Now in its 33rd year of terrifying the masses, Halloween Horror Nights has built a reputation for immersing guests in some of the most anxiety-inducing moments in horror history. A key part of this success comes from partnering with top production companies to bring these nightmares to life—none more prominent than Blumhouse Productions. Since 2014, Jason Blum’s legendary horror franchises have become a staple at Halloween Horror Nights, terrifying and delighting fans year after year.
With such a strong presence at Halloween Horror Nights and three Blumhouse entries for 2024 (Insidious: The Further, Enter the Blumhouse, and this year’s Dead Coconut Club featuring Blumhouse), it’s the perfect time to explore the deep ties between HHN and Blumhouse Productions. Specifically, we’ll be focusing on the in-park use of Blumhouse properties, including haunted houses, scare zones, and roaming characters. While Blumhouse has also been featured in media events, Blumfest at Universal Orlando Resort, and even the popular Scare-Actor Dining experience, those are more HHN-adjacent rather than part of the main event itself.
Now, without further ado, enter the fog of history with us as we begin our journey in 2014.
The Purge: Anarchy (2014)
After signing a 10-year first-look deal with Universal Pictures, Blumhouse Productions made its first Orlando appearance at Halloween Horror Nights 24 with The Purge: Anarchy. Based on the first two Purge movies, the scare zone was located in the New York section of Universal Studios Florida. The areas unique story placed guests in the midst of this year’s Purge, where the Old Elegant Woman and Big Daddy would capture and auction off victims as part of the national festivities.
This was the first, but certainly not the last, time we’d see one of Blumhouse’s most beloved franchises at HHN. The success of The Purge: Anarchy was likely due in part to the integration of plain-clothes victims and facade televisions displaying “live feeds” of the Purge, which helped elevate the zone’s storytelling.
Insidious (2015)
Following the success of the previous year, Blumhouse was granted an increased presence in HHN 25. This included two of the event’s nine houses being based on Blumhouse properties: Insidious and The Purge. The Insidious house was based on the first three movies from the franchise. Guests would enter the house via the Smith Estate facade and Dalton’s bedroom before entering The Further and passing through several key scenes from the movies.
During their journey, guests crossed paths with the Lipstick Face Demon, The Man Who Can’t Breathe, and The Bride in Black. The haunted house successfully captured the spirit of the Insidious series. The simple but impressive effects and techniques allowed the franchise’s iconic characters to deliver powerful scares.
The Purge (2015)
With its success as a scare zone and popularity with Blumhouse fans, creating a house for The Purge franchise only made sense. The house would be based on The Purge and The Purge: Anarchy. Similar to the scare zone from the previous year, guests entering the house would find themselves in the midst of the nation’s annual Purge event. As the guests navigated the maze of scenes from both movies, they were joined by “fake victims” who would be captured and murdered as part of the Purge festivities while trying to escape the other purgers.
While The Purge is more effective when executed as a scare zone rather than a house, the 2015 iteration was still solid. The Purge has always been a natural fit for HHN, and the house’s narrative was still well-done, with scares that allowed it to be genuinely terrifying.
All Nite Die-In: Double Feature (2015)
Carey, Ohio has a storied history in HHN, so it makes perfect sense that Blumhouse would find its way into a scare zone based on its infamous drive-in movie theatre. All Nite Die-In’s scareactors and themes were divided into two halves. One was a black-and-white portion based on classic horror movies like The Wolfman, Dracula, and The Invisible Man. The other half would be modern movies such as Chucky, Freddy vs. Jason, and The Purge.
This scare zone was unique in its own right with the era-divided halves. Naturally, characters from Blumhouse’s The Purge were found in the modern line-up. Guests would encounter figures from The Purge franchise, such as the gray hooded skeleton, as well as the demon-mouth and smiling purgers.
The Horrors of Blumhouse (2017)
Two years later, Blumhouse would make its return to HHN in the first iteration of The Horrors of Blumhouse, a tent house based on three of their legendary franchises. Guests would navigate through scenes from The Purge, Sinister, and Insidious within the maze. After passing through the Blumhouse Productions logo, guests were greeted by a title card for Sinister, featuring a bloodied image of Bughuul. The blood trail led them into a series of gruesome scenes from the Oswalt house and the church, both iconic locations from the first two Sinister films. From there, the experience transitioned to chilling scenes from the original Purge and culminated with terrifying moments from the Insidious movies.
Featuring some of Blumhouse’s most popular franchises is undoubtedly a draw for attendees, but that wasn’t the best part of this house. As if that wasn’t enough, The Horrors of Blumhouse not only recreated iconic scenes from the first Insidious movie but also offered a special sneak peek of the franchise’s latest installment, Insidious: The Last Key. To top it off, the house even made an appearance in the Altars of Horror scare zone, serving as a teaser for that year’s haunted house lineup.
The Purge (2017)
True to the chaotic spirit of the Purge franchise, the inescapable dangers weren’t confined to just the houses that year. The Purge also returned as a scare zone, immersing guests in the horrors of the first three films. It featured fan-favorite elements like the auction hosted by the Old Elegant Woman and the eerie Smiling Purgers, along with new additions, such as a car outfitted with a steel cage containing a Purger, a victim, and a wood chipper.
Set in the New York section of the park, the scare zone felt like a full-blown invasion, with a multitude of scareactors creating a relentless atmosphere of fear. The inclusion of Kimmy’s car from The Purge: Election Year and the plain-clothes victims from the past heightened the feeling of being fully immersed in the world of The Purge.
The Horrors of Blumhouse (2018)
In its second iteration, The Horrors of Blumhouse had a more concise journey as it was based on Happy Death Day and The First Purge. Guests would cross through the Blumhouse Productions facade, entering into Happy Death Day. Here, they were greeted with an introductory jump scare by the Baby Face Killer — as well as a certain, pivotal poisoned cupcake — in the Bayfield College tunnel. They then witness the many deaths of Tree Gelbman at the hands of Babyface as she tries to figure out the mystery of the killer’s identity and why she keeps reliving the same day.
After exiting the Happy Death Day’s final scene, guests are brought into The First Purge via a transition hall of televisions commencing the New Founding Fathers of America’s original experiment. Guests are thrust into the streets of Staten Island where they encounter a variety of purgers. Not even the exit is safe as a final purger squeezes out one last jump scare as guests left the house.
The Horrors of Blumhouse (2022)
Universal announced the return of The Horrors of Blumhouse for HHN 31, this time featuring a double feature of Freaky and The Black Phone. Its narrative was a dramatic retelling of the movies as guests attempted to escape the clutches of The Grabber and the Blissfield Butcher.
This version of The Horrors of Blumhouse may have been based on only two movies, but it’s among the longest houses Universal has created for Halloween Horror Nights. This is due to it utilizing both the extended queue of Fast and Furious: Supercharged and an additional tent to weave its story.
The Exorcist: Believer (2023)
The following year, the Jason Blum-produced The Exorcist: Believer made its way to the HHN 32 house lineup. Upon entering, guests were immediately transported to a Haitian market, complete with the smells of food cooking and the eerie sound of demonic growls, setting the stage for what was to come. Inside the house, guests were thrust into scenes from the movie, playing a role as the demons possessing Katherine and Angela pursued them.
This latest entry in The Exorcist franchise marked the first time the series had appeared at HHN since 2016. It also served as a living trailer for The Exorcist: Believer, which didn’t hit theaters until October 6, 2023—right in the middle of that year’s Halloween Horror Nights season.
M3GAN (2023)
After the success of the highly acclaimed M3GAN, her appearance at HHN was inevitable. Instead of a dedicated house or an anchored scare zone, M3GAN dolls randomly appeared in roaming hordes throughout the park. These M3GANs were similar in style to the beloved chainsaw drill teams and the zombie prisoners from 2008’s Zombies! scare zone. What made the M3GAN horde unique was their parkwide presence and that they weren’t meant to frighten guests. Instead, they performed a choreographed routine based on the film’s popular dance scene that would segue into a photo op.
Insidious: The Further (2024)
Based on the popular Insidious franchise, this house brings its guests into the infamous red door and into the Further. Insidious: The Further brings guests with the franchise’s most terrifying demons. At the start of the house, you’re guided by Elise Rainer’s voice as you enter the Red Door and cross into the Further. Once in the house, guests encounter monsters from the franchise, such as the Lipstick-Faced Demon, Key Face, and The Bride in Black.
The great thing about Insidious: The Further is that it’s based on the overall franchise rather than a specific movie. This helps it appeal to everyone, as watching the movies is not necessary to understand this house.
Enter the Blumhouse (2024)
Much like The Horrors of Blumhouse, Enter the Blumhouse is a scare zone based on several properties of the horror production company. Upon entering the San Francisco section of Universal Studios Florida, guests run a gauntlet of horror armed with some of Blumhouse’s most fearsome villains. This scare zone features the Grabber from The Black Phone, M3GAN, characters from The Purge, Millie Kessler, and the Blissfield Butcher from Freaky, as well as Tree Gelbman and the Baby Face Killer from Happy Death Day.
The scare zone works very well as a highlight of Blumhouse’s most popular franchises. As a bonus surprise this year, it also features a photo op for Blumhouse’s upcoming 2025 Wolfman reboot.
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