presents: A Halloween Fright-Tacular (a cinematic scare-a-thon from Carey, Ohio).<\/p>\n

Also in the mix are a \u201cStranger Things\u201d retrospective lagoon show, a new \u201cNightmare Fuel\u201d stage show and multiple scare zones, including a mammoth one known as Downtown Clowntown and one named Sideshow of Decay that connects to past HHNs.<\/p>\n

\"HalloweenHalloween Horror Nights 2026 will feature a haunted house based on the film “Evil Dead Burn,” which was released in theaters in mid-July. (Courtesy Universal Orlando)<\/p>\n

\u201cCindy Caine, who has been a part of our event for a very long time but really has never taken the lead on anything; she\u2019s befriended Dr. Oddfellow,\u201d Sauls said.<\/p>\n

\u201cHe\u2019s opened a portal in the Sideshow of Decay to our HHN graveyard, where he is allowing her to resurrect all of these iconic characters and icons of our past. \u2026 so she can have them as playthings,\u201d Sauls said. \u201cThey are not just coming after us. They\u2019re going after each other because they don\u2019t know each other.\u201d<\/p>\n

Halloween Horror Nights: How Jack is back with Oddfellow<\/a><\/p>\n

Halloween Horror Nights runs for 49 select nights through Nov. 1. For tickets and more details, go to universalorlando.com\/hhn<\/a>. Mini-reviews of all 10 haunted houses will be posted on orlandosentinel.com<\/a> Saturday (Aug. 29) morning.<\/p>\n

Email me at dbevil@orlandosentinel.com<\/a>. BlueSky: @themeparksdb. Threads account: @dbevil. X account: @themeparks. Subscribe to the Theme Park Rangers newsletter at orlandosentinel.com\/newsletters<\/a>.<\/p>\n

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