FIRST LOOK: Ozzy Osbourne: Prince of Darkness At Universal Studios Hollywood
The haunted house tribute to the legendary rocker takes guests aboard the Crazy Train through his 40-plus-year solo career, from post-war Birmingham ruins to a werewolf transformation and a massive animatronic bat biting his head off.
Halloween Horror Nights at Universal Studios Hollywood opens September 3rd with Ozzy Osbourne: Prince of Darkness, a haunted house built around the heavy metal icon's legendary solo career. The attraction takes guests aboard the Crazy Train through multiple iterations of Ozzy, from his childhood in post-war Birmingham to his most infamous stage moments, culminating in a giant bat animatronic that finally gets revenge on the Prince of Darkness himself.
The separately ticketed event runs select nights through November 1. This marks Universal Studios Hollywood's second collaboration with Ozzy, following the Black Sabbath 13-3D haunted house from 2013. But this time the focus is entirely on his solo work, spanning over 40 years and 13 albums, the first seven of which went multi-platinum.
From a Vision to Osbourne Station
Creative director John Murdy had a specific image in his mind while driving to work one day. He saw a kid playing in the rubble of a blown out building, the kind of scene he'd seen in photos of post-World War II England. Something told him that was Ozzy's childhood.
When Murdy brought the vision to Ozzy's family, Jack Osbourne confirmed it matched stories he'd heard from his father about using the rubble of his city as a playground. Sharon Osbourne shared photos with the creative team that helped inform the design. Bobby Tilly, manager of costume design and production, said Sharon was able to speak to Ozzy's soul for the experience.
The house opens outside a crumbling train station based on the Birmingham station of Ozzy's childhood, renamed Osbourne Station for the attraction. Moonlight cascades over the ruins as guests spot a young child in an English school boy uniform and gas mask, a reference to the music video for Ozzy's song I Just Want You. The outfit is based on the photos Sharon provided.
The windows of the train station flicker and glow. The letters O-Z-Z-Y appear. Guests enter through to platform 666.
All Aboard the Crazy Train
Platform 666 is covered in cobwebs with smoke billowing out from underneath a retro passenger train. The air is thick with the smell of burning coal. This is where guests meet the first of many iterations of Ozzy: Conductor Ozzy, a stiltwalking character with 1930s thematic design who beckons guests to board as the iconic guitar riff from Crazy Train sounds.
Tilly described the conductor as a fantasy version of Ozzy. Murdy wanted guests to get aboard the Crazy Train to move through Ozzy's career and the different characters he created along the way. Once on board, it looks like you're barreling down the tracks toward a hellish landscape.
The Osbourne Asylum and Madman Ozzy
When the train arrives, guests find themselves at the Osbourne Asylum. Inside, a version of Ozzy is tinkering away in an alchemist lab. When he spots you, he may lunge at you with a glowing green syringe. But the needle isn't for guests. It's for himself.
With a mysterious liquid running through his veins, Ozzy transforms into Madman Ozzy, a character meant to be a mix of the artwork from his second studio album Diary of a Madman and a crazy scientist. He sports theatrical makeup and wild hair as guests scramble to escape.
A Foggy Graveyard and Werewolf Transformation
After escaping the asylum, guests enter a foggy graveyard deep into the night with only the full moon for light. The tombstones each have names pulled from Ozzy's song titles. The riff from Bark at the Moon, the title track from Ozzy's third album, mixes with a lone wolf's howl.
Following the sound brings you face to face with Werewolf Ozzy, a transformed version of Ozzy straight from the cover of his third album. But the werewolf's reign doesn't last long.
The Bat Finally Gets Revenge
In 1982, Ozzy bit the head off a bat he believed was made of rubber while performing in Des Moines, Iowa. It became his most infamous live stage moment. In Ozzy Osbourne: Prince of Darkness, the bat finally gets its revenge.
Murdy had a second vision for the house: creating a giant bat that bites the head off Ozzy. He said something he took away from his short time knowing Ozzy was his sense of humor. Guests will encounter a giant bat animatronic biting the head off Werewolf Ozzy, then proudly displaying it.
Murdy said Halloween Horror Nights has been getting more and more into elements you typically see in rides, like animatronics. When he started Horror Nights, he never thought something like the giant bat was possible.
Music and the Osbourne Family Connection
Iconic guitar riffs from Ozzy's most popular work play throughout the house. Stacey Quinealty, creative director of audio and video at Universal Studios Hollywood, said the team wanted to use songs that really stand out, so when you walk into the house you immediately recognize it as Ozzy. She called him a legend.
The Osbourne family was deeply involved in creating the attraction. From the beginning, the tribute has been handled with care and admiration for the artist. Tilly said the team had a service to do it for Ozzy's fans. Murdy described the house as trying to pay tribute to Ozzy through the eyes of his fans, because that's what Ozzy lived for. Now it's Universal's turn to pay tribute to his legacy.
The Full Halloween Horror Nights 2026 Lineup
Ozzy Osbourne: Prince of Darkness is part of Halloween Horror Nights 2026 at Universal Studios Hollywood, which also includes haunted houses based on Sinners, Stranger Things 5, Hellraiser and Evil Dead Burn. The Sinners house takes guests back in time to Club Juke, where a night of music and celebration turns to panic as vampires arrive.
Killer Klowns from Outer Space returns this year alongside the original house Dead, Deader, Deadest. The event also features another original house with an original score: KILLceañera, which has a full score composed by Slash. That house centers on Lola, a teenager whose quinceañera transforms into an elaborate revenge ritual incorporating Latin American folklore. It includes an original song called 15 Candles performed by a character inside the house, marking the first time an original song has been performed by a character within a Halloween Horror Nights haunted house.
Ice Nine Kills is providing original music for the Terror Tram, which Art the Clown from the Terrifier franchise is taking over. In that attraction, Art arrives on the Universal backlot with a bag of presents, realizes Christmas has come too early and commandeers the tram for a murderous holiday celebration. The band will give familiar Christmas songs a darker treatment as guests encounter Art's twisted versions of seasonal classics.
Halloween Horror Nights 2026 at Universal Studios Hollywood begins September 3rd.
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