Universal Orlando Resort (USF, IOA, Epic) Discussion Thread

[jedimaster1227]

Universal Destinations and Experiences has announced that Jason Voorhees will return to Halloween Horror Nights in 2025 with a new house at Universal Studios Florida and Universal Studios Hollywood, Jason Universe. 

https://www.forbes.com/sites/simonthompson/2025/06/13/jason-voorhees-slays-at-universal-studios-halloween-horror-nights/

Titan of terror Jason Voorhees rises again at this year’s Halloween Horror Nights, and he is going to slay.

Jason Universe sees the iconic killer from the infamous Friday the 13th films get his own haunted house at the seasonal event at both Universal Orlando Resort and Universal Studios Hollywood for the first time. The all-original immersive nightmare will take brave guests back to the summer camp where the gruesome legend was born.

Jason Universe is being described as "a vengeance tour through the summer camp to see where it all began, from the creaking floorboards of Jason's ramshackle cabin to the decaying main lodge and the eerie forest that offers no refuge for his victims."

Fans are being promised recreations of classic kills from the multimillion-dollar franchise that launched 45 years ago with the theatrical release of the first film. Expect Jason, decked out in his legendary hockey mask, to "taunt and stalk" his victims who learn too late that everything they heard about him and his reign of terror is true.

Described as an "homage to the machete-wielding slasher" who is considered one of the most notorious villains in cinematic history, Jason Universe sounds like a classic execution of an enduring and ever-popular 12-film horror franchise.

Jason Voorhees Has A History Of Killing It At Halloween Horror Nights

Jason Universe isn’t the first time Jason has appeared at Halloween Horror Nights, a mecca for fans of the genre. Most recently, at Universal Studios Hollywood, he was joined by Freddy Krueger, Leatherface, and Chucky on the Titans of Terror Tram on the Studio Tour Backlot in 2017. It has been nine years since he last featured in a haunted house there. The last one was 2016's Freddy Vs. Jason. In Orlando, his last appearance was in 2015 when he appeared in both a Freddy Vs. Jason attraction and the All Nite Die-In: Double Feature scarezone.

Created by Victor Miller, the first Friday the 13th movie, directed by Sean S. Cunningham, arrived in theaters in May 1980. The most recent film was 2009’s identically titled reboot, Friday the 13th, directed by Marcus Nispel and produced by Michael Bay. The most successful film in the franchise was the 2003 A Nightmare on Elm Street crossover, Freddy vs. Jason, which grossed $82.62 million worldwide.

Although it has been a while since a new Friday the 13th movie has dropped, Crystal Lake, described as "an origin story for Jason and a prequel to the Friday the 13th franchise," is on the way. It will stream exclusively on Peacock debuting in October 2025. Confirmed cast members include franchise mainstay Adrienne King, Dead to Me’s Linda Cardellini and Abigail's William Catlett. It's not known how or if the Halloween Horror Nights haunted house will integrate the new show.

Jason Universe isn’t the first of this year's attractions to be announced. Fallout, inspired by Prime Video's acclaimed smash hit show, was recently confirmed. Similarly to the horror homage, it will also appear at both Universal Studios Hollywood and Universal Orlando Resort. Fallout will place fans in iconic scenes and face-to-face with their characters on a journey from Vault 33 to the Wasteland.

Both parks have also recently teased that Blumhouse’s Five Nights at Freddy's, based on another widely popular videogame IP that inspired a hit movie and an upcoming sequel, will be featured in some form at Halloween Horror Nights.

The blood red carpet gets rolled out for horror fans at Universal Studios Hollywood on Thursday, September 4, 2025. Universal Orlando Resort kicks off the festivities a little earlier on Friday, August 29, 2025. Tickets are now on sale. More news on additional Halloween Horror Nights haunted houses, scarezones, and live shows is expected in the coming weeks.

[jedimaster1227]

Universal Orlando has announced several original houses coming to this year's Halloween Horror Nights!

Haunted House Announcement: Gálkn: Monsters of the North In a remote northern village, a wicked being rises from the dead with a horde of monsters. Try to escape the belly of the beast. Tickets are now on sale: http://spr.ly/60114gThB 

Haunted House Announcement: Grave of the Flesh Welcome to your funeral, where it’s about to go from bad to worse. You’ll enter the underworld and be hunted by flesh-eaters for eternity.

Haunted House Announcement: Dolls: Let’s Play Dead You’re about to become doll-sized and be hunted by toys that have been burnt, melded and stitched together by a twisted little girl.

 

Haunted House Announcement: Hatchet and Chains: Demon Bounty Hunters. In this Old West town, all hell is breaking loose. Red-hot lava demons are trying to possess everyone, melting everything in their path.

Haunted House Announcement: El Artista: A Spanish Haunting In 19th century Spain, a tortured artist moves into an isolated country manor for inspiration, but the art comes alive and possesses him.

 

 

[teacherkim]

I am beyond excited that we are going back to HHN this year!!! Haven't been since 2019. Epic and HHN and Howl-O-Scream and MNSSHP in the same week. I. Am. Speechless. Which my husband will probably declare as a national holiday. 

[jedimaster1227]

A few weeks ago I had a chance to visit Universal Studios Florida and it gave me a chance to see a bit of the construction progress on the successor to Hollywood Rip Ride Rockit as well as checking out the park's offerings celebrating the 50th anniversary of Jaws.

Construction on the new coaster is happening all around Hollywood Rip Ride Rockit, despite that coaster still being in operation.

Over in the San Francisco section of the park, a mini version of Amity had sprung up in honor of the 50th anniversary of Jaws. 

It was nice to see this iconic sign back up in the park.

Featuring food booths inspired by the food locations that used to be found in the former Amity section of the park.

Chez Alcatraz continues to serve up Jaws-inspired alcoholic beverages.

There's a neat Amity Boat Tours photo ops featuring imagery from the former Jaws ride and at times, former Jaws skippers come out to perform the ride's spiels live for guests. 

The San Francisco Candy Company has received a temporary overlay to match the outside Jaws theme.

Some former props from the film and former ride queue can be found in this display case.

Eagle-eyed fans will notice this lanyard which was given out to riders on the final night of operation for Jaws at Universal Studios Florida.

Theme Park Review was there on the final day of operation, filming two different POVs before the ride's closure.

  

Props inspired by the former park land can be found throughout the shop.

I love this poster!

Fans of the ride will surely recommend these boathouse doors.

There is even a neat 3-D map of the ride's layout and show scenes.

The candy shop even has a few Jaws-inspired treats.

Just totally normal theming...

Totally normal.

Amity Fried Chicken certainly brings back memories...

Time to take the plunge...

Geronimo.

This trip report being posted two weeks later confirmed one thing... I lived.

This was actually quite good.

Another Amity throwback.

But I passed on this menu.

Shifting from one extinct attraction to a soon-to-be one...

This view will be very different soon.

I wonder if the firehouse will be restored once Rockit is removed.

Artsy.

A new resident from The Secret Life of Pets can now be found in the New York section of the park.

Not long for this world.

Going down...

The non-inverting loop does have a neat silhouette. 

This fly-by turn has always been one of the coaster's better elements.

Oh those ringy-ding-ding-a-lings.

Only a few more weeks to Rockit. 

Outside the park, the path between Universal Studios Florida and Islands of Adventure has become a city of walls while preparation is under way for the new coaster.

On my way out I noticed that the Hemisphere Dancer, the famous plane once belonging to Jimmy Buffett had been restored and placed back at its home at the Lone Palm Airport bar. 

Apparently this was the bar's grand reopening.

A little bit of backstory to close out this report...