Ice Nine Kills to Score Terror Tram Starring Art the Clown at Halloween Horror Nights
The metalcore band will create twisted versions of Christmas carols for Art the Clown's holiday themed backlot takeover, running select nights from September 3rd through November 1st at Universal Studios Hollywood.
Ice Nine Kills is bringing their horror metal sound to Halloween Horror Nights at Universal Studios Hollywood this fall. The band will create an original score for Terror Tram Starring Art the Clown, putting a dark twist on classic Christmas carols as the murderous mime hijacks the famous studio backlot with a bag full of blood soaked presents.
The collaboration pairs one of horror's most recognizable modern villains with a band that has made its entire career out of horror inspired music. Terror Tram Starring Art the Clown opens on September 3rd and runs select nights through November 1st.
This marks the second time Ice Nine Kills has worked with the Terrifier franchise. The band previously created A Work of Art, the official theme song for Terrifier 3, which has racked up nearly 60 million streams and spent 18 weeks on Billboard's Hot Hard Rock Songs chart after debuting at number three.
The Terror Tram experience centers on Art the Clown arriving at the historic Universal backlot with his blood soaked bag of presents. When he realizes it's too early for Christmas, he hijacks the tram for his own holiday celebration instead.
Christmas Comes Early (and Bloody) to the Backlot
Ice Nine Kills will create new music specifically for the experience, reimagining classic Christmas songs with the band's signature heavy sound. It's a perfect match for Art's twisted holiday theme and the kind of theatrical horror storytelling the band has become known for over the past 20 years.
Guests who think they escaped Art's chaos on the backlot might want to look over their shoulders. The killer clown will also lurk in unsuspecting places throughout the theme park, creating surprise encounters away from the main Terror Tram experience.
A Natural Step Forward for the Band
Frontman Spencer Charnas said the band is forever honored that Terrifier writer and director Damien Leone and his team invited them to play in their sandbox of bloodshed. Art himself, David Howard Thornton, killed it in the A Work of Art music video, and the band has had Damien and several cast members at their Silver Scream Cons every year so far.
Charnas called Halloween Horror Nights one of their favorite destinations each season and noted that their fans love it too. He described the Terror Tram collaboration as yet another natural step forward in their unnatural world of horror.
The relationship between Ice Nine Kills and the Terrifier universe has clearly grown beyond a single song. Between convention appearances with the cast and now scoring a theme park attraction, the band has become part of Art the Clown's expanding world.
Twenty Years of Horror Metal
The Terror Tram announcement arrives during a massive year for Ice Nine Kills. The band is celebrating 20 years since their debut album while colonizing what feels like every corner of the horror genre.
Their recent streak includes Twisting the Knife featuring McKenna Grace, which became the band's first number one on Billboard's Mainstream Rock Airplay chart. The track also topped Billboard's Hot Hard Rock Songs and Hard Rock Digital Song Sales charts and has garnered 35 million streams. It appears over the closing credits of Scream 7, which had the biggest opening weekend in franchise history.
The band also created Hell or High Slaughter (Grave Diggler Pt. 2) for Ready or Not 2: Here I Come and Play Dead for Dead by Daylight's tenth anniversary, which came with an in game Ice Nine Kills collection. Their single A Grave Mistake, inspired by The Crow, was officially certified gold by the RIAA.
Led by Charnas, Ice Nine Kills blends extreme metal with melody across their two breakthrough albums, The Silver Scream and The Silver Scream 2: Welcome to Horrorwood. They have amassed more than two billion global streams and over 500 million YouTube views.
Part of Halloween Horror Nights 2026
Terror Tram Starring Art the Clown joins a massive lineup at Halloween Horror Nights this year. The event also includes haunted houses based on Sinners, Stranger Things, Hellraiser, Evil Dead Burn and Ozzy Osbourne: Prince of Darkness, plus the return of Killer Klowns From Outer Space.
Another original house, KILLceañera: Music by Slash, features an original score by guitarist and songwriter Slash with Spanish guitar and an exclusive song titled 15 Candles. Multiple scare zones including Hackerz, Fortnitemares, El Circo de la Muerte and Blood Bog will fill the park, along with The Purge: Dangerous Waters stunt show at the WaterWorld venue.
Universal Studios Hollywood is also debuting Unmasking the Horror Tour Add On for the first time this year. The behind the scenes daytime experience offers a lights on walkthrough of the Sinners and KILLceañera haunted houses with insights into the creative process and photo opportunities in select designated areas.
Halloween Horror Nights runs select nights from Thursday, September 3rd through Sunday, November 1st. Tickets are available now at Universal Studios Hollywood's website.
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