Last time I walked through a haunted house that gave me unshakable chills. Last time I seen the sun. That’s not exactly what Stack said in the iconic final scene of Proximity Media’s award-winning hit film “Sinners,” but the sentiments behind the messaging feel about the same (to me).
Halloween Horror Nights (HHN) at Universal Studios Hollywood returns September 3 for another year of striking fear within the hearts and minds of horror lovers and scaredy-cats alike, and coming with it is one haunted house that is nothing short of sinful: Sinners.
Brotherly love, razor-sharp fangs, conniving vampires, and a not-so-lively night at the juke joint await you at HHN 2026. Here’s a brief rundown of what’s in store:
- In the Sinners haunted house at this year’s HHN at Universal Studios Hollywood, you’ll come face-to-face with iconic characters from the “Sinners” film such as Smoke, Stack, Sammie, Mary, Delta Slim, Annie, Remmick and more.
- The Sinners HHN house will also include notable scenes from the “Sinners” film such as “I Lied to You” and “Rocky Road to Dublin” as you venture through the Sinners haunted house.
- On top of thrilling behind-the-scenes details, you’ll get an exclusive look at Proximity Media founders Ryan Coogler, Zinzi Coogler, and Sev Ohanian’s thoughts on the “Sinners” film’s feature as a haunted house at HHN.
The Story Behind “Sinners”
If you haven’t seen “Sinners,” I’d say you’re missing out and should probably fix that, like, yesterday. Luckily for you, this film-turned haunted house experience at Halloween Horror Nights comes pretty close to the (sur)real deal, but I still think having a little background on what you’re getting yourself into is beneficial:
Warner Bros. Pictures’ “Sinners” (2025) is set in 1930s Clarksdale, Mississippi, following identical twin brothers Smoke and Stack, a.k.a. the Smokestack Twins.
The movie opens with the twins returning to their hometown, leaving behind their troubled lives as mobsters in Chicago. But back home in Mississippi, they find that an evil greater than anything the mind can conceive awaits them with a welcome that is far from warm.
Unaware of what sins lie ahead, Smoke and Stack embark on a quest to open a juke joint for the local African American community in Mississippi. Joining the twins is their younger cousin Sammie, a passionate blues singer with a knack for the guitar and a pastor father who finds his son’s music ungodly.
To help bring the juke joint (called Club Juke) to life, the Smokestack Twins recruit Delta Slim as a performer, shopkeepers Grace and Bo Chow as food suppliers, field worker Cornbread as a bouncer, and Annie, Smoke’s estranged wife, as a cook.
Coming along for this soon-to-be wild ride is Stack’s ex-girlfriend Mary. Little do they know, Irish-immigrant vampire Remmick and his newly turned vampire thrall couple Bert and Joan on their way to shake things up!
The bloodbath that unfolds in the “Sinners” film is not for the faint of heart — and neither is the Sinners house at HHN. I hope you’re ready to live the night like it’s your last, because thanks to this haunted house, it just might be!
What to Expect from Sinners at HHN 2026
If you aren’t easily deterred by gushing blood, deathly sharp fangs, and vampires with an insatiable thirst for human flesh, then keep reading. If you are easily deterred by all of that…still keep reading!
You know how the movie goes and have an idea of what the haunted house will look like, but let’s get into the nitty gritty of what you can expect to see in the Sinners house at HHN 2026.
John Murdy, creative director and executive producer of Halloween Horror Nights at Universal Studios Hollywood, says turning “Sinners” into a haunted house posed a challenge unlike any he and his team have ever encountered before.
“For Sinners, we knew we were going to kind of have to reinvent what a haunted house is for us,” John says. “‘Sinners’ is an unusual film. Yes, it’s a horror movie, but it’s something much larger than that, and things like music play such an important role in it.”
Anyone who’s watched “Sinners” knows how true to word John’s last statement is. When you’re spending anywhere between seven and 10 seconds walking through a haunted house scene, John says, making sure the importance of music is reflected throughout the haunted house is crucial.
“You need more time to really do that,” John says. “So, for us in Hollywood, we created a pre-show like you would create for a ride or an attraction.” This pre-show addition allows the fun (and fear) to begin before you even enter the house!
John says Ryan Coogler’s “Sinners” really changed his idea of what a horror movie could be. Getting the chance to transform that reimagined idea into a haunted house excites him.
“We always like to push the boundaries of what we do,” John says. “Sometimes we do things that are just explicitly horror and there’s no question… but this is a different kind of film. So, it took a different kind of approach and level of storytelling to bring it to life.”
The Sinners Pre-show & House Walkthrough
As you make your way through the queue, you’re welcomed into the juke joint by the notorious Smokestack Twins via video effects. Immediately, you’re met with the iconic “I Lied to You” scene where “Preacher Boy” Sammie sings his heart out as burning embers and spirits from the past and future engulf the air around him.
All of a sudden, the wall behind Sammie seems to disappear, revealing the ominous, glowing vampiric eyes of Remmick, Bert, and Joan — all of whom have an insatiable thirst for unsuspecting guests like you.
Hastily, you venture into the woods where spine-chilling vampire silhouettes hungrily watch you from a distance with their deathly bright red eyes. Without a moment’s notice, you stumble upon Remmick, who’s just finished making a meal out of Mary.
As Mary’s lifeless body bleeds out on the floor, Remmick belts out an eerie melody of “Rocky Road to Dublin.” In a desperate attempt to escape the horrors, you continue through the house where you encounter a vampire-turned Mary and her now-comrade, Bert. The vampiric reign of terror doesn’t end there. You wind up outside the entrance to the juke joint to find Cornbread, the bouncer, who’s also fallen to the vicious bite of the vampire.
Now looking at Club Juke from the inside, you’re once again met with the ever-menacing Remmick. (Does he ever give it a rest?) As Remmick practically begs for admission to the juke joint, you continue on to the storage room where the immortal torment only worsens.
Freshly bitten by his lover Mary, a reawakened Stack pounds tirelessly on the storage room door, demanding to be freed for a chance to unleash his wrath. Everything goes downhill from here.
Mourning the loss of her husband Bo Chow, Grace ruthlessly invites the vampires inside the juke joint, and the battle officially begins.
With vampires on the attack from above, Sammie’s got guns blazing at them from below, and Annie tries with all her might to evade a bloodthirsty Stack. At the height of the fight, Remmick takes it home with a surprise attack.
When it seems as though it’s never coming, the sun at last begins to rise. Outside, the harsh morning light sets the vampires’ flesh ablaze, and the final showdown between Smoke and Remmick is afoot.
As Remmick’s skin disintegrates by the sun’s rays, his heart bleeds out from the stake Smoke mercilessly pierced through his chest. At last, this seemingly endless fray comes to a gruesome close.
John says his biggest priority during Halloween Horror Nights is nailing that attention to detail to really bring the film to life for the guests.
“We get to kind of create the ultimate form of wish fulfillment for them,” John says. “They love the properties they love, but to be able to actually experience them in the flesh and walk through them is a whole different thing, so that’s what we’re always striving to do with our event.”
From Theater Screens to Haunted House Scenes
It’s not every day your award-winning film goes from culturally connecting with its fans from the big screen to bringing those experiences to the haunting hallways of a Halloween Horror Nights house. For Proximity Media founders Ryan Coogler, Zinzi Coogler, and Sev Ohanian, however, this is what their reality has transformed into since the release of “Sinners.”
The Proximity Media founders were thrilled to learn their film would come to have a place in Universal’s famed Halloween event. “It felt surreal,” they say. “From the beginning, we wanted to build a world that audiences could lose themselves in, so seeing ‘Sinners’ evolve into an experience people can physically step inside is both humbling and incredibly exciting. It’s a testament to the incredible work of everyone involved and to the fans who have embraced the film in such a meaningful way.”
Ryan Coogler, Zinzi Coogler, and Sev Ohanian admire the work that goes into making HHN happen and hope the Sinners haunted house creates a new experience for guests and fans alike.
“We’re excited for fans to experience the story from an entirely new perspective, and we’re grateful to the Halloween Horror Nights team for giving us the opportunity to weigh in and collaborate directly on bringing that live experience to life,” they say. “They have an incredible ability to translate cinematic worlds into unforgettable experiences, and they’ve captured the tension, mystery and emotional stakes that define ‘Sinners.’ We hope guests leave feeling the same adrenaline, suspense and sense of discovery that we set out to create on screen.”
How thrilled are you to walk through the Sinners haunted house at Halloween Horror Nights 2026 at Universal Studios Hollywood? Tell us all about it in the comments below!
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