Two words: gore galore. That’s how I’d summarize Damien Leone’s three gruesome “Terrifier” films. Don’t believe me? Come see it for yourself — and I don’t just mean on the big screens!
Halloween Horror Nights at Universal Studios Hollywood is back for its 24th year of slaying (literally) with a slew of haunted houses that do more than just aim to afflict. There’s one house, however, that really puts you at the frontlines of all things fearsome: Terrifier.
Hold my hand (you’ll need to) — I’m taking you behind the screams of what the HHN masterminds are calling “the goriest, most extreme house in the history of Halloween Horror Nights”!
Looking to learn about the Universal Orlando Resort version of this haunted house? Click here!
What (?) Who (??) Is Terrifier?
Despite this clown’s unnerving appearance, his name isn’t actually Terrifier, he’s just one who terrifies! Meet Art the Clown, a sadistic, bloodthirsty slasher. Art totes a heavy black trash bag filled with all the tools and weapons he’ll ever need to maim his victims to his heart’s content. I wouldn’t hire him for your kids’ birthday parties, but I would suggest heading straight first into his haunted house this spooky season — if you’re brave enough, that is.
As you brave the Terrifier house, prepare to get real familiar with Art the Clown. John Murdy, director of creative development and executive show producer of entertainment at Universal Studios Hollywood, describes Art the Clown as your modern-day 70s/80s slasher. “What’s unique about him is that he doesn’t talk. He’s a mime; he never speaks,” he says. “So everything Art does is like a mime performing, except it’s taken to extreme levels of gore and violence.”
After the bloody success of the many fan-favorite haunted houses in 2024, the HHN team made it a mission to top its own work. “We didn’t want to just make that visual, we wanted it to physically affect our guests,” John says. “So we kind of had to pull out all of the tricks of our trade to do that. We wanted to make it feel like this stuff could happen to you at any moment.”
The Terrifier house more than mirrors the movies. You’re in for a world of surprises you won’t see coming, even if you’re a fan of the films. For all my Halloween lovers out there, prepare to enjoy (or agonize over) this one-of-a-kind experience.
FUN FACT: All the masks and prosthetics featured in the Hollywood Terrifier house were produced by Christian Tinsley, the FX makeup artist behind the looks seen in “Terrifier 3”!
What to Expect from Terrifier at HHN 2025
If you’ve seen “Terrifier 2,” then you should already know the first place we’re going: The Terrifier funhouse.
“Going into a creepy funhouse is always good for horror, but it would also allow us to take all the iconic kills from the franchise that we knew fans of ‘Terrifier’ would be dying to see recreated in a haunted house setting,” John says. “We could set them within the funhouse and give it a twist so that it would be somewhat of an original interpretation as well.”
Not only can you look forward to kills you’ll remember from the film, but you’ll also see new, one-of-a-kind terrors from Art the Clown exclusive to the HHN experience at Universal Studios Hollywood. Plus, with the most advanced special effects the event has ever seen coming to this house, there’s even more to anticipate! Just how far will Universal go to bring you the ultimate night of fright, you ask? Well…John doesn’t mince words when it comes to that.
“There is an enormous amount of blood effects,” John says. “We wanted to make you feel like you were getting showered in the blood of Art’s victims, and we kind of took that to an extreme. We basically wanted to make it feel like there’s just no escape.”
That’s right: It’s going to get wet, and maybe a little wild, too. Don’t worry, it’s not real blood — but with the way this house is set up, you just might forget it isn’t! I hope you’re ready to witness the most amount of “blood” and highest number of bodies Halloween Horror Nights has ever had in a haunted house, because Terrifier is not for the squeamish.
Step Inside the Terrifier Funhouse
Universal Studios Hollywood is notorious for annually designing haunted houses that go the extra mile to scare you during HHN. Our talented team worked hard to bring guests a new, unique experience with a variety of visually appealing (or appalling) features and a number of surprises that are sure to keep you on your toes.
John says his goal with the Terrifier house is to pay off the film’s brand as the absolute extreme end of horror. “Fans of this franchise are expecting us to go places that they don’t think we’re going to go, so our job is to take them there,” John says.
Art the Clown is practically inviting you to come “enjoy” his funhouse. He was so kind as to set the place up and display all the works of art he’s most proud of. By works of art I mean kills, of course. Same thing, right?
One scene that’ll have you screaming bloody murder is Silly Saws, where you can witness firsthand the many ways Art can saw apart the human body. The Dolly Molly scene draws inspiration from the baby doll scene in the “Terrifier 2” film, but we’re switching it up by having Art turn his victims into living — or rather, dead — dolls. You might also find the burnt, charred corpse of Sienna, the heroine who we meet in the second “Terrifier” film, lounging around the Clown Cafe. I hope you don’t mind the smell of burning flesh!
You’ll be moments from making it out of the Terrifier funhouse alive before taking the Wrong Turn, leading you to the entrance of the Chamber of Horrors. As you make your way through this horrifying attraction, you’ll find that the exit to safety is completely blocked by the toppling pile of bodies of everyone who was in line before you. You’ll be left with no choice but to take the Chicken Exit. But if you’ve learned anything about our friend Art the Clown while reading this article, you know that he’s not one to just let you chicken out!
“It’s not going to end the way you think it’s going to end,” John says. “It’s intentionally designed to torment you even more!”
I’m not going to ruin the fun, but all I can say is when it comes to the chicken exit, it’s beginning to look a lot like Christmas. For all my “Terrifier 3” lovers: If you know, you know. You’re in store for heaps of anxiety, confusion, fright, and fun (the sick and twisted kind) when taking on Terrifier this Halloween Horror Nights!
Art the Clown is on the Run!
Outside of the Terrifier funhouse when you’re walking around the theme park, grabbing a bite to eat, or shopping for some monstrous wears and rares, there’s one thing John highly suggests: “Be on the lookout for Art, because he might be someplace where you least expect him,” he says. In other words, during Halloween Horror Nights, there is no escaping Terrifier.
How terrified will you be for Terrifier during Halloween Horror Nights at Universal Studios Hollywood? Let us know in the comments below!
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