Halloween Horror Nights 33 will kick off at Universal Studios Florida on August 30. For the first time ever, horror fans who can’t wait until then will be able to get an early peek.
In an unprecedented change, Universal Orlando allowed guests to book Unmasking the Horror Tours as early as August 11 and get a first look at three of this year’s original houses.
The Unmasking the Horror Tour is a V.I.P. tour that offers guests a lights-on, behind-the-scenes look at select Halloween Horror Nights haunted houses. This year, the 3-house tour lets guests learn more about The Museum: Deadly Exhibits, Slaughter Sinema 2, and Triplets of Terror.
Since we are avid fans of Horror Nights, we eagerly booked a tour to learn more about the houses. As the event is just 3 weeks away, the houses are not yet 100% complete, so our photos may not fully reflect the finished product.
BE WARNED! SPOILERS AHEAD!
The Museum: Deadly Exhibits
First up on the tour was The Museum: Deadly Exhibits, which finds us entering the Museum of International Folklore. They are set to open “The Rotting Stone” exhibit, but the employees quickly find out that the artifact corrupts and possesses inanimate objects and wreaks havoc across the museum and its exhibits.
The Rotting Stone spreads like a plague, and you can see the “rot” spreading as you traverse deeper into the museum; infecting all the inanimate objects on display – from desks to masks. At one point, we enter an exhibit where the room begins to “cry” tears of blood. Even the Museum Audio Guide, which serves as the house’s narration, starts to warp as you get closer to the Stone finale.
All the houses this year will feature two Easter Eggs for guests to look out for: Snails and Desserts. Each house was given a codename inspired by a dessert. For Deadly Exhibits, it was “baklava”, and you can find a plate full of them in the first room.
And yes, there is a reference to the beloved HHNBear as “Mama Bear” makes an appearance.
Slaughter Sinema 2
A sequel to the 2018 hit, Slaughter Sinema 2 brings us back to the Carey Drive-In for another round of a B-Movie Marathon. Slaughter Sinema contains ideas that Art & Design, the creative minds behind Horror Nights, believe are good concepts but are not confident that these can be translated into a “full house experience.” If a particular “film” gets enough positive feedback, A&D might revisit the concept and develop it into a complete experience in the future, similar to what they did with the Yeti franchise (which first appeared in “Attack of the Swamp Yeti” in 2018’s Slaughter Sinema).
This was the most restricted of the houses in terms of photography, allowing us to photograph only 3 of the “films”. Here is the movie list, in order:
- Mardi Gras Murders
- Heavy Metal Hell In 3D
- Killer Kringles
- Night of the Undead Clowns
- Hatchet and Chains: Demon Bounty Hunters
- Blood & Chum
- Mummy Strippers: Unwrapped
- Zyborgs
Mardi Gras Murders brings us to the “The Jester Motel”, where a couple who is partying too hard gets terrorized by murderous jesters. The beauty of these tours is discovering small details that you might never notice during a regular walk-through. During the tour, the guide explained that the couple was recently engaged, as evidenced by the open ring box on the coffee table; and the now-fiancée, who is now wearing the ring, has been murdered by one of the Jesters.
Heavy Metal Hell 3D is based on the story of a teenager playing a record backward and accidentally opening the gates of Hell in his bedroom. What’s interesting about this segment is that it includes 3D effects, and guests have the option to bring their own 3D glasses for a unique experience during their walk-through – but wearing the glasses is not required to enjoy “Heavy Metal Hell”.
Killer Kringles is your typical Santa Claus and Elves gone murderous, but the room features A LOT of gore and bodies. Santa takes the humans on his naughty list and brings them back to the North Pole to the elves.
Night of the Undead Clowns re-introduces us to Bzzzcon, the fictitious company from Bugs: Eaten Alive, who bury their chemical barrels in a clown graveyard and accidentally create zombie clowns!
Hatchet and Chains: Demon Bounty Hunters pays homage to Spaghetti Westerns. The story brings us to a “Cat House” in the Old West, where the duo engages in demonic bounty hunting.
Blood & Chum takes us underwater in a lake during Summer Camp, where a mutant shark has entered through an underwater pipe from the ocean. In this scene, a massive shark puppet will try to eat you before you can escape.
Mummy Strippers: Unwrapped finds us at the “Mummy’s Toomb Adult Lounge”, owned by Tommy Two-Thumbs, who unknowingly brings in cursed sarcophaguses that unleash female mummies looking to devour souls. Two-Thumbs makes a deal with the mummies, allowing them to drain souls to maintain their beautiful appearance in exchange for the safety of his own life.
The finale of the house takes us to the trenches in the not-too-distant future where Zyborgs, a portmanteau of Zombie Cyborgs, are at war hunting humans for body parts to expand their Zyborg Army.
Triplets of Terror
The final house of the tour was Triplets of Terror, an original Universal slasher house which is something they don’t much of. The story introduces us to the Barmy Family Home on March 9, 1984, during the Barmy Triplets’ 9th Birthday Party – where they have just slaughtered their family.
The Serial Killer Triplets – Melody, Harmony, & Junior – recreate their family’s murder every 10 years. After we exit their dining room, we are introduced to a True Crime Podcast that helps explain the murder spree. In the present day, 2024, we meet the Triplets as they prepare to kill to recreate the scene again in Cradleton, Pennsylvania.
The house is filled with meticulous story details, featuring a lot of foreshadowing and references to the number 3. For example, the entrance of the Barmy Home features a bucket full of severed doll heads due to Junior, who ends up beheading his victims as he gets older. The time of their first 2024 murder takes place at 3:33 am, playing off
Throughout the house, you’ll find the Triplets leaving their calling card – including their symbol which features 3 humps.
Word of caution: This house also features a dog who falls victim to the Triplets (and yes, it is the same dog puppet, Helix, from 2018’s Depths of Fear house).
As we make our way through the town, we encounter different victims that the Barmy Triplets have terrorized – including the town drunk and the town butcher – as they collect the pieces to create a modern-day version of their first birthday slaughter. Some of the kills the guide described sound absolutely brutal – including a few featuring a snow plow and circular saw.
The house is gory and violent, and the high-concept storytelling may make it a fan favorite this year.
3-House Unmasking the Horror Tours are available for purchase starting at $99.99 + tax per person. The 6-House Unmasking the Horror Tours are set to begin on August 30 with prices starting at $179.99 + tax per person. Pricing varies by date and tour selection, subject to availability. Tour dates and prices are subject to change until purchased. The 6-House Tour is expected to include Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire, Insidious: The Further, Universal Monsters: Eternal Bloodlines, Major Sweets Candy Factory, Monstruos: The Monsters of Latin America, & Goblin’s Feast. You can find more information on tours here.
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Looking to book that HORROR-filled Universal vacation? We recommend using our friends at MEI-Travel to help plan your next trip to Universal Orlando or Universal Studios Hollywood. Earn a $25 gift card with any package (hotel and tickets) that is booked through 12/31/24.
