July 23, 2026
Universal Studios Hollywood announced Dead, Deader, Deadest on July 23, the first original, non-IP haunted house revealed for Halloween Horror Nights 2026 on the West Coast. The announcement came through HHN creative director John Murdy’s account and Universal’s Discover Universal blog, and the premise is pure Murdy: a funeral home with a miracle product that works until it very much does not.
Universal’s official description: “Ambrotox claims to restore the deceased’s features without the process of embalming. But when the miracle drug backfires, a century’s worth of corpses rise from their graves dead set on terrorizing the living. In this haunted house, stare death in its decaying face and unearth the dark secrets that lie within the Deville Family Funeral Home.”
A Deville Deep Cut
Longtime Hollywood fans should recognize the family name. Murdy’s treatment describes the funeral home’s founder as “infamous hotel impresario Maximilian Deville,” the same Deville behind the 2022 original house Universal Horror Hotel, where the serial-killer owner hunted guests from beyond the grave. That makes Dead, Deader, Deadest a callback to one of Hollywood’s most-loved recent originals rather than a standalone concept, and it continues Murdy’s run of original zombie houses after 2024’s Dead Exposure: Death Valley. Per Inside Universal, the house will be located in the Jurassic World extended queue.
Where the Hollywood Lineup Stands
Dead, Deader, Deadest is the fifth house announced for Hollywood and the only original so far, joining four IP houses shared with Orlando: Sinners, Stranger Things 5, Hellraiser, and Evil Dead Burn. The Fortnitemares scare zone, Hollywood’s first announced zone for 2026, rounds out the confirmed slate. Hollywood historically runs around eight houses, so expect roughly three more reveals, plus Terror Tram and remaining zones, with Universal pointing to Midsummer Scream in August for the next wave of announcements.
HHN Hollywood runs select nights September 3 through November 1, 2026, beginning at 7 p.m. each night. Single-night tickets start at $77 and have been on sale since May. For the full pricing picture across both coasts, including Frequent Fear passes and the R.I.P. Tour, see our HHN tickets guide, and our complete Hollywood guide tracks every announcement as it lands.
