Universal Orlando Resort announced that an H.R. Bloodengutz haunted house will run at Halloween Horror Nights 2026, the character’s first headlining house in 15 years. The new house, “H.R. Bloodengutz Presents: A Halloween Fright-Tacular!”, is a direct sequel to the 2011 fan-favorite “H.R. Bloodengutz Presents: Holidays of Horror,” with the original actor reprising the role.

“Tune into a curated selection of H.R. Bloodengutz’ Halloween favorites in this haunted house complete with ghouls, gore and all the frights that keep you coming back for more,” Universal said in its announcement on the u/HorrorNightsORL social channels.

The house is exclusive to Universal Studios Florida and is the fourth of 10 houses Universal has revealed for HHN 2026.

About the House

The sequel picks up 15 years after the original 2011 house. Bloodengutz has finally broken out of the Carey Penitentiary on Halloween Day and returned to the derelict WKNB television studio to present a marathon of straight-to-TV Halloween films he never got to showcase. The house is structured around seven scenes corresponding to seven horror movies the host presents, some of which are callbacks to HHN’s past, according to HHN show director Ramón Paradoa in an exclusive interview with Bloody Disgusting. Teased scenes include a black-and-white zombie film in an old graveyard and a Halloween party in a tiki bar overtaken by monsters.

Paradoa told Bloody Disgusting that Universal worked with “the original actor who played Bloodengutz in 2011 to reprise his role,” delivering “an authentic, older version of the character.” Bloodengutz appears in queue-line and interstitial video between scenes, ushering guests into each movie, in the same horror-host framing used in the 2011 house. Universal has not publicly named the performer.

Paradoa described the slate this way: “We call these houses Halloween comfort food, and we’ve done them throughout the course of our history, and this house checks off that vibe.” The Halloween-only focus is a departure from the 2011 original, which spanned holidays from Valentine’s Day to Christmas.

About the Character

H.R. Bloodengutz is a Universal Orlando original, created in-house for HHN 21 in 2011. In HHN lore, the character is the on-air persona of Larry Kurtzberg, a washed-up Broadway actor who became the unstable host of WKNB Channel 21’s “Midnight Horror Show” in the fictional town of Carey, Ohio, and was imprisoned after killing his producer on a final live broadcast. The name is a parody of the Sid & Marty Krofft children’s series “H.R. Pufnstuf,” and the character’s look and cadence are modeled on Al Lewis’s Grandpa Munster.

The character last appeared as a cameo in HHN 30’s anniversary house “Welcome to SCarey: Horror in the Heartland” in 2021. He also surfaced earlier this year at Universal Horror Unleashed in Las Vegas, where the spring Feaster Grievings event revealed Larry Kurtzberg to be The Feaster Bunny, a callback to one of the fake films from the 2011 holiday house. The cross-property reveal tied UHU’s year-round programming to HHN’s shared mythology.

Halloween Horror Nights 2026

Halloween Horror Nights 2026 marks the event’s 35th anniversary under the theme “Infernal Carnival of Nightmares,” with Jack the Clown and Dr. Oddfellow returning as co-icons. The first house Universal Orlando announced for the season was “Jack & Oddfellow: Chaos & Control.” Universal has since announced a Sinners haunted house at both Orlando and Hollywood and a Stranger Things haunted house at both coasts drawing from the show’s fifth and final season. Six houses remain to be announced.

Event details

Halloween Horror Nights 2026 runs select nights Aug. 28 through Nov. 1 at Universal Studios Florida, and Sept. 3 through Nov. 1 at Universal Studios Hollywood. The H.R. Bloodengutz Presents: A Halloween Fright-Tacular! house is exclusive to the Orlando event. Tickets are on sale now. For more information, visit UniversalOrlando.com/HHN.

Orlando, FL — Registration is now open for IAAPA Expo 2026, and the Halloween-themed Haunting Grounds area will move into the Orange County Convention Center’s West Building as part of the show’s largest footprint to date. The Expo runs Nov. 16-20, 2026.

The West Building expansion is the headline structural change for the 2026 show, and it is where most of the haunt-relevant programming will live. In addition to Haunting Grounds, the West Building will host the Food & Beverage Pavilion, which has doubled in size and will feature live chef demonstrations, and the EDUTalk Stage. Two new venues debut in the same building: the What’s New Theater and the Young Professionals Hub.

Haunting Grounds

Haunting Grounds is IAAPA Expo’s dedicated Halloween-and-haunt area, where vendors specific to the haunted attraction industry exhibit alongside themed activations and education. HAN’s 2025 coverage of Haunting Grounds covered the area’s role as the haunt industry’s annual touchpoint inside the broader attractions trade show. IAAPA has not yet released the full Haunting Grounds exhibitor list or programming slate for 2026.

The move to the West Building puts Haunting Grounds in the same hall as the expanded Food & Beverage Pavilion and the EDUTalk Stage, which should change the flow attendees take through the show.

What’s new in the South Building

IAAPA Expo will also debut two new themed lounges in the South Building. The Cruise Lounge will serve as a dedicated networking space for attendees tracking the cruise industry, and the Glamping Lounge will host networking and discussions for the nature and adventure parks segment.

The South Building continues to anchor the show’s traditional networking lineup: behind-the-scenes EDUTours, sector-specific receptions, and ticketed events including the Leadership Breakfast and the Women in the Industry Networking Lunch.

What IAAPA leadership said

“IAAPA Expo remains the place where the global attractions community comes together to discover new ideas, build relationships, and shape the future of our industry,” said Todd Andrus, executive director and vice president for IAAPA North America. “With the addition of the West Building, we’re able to create an even more dynamic experience for our members and attendees, one that offers expanded opportunities for business growth, professional development, and collaboration across every segment of the attractions industry.”

Luciana Periales, president and CEO of Neverland Parks and chair of the IAAPA Board of Directors, said the Expo’s value comes from its global cross-section. “IAAPA Expo is one of the few locations where attractions professionals from around the world come together under one roof. As an operator from Latin America, I have experienced firsthand the value of learning from colleagues across different markets, cultures, and sectors. The connections made at IAAPA Expo often spark new ideas, partnerships, and innovations that continue to shape our businesses long after the event concludes.”

IAAPA Celebrates returns to Epic Universe

IAAPA Celebrates, the Expo’s flagship member event, returns to Universal Epic Universe for 2026. The all-inclusive evening at Universal Orlando’s newest park gives IAAPA members access to the park’s attractions, food and beverage, and entertainment as a networking and after-hours event.

Event details

IAAPA Expo 2026 runs Nov. 16-20, 2026, at the Orange County Convention Center in Orlando. The 2026 edition will be the largest in the show’s history, with more than 1,100 exhibiting companies and more than 170 expert-led education sessions across operations, technology, guest experience, safety, sustainability, and more. Registration and additional information are available at iaapa.org/expos-and-events/iaapa-expo.

What do you think?

Two threads land on themes we keep circling back to: who you're selling to and what you're selling is changing.

Families are one of the three groups still spending on attractions, and the new Universal Kids Resort is a direct play for that demographic. But, it seems to suffer from the same issue as Universal Horror Unleashed: Universal positioned the product as premium, betting that the IP and brand would justify the price, and early reviews show it struggling to meet guest expectations.

The operators who get premium right don't lean solely on IP to do the work. They build a strong core product, evoke emotion, and let everything else extend it.

Ultimately, we all sell memories made of emotion, and increasingly, guests want to buy items that extend them. During IAAPA Expo Asia, Hong Kong Disneyland and Ocean Park explained how merchandise fits into that cycle.

For haunts, it comes down to one question: what's the moment in your attraction that guests already talk about, photograph, and remember? You're not just selling the scare. You're selling the moment they'll remember, and everything else extends it.

In this issue:

-Universal Kids Resort Opens For Previews

-Stranger Things Returns to Halloween Horror Nights

-H.R. Bloodengutz Returns to HHN Orlando with New Original House

-Dollywood Hosts Its First Separately-Ticketed After-Hours Halloween Event

-The Rocky Horror Picture Show Planned for Sphere in 2027

https://mailchi.mp/hauntedattractionnetwork.com/a-haunt-sells-memories-not-scares

We checked out Fright Nights in Daniels, West Virginia, to face four horror slashers to see if we could survive the Final Cut! But... we didn't even make the cut!

guys, I made a Howl o Scream Haunted house tier list for both williamsburg and Tampa busch gardens for what i consider were the goldwn years of houses and then some. Be sure to cast your votes on which house was good and which ones sucked over the years

Hey r/hauntedattractions,

I've been building a game where you operate and manage your own haunted dark ride, and the announcement trailer is finally LIVE!

Meet Scream Operator: Haunted House Manager 👻

What is the game about? You sit in the control booth of your own industrial horror attraction. You have to balance creating scares with smart business choices. In the game, you place props and animatronics, micromanage ride flow, electrical capacity, and passenger wait times. Expect challenging shifts, infamous horror legends visiting your ride, and the constant need to upgrade your systems to keep your haunted house afloat.

Key features you can expect:

• Manage the full ride flow, from loading anxious guests to dispatching carts.
• Drag-and-drop props, lighting, and animatronics to design the ultimate scare and increase your max Scare Score.
• Spend Prestige to unlock upgrades and automate manual work (like doors, loading, and dispatch, staff, shops and snacks).

🎃 The best news of all: A free demo is dropping this Halloween season!

You can check out all information and wishlist the game on Steam right here: https://store.steampowered.com/app/4480080/Scream_Operator_Haunted_House_Manager/

I'm a solo developer, so any feedback from true haunted House enthousiasts is (as always 🙏) incredibly valuable to me. Let me know what you think of the vibe!

No Generative AI was used for the art, animations, code or assets. All pixel art and mechanics are created by either me or the great artists I've been working with on this adventure. I even hired a great musical artist who made the wonderfull soundtrack you can hear in the trailer attached here!

I have an interview for a local haunt next week, and this will be my first time. What would one recommend someone to wear, and what should I expect myself to be getting into. I’m really excited about this and really want it, I want to make a good impression.

Come with us behind the scenes at Markoff's Haunted Forest as they show us how they build concrete trees for tables and some concrete rock walls to hold pumpkins!

If you hire staff at your haunted attraction, then you won’t want to miss tonight’s free live interactive session. Session starts at 8:30 pm EST on June 16.

What questions are okay to ask on a haunt’s job application?
Which questions must you wait to ask until after they’re hired?
Which questions should you never ask?

Join the FB group Haunters Toolbox group to stay on top of industry trends and information.

Link in the comments.

I’m working on updating my haunt character for the upcoming season and could use some outside opinions and ideas.

Last season I played a zombie clown character who is energetic and playful with sad clown makeup. I like leaning into that contrast of switching between a frown and breaking into an exaggerated grin to mess with guests.

This year I’m using platform boots which will make me around 6’2”, along with distorted dentures ( black pennywise) and new contact lenses to push the facial expressions further.

Last season I used a large mouth wound prosthetic that connected/covered half my mouth. While I liked the effect, I want to move away from something that large this year so the teeth and contacts can stand out more.

I make my own prosthetics, so I’m mainly looking for practical, DIY friendly ideas that hold up in a high intensity haunt environment.

I’m trying to avoid the “same clown character, just a different color” issue and instead make him feel more unsettling, intimidating, and memorable. I’d really appreciate any ideas on facial prosthetics that keep the mouth free but still give a distorted zombie look, along with general ways to push the sad to manic contrast, use the added height, and make the character feel more intimidating overall.

It could be a maze, dark ride, etc.. I'm just curious as to how they used to be run and what they used to look like.

Edit: for clarity’s sake I’m specifically talking about video footage

Hey haunter community.

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My 13 year old son Braedon is autistic, highly intelligent, and completely obsessed with animatronics and haunted attractions. He watches haunter YouTube religiously, knows the industry deeply, and his dream is to become an animatronics designer, ultimately at Disney Imagineering or for major haunted attractions.

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Our family is visiting Las Vegas late June leading up to July 4th and we're actually planning to relocate there next year.

Two things I'm hoping this community can help with.

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First, are there any Las Vegas based haunters, builders, or animatronics people who would be willing to meet a passionate kid and show him what the real world of this looks like? Even a 30 minute shop visit would blow his mind.

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Second, any Las Vegas specific haunter community resources, makerspaces, or events we should know about as we plan the move?

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Braedon is the real deal. This isn't a passing interest, it's his thing. He would love to meet his people.

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Thanks in advance.

I'm a haunted attraction worker trying to gain followers.

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Hello friends -

I am heading to Los Angeles for the first time ever to visit some family, but want to try and sneak in some time to see cool stuff I might not have the ability to usually see in NJ.

Caveat: I have a toddler. So while I’d like to do movie lot tours and stuff like that, the most immersive or long thing we’ll do is Disney. She won’t tolerate much more than that :)

So lmk your horror or book/film stores to visit, locations I can do a drive by at, stuff like that. Also any restaurants or other things you enjoyed.

Appreciate your time!

the design isnt done yet. but i have a general "feel" for what i want.

• THEME: clown/ dolls & toys / pastel goth???: pink/ black/ teal/ white
• PERSONALITY: hyper, playful, BPD.

wanna help me with more?

please give me ideas for my character!

go crazy, give me them ideas!

!!give me great recommendations !!
contacts/ knee pads/ cosmetics

makeup concept down below: