Universal Studios Japan Debuts First Ever 18+ Halloween Horror Nights House with Afterimage
The R18 rated attraction requires guests to sign a waiver before entering a facility where nightmares blur the line between hallucination and reality.
Universal Studios Japan is launching Afterimage, the first R18 rated haunted house in Halloween Horror Nights history. The attraction requires guests to be 18 or older and sign a waiver before entering, marking a new extreme for the annual horror event.
Afterimage opens September 11 at Stage 18 and runs through November 8 as part of the park's 15th annual Halloween Horror Nights celebration. Entry costs 1,900 yen, with tickets going on sale July 27.
The house puts guests through extreme situations of isolation and confinement as they visit a facility that studies nightmares. Universal Studios Japan describes it as an abnormal space where the boundary between hallucination and reality blurs, presenting a real hell of heinous acts that one desperately wants to escape from.
The R18 rating is equivalent to an R rating in the United States. Only guests 18 and older who complete the required waiver will be admitted to the attraction, which operates from 10 a.m. through park closing.
How Afterimage Fits Into Halloween Horror Nights Japan
Universal Studios Japan is positioning Afterimage as the symbolic centerpiece of its 15th Halloween Horror Nights, representing unprecedented terror for the milestone event. The house joins other Halloween Horror Nights experiences including Factory of Fear, Zombie Tour of Despair, Resident Evil: Requiem, The Dive, Jurassic Park: The Ride in the Dark, and the Street Zombies scare zone.
A new 30 second commercial stars actor and singer Takumi Kitamura as a college student consulting an AI about what to do. The AI responds with advice to try despairing before Kitamura's character gets dragged into the world of Halloween Horror Nights, finding himself trapped in Afterimage, Resident Evil: Requiem, The Dive, and the Street Zombies experience.
Express Pass Offers Guaranteed Entry
Universal Studios Japan is offering a limited time Express Pass that includes guaranteed entry to Afterimage along with one time priority access to Factory of Fear, Zombie Tour of Despair, Jurassic Park: The Ride in the Dark, and Harry Potter and the Forbidden Journey.
The Express Pass starts at 11,800 yen, with pricing varying depending on the date of entry. Tickets go on sale July 27, the same day individual Afterimage tickets become available.
The guaranteed entry component could prove valuable given the R18 rating and waiver requirement, which naturally limits who can experience the attraction. Universal has not announced capacity limits for Afterimage, but the separate ticketing and Express Pass structure suggests the park expects high demand.
What This Means for Halloween Horror Nights
Afterimage represents the first time any Halloween Horror Nights event has introduced an age restricted attraction requiring a waiver. Universal Orlando Resort and Universal Studios Hollywood have not announced plans for similar experiences at their Halloween Horror Nights events, which run from August 28 through November 1 at Orlando and September 3 through November 1 at Hollywood.
Universal Orlando and Hollywood are both featuring an Evil Dead Burn haunted house based on the new film directed and co-written by Sébastien Vaniček. The movie is a direct sequel to Lee Cronin's Evil Dead Rise and adopts a darker, grittier tone than Sam Raimi's original trilogy and Ash vs. Evil Dead.
The Evil Dead Burn house promises to take guests on a terrifying firsthand journey through the film's most frightening moments, beginning at the Price family's secluded vacation home in the woods before encountering ferocious Deadites around every turn. The house is available at both Universal Orlando Resort and Universal Studios Hollywood this fall.
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