The Halloween Horror Nights 2025 panel at Midsummer Scream delivered an in-depth look at this year’s Terrifier haunted houses, but two unexpected design choices stood out most: guests in Orlando can choose between a “dry path” or a “Symphony of Blood,” and Art the Clown will be stalking guests throughout the entire event space, even outside the maze.
“It’s like Where’s Waldo, but it’s Art,” said HHN Orlando’s Senior Director of Creative Development Michael Aiello. “He might be in a store. He could be anywhere. You’ll encounter him when you least expect it.” Both coasts will feature these stealthy encounters, with Aiello confirming that “even the RIP Lounge is not safe.”
Meanwhile, Orlando’s finale for Terrifier ups the ante with an immersive split-path design. Guests can opt for a dry walkthrough—or lean into the horror by choosing the “Symphony of Blood,” which culminates in a full drenching under a blood waterfall as Art looms from above. “We’re not kidding,” said Aiello. “This is our wettest house ever. It’s front row Jurassic Park.”
Inside the Funhouse: Bringing the Terrifier Franchise to Life
The haunted house is set inside the sinister Funhouse from Terrifier 2—a location that never actually existed at full scale until now. In the film, the Funhouse was built as a miniature using forced perspective, but HHN Hollywood and Orlando have fully constructed it, making it the central setting for nearly every iconic kill across the series.
“We’re treating it like Art’s personal gallery,” said HHN Hollywood’s Creative Director John Murdy. “He’s showing off his twisted works for the guests.”
Art greets guests at the entrance, appearing behind a clown-faced door before emerging to menace the crowd up close. In Orlando, the house façade includes a media wall previewing franchise characters waiting inside.
Franchise Favorites (and Frights)
Guests will meet multiple versions of Art the Clown—classic, scalped, poopy, and Santa variants included. The maze also features:
- Vicky Heyes in her later villainous form, complete with disfiguring prosthetics.
- The Pale Girl, who appears via a special effect in Hollywood and as a live performer in Orlando.
- Sienna Shaw, in full winged armor, recreated by the in-house costuming team.
THE KILLS
After entering the Funhouse, guests will go through recreation of Art’s most iconic kill scenes, direct from the series:
- Hacksaw Kill (Terrifier 1): Hollywood’s “Silly Saws” surrounds guests with decapitations, while Orlando’s corridor features saws moving overhead and blood spraying from every direction.
- Allie’s Death (Terrifier 2): “Barrels of Fun” sees guests walking past barrels of bleach before they get sprayed down with it.
- Santa Kill (Terrifier 3): A twisted holiday scene ends in a hedge maze that literally rains blood, with Santa Art chasing you. Orlando’s version features the most bodies of any HHN haunted house.
- Bathroom Scene (Terrifier 2): Built-in odors, blood-spattered stalls, a poop monster in the sink, and Art writing “Art was here” in feces complete this grotesque detour.
- Clown Café: Both coasts feature the infamous cafeteria scene, with Orlando going further by adding a real food and beverage stand themed to the Café itself.
And for guests thinking of chickening out, beware: Hollywood includes a fake chicken exit, where guests who bail may “encounter things you’re not supposed to see.”
A Tribute to Slasher Royalty
Leone and Falcone joined the panel to offer behind-the-scenes insight into the Terrifier series and celebrate the inclusion of their franchise. “This is the greatest honor,” said Leone. “They embraced everything that makes Terrifier what it is. It’s surreal to see it come to life.” Phil Falcone added that he’s never seen Leone agree so quickly to another team’s creative interpretation: “They nailed it.”
Other Panel Highlights
While Terrifier dominated the conversation, Murdy and Aiello also discussed their process for designing other 2025 houses:
- WWE’s Wyatt Six maze was approached like an original haunted house, using Wyatt lore and character arcs. Guests follow the light of Bray Wyatt’s lantern as they descend deeper into his mind. Orlando’s version recreates the Wyatt Six TV debut and features new filmed content with Bo Dallas (Uncle Howdy) exclusive to the event.
- Five Nights at Freddy’s is the closest collaborative effort between Orlando and Hollywood in HHN history. The house is nearly identical coast to coast, with creative teams splitting responsibilities across design, scenic, audio, and video. The Jim Henson Creature Shop built the animatronics.
HHN’s Future: From Vegas to Epic
Looking ahead, both creatives acknowledged how HHN has evolved beyond its seasonal roots. “Ten years ago, I would’ve said there’s no way we’d get a 365-day horror venue,” Murdy said. “But now we’ve got Horror Unleashed in Vegas.” He added, “I think Horror Nights had something to do with Dark Universe at Epic Universe, too.”
