Halloween Horror Nights 2023 Speculation Map v3.0
Its OFFICIAL! Universal has announced all 10 houses and 5 scare zones for the 2023 season of Halloween Horror Nights! Read about it here!
As the day (or night) approaches for Halloween Horror Nights to once again come alive, one of the purest joys of being an HHN fan is to break down the speculation maps that @HHNightmares on Twitter provides us with. One of the reasons why v3.0 is so important is because traditionally, this is the map that is much more refined. Other than the specific name of a house or a street, this map usually turns out to be 85-90% accurate. Referring back to the v1.0 map that you can read about in our previous article, as well as looking into the few concrete announcements we already have from Universal, we can infer a lot about the upcoming event! So without further to do, let’s jump into the Speculation Map v3.0 for Halloween Horror Nights 2023!
Halloween Horror Nights Speculation Map Version 3.0 - Courtesy of HHNightmares
The new thing that has everyone talking this year is the use of photos in the spec map for houses and zones that HHNightmares doesn’t have 100% of the information on yet. This means that although the information in these maps might be a bit more accurate for what we have, it also means that the amount of information we have is dramatically less and the gates of speculation have flung open even wider. So as always, take what we have to say with a grain of salt.
HOUSES
Original House - Forest Creature
House number one is the first on the list to be listed with only a photo to go off of. The icon resembles a forest with three claw marks ripping through the trees. The only definitive information that we have about this is that it is NOT a Jurassic Park III house. However, there has been no other comments on any speculation about this house. Currently there are two competing rumors. The first guess is that this house could be revealed as Cocaine Bear. The comedy-horror B movie was released earlier in 2023, and although it did not because a pop cultural hit, it was a wide source of conversation for a few months, which means it’s title is a well known brand, even if the movie itself might not have won over audiences as the studio hoped it would.
Another popular take on the photo is that it could be a summer camp/bigfoot/creature in the woods house. This idea could easily have an over-the-top, comedic bent to it. Universal has always loved their original houses based on urban legends. A very recent example of this would be Yeti: Terror of the Yukon. A house similar to that would make sense for Halloween Horror Nights 32.
However, some keen eyed readers might have noticed that the Japanese themed house from the original spec map has disappeared! My personal theory is that the house has evolved into this one. The Japanese text that represented the other house translated into “Japanese Creature”. With Japan having two native species of bears as well as infamous forests that spark legends and folklore, this could be the perfect grounds for an iconic HHN house.
The Exorcist
The Exorcist is the first IP (intellectual property) house on the list. This property was not on the original v1 spec map; however, the house did appear on the v2 spec map as The Exorcist: Believer, which is set to release later this year on October 13, 2023. In this version of the speculation map, the correlation to the upcoming installment of the franchise has been dropped! Assuming that this version of the Exorcist is based on the original movie, that would make the third appearance of this house at Halloween Horror Nights. For new fans, this will offer an exciting opportunity to live out a horror classic, but for Halloween Horror Nights vets, this might be a filler house to skip the first week of the event. Hopefully Universal Creative can breathe new life into this house the same way they did with the classic Halloween (1978) house they created for the 2022 season.
Original - Witch town
Continuing on, the next house is another picture only item on the list. Resembling an old town/village with a pentagram above it, this icon evokes images of the Salem witch trials. Whether this would be based on properties like the crucible or not, is unknown, but the theme and topic of this potential house is exciting. Universal has been able to impress us with the scale of the facades and ability to recreate large exteriors in recent years. This house has the potential to be stunning and remarkable with its period architecture and costume design.
Stranger Things Season 4 - Confirmed
Stranger Things Season Four at Halloween Horror Nights Poster - Courtesy of Universal Parks and Resorts
Stranger Things Season 4 is officially confirmed to be coming to Halloween Horror Nights 2023! For more specific details on the house, read our article here about the announcement of Stranger Things for HHN 32. With the popularity of the series, and the success Universal saw with the franchise in their previous events, it's a no brainer for why they’ve brought it back for this year. Expect to see countless hellfire club t-shirts and Eddie Munson cosplays at the parks as it's sure to draw a crowd.
Original - Dueling Dragons
Once again we’ve reached another photo house. This house has had a whirlwind of speculations, rumors, and even leaks surrounding it. However, nothing has yet been confirmed or announced about it. The most credible rumors seem to point towards this castle and dragon house being a love letter to the defunct Dueling Dragons roller coaster formerly located in Islands of Adventure where Hagrid’s Magical Creatures Motorbike Adventure is currently sitting. Leaks that back up this rumor claim that this house will be larger than life, leave audiences in awe, and conjure a predilection for the beloved opening day attraction.
However, with significant hopes leaning towards that prediction, one other stands. With D&D growing in popularity and becoming a more widely adopted game by society and pop culture, it could very likely be centered around the roleplaying game. The inclusion of Stranger Things right next to the house would tie it together nicely, and with the movie recently in theaters and turning a decent crowd, 2023 might be the perfect year. After all the saying goes, strike while the iron is hot.
Chucky - Confirmed
The demonic doll of infamy is returning to Halloween Horror Nights, but this year it will be representing the USA/Syfy show that rebooted the character for modern audiences. This house was the first official announcement for the event. Announced all the way back on October 31, 2022, this announcement makes it the earliest confirmed house in HHN history, considering that the previous year’s event hadn’t even concluded its run at the time (October 31st was its final day of operation).
Original - Dr. Oddfellow
This photo only house is the one we have the most information on! The symbol that’s portrayed on the speculation map directly matches that of Dr. Oddfellow, a character that Halloween Horror Nights fans might remember. Dr. Oddfellow was the owner of the carnival that Jack Schmidt (who later became Jack the Clown) worked for, which appeared in Halloween Horror Nights X Fearhouse.
“Dr. Oddfellow owned a carnival called “Dr. Oddfellow’s Carnival Of Thrills”. Jack had murdered several small children throughout the Southern states and he thought the F.B.I was on to him. Fearing imprisonment, he went to Dr. Oddfellow for help and possible concealment. Dr. Oddfellow was wanted by the police for the accidental death of several patrons in a freak circus accident years earlier under a different name. He did not want the police to potentially catch him, so he asked Jack to show him where he put the bodies. Jack showed him the bodies which were placed in three small trunks inside of his travel coach. Fearing the worst, Dr. Oddfellow had Jack murdered and hid Jack’s body within the traveling carnival’s House of Horrors as an exhibit along with the bodies of the children. Years later he sold his Carnival.”
This house might be a follow up to the Oddfellow storyline after Jack comes back to life, seeks revenge on Dr. Oddfellow, and Murders him in Halloween Horror Nights: Carnival of Carnage.
Original - Crossroads
The last photo-only house also appears on the v1.0 speculation map. On the previous map, it was an electric guitar with a lightning bolt symbol. Some speculated that it was for Stranger Things 4, which we clearly see now that it’s not. We speculated that it could have been another music based house similar to the previous properties from Rob Zombie and the Weeknd. However, the update v3.0 map has changed the symbol from an electric guitar to an acoustic guitar, and instead of a lightning bolt, it has devil horns. This update leads us to believe that this could be a devil at the crossroads house based on the famous blues musician Robert Johnson who, legend has it, sold his soul to the devil to become one of the greatest musicians of all time. As mentioned before, Universal Creatives love turning urban legends into amazing houses for their event. This legend could be their next classic house.
The Last of Us - Confirmed
The Last of Us at Universal’s Halloween Horror Nights Poster - Courtesy of Universal Parks and Resorts
The Last of Us is officially coming to Halloween Horror Nights 2023! Universal made the announcement on June 5, 2023 that the beloved franchise will be coming to the event. For a detailed look at what to expect, read our article on The Last of Us at HHN here! This house will be based on the popular franchise that took the video game community by storm, and then later on, the world through the release of the HBO dramatic series of the same name. However, with all the popularity from the series, this house will be based solely on the video game.
Monsters - Paris
Universal Orlando Resort has been pushing the Universal Classic Monsters IP hard for the past few years since 2019. With the Classic Monsters coming to the new park, Universal’s Epic Universe set to open in 2025, it makes perfect sense to see this property continue to make an appearance in Halloween Horror Nights. With HHN being one of the most attended seasonal events in Florida, there’s almost no better way to get the classic properties back into the public’s eye. With that being said though, Universal continues to up their game on these houses year after year, with the previous season’s Legends Collide house being the biggest in scale so far. Personally, as long as Universal keeps up the commitment of maintaining a high level of excellence with these houses, we have no problem with them continuing to feature their own properties in the event. It only makes sense. However, the moment the quality of these houses decline, we might be inclined to feel otherwise. We don’t want another Walking Dead on our hands. But for now, these houses continue to knock it out of the park perennially.
SCAREZONES
One of the most exciting additions to the version 3 spec map is the scarezones! Although the map also includes the pictures game with the scarezones as it did for the houses, we have a great look at what we can expect for the streets. Dr. Oddfellow might have a larger role in the event than just a house, but also with the inclusion of a scarezone right at the front of the park! Will the Mummy have its own scare zone right out front of the Mummy attraction? What do horns in San Fran mean? We’ll have to find out! But it’s a welcoming site to see the possibility of Death Eaters in Diagon Alley! We’ve seen Death Eaters in Hogsmeade over in Islands of Adventure for a few years now. It makes sense to now also see them in Halloween Horror Nights.
However, what’s super interesting to note is the MEGAN house that was rumored in the original spec map, has been moved to the streets this year, which could be fantastic as a horde in the back of the park. The previous few years have lacked a horde by Simpsons/Springfield, and it left that area of the park feeling oddly empty. Hopefully this year will remedy the issue.
The Jungle theme in Central Park is rumored to be the Japanese theme from the original map. Aokigahara is a location in Japan that could fit this theme. Considering recent events and the fact that it’s very much a real location to this day, it would be a risky move for Universal to parody that location in this event. It's much more realistic to believe that this could just be a generic jungle theme with an original story attached to it.
But finally, the talk of the town is all about Vamp ’69 right now! A follow up to the fan favorite vamp series at HHN, this scare zone will continue the tradition of previous vamp installments with classic music and themes from 1969 while high school vampires attack unsuspecting guests in the streets. We can’t wait!
SHOWS
The shows at Halloween Horror Nights have always been a huge part of the event, even though they often don’t get the spotlight. However, ever since HHN ended the Bill and Ted series, they’ve seemed to struggle to find a worthy successor. Nightmare Fuel is their latest attempt with it running the previous two years. The 2022 season met mixed reviews with some claiming it to be a revisit of the same show from the previous year. If Nightmare Fuel does indeed return, they need to bring a fully original show with the tone we’ve come to appreciate from the Fuel Girls.
As mentioned above, the Vamp series at Halloween Horror Nights has become a huge fan favorite. Its charm, campiness, and ability to pull on nostalgia of different eras has made it an easy shoe in for revisiting time after time. The scare zone lends itself perfectly to be adapted into a stage show. And with the stage being located right next to the zone, this could potentially be a highlight of the event and a memorable experience for fans.
Oddly enough, one element that was excluded from this map but makes total sense to be at the event is the lagoon show. For three years in a row, Universal has included a lagoon show at the event. The show was a relatively low cost addition to the park that could help with guest flow and capacity, and it added one more offering to the event. With minimal downsides to the event, it's strange to not see it listed on the spec map. We hope that this is just an oversight since it is such a perfect and simple addition to the event, and helps Halloween Horror Nights feel a bit more rounded of an event.
That is your 2023 Speculation Map v3.0! What do you think of the event so far? Do you think it's well rounded, and do the inclusion of these properties get you excited for this year’s spooky season? Let us know down below! Halloween Horror Nights 2023 is the longest running HHN event in Universal’s history! Starting September 1st in Orlando and September 7th in Hollywood, there’s a lot to know before going. For information about ticketing and season passes, read our buyer’s guide here. With the event growing so large and with so much to do, is it possible to get everything done in one night? In this article, we show you how you can get the most out of your HHN visit!
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