Slash and Ice Nine Kills Bring Original Music to Halloween Horror Nights at Universal Studios Hollywood

The legendary Guns N' Roses guitarist composed an entire score for an original haunted house while the metalcore band delivers twisted Christmas music for the Terror Tram with Art the Clown.

By Jeanpierre Florent · FirstDrop News TeamAug 28, 20267 min read

Universal Studios Hollywood is bringing major musical firepower to Halloween Horror Nights 2026 with contributions from Slash and Ice Nine Kills. The separately ticketed event kicks off tonight and runs select nights through November 1, featuring the guitarist's original score for a new haunted house and the band's dark take on Christmas classics for the Terror Tram.

Slash composed the entire score for KILLceañera, an original haunted house built around Lola, a teenager whose quinceañera transforms into an elaborate revenge ritual. The attraction incorporates Latin American folklore and features an original song called 15 Candles performed by Lola inside the house.

Creative director John Murdy said the performance marks the first time an original song has been performed by a character within a Halloween Horror Nights haunted house. That puts KILLceañera in unique territory for the event, blending an original narrative with a fully original musical score from one of rock's most recognizable names.

Art the Clown Takes Over Terror Tram With Ice Nine Kills

Ice Nine Kills will provide original music for the Terror Tram, which this year is being taken over by Art the Clown from the Terrifier franchise. In the 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's music will give familiar Christmas songs a darker treatment as guests encounter Art and his twisted versions of seasonal classics. The collaboration continues the growing relationship between Ice Nine Kills and the Terrifier franchise after the band previously released A Work of Art, a song connected to Terrifier 3 whose music video starred David Howard Thornton as Art the Clown.

With Slash contributing a score to one original house and Ice Nine Kills soundtracking another attraction, music will play a prominent role in Universal Studios Hollywood's 2026 Halloween Horror Nights. Both additions represent something relatively new for the event, where licensed horror properties and original concepts typically drive the creative direction rather than musician collaborations.

The Full 2026 Hollywood Lineup

The 2026 Hollywood lineup includes haunted houses based on Sinners, Stranger Things 5, Hellraiser and Evil Dead Burn, along with the return of Killer Klowns from Outer Space and the original Dead, Deader, Deadest. The Sinners house takes guests back in time to the Club Juke, where a night of music and celebration turns to panic as a troupe of unrelenting vampires crash the opening night.

The Stranger Things 5 house celebrates the fifth and final season of the Netflix series as the barrier between reality and the supernatural collapses to unleash an ominous darkness over the town of Hawkins. The Hellraiser house has guests descending into the iconic Lament Configuration puzzle box and entering a dimension inhabited by torturous beings, the Cenobites and their leader, Pinhead.

The event will feature scare zones including Fortnitemares, Hackerz, Blood Bog, Shriek of the Banshee and Murder of Crowz. The returning The Purge: Dangerous Waters stunt show rounds out the entertainment offerings.

Halloween Horror Nights 35 Opens at Universal Orlando

Halloween Horror Nights 2026 marks the 35th edition of the event at Universal Orlando Resort, where it opened last night with a Premium Scream Night followed by the official opening tonight. The Orlando version features 10 haunted houses this year, making it the most expansive Halloween Horror Nights yet.

Guests are invited to step into the Infernal Carnival of Nightmares, where legendary icons Jack the Clown and Dr. Oddfellow reign as the ringmasters of terror. The event runs select nights through November 1 at Universal Studios Florida.

Both valid daytime park admission and Halloween Horror Nights admission are scanned at the wristband pickup location before guests enter the park. Eligible Stay and Scream guests can now have their credentials verified earlier in the day beginning at park opening throughout regular park hours, which means no waiting until the traditional holding areas open later in the afternoon.

Orlando Houses Draw From Major Horror Properties

The Orlando lineup includes a Stranger Things 5 haunted house that appears to have some of the tallest sets out of this year's lineup. Stranger Things mazes in the past have featured jaw-dropping scenes, including Vecna's Upside Down clock room and the Creel House, with sets that were completely immersive.

The Sinners maze features a small indoor pre-show in the queue line before guests even enter the maze itself. While queues will naturally trickle outside during the busy event, the themed pre-show area adds an extra layer before guests step into the Club Juke.

The Hellraiser maze is one of the longest mazes at the event, with elaborate detailing on the puzzle box that transforms into a completely different beast at night. The costuming steps it up significantly, with guests completely immersed in the world of Hellraiser throughout the extended experience.

Ozzy Osbourne Gets His Own Haunted House in Orlando

Halloween Horror Nights Orlando pays tribute to heavy metal icon Ozzy Osbourne with the Ozzy Osbourne: Prince of Darkness haunted house. The maze immerses guests in the world of the legendary rocker, with music serving as a character in its own right.

The Ozzy-inspired bar in the San Francisco area of Universal Studios Florida features Prince of Darkness imagery and three specialty cocktails: Black Rain, Bat-Tea and Ultimate Sin-Amon. The elaborately decorated bar adds to the Ozzy experience beyond the haunted house itself.

The maze is packed with Easter eggs for Ozzy fans while remaining accessible to the wider public. The music makes the maze one of the most revisitable experiences at this year's event, with guests able to mosh through from start to finish.

Jack the Clown and Dr. Oddfellow Return as Event Icons

Jack the Clown and Dr. Oddfellow are now appearing in the entrance scare zone at Universal Studios Florida, presiding over the event as this year's featured icons. The two did not appear outside earlier during Premium Scream Night as rain affected street entertainment, but guests can now see them at the park entrance.

A Tale of Chaos and Control, a roughly three-minute puppet show in Downtown Clowntown near Louie's Pizza, explores the twisted history connecting Jack the Clown and Dr. Oddfellow. The miniature performance is worth stopping to watch while moving through the New York scare zone.

Art the Clown also takes the stage in the Downtown Clowntown scare zone for an approximately five-minute skit, adding another layer to the clown-themed terror running through this year's event.

Scare Zones and Street Experiences

The Fortnitemares scare zone in the Hollywood section of Universal Studios Florida features the Battle Bus, Fortnite-inspired sets and costumed characters that glow against the darkening sky. Club Horror returns with an experience similar to last year's version in the San Francisco area, offering familiar atmosphere for guests who visited the street experience during Halloween Horror Nights 2025.

HamiKuma is meeting guests during the event, bringing the fan-favorite Halloween Horror Nights character from Universal Studios Japan to this year's event in Orlando. The character adds an international flavor to the lineup of meetable talent.

Food and Beverage Offerings

Select food and nonalcoholic beverages are included with Premium Scream Night admission. The Carn Evil Smash Tacos, priced at $14.99 for regular admission, feature smashed cheeseburger tacos with American cheese, shredded lettuce, pickles, secret sauce and toasted sesame seeds.

Death by Cheesestick, a giant hand-breaded mozzarella stick served with spicy marinara sauce, costs $12.99. The popular item drew lines of approximately 30 to 40 guests during Premium Scream Night. The Twisted Philly, a $12.99 Philly steak stromboli topped with spicy Italian sausage, peppers, onions and cheese sauce, is available at the Funny Fare booth in Sting Alley.

Birria Pizza Fries topped with birria beef, mozzarella cheese, onions and cilantro round out the specialty food offerings. Lucky Ticket Lemonade made with Minute Maid Lemonade and raspberry jam costs $10, a large serving that costs about the same as other specialty mocktails at this year's event.

Wait Times and Operations

Wait times fell to just five minutes during Premium Scream Night for operating haunted houses including Stranger Things 5, Evil Dead Burn and Jack and Oddfellow: Chaos and Control. Ozzy Osbourne: Prince of Darkness and Madlands: Caged Cannibals were listed as delayed.

Several rides also had five-minute waits, including Revenge of the Mummy, Transformers: The Ride-3D and Harry Potter and the Escape from Gringotts. The low wait times during Premium Scream Night reflect the separately ticketed nature of that opening experience before the regular event kicked off tonight.

Halloween Horror Nights was originally called Fright Nights when it launched in 1991 as a three-night event that rapidly grew into the Halloween Horror Nights event that continues today. The 2026 edition marks the event's most expansive yet, with year after year continuing to redefine what a scare event is all about.

Written by Jeanpierre Florent, part of the FirstDrop News Team

Jeanpierre is the Southern California based creator behind JPLAND21, a theme park community of more than one million subscribers across YouTube and Instagram. Our reporting is grounded in regular firsthand park visits. More about us