David Bridges
Key Highlights
- Collaboration: The team worked closely to bring Damien Leone’s vision of Art the Clown to life.
- Experience: The Halloween Horror Nights houses are described as the “goriest” in the event’s history.
- Notable Scenes: Key moments include a chilling Clown Cafe dream sequence and a dark Christmas mall Santa scene.
- Attention to Detail: The intricate design of the houses offers a surreal and remarkable experience.
Damien Leone, the writer and director of the Terrifier film series, along with Universal Creatives at Halloween Horror Nights, takes fans on an NSFW behind-the-screams tour of the house Art the Clown built. Well, at least you can see what the Halloween haunt titans would imagine he would build in a recently shared Instagram video that provides a lights-on look at the Terrifier houses for Horror Nights 2025.
John Murdy, creative director of Halloween Horror Nights Hollywood, calls them “the goriest [houses] in the history of Horror Nights,” and we can attest to that having visited the East and West Coast versions of the house. It truly speaks to how Art the Clown’s presence really made this year’s Horror Nights events one of the most thrilling, terrifying, and memorable yet. And that’s thanks to how collaborative the entire team was to bring Leone’s vision of Art to life. The bloody cherry on top of the cake is how incredibly the in-park wandering clowns really capture the film’s smiling slasher energy made iconic by David Howard Thornton.
“What excited John and I and our teams was not only paying off everything in the films but also creating a world that is completely Art’s creation,” senior director of Universal Orlando Resort Entertainment Mike Aiello shared.
HHN East’s Clown Cafe dream sequence room was hands down one of the most faithful recreations we’ve experienced at the annual event and an instant favorite. As soon as dream Sienna appeared as a jump scare with her whimsical look and plated heart, I was won over (head over heels). Similarly, the Christmas mall Santa scene in Hollywood truly captured one of the darkest of Art’s kills in a delightfully demented way with lots of water spray to simulate his signature bloody fun moments.
Murdy added, “We wanted to plant this seed in our guest’s mind that wherever they go in this house, there’s a good possibility that they’re going to be sprayed with blood. You’re going to see a lot of famous kills from Terrifier as Easter eggs for our fans throughout the experience.”
In the clip you can also see Leone with producer Phil Falcone looking around the Hollywood version of the house with glee. The Hollywood house depicts Art’s greatest hits; along with the mall Santa, there’s the Halloween scalping and the truly horrendous bathroom scene showcased behind a carnival-style Terrifier walk-through entrance.
“Now truthfully, the attention to detail in this house is just incredible. So to see it in person is really surreal and remarkable,” Leone said. “Brilliant. It really is. You guys knocked it out of the park.”
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